Sacto 9-1-1

A Stockton Unified School District police sergeant died after the car she was driving collided with another vehicle on southbound Highway 99 about 5:45 a.m. today, according to law enforcement and school district officials.

The driver of the second vehicle, a Dodge, apparently tried to take evasive action to avoid a collision. He was not injured, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The San Joaquin County Coroner's office could not be reached immediately. But the Stockton Unified School District issued a press release mourning the loss of their officer in the crash and identifying her as 39-year-old Kimberly Pinto.

Detectives arrested 10 people on various charges at a business in Lodi where police suspect illegal gambling was taking place.

A warrant was served at the Web Stop, 920 South Cherokee Lane in Lodi, on Tuesday. Police allege that gambling was conducted on 42 computers within the business.

Patrons would wager on electronic "slot machine style" computer programs, according to police. The computers and several printers were seized in the raid on Web Stop.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

An in-custody death is being investigated in Lodi, where officers found an inmate unresponsive during a jail check Thursday, according to the Lodi Police Department.

Police arrested 43-year-old James Romero around 5 p.m. Thursday after he was found trespassing in a Lodi residence. Romero had an active warrant for violation of his parole and was booked into the Lodi city jail.

Officers later found Romero unresponsive and began resuscitation efforts. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A task force from the Lodi Police Department, San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office and San Joaquin County Sheriff-Coroner's Office will investigate the death, as with any in-custody death.

An pickup truck overturned around 6:30 this morning and landed in the center divide on southbound I5, just north of state route 12 and Lodi, according to California Highway Patrol.

CHP Officer Jason Gonzalez said the driver was still in the truck when the incident happened, but the report did not identify any serious injuries.

The crash is causing a slowdown since it's in the center divide and two units are still responding, Gonzalez said.

A DUI and Driver's License checkpoint will be in an undisclosed Lodi location June 15 between 6:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m.

The Lodi Police Department reported they will check for signs of alcohol impairment, drug impairment and proper licensing. Drivers who appear to be under the influence will be subjected to a field sobriety test.

Officers warned that if people fail their field sobriety tests, they should be prepared to face jail, vehicle storage fees, license suspensions, insurance rate increases, fines, fees and DUI classes. The total cost could exceed $10,000.

Three people, including and a husband and wife from Elk Grove, have been arrested in connection with arson at a Lodi market in October.

Following a joint investigation by the Lodi Police and Fire departments, arrest warrants were issued for Prem Basuta, 47, and his wife, Kulwinder "Kelly" Basuta, 48, of Elk Grove, and brother Gurmail "Gary" Singh, 55, of Lodi. They are suspected of being responsible for a fire that damaged Salisbury's Market at 2401 W.Turner Road on Oct. 15, 2011, according to a Lodi Police Department news release.

The Basutas and Singh turned themselves in to the San Joaquin County Superior Court on Wednesday, officials said. They are to appear in court June 12 to answer to charges that include insurance fraud, attempted grand theft and arson.

A Lodi fire captain died in a motorcycle crash early this morning in Amador County near the town of Pioneer, according to the fire department.

Joe Hansen, 50, served the Lodi Fire Department for 25 years. The fire department said a passenger motorist found Hansen and notified emergency services.

The California Highway Patrol said that Hansen was westbound on Highway 88 near Foster Meadow Road at an unknown speed. He allowed his motorcycle to go off the north side of the road where it hit a snow marker.

The motorcycle overturned and he was ejected. Hansen died at the scene.

He is survived by his wife, Natalie, and son, Alex.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our lost colleague," said a press release from the fire department.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's office has released the name of the skydiver who died Thursday during a jump in Lodi.

He was identified as William L. Calhoun, 72, of Novato.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration told the Associated Press the agency was notified of the death of the skydiver Thursday afternoon by officials at Lodi-based The Parachute Center.

Few details of the incident have been released, but witnesses reported to firefighters that the skydiver's parachute had become tangled.

Authorities said Calhoun came down in a vineyard around 1:30 p.m., about one mile away from Lodi Airport, where the parachute center operates.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the agency will have an investigator at the skydiving facility today to make sure the parachute was properly packed and to review the parachute log and parachute packing card.

Two women were arrested by Lodi police on suspicion of stealing from an elderly man while they posed as medical workers.

Christina Amaya, 29, and Elizabeth Marks, 46, were arrested on suspicion of burglary, elder abuse, possession of stolen property, forgery and felonious use of a credit card.

Police said the pair claimed they were nurses from "the hospital" checking on the older man's well-being when they arrived at the elderly man's home. Wearing surgical scrubs, they were invited inside.

A police sweep of suspected gang members in Lodi ended with a pursuit and a crash.

The sweep on Wednesday consisted of police checking to see if suspected gang members were violating parole or probation.

About 30 searches resulted in five arrests, including one for possession of drug paraphernalia.

In the waning hours of the sweep Wednesday night, police tried to stop a vehicle in a known gang area, according to a press release. A short pursuit at high speeds ended when the fleeing vehicle hit a brick wall along Cherokee Lane near Century Boulevard.

As officers approached the vehicle, one of the occupants threw down what turned out to be a replica of a handgun. The three in the vehicle were taken to the hospital.

Police said the driver will be booked on evasion of a police officer. Police suspect alcohol might have had something to do with why the driver fled from officers. An investigation is on-going.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested a man in Lodi at around noon Tuesday who is suspected of robbing 11 banks in the Stockton and San Joaquin County Area since June.

Robert Davis, 54, was hiding in a house on the 2300 block of West Highway 12 when the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force along with the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service tracked him down.

When police arrived at the location where they suspected Davis to be hiding, they surrounded the house and called Davis out of the residence. He surrendered and was taken into custody without incident. Davis is being held at the San Joaquin County Jail.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Davis allegedly entered the banks and slipped the tellers a note demanding cash. He is suspected of having stolen more than $15,000 while using different aliases to evade the police.

A woman who was in the house at the time of Davis' arrest was also taken into custody for outstanding warrants.