Sacto 9-1-1

From Darrell Smith

"Gannon" is missing and the Guide Dogs for the Blind are seeking the public's help to locate him.

The 3-month-old Labrador retriever, raised and trained by a Lodi family to become a guide dog, went missing Oct. 30 and may have last been seen the following day north of Stockton near Thornton Road between 8 Mile and DeVries roads, said Denise St.Jean, a Guide Dogs for the Blind spokeswoman.

"Gannon" has tattoos in both ears bearing his identification number and is wearing a black collar with guide dog tags.

Anyone with information can call Jim Russell at (209) 669-7657 or Guide Dogs for the Blind at (800) 295-4050.

From Darrell Smith:

A man is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, elder abuse and false imprisonment, according to Sacramento County Sheriff's information.

Marcus Leewayne Barrie, 19, was arrested by Sacramento police and booked into the jail late Friday. He faces a Tuesday afternoon court date on the allegations in Sacramento County Superior Court, but little else is known about the case.

Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said today that Barrie's arrest stemmed from a robbery last week and that officers still are investigating.

From Darrell Smith

A 36-year-old woman was struck and killed on the Capital City Freeway early Saturday as she tried to retrieve boxes that had spilled from her pick-up truck, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The woman, who has not been identified, was a passenger in the truck traveling north near Watt Avenue about 7:18 a.m. After the truck lost part of its improperly secured load, the driver stopped at the side of the road and the woman walked into the slow No. 3 lane to pick up the boxes, said CHP Officer Lizz Dutton.

She was struck by a Mitsubishi Eclipse and thrown into another lane of traffic, where she was again struck by several vehicles, Dutton said.

The incident forced a portion of the roadway to be closed for approximately two hours.

The driver of the Eclipse was not injured, Dutton said.

From Chelsea Phua:

Two people were shot Friday night in the Foothill Farms area after resisting a robbery attempt, Sacramento County Sheriff's officials said.

Both are expected to survive, department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.

Curran said shortly before 7 p.m., the victims were hanging out with a group of friends in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 4400 block of Oakhollow Way.

Three men - two wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and one with a white hooded sweatshirt - approached them. One of them pulled out a handgun and demanded money.

The victims put up a fight, and the robbers started running away. As they ran, one of them turned around, fired three shots, striking one victim twice in the lower body and another once in the upper body.

The robbers fled and are still at large, Curran said.

From Chelsea Phua:

Authorities in three Northern California counties, including Sacramento and El Dorado, on Friday arrested several people they say hit a man and kidnapped a woman at Red Hawk Casino.

Three of those arrested -- Jesse Madrigal (top left photo), Steven Santiago (center photo) and Ricky Mora (right photo) -- are from Sacramento County, according to a news release by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office. El Dorado sheriff's spokesman Lt. Bryan Golmitz said the men were arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon.

Two others, Stephen Lizotte and Ernie Lizotte, are from Riverbank in Stanislaus County. It was not specified what they were charged with.

Golmitz said he was informed later that two more people connected to the incidents were arrested, but said he did not have their identities as of Friday evening.

Authorities said the men belonged to a large group of men and women who confronted two men and a woman at the casino, asking them if they belonged to a gang.

The two men who were confronted denied any gang affiliation and investigators said they did not have gang ties. One of the men from the larger group allegedly also made threats to sexually assault the woman in the smaller group, which caused her to become angry and attack that man. One of the men from the smaller group tried to break up the fight, and was punched and hit with a beer bottle, authorities said.

Red Hawk Casino security eventually separated the groups.

Some members of the larger group later went inside an elevator, where they confronted a woman who had not been involved in the first incident. They told her that she was going to get them out of the casino with her vehicle and they would let her go once they were on the highway, authorities said.

The group allegedly forced her to through the casino floors and to the garage, where she escaped and contacted casino security guards, then sheriff's deputies.

El Dorado County sheriff's detectives were able to identify six of the men from surveillance video.

SWAT members from El Dorado County sheriff, Folsom Police, Sacramento County Sheriff and Stanislaus County sheriff departments on Friday served search warrants at four locations. They seized several guns, gang-related items, ecstasy, marijuana and a large amount of money during the search.

From Chelsea Phua:

Two dogs that authorities said "went on a rampage" Friday near an elementary school in a Sacramento County neighborhood were shot and killed by Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies.

Ruben Hernandez, supervising animal control officer of the county's Animal Care and Regulation Department, said his officers and sheriff's deputies decided to shoot the pit bulls, who bit at least two people and led authorities on a 20-minute chase near Whitney Avenue Elementary School.

The school was on lockdown during the search and shooting of the dogs, authorities said.

The two men who were bitten were treated at hospitals for their injuries, which Hernandez said were not severe.

Hernandez described the incident as "unusual" and "extreme," because the dogs attacked someone without being provoked. One of the victims was working in his yard when attacked, Hernandez said.

"They were unusually aggressive," Hernandez said, adding that witnesses reported that "these dogs just went on a rampage."

Authorities initially received reports that four people were bitten by three pit bulls, but say they did not see the third dog despite searching the neighborhood and talking to residents, and can't confirm if more people were hurt.

Hernandez said his officers arrived at about 12:10 p.m. to find firefighters helping one victim. Firefighters pointed out where the dogs went, which helped the officers and deputies to find two dogs near Robertson and Eastern avenues.

They gave chase and eventually ended up in the back yard of a property on Green Crest Court, where they thought they could capture the dogs. But the dogs kept charging at the deputies and animal control officers, who exhausted all means of trying to trap the animals, Hernandez said.

The officers and deputies noticed a greenbelt adjacent to the property and a possible escape route for the dogs.

"We didn't want to take the chance of losing the dogs to the green belt area and possibly posing a future risk to anybody that may be walking in the area," Hernandez said.

One dog was shot at Green Crest Court, and another one, which ran to the elementary school, was shot there, Hernandez said.

Authorities advise residents to always report a stray dog to the department at (916) 368-7387.

Bee Staff

A Sacramento Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced two men to life in prison without the chance of parole after they were earlier convicted of beating to death a 90-year-old woman.

Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard gave the sentences to Daniel Alan Russell, 19, and Calvin Eugene Pearson, 20, who were convicted by separate juries on Sept. 22 of the first-degree murder of Marie Oliver.

The pair broke into the churchwoman's three-bedroom home in North Sacramento on April 15, 2006.

The two of them beat and kicked her and broke her nose, cheekbones, eye socket and two of her ribs, before rifling through her home for money, jewelry and other valuables, court testimony established.

They spent the cash on beer and hamburgers and clothing, and Russell intended to use some of his loot to buy his girlfriend a tattoo, he told investigators.

Russell's Sacramento Superior Court jury deliberated for a little more than two hours before finding him guilty. It took Calvin Eugene Pearson's panel a little closer to three hours before returning an identical verdict against him.

The two also were convicted of burglary and robbery.

Videotaped interviews of the two defendants helped establish their guilt. Forensic evidence also placed their DNA inside the woman's ransacked house, while her blood was found on assorted articles of their clothing and footwear.

From Bill Lindelof

The FBI's Sacramento office has added a Plumas County woman wanted on suspicion of killing her husband and running over his grave to its list of fugitives on the department's Web page.

Nazira Maria Cross, 43, is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with the killing of her husband last year at their home in rural Plumas County.

The FBI alleges that she poisoned her husband, and, while he was near death, drove him to Nevada. After he died, Cross is suspected of burying his body on his ranch in Lovelock.

She is also reported by authorities to have repeatedly driven over his grave. On March 25, 2009, a criminal complaint was filed in Plumas Superior court, charging Cross with murder.

Cross, a professor, is 5-feet, 6-inches tall and 150 pounds. Cross, a native of Costa Rica, has ties to Reno, Costa Rica and Peru.

For more details, click here.

Bee Staff

Residents in a Truckee home booted a burglary suspect out the door and almost into the arms of police officers, according to a Truckee Police Department news release.

Occupants of a residence in the 15000 block of Glenshire Drive confronted a stranger who had entered through an unlocked door around 1 a.m. Sunday, the release states.

A struggle followed with stranger being evicted and the door locked behind him, the release states.

Responding officers found Mario Alberto Gonzalez, 25, of Truckee walking nearby and arrested him, the release states.

At the jail, officers said they found an MP3 player on Gonzales that was stolen from a vehicle in the residents' driveway.

Gonzalez was booked on suspicion of burglary, prowling and giving a false ID to officers, the release states. He is being held without bail for violation of probation, the release states.

Bee Staff

A Placer County Superior Court judge has ordered the killing of four pit bulls which mauled a teen, according to the Auburn Police Department. The judge called the owners' negligence "simply astonishing."

Judge Joseph O'Flaherty also banned owner Daniel Coverston from "owning, possessing, controlling or having custody of any dog for three years" in Placer County or Auburn.

The 17-year-old victim suffered major but not life-threatening injuries, the judge's ruling and media reports indicated.

The ruling issued on Thursday also found that Coverston was aware of the danger that the dogs posed and failed to protect the community from such an attack.

In his ruling, the judge said Coverston showed "no detectable emotion or remorse" in his testimony and was "clueless" to the danger he caused by not properly securing his animals.

The Bee was unable to contact Coverston.

However, the Auburn Journal newspaper reported that Coverston's attorney said his client was "remorseful for what the dogs did. He wishes he would've put other security measures in place that would've helped them from getting out."

To read that account, click here.

Coverston can appeal the ruling, according to a release from the Auburn Police Department.

The attack, which the judge called "unprovoked," happened on Sept. 16 as the victim was standing in a parking lot of Big O Tires in the 900 block of Lincoln Way, waiting to dine with his parents, the ruling states.

The four pit bulls, roaming the street, knocked the teen down "biting him numerous times on both his upper and lower body," the release states.

The teen was saved from further injury by an employee of Big O Tires, who drove off the animals, armed only with a wrench, and the employee's girlfriend, who pulled the victim into a vehicle, the ruling states

"The City of Auburn recognizes the outcome of this proceeding will no doubt be met with mixed emotion," Police Chief Valerie Harris said in a prepared statement. "We can all agree the injuries suffered by the victim deserve our empathy and express the highest appreciation for two courageous individuals that came to the aide of the teen. The directive to destroy the animals is necessary to ensure the highest degree of public safety within the Auburn Community.

"The Auburn Police Department will work closely with the City Attorney to determine all procedural requirements that must be met prior to the destruction of the animals as directed by the court. The City is also mindful of Mr. Coverston's rights to appeal this decision..."

From Andy Furillo

A 22-year-old man was acquitted today of involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of his friend and fellow student at an auto mechanics school who fell off the I Street Bridge last year and drowned in the Sacramento River.

Prosecutors said that the defendant, Richard David Froemke, enticed Robert Rodriguez, 20, to walk off the bridge and trespass with him onto an 18-inch catwalk that extended off the bridge. The two had been drinking on the evening of Rodriguez' April 10, 2008, death.

Froemke never reported the incident to the police.

It took jurors less than a day of deliberations to acquit Froemke of the involuntary manslaughter. They convicted him, however, of trespassing onto the catwalk, and Judge Michael W. Sweet set a Nov. 13 sentencing date on that charge.

From Andy Furillo

A Sacramento jury today convicted two suspected gang members of second-degree murder in the drive-by shooting death of an innocent bystander on Sacramento's north side nearly four years ago.

Dontae Sultan Stirgus, 22, and Tommie Hall, 23, will face sentences of 21 years to life in prison at their scheduled Dec. 7 sentencing in Sacramento Superior Court.

They were accused of gunning down Donikos Kantrell Jones, 23, as he stood in the front yard of his cousin's house in the 1300 block of Longshore Court on Dec. 23, 2005. Jurors also found a special circumstance allegation to be true that they were involved in the drive-by shooting with the intent to inflict great bodily injury on their victim.

A plumber who had hoped to become a firefighter, Jones had just come back from buying his wife a Christmas present when he was shot and killed.

"He just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," Deputy District Attorney Leslie Monahan said.

Prosecutors said Stirgus had been involved in an argument on the street a little while before the 8:57 p.m. killing, which provoked one of his antagonists to fire a gun into the air. Stirgus then promised to return, according to a police summary of the case, with one witness saying that he said, "We'll be back, and it's curtains for anyone who is outside."

Sturgis left, then returned in another car with Hall, as well as a third passenger, prosecutors charged. Monahan said investigators were never able to determine who it was that fired the gun that killed Jones.

From Bill Lindelof:

A rash of burglaries in the Greenhaven and Pocket neighborhoods have neighbors and police on alert.

Between Oct. 27 and Monday Sacramento police have responded to 15 home burglaries in the south Sacramento neighborhoods. The suspects mostly enter the homes through side garage doors but in some instances have broken in through windows.

The burglaries have occurred from as early as 6:30 a.m. to as late as 10:40 p.m. Police are urging residents to be vigilant and report suspicious activity.

Descriptions of suspects provided by police are of a dark-skinned male, 5-feet, 10-inches and 200 pounds and an African American male, about 17 years old with a skinny build.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

From Bill Lindelof:

Law enforcement agencies throughout the state have been honored for excellence in community traffic safety.

The California Law Enforcement Challenge honors are presented each year to agencies that compete against similar-sized departments. The honored agencies demonstrated the most effective safety programs, a California Highway Patrol news release states.

The Napa Police Department took top honors, earning the Commissioner's Award in the local agency category. In the CHP category, the Auburn-area CHP office received the Commissioner's Award for overall excellence.

"I'm proud of all of our employees and the work that they do, but a special thank-you to the Auburn-area office," said Commissioner Joe Farrow.

Other awards went to Petaluma police for impaired driving prevention, Bakersfield police for underage alcohol prevention, Livermore police for child passenger safety, Ontario police for speed awareness, San Francisco for bicycle-pedestrian safety, Ripon police for technology, Lake Elsinore police for first-time entry and El Cerrito police for commercial vehicle.

CHP recipients of awards were the Quincy-area office for impaired-driving prevention, Moorpark for underage alcohol prevention and San Jose for child passenger safety and speed awareness programs.

From Bill Lindeof:

Sacramento Kings forward Andres Nocioni has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

Nocioni, 29, was arrested by Sacramento Police and booked into Sacramento County Jail at 3:30 this morning, according to a Sacramento County Jail Web site.

A Sacramento police spokesman said that at about 2 a.m. an officer noticed a motorist southbound on 15th Street near L Street whose vehicle was weaving within its lane. The officer stopped the car near Ninth and L streets.

The officer noticed that there was an odor of alcohol when speaking with the driver. Nocioni was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

For more on this developing story, click here.

From Bill Lindelof:

Four people have been arrested in connection with the alleged rape of two girls in the Yuba City area.

The Sutter County Sheriff's Department was contacted by a 16-year-old girl on Oct. 27 who told deputies she had been raped at a residence two months ago.

Detectives investigated and determined the girl, who was 15 years old at the time, and a 14-year-old, had been raped.

The department's investigation led to the arrest of a woman and three men. They are:

• Mario Alberto Garcia (photo top left), 20, of Yuba City, on suspicion of furnishing minors with marijuana.

• Lisa Marie Rathbun (photo top right), 18, of Linda, on suspicion of annoying and molesting a minor and furnishing minors with marijuana.

• Paul William English (photo bottom left), 20, of Marysville, on suspicion of rape.

• Jason Scott Loddesol (photo bottom right), 22, of Yuba City, on suspicion of rape and furnishing minors with marijuana.

An ongoing investigation may lead to more arrests, a sheriff's department news release states. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (530) 822-7307.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking Anji Baker (left photo) on a $100,000 felony warrant for suspicion of possessing or purchasing cocaine for sale and possessing controlled substances for sale, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Baker, who authorities said is on formal searchable probation, is described as age 25, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

He was last known to live in the 2200 block of Edison Avenue in the Arden Arcade area of Sacramento, officials said.

Anyone with information about Baker is urged to contact Crime Alert at (800) AA-CRIME or (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Chelsea Phua:

Placer County Sheriff's officials arrested several people suspected of running a counterfeit currency printing operation in Loomis.

It's the second counterfeit currency operation busted in Placer County in the past week, detectives said.

In the latest incident, authorities say the suspects were arrested at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at a residence in the 3300 block of Auburn Folsom Road, where authorities say they have been running their operation since March.

Detectives investigating counterfeit currency passed at Target retail stores in Placer County obtained images of the suspects from video surveillance tapes. Investigators were able to identify the suspects and determine where they live.

During a search of the residence, detectives found the operation being conducted in two rooms. Detectives found $100-, $50- and $20-dollar counterfeit bills.

Authorities said six people lived at the residence and played an active role in producing and passing the counterfeit bills.

According to a news release, they are: (top photos, from left) Michael Patrick Casey, 37; Jorge Luis Pena, 53; Mark Randall Cosme, 23; Benjamin Marin Nunez, 37; Etta Sanders, 38; Tracy Irene McCormick, 33.

Two other suspects at the Loomis address were taken into custody for warrants not related to the counterfeit operation. They are (not pictured): Daniel Kral, 36, of Loomis and Stacy Lee Brady, 33, of Sacramento.

From Chelsea Phua:

A state correctional officer is accused of bringing drugs and weapons into a correctional facility, illegal communication with an inmate and conspiracy, authorities said.

George Kostyrko, a spokesman for the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said Domingo Garcia (left photo), 39, was arrested Monday by the department's internal affairs investigators.

Sacramento County Sheriff's department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said Garcia was booked on four felony charges.

Online jail records show that Garcia was released Tuesday from custody.

Kostyrko said Garcia is a nine-year veteran with the corrections department whose current assignment was in a more restricted area for prisoners at California State Prison, Sacramento. He has been placed on administrative leave, officials said.

From Chelsea Phua:

A Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed a dog Wednesday afternoon in the Fruitridge Pocket neighborhood of Sacramento County, a department spokesman said.

The incident happened around 4 p.m. in the 4800 block of Del Norte Boulevard, spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.

The deputy was assisting Child Protective Services on a call at a house across the street from where the dog lives, Curran said.

The dog ran at the deputy, who then fired at it, Curran said.

Authorities on Wednesday evening said they did not have details of the dog's breed or whereabouts just before the attack.

Annie Parker, spokeswoman for the county's department of animal care and regulation, said more information might be available Thursday.

Animal care officials were on their way to pick up the dog Wednesday evening, Parker said.

From Kim Minugh

The Galt man wanted in connection with a Halloween night homicide in Acampo has been arrested and booked into the San Joaquin County jail, according to booking records.

San Joaquin County sheriff's deputies sought 22-year-old Anthony Adell Hubbard in the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Adam Mariano Campa, also a Galt resident.

Campa's body was found Saturday night lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds on the 5800 block of East Jahant Road, according to authorities. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses at a south Sacramento County party reported seeing Hubbard and Campa at the party before the homicide, and then Hubbard after the homicide, according to Sacramento County sheriff's officials. Sometime after his return to the party, shots were fired outside the home where the party was being held, though the shooter was not found.

Bee Staff

A Yolo County man was sentenced Tuesday for beating the mother of his child, even after the woman recanted at trial and pleaded with a juror on MySpace to acquit him, prosecutors said.

Miguel Dagoberto Lopez, 24, received a three-year sentence for attacking Angela Gonzales, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said in a news release.

Gonzales originally told police Lopez hit her in the face and repeatedly slammed her head against the floor of their apartment, he said.

During the trial, she testified she had lied to police because she was angry with Lopez, according to the press statement.

Prosecutors introduced evidence showing she had sought a restraining order two weeks before the incident and that there had been prior domestic violence.

Gonzales allegedly contacted a juror through MySpace and pleaded for an acquittal, prosecutors said.

Jurors convicted Lopez in August, after the juror she contacted was replaced, the news release said.

Gonzales now faces felony charges of jury tampering.

West Sacramento homicide victim identified

From Bill Lindelof

The Yolo County Coroner on Wednesday identified a man killed by gunshot as Gidd Gomel Robinson IV, 28, of West Sacramento.

Police said that for unknown reasons Christopher Allen Smith, 29, of West Sacramento became involved in an altercation with Robinson and shot him Tuesday about 12:30 p.m.

According to a department news release, police responded to a call of a man down in the 400 block of Jasmine Avenue and found Robinson with a gunshot wound in his abdomen.

Robinson was taken to UC Davis Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses gave a detailed description of the suspect's vehicle and direction of travel. Yolo County Sheriff's deputies spotted the vehicle and stopped the suspect, who surrendered without incident, police said.

From Kim Minugh

When an off-duty Sacramento County sheriff's deputy approached a driver who appeared to be unnecessarily angry, he found the driver to be holding a can of beer. Trouble ensued.

The deputy was driving on Garden Highway about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when construction crews stopped traffic temporarily, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong. He noticed that the driver in the car behind him seemed unusually worked up, yelling at construction workers, Leong said.

The deputy got out of his car and, as he identified himself to 27-year-old Erick Herrera, he noticed Herrera had a beer in his hand, Leong said. Herrera then threw his car in reverse and attempted to flee from the deputy, who grabbed onto the car and was dragged about 50 feet, Leong said.

Herrera finally stopped when the deputy, who suffered minor injuries, ordered him to do so at gunpoint, Leong said. Herrera was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence with injury and assaulting a police officer, he said.

Herrera is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to booking records.

A Sacramento County man beat a vehicle-theft suspect right into a hospital bed, but may only be still walking around today because the second suspect was armed with a BB gun and not a more lethal weapon.

Here's how the events transpired, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department report:

At about 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 31 in the 7600 block of Pickoi Circle, one suspect entered a vehicle and was peeling off the steering column in preparation for a theft while a second suspect stood watch, armed with a BB gun.

A 23-year-old man who lived at the residence where the vehicle was parked, spotted the activity. He interrupted the theft attempt and the suspects fled, with the man in pursuit.

He caught one of the suspects and they fought. The man was getting the better of the fight, when the second suspect returned and shot him "several times" with the BB gun. That didn't stop the man from continuing to beat the suspect.

The second suspect then fled just before deputies arrived.

The man was taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The suspect - Cuong Saechao, 18 - was arrested on suspicion of assault and attempted theft but had to be hospitalized with injuries he suffered in the fight, the report states.

From Bill Lindelof:

A California Highway Patrol officer pulled a Sacramento man from his burning car today then arrested him for suspicion of driving under the influence.

The CHP said that a Solano County-area motorcycle officer entering Interstate 80 from Interstate 505 between Dixon and Vacaville noticed a speeding westbound car weaving through traffic at about 7:40 p.m.

The car exceeded 100 mph as it approached the Davis Street off-ramp in Vacaville, a CHP press release states. As the driver tried to change lanes one more time, his car struck the rear of another vehicle.

That car, driven by suspect Jericho Lopez, 28, of Sacramento, skidded into the freeway center divider then struck a sound wall on the right side of the roadway.

Lopez' car burst into flames, and the officer pulled him from his car, which became engulfed in fire. Lopez was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, complaining of pain after he was arrested.

The driver of the car hit by Lopez's vehicle declined treatment. The accident is under investigation.

Bee Staff

Suzanne Gazzaniga and David Tellman, both senior deputy district attorneys for the Placer County District Attorney's Office, have been honored as the county's "prosecutors of the year."

Earlier this year they were named California's top prosecutors by the California District Attorney's Association.

Gazzaniga and Tellman won the state and county awards for gaining a conviction in a 26-year murder mystery in which the defendant was a retired Placer County sheriff's sergeant, according to a news release from the DA's office.

The defendant, Paul R. Kovacich, Jr., was convicted for the 1982 murder of his wife, Janet, whose body was never found. In 1995, the top of her skull was found in a dry lakebed at Lake Rollins near Colfax.

Auburn police interviewed Kovacich several times within the first year of his wife's disappearance, but he was not charged with a crime because of lack of evidence. There were no witnesses to her disappearance or suspected murder, the release states.

When the skull portion was found 13 years later, it appeared to have a bullet hole in it. In 2003, Auburn police conducted follow-ups on interviews from the 1980s. By early 2007, new DNA techniques allowed investigators to establish that the partial skull was that of Janet Kovacich.

Paul Kovacich was indicted on a murder charge and the case went to trial on Oct. 6, 2008, with Gazzaniga and Tellman as prosecutors working largely with circumstantial evidence in the effort to convict him, the release states.

On Jan. 27, 2009, a jury came back with a guilty verdict against Kovacich for first-degree murder. The jury also determined that he used a firearm.

Kovacich, 60, is now serving a state prison sentence of 27 years to life.

Placer County District Attorney Brad Fenocchio called Gazzaniga and Tellman "remarkable attorneys" who "brought their unique skills, intellects and sheer courtroom mastery together in order to reach back in time and hold accountable someone who sought to escape justice."

Speaking at the awards ceremony at a county Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor F. C. "Rocky" Rockholm, a former police officer, noted the difficult work the prosecutors performed on such an old case to win the conviction.

"You did an outstanding job," he told them.

Gazzaniga, a 13-year veteran prosecutor in Placer, is a graduate of Del Oro High School in Loomis and of UCLA. She received her law degree from Southwestern University School of Law, the release states.

In 2005, Gazzaniga won the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award for prosecution of elder abuse crimes.

Tellman, a 15-year member of the Placer district attorney's office, is a graduate of Colfax High School and the University of California at Santa Barbara. His law degree is from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, the release states.

In 2006, he was named regional prosecutor of the year for Central California by the California Narcotics Officers Association.

Last week, Tellman and co-prosecutor Doug Van Breemen gained a first-degree murder conviction against two men in a drug-related case in which the victim was tortured and murdered in 2006, the release states.

One defendant faces a sentence of life in prison without parole while the other is facing a prison term of 25 years to life, the release states.

From Bill Lindelof:

The rifle that discharged and killed a 12-year-old boy in a weekend Nevada County hunting accident has been sent to a lab for testing.

"There is no indication that this is anything other than a tragic accident," said Detective Sgt. Steve Tripp with the Nevada County Sheriff's Department.

Hayden McCleran died Saturday when he apparently accidentally shot himself during a hunting accident off North Bloomfield Road near Lake City Road in the woods on the outskirts of Nevada City.

The boy had been hunting with family members when his rifle fired, hitting him in the chest. He was separated from his fellow hunters when the weapon discharged.

The boy was in a stationary position, perhaps 200 feet from other hunters and out of sight, Tripp said.

Following standard procedure, detectives sent the rifle to the state Department of Justice firearms laboratory. It will be checked for possible malfunctions as experts "try to determine how this thing could have accidentally fired," Tripp said.

The boy had taken hunter safety classes, and "the family did everything they possibly could to be safety conscious," Tripp said.

Tripp said that since the boy was unseen when the gun went off, "We may never know what happened."

From Chelsea Phua:

West Sacramento police arrested a 29-year-old man Tuesday on suspicion of murder.

Police said that for unknown reasons, Christopher Allen Smith, a West Sacramento resident, became involved in an altercation with the man he allegedly shot and killed about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Authorities have not released the victim's identity pending notification of next-of-kin.

According to a department news release, police responded to a call of a man down in the 400 block of Jasmine Avenue and found the victim with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. The victim was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Witnesses gave a detailed description of the suspect's vehicle and direction of travel. Yolo County Sheriff's deputies spotted the vehicle and stopped the suspect, who surrendered without incident, police said.

From Chelsea Phua:

Someone placed a hypodermic needle inside a child's candy bag in Roseville on Halloween night.

Police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said the department is investigating the incident as a child endangerment case and not identifying the child or the parent.

The child was trick-or-treating on Mt. Tamalpais Drive in a neighborhood north of Blue Oaks area at about 7 p.m. Saturday, Gunther said.

The child's parent discovered the needle while going through the candy bag on Sunday and reported it to police.

The needle was still in its wrapper and no one else has reported similar incidents, Gunther said, adding that the president of the area's neighborhood association sent out an e-mail to inform residents about the case.

"It appears to have been an isolated incident," she said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the department at (916) 774-5070 or Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867.

From Hudson Sangree:

A Winters police officer was arrested early Tuesday on child molestation charges, authorities said.

Fairfield police said they arrested David Reeves, 53, about 3:49 a.m. at the police station in Winters, a city of 7,000 in western Yolo County.

The arrest followed a report hours earlier of an alleged lewd act committed by Reeves on a teen, Lt. Bob Bunting, of Fairfield's major crimes unit, said in a news release.

Investigators determined there was probable cause to make an arrest, the statement said.

At about 1:45 a.m., Fairfield officers called the Winters Police Department and said they were planning to arrest Reeves, Winters Police Chief Bruce Muramoto said in a news release.

Reeves was booked into the Solano County jail on suspicion of committing a lewd act on a child 14 or 15 years old, where there is an age difference of at least 10 years between the victim and suspect.

It carries a sentence of up to three years in prison.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Reeves was being held in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to Fairfield news release.

Reeves is a nine-year veteran of the department who is currently assigned to patrol duties, Muramoto said.

He was placed on paid administrative leave pending further investigation, the police chief said.

From Chelsea Phua:

A burglary suspect allegedly led authorities on a high-speed chase Tuesday that started in Sacramento County and ended shortly before noon in Vacaville.

Dante P. Prentice, 18, on Tuesday was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail on several counts of felonies, including suspicion of burglary, conspiracy, forgery, evading a police officer and driving in a reckless manner, according to online jail records.

Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said Prentice reportedly reached speeds of up to 110 mph.

Curran said Prentice is one of four people accused of burglarizing a home on Darkwoods Court in the Foothill Farms area.

The other two arrested are Kayla Jerusala Narayan, 22, and Marqueze Berzishon Nash, 18. They were also booked on felony charges that included suspicion of burglary.

Curran said the department received the burglary call about 10 a.m. The victim returned home to find her garage door locked. She normally leaves it unlocked, and that caused her to be suspicious, Curran said.

Deputies did not find anyone inside the house but several items, including the victim's personal checks, were missing.

As deputies were taking a report from the victim, Curran said the victim received a phone call from her bank or a cash-checking business informing her that someone was trying to cash her check in the 4300 block of Watt Avenue.

Curran said deputies arrived at the cash-checking business in North Highlands to find Narayan and Nash trying to cash the victim's checks. They were arrested.

Prentice and another man inside the getaway vehicle - a dark blue sedan - fled when they saw deputies, Curran said.

A chase ensued. One of them exited the car and fled on Harrison Street, Curran said. He was still at large Tuesday evening and described as wearing a white T-shirt with blue jeans.

Deputies continued pursuing the car's driver, Prentice, who allegedly went onto Madison Avenue, then westbound Interstate 80.

Curran said Prentice tried to force a U.S. Marshal vehicle off the highway near Truxel Road, but was unsuccessful.

California Highway Patrol officers eventually took over the pursuit as the suspect crossed into Yolo and Solano counties, authorities said. A sheriff's K9 unit stayed with the pursuit until it ended on Leisure Town Road in Vacaville about 11:50 a.m., authorities said.

Bee Staff

A feud with neighbors has landed a Placer County man in jail for almost a year.

A 53-year-old Olympic Valley man has been sentenced to 360 days in the Placer County Jail and given a suspended state prison term of four years after being found guilty by a jury of stalking and of continually violating restraining orders in a simmering feud with a neighboring family, according to the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Jonathan Nelce Lancaster, see photo, was also placed on five years probation Monday by Placer County Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis and ordered to move away from his home so that he would have no further contact with the neighbors, according to a news release. In addition, he was ordered to pay $8,805 in restitution, fines and court fees, the release states.

Placer Deputy District Attorney Christopher Cattran said the jury found Lancaster guilty on Sept. 28 of two felonies - stalking and perjury - and of seven misdemeanor counts of disobeying the restraining orders.

The jury was deadlocked on other charges in which the defendant was alleged to have made annoying or harassing phone calls to a Carson City woman with whom he was obsessed, Cattran said. Those charges have been dismissed, he said.

However, Cattran felt the jury returned an appropriate verdict on the charges involving the feud with his neighbors.

"It's been our position that Mr. Lancaster believes the law does not apply to him," Cattran said. "This is evidenced by the jury convicting him of seven violations of court orders and the perjury charge."

Lancaster was given credit for serving 339 days in the county jail, meaning he will be released this month when he reaches 360 days.

Cattran said Lancaster will be allowed four days to move his belongings from his home and that he must notify the Placer County Sheriff's Department a week prior to coming back to the home to make the move.