A Sacramento man was arrested Wednesday on pimping and human trafficking charges after beating and strangling a prostitute at a South San Francisco motel, police said.
The suspect, Marshaun Spencer Jourdan, allegedly questioned the woman's loyalty to him before attacking her Tuesday at a motel on Airport Boulevard.
Read the San Mateo Times story here.
The Sacramento Sheriff's department took a murder suspect wanted in Louisiana into custody early this morning.
Marcus Heard, 40, wanted for murder in Baton Rouge, La., peacefully surrendered this morning when he walked out of an apartment in the 5900 block of Devecchi Avenue near Greenback Lane and Interstate 80.
The sheriff's department dispatch center was tipped off by an anonymous female who called at 12:30 a.m. today to say that Heard was wanted for murder in Baton Rouge. She also supplied the address of the apartment on Devecchi Avenue.
After contacting authorities in Baton Rouge to confirm an outstanding warrant for Heard, deputies surrounded the apartment. At 2:30 a.m., Heard stepped out of the apartment and identified himself to deputies.
He was booked into Sacramento County Jail, prior to extradition to Louisiana.
A Sacramento woman reported missing Friday has returned home, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said.
Donna Delgadillo, 43, left her home Friday afternoon and had been considered at risk because of her mental and emotional state.
Delgadillo "has returned home and is OK," said Deputy Jason Ramos, in a Sheriff's Department release.
No other details were provided.
Sacramento police arrested a 17-year-old burglary suspect Tuesday after a pair of alert witnesses called in reports of suspicious behavior.
Police first took a call from the 2500 block of Marty Way in Land Park around 1:45 p.m.
The caller reported suspects running from a home, carrying electronic equipment.
By Hundson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com
A Yolo County judge sentenced Marco Antonio Topete to death this morning for the June 2008 assault-rifle slaying of Sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz.
Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul K. Richardson called the weight of the aggravating circumstances in the case "simply enormous."
Topete, wanted on suspicion of DUI, led Diaz on a high speed chase with his infant daughter in the car. He stopped on an isolated dirt road, grabbed an assault rifie and took cover behind a house. Then he fired on the deputy, who had gone to check on the girl instead of pursuing Topete.
Carlos Alcala
A jackknifed semi truck has been cleared from where it was blocking northbound traffic on Interstate 5 near Laguna Boulevard, the California Highway Patrol reports
The truck driver lost control in the rain about a mile north of Laguna Boulevard at about 6:20 a.m., said Officer Rich Wetzel, CHP spokesman.
All lanes are now open, though the backup had stretched back into San Joaquin County, so it may take time for the traffic jam to clear.
No injuries or spilled cargo was reported.
Carlos Alcala
A bicyclist riding on Highway 70 at Lake Oroville was killed Monday when he was hit by a pickup truck, California Highway Patrol officials reported.
The 22-year-old cyclist, who has not been identified, was crossing the West Branch Bridge over an arm of the lake in darkness at about 7:25 p.m.
According to witnesses, he was in a lane of traffic and not equipped with lights or reflectors.
The cyclist was struck by a 2012 Ford F350 driven by a motorist from Grants Pass, Ore.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Carlos Alcala
A crash involving a Regional Transit bus is blocking southbound lanes on Watt Avenue at Winona Way in North Highlands.
The collision involved a Dodge Durango and Chevrolet HHR in addition to the bus.
Minor injuries are reported and the California Highway Patrol is on scene.
Drivers are advised to use alternate routes, including Roseville Road, to avoid the area of the accident.
A body found in the American River beneath the Foresthilll Bridge has been identified as an Oregon man.
The Placer County coroner's office identified the man today as Peter Matthew Wynters, 30, of Newport, Ore. An autopsy revealed that Wynters died of injuries from jumping off the bridge, the coroner said in a written statement.
Wynters was found Tuesday by a hiker who reported seeing a body floating in the American River directly under the bridge, officials said.
An Elk Grove running store was burglarized early this morning in the second break-in since November, a co-owner said.
Elk Grove police responded to an alarm at about 1:15 a.m. at The Running Zone, 8470 Elk Grove Blvd., Officer Christopher Trim said. Police found the front glass door smashed by a rock and the cash register stolen, he said.
"It appears to be a smash-and-go," Trim said.
The register had "less than $100," store co-owner Mimi Veiga said. Nothing else was taken, she added.
The Running Zone, at 8470 Elk Grove Blvd., suffered a similar burglary in late November, Veiga said. Owners plan to install video surveillance equipment, she added.
Robert Davila
rdavila@sacbee.com
A parolee has been arrested in Redding after allegedly crashing his car into another vehicle and then fleeing with his toddler, who was riding with him, police said.
James Richard Atkinson Jr., 39, of Redding initially gave a false name when he was arrested Thursday, according to a written statement from the Redding Police Department. After learning his true identity, he was found to be on active state parole, officials said.
Officers also found his 2-year-old daughter in the vehicle with him, along with suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, the statement said. He was arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse, parole violation and hit and run.
Police said officers heading to a report of a reckless driver around 11 a.m. Thursday received another call about a vehicle that was hit by a car that failed to stop near Park Marina Drive and South Street in Redding.
The hit-and-run victim followed but lost sight of the suspect vehicle, a 2001 Suzuki Esteem, near Lake Boulevard and Boulder Drive. Officers found the vehicle in an apartment parking lot, where the hit-and-run victim arrived and identified the driver as the suspect, police said.
A man was found dead after he was hit last night by a Union Pacific train on railroad tracks south of the Arden Way overpass, officials said.
Train workers reported they stopped the train after hitting an unknown object around 10:15 p.m. and found the body of an unidentified man, Sacramento police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said.
The victim was described as a black man, possibly in his 40s. The accident is being investigated by Union Pacific authorities, Pettit said.
Citrus Heights police arrested two people today in connection with the operation of an illegal marijuana dispensary.
The arrests of Steffany Vilas (pictured, left), 27, and Richard Garland (right), 55, followed a lengthy investigation involving unlawful sales of marijuana, according to a Citrus Heights Police Department news release.
Detectives served search warrants at the dispensary and two private residences in Granite Bay and Roseville early this morning. During the investigation, they discovered evidence that indicated Vilas and Garland were profiting from the criminal sale of marijuana, according to the news release.
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.
By Robert Davila
rdavila@sacbee.com
A standoff between Sacramento County sheriff's deputies and a gunman barricaded in a Florin area apartment ended late last night with the arrest of a suspect.
William Hearn, 29, was arrested around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and booked into the Sacramento County main jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and an active felony warrant, officials said in a written statement.
Hearn was arrested at the Meridian Apartments after holding officers at bay for eight hours in a standoff that forced the evacuation of residents in the large complex at 7475 Stockton Blvd. A teenage girl who was with him in the apartement during the standoff was not injured.
By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com
A suspected burglar shot Friday by a Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy is expected to survive, an official said Saturday.
The man will not be identified until he is released from the hospital and booked by the Sheriff's Department, according to Deputy Jason Ramos, spokesman for the department.
The incident took place around 2 a.m. Friday, when deputies were summoned to a burglary alarm call at It's a Grind coffeehouse on Twin Cities Road in Galt.
Officers had entered the business to investigate, and the burglar was shot in the store while running toward the door where a deputy was standing, law enforcement officials told reporters.
He was believed to be armed with a hammer and did not respond to shouts to show his hands, according to the officials.
Gunfire struck the suspect in his upper and lower body.
A second suspect, George Jett, 22, was arrested after he was found hiding under a recreational vehicle in the area.
Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.
By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com
Sacramento police officers conducting a traffic checkpoint overnight Friday and early Saturday arrested four people on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Officers contacted 917 vehicles during the operation, which was held at 24th Street and Fruitridge Road.
They screened 59 drivers for license violations, issued 56 citations and had 21 vehicles towed.
The four arrests were the result of screening six drivers for possible impaired driving.
By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com
Sacramento police officers arrested two suspected burglars Friday, after victims in two separate incidents interrupted home burglaries.
In the first case, a male and female reportedly broke into a car on West El Camino Avenue and used a garage door opener to open the victim's garage around 9 a.m.
The victim confronted them as they were in the process of taking items from the garage.
The suspects fled, but police captured and arrested the male, who was not identified in the report from the police activity log.
In the second incident, officers were flagged down near the 2300 block of Fairfield Avenue where a burglary had just occurred.
The victim told police he had arrived home to find someone burglarizing the residence.
Police searched and found a suspect, Jerry Adams, 51, in hiding. Police allege that Adams was in possession of items belonging to burglary victim. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary and parole violation.
Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.
By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com
A 32-year-old Oroville man was killed late Thursday night after he drove his 2008 Toyota into the rear of another car on a state road in Butte County.
Andrew Daniel Odor was pronounced dead at Oroville Medical Center, where he was taken after being pulled from the burning wreckage of his car and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation by California Highway Patrol officers, according to a news release from the California Highway Patrol.
The release states that Odor's car was traveling at a high rate of speed and "for an unknown reason" struck the rear of a 1991 Lexus driven by Sandra Eloise Lord, causing both vehicles to leave the road. Odor's northbound car then crossed the southbound lanes and crashed into a metal road-sign support structure in the center median, the release states.
A CHP dispatcher in Chico said that officials have not determined whether alcohol was a factor in the collision and that there would be no further comment beyond the news release.
Lord, 61, complained of a headache but declined treatment and was released from the scene of the accident, the release states.
Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.
A single-car crash killed one of four people Friday after an automobile overturned on a Woodland off-ramp, California Highway Patrol officials reported.
The 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was on the off-ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to County Road 102 at about 9 p.m. when the driver, a 22-year-old man from Sacramento, lost control.
The vehicle overturned several times and came to rest on its roof.
A 48-year-old man, in custody since Dec. 1, died Friday in Sacramento County Main Jail, according to a press release from Sheriff's Department officials.
The dead man's name was not released, pending notification of next of kin.
He was found unresponsive in his cell shortly before 10 p.m. when his cellmate returned from recreation time, officials reported.
The man was pronounced dead at 10:22 p.m.
The inmate had been arrested for outstanding warrants.
By Bob Shallit
Police are searching for the alleged triggerman in the fatal shooting of a Marysville man Saturday.
Five others were arrested Saturday and early Sunday in connection with the shooting of 38-year-old Steven Andrew Moore in a residential neighborhood in east Marysville.
No motive has yet been determined for the shooting, which occurred on the 1100 block of Arthur Street at about 3 p.m. on Saturday.
"Both agencies are currently investigating that," said Sgt. Jason Garringer of the Marysville Police Department, which is being assisted in the case by the Yuba County Sheriff's Department.
Still being sought is the alleged shooter, 32-year-old Marcus Nelson Hume of Marysville. He was described as a parolee and police said he should be considered "armed and dangerous."
"We're getting multiple phone calls from people who have seen him," Garringer said.
Shortly after the shooting, police arrested William Vincent Silliman Jr., 21, for conspiracy to commit homicide.
Later, four others were arrested on the same charge. They are Kari Felicia Mulkey, 21; David Leslie Eneix, 27, both of Marysville; and two male juveniles, ages 16 and 17.
By Carlos Alcala
This time of year, hands are often covered for the cold and screwdrivers are often used to put toys together, but police arrested two people in North Natomas Friday morning, thinking they had something else in mind.
Police reported that an unspecified number of subjects, including at least one juvenile, were seen ringing doorbells in the area of Duckhorn and Saintsbury drives.
The subjects had socks on their hands and screwdrivers in their pockets, according to police.
One adult and one juvenile were arrested on suspicion of prowling and possession of burglary tools.
By Carlos Alcala
Sacramento police arrested a man early this morning, after he was discovered to be a parolee in possession of a Japanese throwing star.
Police conducted a traffic stop at Franklin Boulevard and 26th Avenue around 12:30 a.m. this morning.
The driver, Tom Vang, 27, was on parole.
Police said he was in possession of a "shuriken," a concealed weapon that comes in various shapes, and may be used for throwing, stabbing or slashing.
Vang was taken into custody.
By Carlos Alcala
A 22-year-old Olivehurst man was killed Friday, just before midnight, when he lost control of his car on Highway 99, a few miles north of the Sacramento-Sutter county line, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Witnesses told CHP the car was traveling north at a high rate of speed when it drifted onto the shoulder and then partially back onto the highway before overturning several times.
The driver, identified as Jesus Estrada-Vasquez, was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car.
The car came to rest on the driver, partly in a southbound lane of Highway 99.
Estrada-Vasquez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Alcohol and/or drugs are believed to be factors in this crash.
Roseville police need the public's help in identifying a bank robber.
The man is suspected of holding up the Chase Bank, 1800 Douglas Blvd., at about 3:45 p.m. Monday. The robber entered the bank, gave the teller a note demanding money and left the bank with cash.
He was described by police as a white man in his 20s, 6 feet 2 inches tall with blond hair. He was wearing a black and red baseball hat, gray sweatshirt and black shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to call Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867.
PHOTO CREDIT: A suspect in the robbery of Chase Bank on Douglas Boulevard
U.S. Marshals arrested a fugitive Friday who had been sought in connection with an ambush killing in Stockton in July, according to a press release from the Marshals Service.
Members of the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force surrounded Eric Mathew Tabin, 23, as he attempted to enter a gun store in the 2300 block of Fruitridge Road at about 5:30 p.m.
Tabin is suspected of having lured two people to an apartment complex in Stockton July 19, where a second suspect ambushed them and shot them with an automatic handgun.
The suspect wielding the gun was arrested, but Tabin escaped.
One victim died and the other was critically injured,
The Fugitive Task Force learned that Tabin would be attempting to buy a semiautomatic handgun at the South Sacramento dealer and conducted a sting to arrest him.
He was taken into custody without incident and was booked in San Joaquin County Jail.
The third time was not a charm for alleged copper thieves who victimized Carmichael Bible Church.
After being targeted overnight Tuesday and Wednesday, three volunteers at the church at 7100 Fair Oaks Blvd., in Carmichael set up a stakeout late Thursday night and early this morning, catching the alleged thieves apparently coming back for a third time.
The stakeout team, which had set up a video surveillance system, caught the intruders in the act and called Sacramento County sheriff's officials, who arrived on the scene around 4:30 a.m. and arrested two people - believed to be a man and a woman.
Sheriff's officials identified the suspects as Curtis Darnell (left photo), 36, and Howard Sanders (right photo), 26. Both were arrested on suspicion of vandalism, grand theft and criminal conspiracy.
Teaching Pastor Curt Pearson said he first noticed damage in the church air conditioning/heating units area when he showed up at 7 a.m. two days ago.
"It looks like they were just doing prep work. They had removed all the screws and panels ... and drained the Freon," Pearson said. "They knew what they were doing. They'd shut off the electricity."
On Thursday morning, Pearson said he showed up to find the cooling/heating area heavily damaged, and copper wiring and tubing had been taken from the scene.
The church, now without heat and facing estimated repair costs of more than $50,000, conferred with sheriff's officials and considered the possibility that the thieves might make one more run to obtain materials from the air conditioning/heating units area.
Pearson noted that church Pastor Matt Potratz was a key figure in consultations with authorities.
On Thursday night, church volunteers set up their video surveillance sting.
"They took turns watching, and sure enough, two people showed up early this morning, and (the volunteers) called the sheriff," Pearson said. "The sheriff came with lights and they arrested them.
"(The volunteers) have gone home to bed ... to get some sleep."
Pearson said the immediate challenge now is restoring heat to the church and making a plan to repair the damage. He added, however, that the church plans to hold services on Sunday.
"Oh yes, we'll be here. It's not the end of the world. We'll work something out," he said.
By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com
Kidnap victim Jaycee Lee Dugard has filed a claim against the U.S. government over failings by federal parole agents to detect her presence in the home of sex offender Phillip Garrido from 1991 through 1999, according to her publicist.
Dugard, kidnapped by Garrido in 1991 when she was 11, already has won a $20 million settlement from the state for failings by California parole agents who supervised Garrido from 1999 until she was discovered alive two years ago and freed.
Now, her publicist says she has filed a claim seeking payment for the period during which federal parole agents were supposed to be supervising Garrido at his Antioch-area home.
Trial got under way today for a convicted child molester who was arrested less than three weeks after he was released from prison last year on a judge's order.
Robert Winston Precobb, 56, is charged with one count of annoying or molesting a minor and five more counts of furnishing marijuana to minors.
Precobb had spent more than 20 years in prison on a child molestation conviction before Sacramento Superior Court Judge Sharon A. Lueras ordered him released in February 2010. Lueras ruled that a 2006 California Supreme Court decision invalidated Precobb's 15-to-life term. The judge then resentenced him to time he had already served.
An Amber Alert has been issued for a 2-year-old Sacramento girl abducted by her father on Sunday.
Without releasing much detail, FBI agents said in a press release that the circumstances of her abduction lead them to believe that the life of the little girl, Madeline Samaan-Fay, may in jeopardy. The statewide alert was issued this afternoon.
According to the FBI, the child, Madeline Layla Samaan-Fay, was taken by her father, Mourad "Moni" Samaan, 49, a United States citizen born in Egypt. He is 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighs 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Samaan is known to drive a dark green 1998 Toyota 4-Runner with California license plate 3XRM111.
Madeline is described as 2 feet, 8 inches tall, weighing 28 pounds. She has curly brown hair and brown eyes.
"In spite of extraordinary efforts by our field agents and local law enforcement, we have been unable to develop any leads on the whereabouts of the child or her father since this Saturday," said Special Agent in Charge Herbert M. Brown.
The public is asked to call (916) 481-9110 with any leads.
Woodland police say a man who suffered a head injury in an attack near his home is holding his own in intensive care.
Police are also asking for help in finding the assailant who badly injured Pascual Lopez, 74, on Wednesday.
Police said that Lopez was found unconscious in a pool of blood about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 400 block of Academy Lane. Lopez was taken to UC Davis Medical Center.
Windows in dozens of vehicles were shot out Wednesday night or early this morning in Antelope.
Authorities say they don't know how many vandals were involve but that a person or people wielding BB or pellet guns roamed the area firing at vehicle windows. No suspects have been identified or arrested, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.
The first report of a shattered window came in about 4:40 a.m. today. Deputies responded to that call in the 3900 block of Diane Drive.
Burglars rammed open doors of a Cal Expo big box store before making off with thousands of dollars in jewelry.
Thieves smashed open steel doors on the north side of the Costco, 1600 Expo Parkway, about 2 a.m. The two men drove their car through the double doors in reverse, smashing them open.
Once inside, the thieves broke a large glass jewelry display case, said Sacramento Police Sgt. Louis Pease.
"They took every piece of jewelry out of there," Pease said.
Descriptions of the men were not available, in part because the store was dark when the break-in occurred. Police are checking video of area businesses for possible images of the burglars or their car.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Police say two burglars rammed their vehicle through these doors at the Cal Expo Costco store early this morning then stole all the jewelry inside.
PHOTO CREDIT: Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department
State Department of Justice officials said agents took down a drug trafficking organization on Wednesday, arresting 10 people.
A four-month investigation led to the arrests. The alleged drug trafficking organization targeted by the DOJ's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement spread over six counties, including Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado.
Major marijuana grow sites were found in El Dorado, Shasta and Napa counties. Thousands of plants, several firearms and two pounds of crystal methamphetamine were seized.
Search warrants were issued, including seven for structures in Placer, Sacramento and Butte counties, a DOJ spokeswoman said.
Categories: *Type of Crime, Drugs, El Dorado County, Marijuana, Placer County, Sacramento, Sacramento County
The steps of three mobile homes in Citrus Heights were set on fire by a suspected arsonist early this morning, authorities said.
After responding to a gas leak at a nearby apartment complex that was reported about 3 a.m., witnesses smelled smoke, and the fire department went to investigate its origin on Antelope Road near Auburn Boulevard.
When Sacramento Metro Fire personnel arrived at about 4:50 a.m., police were putting out the flames with fire extinguishers from their vehicles. Sacramento Metro Fire put out the fire and gathered debris samples to be tested for investigative leads, said Metro Fire Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum.
"There's no other way that this could have happened," said Cockrum.
The mobile homes were unoccupied, and Cockrum said there was about $5,000 worth of damage.
Police arrested a man and a woman at Cottage Elementary School early Wednesday morning after the suspects were caught on surveillance cameras reportedly stealing copper.
John Wilson, 54, and Desiree Sanders, 27, of Sacramento allegedly sneaked onto the school property at 2221 Morse Ave. and were seen by surveyors at the San Juan Unified School District. Someone from the district called police at 2 a.m.
