Sacto 9-1-1

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

West Sacramento has plucked a new police chief from the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Tom McDonald, a captain who leads the LAPD's Emergency Operations Division and is an expert in tactics and crowd control, replaces departing West Sacramento police chief Dan Drummond, who is retiring in July after nine years on the force.

McDonald starts in West Sacramento in July. He will be the city's fifth police chief.

The California Highway Patrol reported that is unknown if a man who fell from the Northgate Boulevard overcrossing on Saturday onto Interstate 80 died from the drop to the pavement or from being run over by vehicles.

The CHP said that the 66-year-old man from West Sacramento parked his vehicle on Northgate Boulevard overcrossing about 5:20 a.m. Saturday. A CHP press release said for unknown reasons the man fell from the overcrossing onto a lane of westbound I-80.

One vehicle hit the man and continued on its way. Several other vehicles then struck the man.

The man, whose name has not been released pending notification of family, died at the scene.

The Yolo County coroner's office has released the name of a boater who fell overboard in the Sacramento River on Sunday.

He was identified as Joua Kao Lor, 55, of Sacramento.

West Sacramento Fire Department personnel were dispatched at 3:48 p.m. Sunday to a report of a drowning. Lor fell from a boat into the river near South River Road and Babel Slough.

Searchers on the bank, in a helicopter and in the water searched for Lor, said West Sacramento Battalion Chief Steve Bins. Details were not available on what caused Lor to fall from the boat.

His body was found and removed from the river at about 7 p.m. Sunday by Drowning and Accident Rescue Teamdivers.

A drunken driving checkpoint in West Sacramento was a busy place on Friday night.

The checkpoint was conducted at Harbor Boulevard and Duluth Street. Here are the stats from police Lt. Tod Sockman, division commander:

• A total of 522 cars came through the checkpoint.

• Four citations were issued for unlicensed driving.

• Four field sobriety checks were conducted.

• There was one DUI arrest

• One car was towed.

A West Sacramento man has been convicted of robbery in a case involving a 2011 marijuana deal in which one person was shot.

A Yolo County jury last week found Wendell Joseph Coleman, 22, guilty of three counts of robbery and three counts of assault with a firearm. The jury also convicted Coleman of six enhancements for personal use of a firearm during the commission of those crimes, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

On June 14, 2011, Coleman met with the victims Nick Gartiez, Darien Williams and Max Williams to conduct a marijuana deal, authorities said. The victims reported, and phone records confirmed, that the deal was set up through multiple phone calls between Gartiez and Coleman.

A motorist was arrested Wednesday for allegedly speeding away from a traffic stop through a supermarket parking lot in West Sacramento in an attempt to evade a California Highway Patrol officer.

An officer saw a Honda without license plates about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on southbound Jefferson Boulevard near South River Road. He stopped the car when the driver entered the Nugget Market parking lot on Lake Washington Boulevard.

During the traffic stop, the driver, identified as Avel Gonzalez Valencia, 21, of West Sacramento allegedly fled in the Honda, driving at high speed through the parking lot where several shoppers were walking.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

Former West Sacramento police officer Sergio Alvarez, accused of sexually assaulting women while on duty, will face trial in September.

The three-week trial is set for Sept. 23 in Yolo Superior Court in Woodland, according to court records.

Alvarez, 37, faces 35 counts including rape, sodomy and kidnapping in the alleged attacks on six women while on duty between October 2011 and September 2012.

The allegations came to light following a five-month investigation and a February grand jury indictment that led to the former officer's arrest and his removal from the force.

Alvarez remains held in lieu of $26.3 million bail at Yolo County Jail.

West Sacramento police are trying to determine how a truck tractor ran over a 36-year-old man this morning at a local trucking company yard.

Police and California Highway Patrol officers responded to an industrial accident in the 3000 block of Evergreen Avenue about 11 a.m. When they arrived, officers found a semi-tractor that appeared to have crashed through a chain-link fence of the business. It had stopped at the side of Interstate 80, just west of the Harbor Boulevard entrance, said West Sacramento police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman.

The man was pinned under the tractor, which was still running. Sockman said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: In mid-March of this year, a woman who was coming home from her job at a local casino in the morning crashed and died in West Sacramento from her brakes failing, the CHP was investigating. Do you know what became of that investigation? Did the brakes indeed fail, or was it driver error?
Submitted by: Rick, Sacramento

ANSWER: The cause of the March 13 crash is still under investigation.

The body of 58-year-old West Sacramento woman has been found inside a vehicle that went into the Sacramento River this morning.

Officer Cindy Leal, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, said a CHP 911 dispatcher spent about 10 minutes on the phone with the woman who called to report that she was inside a vehicle that had gone into the river off Old River Road.

Leal said the woman worked at Cache Creek Casino and is believed to have been on her way home to West Sacramento when she phoned her daughter and said she didn't think the brakes on her car were working. At 8:11 a.m., the CHP dispatch center received a call from the woman, who said she was inside the car in the river. Leal said there was some difficulty in communicating because the woman spoke Punjabi and it took a few minutes to find someone who spoke the language. Leal said the connection was lost after about 10 minutes.

West Sacramento is looking for a new leader for its police department, following the announced retirement of Chief Dan Drummond.

Drummond, who has served the city since 2004, recently announced that he would be stepping down in July. Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said West Sacramento became a safer place during Drummond's time on the job -- with property and violent crime declining.

An online listing for the open position notes that the police department, with 70 sworn positions, is divided into two divisions: field operations and administration support.

A West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 21 years in state prison for attacking his girlfriend and then threatening her in an effort to prevent her from testifying against him.

Michael Robert Hernandez III, 33, pleaded no contest to two "strike" felonies and multiple enhancements, including assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, infliction of great bodily injury due to domestic violence and dissuading a witness, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. He was sentenced March 7 by Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul Richardson.

On Oct. 11, 2012, West Sacramento police officers were dispatched to a residence on Circle Drive regarding a report of a fight between Hernandez and the victim. A verbal argument became a physical fight when Hernandez pushed the woman to the floor and choked her, causing her to nearly lose consciousness before he released his grip, officials said. Hernandez then reportedly punched and kicked the victim multiple times. While the woman was lying on the floor, Hernandez straddled her and choked her again, this time to the point of unconsciousness.

By Darrell Smith

dvsmith@sacbee.com

Former West Sacramento police officer Sergio Alvarez pleaded not guilty in Yolo Superior Court Thursday to 35 counts of sexually assaulting women while on patrol.

Alvarez, 37, has been held in lieu of $29.3 million bail since his Feb. 25 arrest on allegations including rape, sodomy and kidnapping of six women while on duty between October 2011 and September 2012. Alvarez, who had been in Solano County custody, appeared in Yolo County jail clothing for his brief morning hearing before Yolo Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg.

Alvarez's arrest came after a five-month investigation into the allegations and a grand jury indictment. Two phone book-sized stacks of transcripts from the panel were presented at the hearing. Rosenberg left a court order sealing the papers in effect.

A trial readiness hearing has been scheduled for March 22 in Yolo Superior Court.

PHOTO CAPTION: Former West Sacramento police officer Sergio Alvarez is lead from the Yolo County Courthouse by a Yolo County Sheriff's deputy after he pleaded not guilty in Yolo Superior Court in Woodland, Calif. on Thursday, March 7, 2013.
Alvarez is accused of sexually assaulting several women while on patrol. Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee

The name of a pedestrian who was struck and killed by an Amtrak passenger train Sunday has been released by the Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner's office.

He was identified as Mitchell Lee Yarrington, 52, of West Sacramento.

Yarrington was walking on the tracks on Sunday afternoon when he was struck by the westbound train near the Harbor Boulevard overpass, said West Sacramento police Sgt. Trent Tyler.

The train had just left Sacramento and was headed toward San Jose when the incident occurred. Another train was dispatched to pick up passengers, Tyler said.

A West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 26 years and eight months in prison for a gang assault in which he struck a youth in the head with a hammer.

A Yolo County jury convicted Christopher Lee Castillo, 21, for his role in a March 2010 attack on two black juveniles. He was sentenced Friday by Yolo Superior Court Judge Stephen L. Mock.

The two victims and their family had been harassed by gang members during the two months before the assault, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. When the two victims went to confront the gang members, they were ambushed by numerous gang members armed with weapons and a pit bull. Castillo struck one of the victims in the head with a hammer, creating a deep gash, authorities said.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

The former West Sacramento police officer facing 35 counts of sexually assaulting women while on patrol will face a March 7 arraignment in Yolo Superior Court.

Sergio Alvarez, 37, made a brief appearance Wednesday afternoon at the courthouse in Woodland. He is being held in lieu of $29.3 million bail in Solano County custody on allegations including rape, sodomy and kidnapping of six women while on duty between October 2011 and September 2012.

Alvarez has been a member of the West Sacramento Police Department since 2007.

Arrests by state and Yolo County law enforcement officers could cripple street gangs who are thought to be responsible for dozens of home and car burglaries, West Sacramento police said.

The arrests stem from more than 80 home burglaries and 40 car burglaries starting in December in West Sacramento and the outlying region. Thirteen people were arrested.

In addition, three assault rifles, drugs, ammunition, body armor and four handguns were confiscated.

The operation was dubbed "Operation Red Bandits" because members of the burglary ring were identified as members of the Norteno street gang. The gang wears the color red.

The operation targeted gang members from 16 to 20 years old. The gang members supported their lifestyle through the selling of drugs and stolen property.

Those arrested face possession of narcotics, narcotics sales, burglary and violent crime charges.

"Today's operation will cripple these criminal street gangs and their criminal enterprise network," stated a press release.

A rare closure of the I Street Bridge occurred this morning due to ice on the trusty old span.

About 7 a.m. today West Sacramento police closed the bridge that crosses the Sacramento River between downtown Sacramento and West Sacramento after vehicles slid out of control and collided head-on.

"Two cars hit the black ice," said Lt. Tod Sockman of the West Sacramento police.

The bridge opened again about 8 a.m. when the sun warmed the pavement enough to melt the ice away.

A 13-year-old student was arrested after he allegedly brought marijuana cookies to a West Sacramento school.

West Sacramento police said that the student at Southport Elementary, a K-8 school, on Tuesday brought about six marijuana cookies to campus on Tuesday. He then sold two of the cookies to another student who gave them to two other students, according to police Lt. Tod Sockman.

The two who received the cookies for free ate them and one of them got sick, police said.

A 29-year-old man has been convicted of robbing an elderly woman in a West Sacramento parking lot, then pepper spraying bystanders who intervened.

A Yolo County jury on Monday found Thomas Jones IV guilty of robbing the woman, who was disabled, the afternoon of Oct. 27, 2012, as she went to the Little Caesars Pizza restaurant near West Capitol Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. Jones rode his bicycle up to the woman from behind and grabbed her purse.

The commotion and the woman's screams drew three employees from a nearby business, who chased Jones as he tried to escape with the purse. The employees pursued him across West Capitol Avenue and cornered him in a loading dock. When they attempted to detain Jones, he used a large can of Mace to spray them, officials said.

A Raley's supermarket in West Sacramento was evacuated for about 30 minutes this afternoon while police searched for a woman believed to be inside with a gun.

Police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman said the incident occurred around noon after a truck driver reported that a woman with whom he had had contact at Jefferson Boulevard and West Capitol Avenue had stolen his gun and run away. He reported the theft to the California Highway Patrol, which then contacted the Police Department.

An officer spotted the woman in front of the Raley's store on West Capitol Avenue. and saw her go inside. Believing that she was armed, police evacuated the store while they searched for her.

Three people have been injured, one critically, in a collision near the junction of Highway 50 and Interstate 80 in West Sacramento.

Sgt. Andrew Hill of the California Highway Patrol said the collision was reported at 4:43 p.m. He said the driver of a 2006 Toyota Sequoia had stopped for some reason on the right shoulder of the transition to eastbound Interstate 80 near Enterprise Boulevard and the Highway 50-I-80 split. The driver then attempted to cross the transition lanes and to enter eastbound Highway 50.

As the Sequoia crossed two transition lanes, it was broadsided by a 2004 Toyota Corolla. Hill said the Sequoia overturned, and the driver was partially ejected from the driver's side window.

By Phillip Reese
preese@sacbee.com

A bicyclist was killed early today after he swerved in front of a moving car in central West Sacramento, police said.

The man, 51, was cycling eastward near 2000 West Capitol Avenue around 7 a.m. in the driving rain when he swerved to miss a large puddle and was hit.

The car was also moving east. Its driver was not hurt.

The identity of the bicyclist was not released pending notification of family members.

All westbound lanes of Highway 50 are open now after a major injury collision had reduced traffic flow to one lane in West Sacramento, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The collision occurred shortly after 5 p.m. and involved a sedan and a sports utility vehicle. CHP reports available online indicate more vehicles might have been involved.

The lane closure, at the West Harbor Boulevard off ramp, had traffic backed up to Jefferson Boulevard.

Traffic cams, conditions at sacbee.com/traffic.

The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of the Pacific Gas & Electric employee who died when his truck slammed into a traffic signal pole in West Sacramento on Friday.

He was identified as Tommy Gene Flippo, Jr., 57, of Woodland.

Police officers responded to the crash about 2 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Lake Washington and Jefferson boulevards. Flippo died at the scene.

West Sacramento police investigated the incident, which occurred as a rainstorm was moving through the area. Police say it is possible that weather was a factor in the crash.

West Sacramento police have arrested Brian Brinsfield, 20, as a felony suspect in an early-morning robbery and shooting near the Russian Baptist Church.

The robbery took place early Saturday morning at a Christmas tree lot adjacent to the church property on 1000 Sacramento Ave., said Sgt. Nathan Steele of the West Sacramento Police Department.

When police arrived at the church, a security guard said a man attempting to steal a Christmas tree from the lot had fired several shots at the guard and then fled on foot.

An extensive search of the area initially failed to turn up a suspect. Brinsfield was arrested Saturday afternoon.

- Edward Ortiz

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com
Woodland police are seeking a man who robbed an elderly woman as she was walking home after shopping Sunday morning.

Police said the 81-year-old woman was on foot, returning to the 400 block of Ashley Avenue about 11:15 a.m. She was using a walker with a compartment under the attached seat, and her wallet was in the compartment.

The woman passed a man and, after passing him, she was pushed against him as he reached around her to remove her wallet from the compartment, according to a Police Department news release. He then left on foot.

A 24-year-old West Sacramento man has been convicted of domestic violence.

A Yolo County jury on Wednesday found Andrew Jose Ochoa guilty of dissuading a witness, domestic violence, vandalism and possession of tear gas by a felon.

According to evidence presented during the trial, West Sacramento police were dispatched to Ochoa's apartment after his girlfriend called 911. The jury heard the 911 call in which the victim told Ochoa to stay away from her, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

The West Sacramento Police Department will hold its annual community meetings at four locations this month.

The meetings offer residents an opportunity to obtain important information and discuss issues of mutual concern. Primary topics will be the city's newly revised alarm ordinance and special event application process, according to a department news release.

To accommodate residents, meetings will be held at different Washington Unified School District schools. Meetings are scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m.:

• Thursday at Riverbank Elementary School, 1100 Carrie St., for the Bryte and Broderick areas.

• Tuesday at Westmore Oaks Elementary, 930 Westacre Road, for the central West Sacramento area.

• Nov. 27 at Stonegate Elementary School, 2500 La Jolla St., for the Southport area.

• Nov. 29 at the West Sacramento Police Department, 550 Jefferson Blvd., for the city's commercial areas.

A West Sacramento man pleaded guilty today in federal court to mortgage fraud charges arising from home sales in the Sacramento area.

According to court documents, Sean McClendon, 46, participated in the loan origination process for buyers and in each instance the buyers' income and assets were falsified to qualify for the loans.

Co-defendant Anthony Salcedo allegedly compensated McClendon and another co-defendant, Anthony Williams, for finding buyers for four properties owned by or associated with Salcedo, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. Some of the payments by Salcedo allegedly went to the buyers of the property, although the payments were never disclosed to the lenders as part of the purchase and sale agreements, officials said.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Department is asking the public's help to locate a dog involved in a biting incident Oct. 6 in West Sacramento.

A woman was walking a dog on a leash about 11 a.m. in the area of a bike bath in the 3500 block of Bridgeway Lakes Drive when another woman jogged by on the bike path. The dog lunged at the jogger and bit her, causing moderate injury, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

The dog owner stopped and advised the victim that her dog was current on its rabies vaccination, but the victim failed to get any personal information from the dog owner at the time to be able to verify the information, officials said. Animal Services authorities received the bite report from the victim, but a search of the area has failed to locate the owner or the dog.

A man suspected of stabbing another man aboard a sailboat along the Sacramento River on Sunday evening has been identified by police as Robert Parke, 40, of West Sacramento.

West Sacramento police report that a group of people were on a 40-foot sailboat moored in the Sacramento Deep Water Channel when an argument began. Alcohol was being consumed, police said.

A some point a 27-year-old man was allegedly stabbed by a 40-year-old West Sacramento man aboard the vessel. Police responded about 6:30 p.m. Sunday to the boat at the Port of Sacramento to find the younger man suffering from several stab wounds.

He was transported to a hospital where he was reported in stable condition. Parke was booked into Yolo County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

West Sacramento police say that a man reported missing has been located and is with his family.

Tony Savala (pictured) had last been seen about 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Margaret McDowell Senior Center at 1525 Merkley Ave. in West Sacramento.

Police said Savala is not from West Sacramento and was unfamiliar with the area. He was considered at risk because he suffers from dementia and other medical conditions that require medication, according to a Police Department news release.

A West Sacramento man convicted of robbing and killing a 68-year-old amputee in 1981 will remain in prison after Gov. Jerry Brown reversed a Board of Parole Hearings decision to grant him parole.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office today announced the governor's decision in the case of Roger Moore.

On March 6, 1981, Moore and Charles Williams robbed and beat to death Paul Ward, an amputee who used a wheelchair. Ward's partially clothed body was later found in a West Sacramento parking lot.

A Sacramento man has been convicted of sexual conduct with a minor who he pursued via social media.

A Yolo County jury today convicted Ronald Vikash Chand, 32, of five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Chand became involved with the victim when she was 15 years old, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Authorities said he lied to her about his age and, knowing that she was 15 years old, he pursued her on Facebook and by text messages. On multiple occasions, he picked her up at her high school and engaged in sexual acts with her in his car and at a West Sacramento motel.

Chand is to be sentenced Oct. 22 by Yolo Superior Court Judge Timothy Fall.

The California Highway Patrol wants to find more witnesses to the death of a man hit by a West Sacramento patrol car earlier this week.

The pedestrian was fatally run over by a speeding police cruiser involved in catching a teenage car thief. The crash happened at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on West Capitol Avenue, just east of Pine Street.

Anyone who witnessed the crash are asked to investigators at 9916) 731-6400.

West Sacramento police say this morning that a teen who was being chased in a stolen car when a pursuing squad car hit and killed a pedestrian will be booked on a charge of homicide.

A press release said the 17-year-old West Sacramento auto theft suspect will be booked into Yolo County Juvenile Hall on felony stolen vehicle charges and suspicion of homicide in connection with the pedestrian's death.

Police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman said an officer pursuing a stolen vehicle about 8:30 p.m. called for assistance. A second unit responding to the call to join in the pursuit struck a male pedestrian at Pine Street and West Capitol Avenue.

Sockman said the first officer abandoned the pursuit to assist at the accident scene, and the stolen vehicle subsequently crashed into a parked car in the 1900 block of Maryland Avenue.

The driver of the stolen vehicle, later identified as a 17-year-old male, ran from the scene and the owner of the parked vehicle gave chase, jumping over a couple of fences, before catching and detaining the youth for police at Park Boulevard and Acorn Street.

The name of the pedestrian who was killed has not been released.

Sockman said the California Highway Patrol will investigate the accident.

Photo caption: The scene at West Capitol Avenue and Pine Street in West Sacramento Tuesday night. Special to The Bee / Robert Petersen / OnSceneFotos

A pedestrian was struck an killed tonight by a West Sacramento police vehicle en route to assist in the pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

Police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman said an officer pursuing a stolen vehicle about 8:30 p.m. called for assistance. A second unit responding to the call to join in the pursuit struck a male pedestrian at Pine Street and West Capitol Avenue.

Sockman said the first officer abandoned the pursuit to assist at the accident scene, and the stolen vehicle subsequently crashed into a parked car in the 1900 block of Maryland Avenue.

A West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for child molestation.

Dmitry Dudkin, 27, pleaded no contest on July 24 to two counts of child molestation in the case. He was sentenced today by Yolo Superior Court Judge Stephen Mock.

Dudkin molested an 8-year-old girl from 2009 to 2011, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. The crimes were discovered when the girl went to school with a hickey on her neck, authorities said.

The girl told police that Dudkin showed her pornography and asked her to perform various sexual acts. She also told authorities that Dudkin took pictures of her with his cell phone.

Members of the Yolo County High-Tech Crimes Task Force analyzed Dudkin's computers and cell phones and found provocative photos of the victim.

A West Sacramento man has been convicted of robbing the owner of a Woodland check cashing business in April.

A jury on Monday also convicted 32-year-old Vincent Sloan of hit and run, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

On April 10, the victim deposited checks at the Wells Fargo ATM in Woodland before going home. The woman, with her 8-year-old son, then parked in the driveway of her Woodland home and was walking to her door when Sloan, wearing dark clothing and a mask, demanded her bank bag, authorities said. Sloan slapped the woman and struggled with her to get the bag as she screamed for help.

This evening is National Night Out, an annual event in which neighbors have some fun and send a serious message.

In neighborhoods across the country, there will be gatherings to mark the 29th annual National Night Out event.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, boost neighborhood spirit and send a message to would-be criminals that neighbors are standing together to fight crime.

The Yolo County sheriff's Animal Services Section is asking the public's help in solving a case of extreme animal cruelty involving the torture and death of a dog in West Sacramento.

At 2 p.m. Thursday, Animal Services officers responded to a call at 1720 Merkley Ave. near Westacre Road regarding a dog that appeared to have been tortured and then killed. A probation officer working with a yard maintenance crew found the 3- to 5-year-old, small, tan and white male Chihuahua mix with its legs bound together and its mouth tied shut, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

The dog, a stray with no known owner, identification or microchip, was examined by an Animal Services veterinarian. Based on the veterinarian's preliminary examination and X-ray, it was determined that the dog's neck had been broken, authorities said.

Anyone with information pertaining to the case is asked to call the Yolo County Sheriff's Office, Animal Services Section at (530) 668-5287, or the West Sacramento Police Department at (916) 617-4900.

A West Sacramento man has pleaded no contest to two counts of child molestation.

Dmitry Dudkin, 27, molested an elementary-school-age girl from 2009 to 2011. The crimes were discovered when the youngster went to school with hickey on her neck, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

The victim told police that Dudkin showed her pornography and asked her to perform various sexual acts on him. She also told authorities that Dudkin took pictures of her with his cell phone. The Yolo County High-Tech Crimes Task Force analyzed Dudkin's computers and cell phones and found provocative photos of the victim, officials said.

Dudkin is to be sentenced Aug. 24 by Yolo Superior Court Judge Stephen Mock.

A West Sacramento man who was shot by a police officer when he reportedly tried to grab the officer's gun during a domestic dispute late Monday is in police custody and recovering at a local hospital.

West Sacramento Police did not release the name of the 43-year-old man Tuesday, but said the man faces numerous felonies in connection with the incident.

Officers were called about 10:45 p.m. to a home in the 800 block of Platinum Lane near Tower Bridge on a suspected domestic dispute, police officials said.

Some time after officers responded, police say the man rushed an officer and tried to take his handgun. The man was shot once and taken to a local hospital, with what West Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Nathan Steele called non-life-threatening injuries.

The officer who fired the weapon was not hurt in the exchange, Steele said. The officer, in his third year on the force, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by West Sacramento detectives, internal affairs officials and crime scene investigators.

-- Bill Lindelof and Darrell Smith

A West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 335 years to life in prison after a Yolo County jury found him guilty of 47 counts of child molestation and five counts of possessing matter depicting sexual acts by a minor.

Michael Martinez was sentenced Friday by Superior Court Judge Janet Gaard.

On May 1, a jury found Martinez guilty of molesting a 7-year-old girl. Evidence showed that Martinez engaged in sexual acts with the child and used his cell phone to record the abuse, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. The evidence at trial also showed that the cell phone containing the videos belonged to Martinez and was found in his pocket during a search.

An 82-year-old West Sacramento woman who was reported missing last month has been found safe.

Georgina Crespo (pictured) was reported missing from her home June 12. Police said that she spoke only Spanish and had left home without food or money. She was considered at-risk because of her age and weather conditions.

West Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Nathan Steele said Crespo has been located out of state by law enforcement authorities. "All indications are that she is fine," he said.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office is alerting residents to a surge in scams targeting older adults in the county.

Reports from victims in West Sacramento, Davis and Woodland indicate that phony sweepstakes and the "Grandma, It's Me" telephone scams are continuing to be used to trick people into wiring money outside the country, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

In one instance, more than $4,000 was lost in a phony sweepstakes scam after a con artist pretending to be from the Federal Trade Commission persuaded a local senior citizen to wire money to Costa Rica, officials said. In another recent case, an elderly woman was tricked into sending all the money she had in her savings account to someone claiming to be her grandson who was out of the country and in trouble. She believed him and sent the money in an effort to help.

A woman reported missing earlier this evening in West Sacramento has been found safe and reuinted with her family.

Zara Tsorayeva (pictured), 79, had last been seen 7 p.m. Thursday evening walking in the area of Safeway at 1298 West Capitol Ave. She was considered at risk because she suffers from Alzheimer's disease, and speaks Russian, but no English, according to a Police Department news release.

The West Sacramento Police Department is continuing its search for an 82-year-old woman who was reported missing last week.

Police on Friday took a missing person report regarding Georgina Crespo (pictured). Follow-up investigation has determined that she was last seen Wednesday or Thursday in the area of Town Center Plaza in West Sacramento, according to a Police Department news release. They have received information that she might be heading to Texas.

Police are attempting to locate her to ensure her well being.

West Sacramento police seek the public's help in locating an 82-year-old woman who has been missing from her home since Tuesday.

Georgina Crespo speaks only Spanish. Her daughter reported that Crespo left her residence Tuesday and has not returned home.

Crespo reportedly frequents the area of the Nugget market in the Southport shopping center. Although she does not suffer from dementia, she may not know where she is if she is beyond a half-mile radius of her home, according to a Police Department news release. She refuses to take prescribed high-blood pressure medication, and it is not known whether she took money or food with her.

By Andrea Gallo
agallo@sacbee.com

A West Sacramento man was arrested Thursday when police found him allegedly possessing stolen copper pipe and power tools.

Robert Joyce, 61, was arrested after a commercial business contacted West Sacramento police to report theft of copper pipe. Joyce has been charged with possession of stolen property and burglary.

Police also found Joyce in possession of copper piping that was linked to two recent commercial burglaries. The burglaries put those businesses at more than a $20,000 loss from the items and property damages.

By Andrea Gallo
agallo@sacbee.com

A 25-year-old man was wounded by a gunshot Thursday in West Sacramento.

West Sacramento police say the victim, who was shot after 11:30 p.m. on the 1100 block of Hobson Avenue, is in serious condition at a local hospital.

Sacramento police reported a white sedan has been labeled a "suspect vehicle." It was last seen traveling west on Hobson Avenue.

Sacramento police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Michelle Tate at (916) 617-4958 or the West Sacramento Police Department Dispatch at (916) 375-6474.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals in connection with an incident earlier this month in which a cat was set on fire in West Sacramento.

On May 2, a citizen reported a cat was on fire in the 100 block of Circle Street. Yolo County Animal Control officers responded and took the cat to the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital for treatment. The cat was later euthanized because of the severity of the burns.

Police said veterinarians treating the cat determined that an accelerant may have been used to set the cat on fire.

There were no witnesses on scene and no one came for ward with information, but police said the detective assigned to the case was able to establish leads that led to the teenager's arrest this morning.

A new digital photo enforcement camera has been installed at 16th and W streets in Sacramento and is scheduled to go "live" at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

For a period of 30 days, red-light violators will be mailed a warning notice. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. June 29, motorists who run red lights at the intersection will receive a citation, which will include a referral to a website where the violator can view still and/or video images of the violation. The violator should be able to clearly see where his or her vehicle was in relation to the intersection's limit line, and the green, yellow and red lights, according to a news release from the Sacramento Metropolitan Red Light Photo Enforcement Detail.

Officials report up to a 76 percent reduction in red-light-related crashes at city and county intersections with photo-enforcement since the program was implemented. They also report a 28 percent reduction in such crashes at all signal-controlled intersections within the city and county of Sacramento.

The chain reaction accident this morning on the Yolo Causeway that backed up traffic for at least an hour began when a driver didn't notice in time that vehicles had suddenly slowed, according to the CHP.

The crash involving five vehicles in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 was reported about 6:50 a.m. It all began when a woman driving a Chrysler applied her brakes and swerved to the right when traffic slowed, according to a California Highway Patrol press release.

The front of her car hit the rear and right side of a Honda and the left side of a Toyota Camry. The Honda then spun out of control and into the center median.

The Toyota Camry collided with the right rear of a Toyota Echo. The Chrysler that started the crashes, continued spinning out of control and also hit the Toyota Echo, according to the CHP.

Three drivers were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with minor injuries.

Taken into custody after an all-night standoff in West Sacramento, a woman who allegedly held her mother against her will, then slit her own wrists, became a fugitive for a short time Thursday morning.

Melissa Dodd, 38, briefly escaped from a police interrogation room about 9:15 this morning, said Sgt. Nathan Steele. He said the woman was left alone briefly in the room, which had two doors. One was locked, but the other had been improperly secured. He said she was recaptured within minutes.

According to West Sacramento Lt. Tod Sockman, a call for medical aid was received for a home on Marston Street about 7 p.m. Wednesday. As the father, who has health issues, was being loaded into an ambulance, his daughter, Dodd, stormed back into the home and locked her mother out of the house.

West Sacramento police say that a formerly missing 82-year-old woman has been found.

Georgina Crespo had was last been seen at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday when she left her home in the Southport neighborhood to go for a walk. Today, about 10:45 a.m., she was located in good condition and is now home.

West Sacramento police need help in finding an 82-year-old woman missing since Monday.

Georgeina Crespo was last seen at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday when she left her home in the Southport neighborhood to go for a walk. When she failed to return home at 10:45 p.m., family members called the police department to report her missing.

She is known to visit the area of Southport Town Center Plaza. Crespo has made statements that she might make an attempt to travel to Texas, according to a police press release.

She is described as Hispanic, 5 feet tall, 105 pounds, gray hair and hazel eyes. When last seen, she was wearing a beige sweatshirt, jeans and was carrying a green bag.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the recent burning death of a cat in West Sacramento.

The Yolo County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and RedRover, a national animal protection organization based in Sacramento, have each offered $2,500 toward the reward, according to Yolo County Animal Services.

Animal Services responded to a call in West Sacramento on at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday at Circle Park near Circle Street and Alabama Avenue regarding a severely burned cat. Witnesses reported that they had been walking to a friend's house near the park and saw what appeared to be a ball of fire moving through Circle Park.

Yolo County Animal Services officials are seeking information regarding an animal cruelty case in which a cat had to be euthanized because of severe burns.

Animal Services officers responded to a call about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday at Circle Park near Circle Street and Alabama Avenue. Witnesses said they had been walking to a friend's house near the park and had seen what appeared to be a ball of fire moving through Circle Park. When they investigated, they found a cat that was badly burned but still alive. They called for assistance and stayed with the cat until Animal Services arrived.

The cat, a stray with no known owner, was described as a female domestic short-hair brown tabby. It was transported to UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital for emergency care. Officials said the veterinary staff initially hoped the friendly cat would survive. But after they determined that the pain was unmanageable and the animal would lose its limbs, the cat was euthanized.

A Yolo County jury Tuesday found a West Sacramento man guilty of 47 counts of child molestation.

Michael Martinez also was convicted of five counts of possessing matter depicting sexual acts with a minor, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

The West Sacramento Police Department began investigating the case after receiving a report that Martinez was sexually abusing the child. With assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, police officers searched Martinez's home. They reported that an analysis of Martinez's cell phone revealed 20 videos showing him engaging in sexual acts with the victim.

West Sacramento police are seeking information regarding an individual who may be impersonating a police officer.

The department received a report Sunday regarding someone driving a red mid-2000 model Ford Mustang with a red and blue flashing light and siren. The driver of the vehicle stopped a woman in the area of Promenade Street and Southport Parkway using a siren and flashing lights, according to a Police Department news release.

Police ask that anyone with information regarding the vehicle call police dispatch at (916) 375-6474 or Detective Eric Palmer at (916) 617-4935.

If anyone is stopped by a vehicle and is uncertain whether it is a police vehicle, the motorist may proceed slowly to a well-lighted public location while calling police dispatch, officials said.

Police have released new information about last week's massive manhunt that began in West Sacramento and ended with the fatal shooting of the suspect in Sacramento County.

Among the newly released details is the fact that authorities found out during the course of their search Friday that the suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Jimmy Lee Graves, had stolen a high-powered and "extremely dangerous" rifle from the machine shop where the manhunt began, said Sgt. Nathan Steele, spokesman for the West Sacramento Police Department.

The Remington Model 700 rifle is the same used by most police snipers, Steele said, and has a reach of more than 400 yards. It is a legal weapon often used for hunting.

State Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrest of several gang members and their associates in the Sacramento region.

The arrests, according to a state Department of Justice news release, highlight the Yolo Narcotic Enforcement Team's continuing efforts to combat gangs and narcotics trafficking in local communities. The team is made up of all law enforcement agencies in Yolo County and is led by the state Department of Justice.

The operation in West Sacramento was dubbed "Operation Red Sash" because of the Northern Riders and Broderick Boys criminal street gangs' affiliation with the color red and the Nortenos criminal gang, officials said.

Steve Welch of Sacramento had one adrenaline-pumping morning when he was carjacked this morning by the man who has now the subject of the manhunt on the causeway.

Welch, 45, an employee of a West Sacramento metal fabricating business, had just left a coffee shop and was near a second hand store in his truck when a man came running at him near West Capitol Avenue and Harbor Boulevard.

"I was in my pickup and driving," he said. "He is running up with a shiny revolver, pointing it at my face."

The armed man demanded Welch's pickup.

Yolo County Animal Services officials seek the public's help in locating dogs involved in five different dog-bite incidents during the past week.

Three occurred in Davis, one in Woodland and one in West Sacramento.

The first incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. April 12 in Davis in a field near Richards Boulevard near the Royal Oaks Mobile Home Park. Officials said a woman was bitten several times by a large black dog believed to be a Labrador retriever, possibly wearing a red collar. The dog was last seen entering the mobile home park, but investigative efforts at the park failed to locate the dog.

A man who had spent three days drifting on the Sacramento River after the motor on his sailboat failed was rescued and his boat secured Tuesday after he rowed to shore in a dinghy.

West Sacramento firefighters were summoned to the riverbank across from Sacramento's Pocket area after the man reached shore, said Eric Edgar, division chief with the West Sacramento Fire Department.

Edgar said the man had been living aboard the 26-foot sailboat for about three years and usually was moored in the Discovery Park area.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office advises people to be alert to a scam involving phony text messages to cell phone users.

Officials cite two messages in particular. The first begins: "Dear Walmart Shopper, Congratulations you have just won a $1000 dollar Walmart Gift Card." The second begins: "Apple is looking for people to Text & Keep the New iPad 3!" Both messages ask the cell phone users to click or go to a website provided.

Authorities advise people to delete these messages.

A man was killed on Wednesday afternoon when struck by a passenger train in West Sacramento.

West Sacramento police said that the man was found dead on the rail line in the area of Commerce Drive near the IKEA store about 3:45 p.m.

His name has not yet been released by the Yolo County Coroner's office.

The Yolo County District Attorney's office is accepting applications for a Citizens Academy designed to acquaint people in the community with the various aspects of the criminal justice system.

Th academy, which will begin May 3, is sponsored by the District Attorney's Office in partnership with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office; Yolo County Probation Department; and the Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland police departments.

The goal of the academy is to educate the public, and to improve relationships and communication between the different communities in Yolo County and the criminal justice system, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

Officials of the Afghan Community Center in West Sacramento are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the individual or individuals who stole video surveillance cameras from the building earlier this month.

Two men suspected of stealing the equipment were photographed by surveillance cameras, according to West Sacramento police.

About 5:55 a.m. March 8, two men stole six video surveillance cameras mounted on the exterior of the center at 700 Glide Ave., and police today released their images, which were caught on surveillance cameras.

West Sacramento police are looking for a man who fled from them this morning after driving the wrong way on Interstate 80.

Police are looking for Lino Garcia Jr., 34, on suspicion of evading police and vehicle theft. Garcia is 5 feet 5 inches tall and has a shaved head.

Police said they tried to stop Garcia for a vehicle violation about 7:45 a.m. today. He didn't stop and a one-minute pursuit was called off for public safety when police said Garcia began driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80.

He exited the freeway and hit another vehicle at Harbor Boulevard and West Capitol Avenue, police said. He was last seen fleeing in the 700 block of Glide Avenue.

A passenger, Christina Rangel, 30, was taken into custody.

Garcia has a felony warrant for his arrest out of Napa County, police said.

A man standing outside a West Sacramento church this evening was shot in the face by a stray bullet fired during what appears to have been a rolling gun battle, according to police.

The man's injuries are not life-threatening, said police Lt. Deanna Stevens.

Police first received calls about shots fired just before 7 p.m. Callers then reported a man had been shot outside the church at Park Boulevard and Westacre Road, Stevens said.

Witnesses said there had been an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles, a shootout that appears to have continued for almost a mile from the scene, Stevens said. Police found shell casings in two other locations: in the area of Fernwood and Norfolk streets and the area of Stone Court and Stone Boulevard.

Stevens said she did not know how many total shots were fired or what caliber guns were used. However, she said it appears a window of one of the vehicles was shattered during the incident.

One of the vehicles was described to police as a lowered, white Chevrolet pickup with two black male adults inside, Stevens said. The other car was described as a small van or a sports utility vehicle, brown and gray or pewter in color with one black male adult inside.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call West Sacramento police dispatch at (916) 375-6474.

Yolo County Sheriff's deputies arrested a mother and son suspected of burglary after their driver bolted on foot, leaving them stranded in the back seat of a car at a West Sacramento auto parts store, authorities said.

The incident began at about 4:20 p.m. Monday when deputies responded to a report of car break-in near the Sacramento Weir on Old River Road, the sheriff's department said in a press release.

While deputies were en route, the woman whose car had been burglarized received a text message from her bank saying her ATM card was being used at a Shell station on West Capitol Avenue. The suspects had left the gas station by the time a deputy arrived, Sgt. Lance Faille wrote in the press release.

A Yolo County jury Monday convicted three gang members of attacks in a Lowe's parking lot in West Sacramento two years ago.

The three defendants, Jose Antonio Duran, 20, Salvador Benjamin Vasquez Jr., 20, and Joseph Vincent Sisneros, 21, all of Sacramento, are members of the Norteno street gang, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. Following a two-week trial, all three were convicted of robbery, battery, assault, witness intimidation and street gang activity for their attacks on three people April 19, 2010.

Authorities said the initial victim was eating a meal from a fast-food restaurant in his car in a nearly empty parking lot about 10 p.m. The three men took his iPod, wallet and keys, then beat him, causing two facial fractures, while the victim pleaded for them to stop.

By Robert D. Dávila
bdavila@sacbee.com

The driver of a stolen commercial van was booked into Yolo County Jail after leading law enforcement officials on a highway chase from West Sacramento to the Tracy area, officials said.

Jeremy Allan Pratt of West Sacramento was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of several felonies, including possessing stolen property and evading arrest, California Highway Patrol Officer Adrian Quintero said Wednesday.

Officials said the chase began around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday when an officer from the CHP's auto theft unit saw Pratt get behind the wheel of the parked commercial truck on Jefferson Boulevard in West Sacramento. The officer was investigating cases involving stolen commercial vehicles in West Sacramento when he spotted the van and found it was reported stolen.

A chase that began about 6 p.m. in West Sacramento ended more than 90 minutes later near Stockton when the driver of a stolen box truck finally surrendered to California Highway Patrol officers.

Sgt. Trent Tyler of the West Sacramento Police Department said the CHP has been investigating cases involving stolen box vans, and this afternoon they spotted a stolen van that was parked and unoccupied on Jefferson Boulevard. When a man got in the vehicle and started to drive away, CHP and West Sacramento police officers attempted to stop it.

Tyler said the truck driver tried to ram an unmarked CHP car and then a police car, and law enforcement officers gave chase.

A West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for a murder that reportedly was triggered by a dirty look.

Christopher Allen Smith, 31, was sentenced Friday by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Stephen Mock for the murder of Gidd Gomel Robinson IV.

Shortly after noon Nov. 3, 2009, Smith, who is white, was driving with his 7-year-old son in his pickup truck after leaving his father's house in West Sacramento, when he encountered Robinson, an African American man, who was walking his children to school.

By Kim Minugh and Melody Gutierrez
kminugh@sacbee.com

West Sacramento police arrested River City High School football coach Arturo Bustamante today on suspicion of molesting four female students over the course of a year, according to authorities.

Bustamante, 42, turned himself in to police after being notified that there was a warrant out for his arrest, said police Lt. Tod Sockman. The coach, who also teaches social science at River City High, was booked into the Yolo County Jail this afternoon on three counts of felony lewd or lascivious conduct with a child 14 or 15 years old and six counts of misdemeanor annoying and/or molesting a child under 18.

He was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Sockman said the four victims are 15 or 16 years old. He did not know how they came into contact with Bustamante, but said the alleged incidents all occurred on the high school campus.

One of the four alleged victims came forward to police in September, Sockman said. During the course of their investigation, police identified three other alleged victims.

The alleged molestation took place over the course of about a year leading up to the time police were notified, Sockman said.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, 916-321-1038. Follow her on Twitter @Kim_Minugh.

Members of the West Sacramento Police Department will deliver Christmas packages Thursday to local families.

For more than 15 years the West Sacramento Police Officers Association's annual Christmas drive has provided clothing and toys to needy families. Traditionally, the program provides for approximately 20 families in the community, according to a Police Department news release.

This year, members of the department's SWAT team asked for toy donations at the local Walmart store. Thanks to an outpouring of public support, more than 500 toys were received in one day. The additional toys will be provided to local charities.

Christopher Allen Smith of West Sacramento has been convicted of murder in the shooting death of a man who reportedly gave him a dirty look.

A Yolo County jury on Wednesday found Smith, 31, guilty of murder for killing Gidd Gomel Robinson IV on Nov. 3, 2009. Smith also was convicted of shooting from a vehicle and shooting a firearm causing death, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Shortly after noon, Smith was driving with his 7-year-old son in his pickup truck after leaving his father's house in a residential neighborhood in West Sacramento. Smith, who is white, encountered Robinson, who is black, as Robinson was walking his children to school. After Robinson gave Smith a "hard stare" and Smith "flipped him off," Smith drove his truck around the corner and loaded his gun, officials said.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Breaking news: The three missing children have been found safely in El Dorado County, California Highway Patrol officials confirmed Monday evening. The vehicle was spotted Monday evening on Forney Road in El Dorado County by a sheriff's officer.

He was taken into custody "without a fight," said Tod Sockman, a spokesman for the West Sacramento Police Department.

-------------------- Earlier story --------------------

Local authorities are asking for the public's help in finding a man they suspect battered his wife, tossed his 1-year-old son across a bedroom and then abducted the three older children.

West Sacramento fire officials were unable to identify the cause of an odor that sent one person to the hospital early this afternoon.

Acting Battalion Chief Scott Pfeifer said that about noon, employees of businesses in an industrial park area along Riverside Parkway and Reed Avenue reported an ammonia-like smell that caused some people to complain of respiratory problems.

When firefighters arrived, the odor had dissipated. Pfeifer said fire crews spent about an hour contacting businesses in the area but were unable to locate the source of the odor.

He said an employee of one area business was taken to a hospital after complaining of feeling ill.

Five Sacramento-area men have been indicted in connection with a marijuana trafficking conspiracy.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento today returned a 23-count indictment charging Thomas Holzmann, 24, Peter Holzmann, 23, and Joseph Andrade, 24, all of West Sacramento, as well as Jonathan Sherman, 27, of Sacramento, and Eddy Arevalo, 29, of the El Dorado County community of Somerset, with conspiring to cultivate and distribute marijuana, and various other drug offenses.

Sherman also was charged with multiple counts of structuring and money laundering. Structuring occurs when large sums of currency are broken up and deposited in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid filing reports required by federal law, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

An 18-year-old man wanted in connection with an attempted homicide in West Sacramento was arrested today in Sacramento.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced that Deshaun Christopher Buford was taken into custody without incident at the University Village Apartments, in the 7700 block of La Riviera Drive, west of Howe Avenue.

About 9:30 p.m. Aug. 25, Buford allegedly fired an automatic 9mm submachine gun into a residence on Proctor Avenue in West Sacramento. Several bullets just missed a young mother and her 2-year-old child who were inside, according to a Marshals Service news release.

A 78-year-old West Sacramento woman has been sentenced to a year in county jail for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

Yolo County Superior Court Judge Timothy Fall also sentenced Donna Marie McClure to five years felony probation and ordered her to pay more than $26,000 in restitution to the victim's family, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

A Yolo County jury on Aug. 12 found McClure guilty in the death of Jewell Mattos, who was struck by McClure's vehicle in the parking lot of a West Sacramento Raley's store Oct. 1, 2009.

A Sacramento man was arrested in West Sacramento early today after allegedly attempting to steal tubing from a local beverage company.

Police received a call from the employees of the 24-hour operated Nor-Cal Beverages plant at 1955 Cebrian Ave. about 12:30 a.m. that a man had driven onto the property and started loading the back of his pickup truck with tubing from the site.

When the Comse Aldaco, 33, saw police arriving, he got in his truck and drove through a gate that employees had closed to keep him on the property, said Lt. Tod Sockman, West Sacramento Police Department spokesman.

By Rick Daysog

rdaysog@sacbee.com

A federal grand jury has indicted six Sacramento area residents in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme that allegedly bilked $1.8 million from several banks.

Angela Shavlovsky, 52, of Sacramento; Vitaliy Tuzman, 31, of West Sacramento; 34-year-old Alexander Kokhanets of Roseville; 38-year-old Boris Murzak and 40-year-old Zinaida Murzak, both of Sacramento; and Valeri Mysin, 31, of Citrus Heights were charged Wednesday with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

A Sacramento man died in the hospital Friday evening after being stabbed several times outside a motel in West Sacramento, according to police.

West Sacramento police responded to the scene at the Towne House Motel on the 900 block of West Capitol Avenue at around 6:53 to find the 29-year-old victim lying in the parking lot with several stab wounds to his upper body. Authorities have not yet released his name.

After attempting to flee the scene, the two suspects, Billy Wolfington, 28, and Shannon Silva, 30, both of West Sacramento, were found hiding in nearby bushes by police.

The two men were arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They are being held without bail at the Yolo County Jail.

The California Highway Patrol is warning motorists of congestion and delays on eastbound and westbound Highway 50 in the area of Harbor Boulevard in West Sacramento because of a fatal accident.

According to the CHP website, a crash occurred about 8:55 p.m.

One vehicle overturned and the driver of that vehicle tried to run from an officer. The man reportedly jumped over the center divider and was struck by a vehicle.

The CHP's communications center reported that officers were still on scene investigating the crash and no additional information was immediately available as of late Thursday night.

A 9-year-old boy reported missing in West Sacramento this afternoon has been found safe, according to West Sacramento police.

The boy was reported missing near Bridgeway Lakes Elementary School, 3255 Half Moon Bay Circle. He was found by a resident near Ramco Street and Southport Parkway a few miles away from the school, according to Lt. Tod Sockman, and is back home with his parents.

A man shot in the head at a West Sacramento trailer park early today is expected to die, police reported.

West Sacramento police responded to the Welcome Grove Trailer Park on West Capitol Avenue at about 2:43 a.m. and found Matthew Smith in a residence, suffering from a head wound.

Smith and another man, Charles Quillin, 21, were partying at a residence in the park when they began to argue, according to police officials.

A motorist who died Saturday night in a single-car crash in West Sacramento has been identified as 42-year-old Teofil Iorga, the Yolo County coroner's office said today.

Iorga, of West Sacramento, died after his sport-utility vehicle flipped after crashing at high speed into a support beam for an overhead train trestle across South River Road at Gregory Avenue.

Police said Iorga was ejected from his vehicle and suffered major head trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Yolo County jury has convicted a West Sacramento man of 36 counts of child molestation.

Nang Sam, 27, was found guilty last week of molesting the young victim over a six-year period, a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release states.

The victim testified at trial that beginning in 2003, when she was 7 years old, and ending in 2008, Sam repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

A 43-year-old man is dead after his sport utility vehicle crashed at high-speed into a support beam for an overhead train trestle across South River Road in West Sacramento Saturday night, a police spokesman said today.

Police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman said the West Sacramento man, traveling east near the 5000 block of South River Road, was ejected from his green Range Rover when it smashed into the trestle support at the Gregory Avenue rail overcrossing about 7:20 p.m. Saturday.

The SUV flipped from the impact, and the driver suffered major head trauma. Nearby anglers fishing in the Sacramento River heard the crash and telephoned police.

Two Sacramento region CHP airborne officers have been recognized for outstanding work.

Pilot Jeff Barbao and flight officer Jonathon Pierce have won the fixed wing operator of the year award sponsored by aircraft-maker GippsAero for the impact of their work.

Barbao and Pierce are assigned to the CHP Valley Division air unit based in Auburn. The division covers an area 160 miles in length and 130 miles wide, including Sacramento, Stockton and South Lake Tahoe.

A 78-year-old West Sacramento woman has been found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter in the death of a pedestrian in a grocery store parking lot.

A Yolo County jury on Thursday convicted Donna Marie McClure of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. The jury also found that McClure drove her car without a valid license and failed to yield to a pedestrian when she struck and killed Jewell Mattos in the parking lot of a West Sacramento Raley's store Oct. 1, 2009, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

According to witnesses and surveillance video, Mattos walked out of Raley's shortly after 10 a.m. and was halfway through the crosswalk when McClure ran into her with her car. McClure failed to stop until Mattos had been carried 20 to 30 feet.

A public briefing regarding a two-day sex-offender sweep will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Yolo County District Attorney's Office, 301 Second St., Woodland.

District Attorney Jeff Reisig, along with other county, local and state law enforcement officials, will discuss the results of "Operation Vigilance," a compliance and enforcement check of Yolo County's registered sex offenders.

During the past two days, 130 law enforcement officers from agencies in Yolo County - as well as the FBI, California Highway Patrol and State Parole - conducted sex offender compliance checks in Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, Winters, Capay, Esparto and Dunnigan, according to a District Attorney's Office news release. Officials said 436 registered sex offenders live in Yolo County. Most were convicted of rape, child molestation or possession of child pornography.