Sacto 9-1-1

From Julie Johnson:

A 52-year-old beating victim found Wednesday has died.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department officials have tentatively identified the man but are waiting to release his name until the Coroner's Office can confirm his identity with fingerprinting.

Deputies discovered the victim lying on the ground in the 8400 block of Florin Road.

They reported he was bleeding from the head and barely breathing.

Witnesses told homicide detectives that the victim was beaten during a fight earlier that day, according to a department news release.

Investigators said they believe the victim was involved in an ongoing dispute.

He remained on life support until he died Friday.

The Coroner's Office said it expects to confirm the man's identity this weekend.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

The body of a woman was found dumped on a rural road in Loomis early this morning, Placer County Sheriff's Department officials said.

The woman was discovered at about 6:30 this morning by a woman out walking near the intersection of Boyington Road and King Road, near Interstate 80, said Lt. Jeff Ausnow, sheriff's spokesman.

"It appears to have been dumped in the evening hours," Ausnow said.

The woman, described as black and in her 20s, had no obvious signs of trauma on her, Ausnow said. Detectives are treating the case as a homicide, he said.

From Sarah Frier:

A Sacramento man with dementia who has been missing since Sunday has turned up at a medical facility, police said.

The 63-year-old man previoulsy was last heard from when he spoke to his daughter on the phone Sunday, saying he couldn't talk because he was being contacted by the California Highway Patrol, a news release states. He said he would call her back but he never did.

From Sarah Frier:

Nearing the finale of the Folsom Rodeo fireworks show Thursday night, a shell propelled into the stands, causing minor burns to six people, according to the Folsom Fire Department.

The children and adults were treated by Folsom Fire Department paramedics who were on the scene, Fire Chief Dan Haverty said.

There will still be fireworks at the show tonight, but the fireworks contractor has proposed shielding the fireworks trailer with heavy plywood so this doesn't happen again, Haverty said.

"In general (when handling fireworks) just make sure you follow directions and use caution," Battalion Chief Bret Worthington said.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking Andrew Lee Young Jr. on a $600,000 felony arrest warrant for suspicion of carjacking and robbery, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Young (left photo), also known as "YB" or "Drew Young," is described as age 21, 5 feet, 11 inches tall weighing 195 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He should be considered armed and dangerous, officials said.

Anyone with information about Young 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:

A 74-year-old man from London was arrested at Sacramento International Airport Wednesday night after allegedly hitting a flight attendant who told him he could not use the bathroom, authorities said.

Sacramento County Sheriff's department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said Gordon Taylor needed to go to the bathroom about three hours into a five-hour flight on US Airways from Philadelphia to Sacramento.

Passengers weren't allowed out of their seats at that time, Curran said.

Taylor allegedly started a "verbal altercation" with the 49-year-old female flight attendant, and then physically assaulted her when he shoved and hit her, Curran said. Other crewmembers stepped in and told Taylor to return to his seat, which he did, Curran said.

The flight landed at about 8:30 p.m. in Sacramento and Taylor was cited on an assault and battery misdemeanor charge. He was released and scheduled to appear in court in August, Curran said.

The case has also been forwarded to the FBI, but no federal charges against Taylor have been filed yet, Curran said.

It's a federal offense to interfere with a flight crew, authorities said.

From Hudson Sangree:

In response to the defendant's request for a speedy trial, an Aug. 31 trial date has been set for a Winters man accused of murdering his wife earlier this year.

Leticia Barreles Ramos, a 28-year-old bakery worker and mother, was last seen April 12 and is presumed dead.

About six weeks later, police arrested her husband, Felipe Cruz Hernandez, 39, after carting off blood-stained evidence from the apartment the couple shared with their 10-year-old daughter.

The girl was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

It was the first homicide case in the little town of Winters since 1997.

Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul Richardson ruled last month there was sufficient evidence for Cruz Hernandez to stand trial on a single charge of first-degree murder.

This week, Cruz Hernandez was re-arraigned and insisted on his constitutional right to a speedy trial.

At a preliminary hearing, a defense lawyer called witnesses to suggest that Barreles Ramos may have gone to Mexico and had difficulties returning across the border.

Because of delays in DNA tests, the blood stains found in the apartment have not been matched with any individuals, prosecutors said.

Searches for Barreles Ramos' body have failed.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Winters police at (530) 795-4561 or (530) 795-2261.

From Chelsea Phua

A 52-year-old Sacramento man is on life support and not expected to survive following an attack on Wednesday, sheriff's officials said.

According to a department news release, witnesses told homicide detectives that the victim was beaten during a fight earlier in the day.

At about 8:30 p.m., deputies found the victim lying on the ground in the 8400 block of Florin Road. He was bleeding from the head and barely breathing, authorities said.

Investigators said they believe the victim was involved in an ongoing dispute, but have not identified who was involved in the fight or determined a motive for the crime.

Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff's homicide detectives at 916-874-5115, or Crime Alert at 916-443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Chelsea Phua

Sacramento County Sheriff's officials have arrested a 27-year-old man suspected of killing his father on Wednesday, authorities said.

According to a Sheriff's Department news release, Nicholas Farrell Emmett (photo) called 911 about 6 p.m. and told operators his 56-year-old father was dead in an apartment complex in the 2900 block of Marconi Avenue.

Deputies arrived to find an unresponsive Douglas Farrell Emmett in the apartment. Paramedics pronounced the father, who did not have visible signs of trauma, dead at the scene, spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.

As a standard procedure, deputies detained Nicholas Emmett until homicide detectives arrived. Shortly after midnight, Nicholas Emmett was arrested on suspicion of murder after being interviewed by detectives.

Curran said investigators believe that father and son had a "contentious" relationship and Nicholas Emmett killed his father following an argument. Detectives are not disclosing the nature of the argument.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office will perform an autopsy to determine Douglas Emmett's cause of death.

Nicholas Emmett is being held without bail at the Sacramento County Main Jail and scheduled to be arraigned on July 7.

From Bill Lindelof:

A would-be robber shot at a woman in Natomas after she resisted the culprit's efforts to steal her purse as she entered her home, according to Sacramento police.

The 48-year-old woman was in the entry of her home in the 1700 block of North Bend Drive shortly after midnight Thursday when she sensed someone behind her tugging on her purse.

She then dropped to the floor, regaining control of her purse, Sacramento police said.

The suspect took out a handgun and aimed it at the woman, firing one shot. The shot missed the woman, the slug striking the floor of the home.

The suspect fled on foot. Police described the suspect as a "male of unknown race, 5'5" wearing a dark hoodie pulled down around his face."

Bee Staff

A quiet getaway attempt failed for a suspected car thief, according to an Elk Grove Police crime summary.

The summary gave this chain of events:

At about 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, officers responded to a call of someone pushing a neighbor's car down the street in the 9700 block of Roedell Way.

The officers found the car, now being driven, in the area of Elk Grove Boulevard and Porto Rosa Way.

The driver jumped from the vehicle and fled from officers. However, hiding in some bushes didn't work and he was taken into custody.

The owners verified that no one had permission to take their vehicle.

Officers said they booked Paul Thao, 23, into jail on suspicion of various charges.

From Chelsea Phua

A former Roseville man convicted of molesting teenage boys was sentenced Tuesday to five years and eight months in state prison, according to the Placer County District Attorney's office.

Prosecutors said Michael David Harrison, 41, of North Highland, pleaded guilty to six counts of child molestation for acts that occurred between September 2006 and March 2008.

Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis ordered Harrison to register as a sex offender and to pay $1,200 of restitution to a state fund.

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Wood said Harrison worked at a video store in Roseville and met at least two of his four victims, ages 14 to 16, there. Harrison even used a storage room to engage in the lewd acts, prosecutors said. Some other acts took place at his home and a vehicle.

Three of the victims eventually reported the crime, according to prosecutors.

From Kim Minugh:

A 25-year-old man was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail this morning after striking a person with his car following a bar fight and then fleeing from officers, according to Citrus Heights police.

Anthony George Todd (left photo) was booked on charges of attempted murder, driving under the influence causing injury, and evading police, according to a police news release.

About 1:40 a.m., Todd allegedly revved his engine and drove toward his victim, striking that person, after a local bar fight spilled into the parking lot on the 7700 block of Sunrise Avenue, the release states.

Todd then fled the scene and led officers on a short vehicle pursuit, according to the release.

He was later taken into custody and showed "objective signs and symptoms of intoxication," the release states.

The victim was taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release.

Todd is being held without bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, according to booking records.

Editor's note: This is another report in an occasional series on unusual events or people found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

Bee Staff

Another rule of life: If you are stupid enough to cheat on your wife, don't call her to pick you up at your girlfriend's apartment.

Sacramento police spent a lot of time on Tuesday sorting out a mess that apparently stemmed from just that.

Here's how a crime summary explains the events:

Just after midnight, officer responded to the area of Bicentennial Circle to a report of a woman waving a knife and stabbing car tires before fleeing in a vehicle.

A short time later, another caller reported a hit-and-run incident on Power Inn Road and indicated the knife-waving suspect was involved.

During what officers described as a "lengthy investigation," they were able to figure out that the "suspect had found that her husband was having an affair with a female from the apartments on Bicentennial Cir(cle). He had allegedly called her to come pick him up."

At the apartments, the wife allegedly confronted the girlfriend and two other women. At that point, the wife also allegedly brandished the knife.

The friends of the girlfriend allegedly followed the wife and her husband, ramming her vehicle as "the vehicles raced down Folsom Boulevard" near the intersection with Power Inn Road.

The wife's vehicle spun out of control and hit a third vehicle. Apparently no one was injured.

However, the girlfriend with more "friends" came to the crash scene and the argument started again.

Eventually, the wife was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a weapon. Officers are looking for the driver who rammed her vehicle.

From Chelsea Phua

A Sacramento County jury convicted a 25-year-old man on Tuesday of voluntary manslaughter with an enhancement for using a knife in the killing of a 61-year-old man, according to court records and the District Attorney's office.

Armand Marcello Powers, who was initially charged on a second-degree murder count in the Aug. 16, 2007, stabbing death of Julian Maisonet, faces a maximum of 12 years in state prison, according to the District Attorney's office.

A neighbor saw Maisonet, a father of four and grandfather of 10, stumble out of his truck in the driveway of his south Sacramento home that night, covered in blood, the family said in an earlier interview with The Bee.

Maisonet died several days after the stabbing, which detectives say they initially believe was a self-defense killing.

Maisonet's family said they did not know where he was the night he was stabbed.

Powers is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 13, District Attorney's spokeswoman Shelly Orio said.

Bee Staff

A bicycle-theft victim went too far in trying to get his bike back and ended up in jail, according to Sacramento police.

Here's the chronology laid out by a police report:

At about 7 p.m. Saturday near Danbrook and Club Center drives , the victim was driving in the area when he spotted a juvenile riding the stolen bike.

"The victim intentionally hit the kid on the bike with his car (bumper to back bicycle tire), causing him to crash and sustain minor injuries," the officer reported.

The 28-year-old victim was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. The 15-year-old juvenile was not arrested, "pending further investigation."

Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department spokesman, later told The Bee that "in general terms, these are always tough situations" for officers.

Even assuming that the juvenile riding the bike was the person who stole it, "the force was excessive for the type of crime," he said.

Leong said the victim had the right to use "reasonable force" in trying to recover his property but not "potentially deadly force."

From Bill Lindelof:

The Truckee River and the American River are dry this weekend.

That has nothing to do with water. It has everything to do with drinking.

A temporary alcohol ban will be in effect during the Fourth of July weekend on both rivers to cut down on boisterous, boozy rafting.

On the American, from Friday through Sunday, alcohol is banned on the river and on the shore from Hazel to Watt avenues. Park rangers will patrol to make sure rafters and others abide by the law.

In Placer County, officials remind residents and visitors to the Tahoe area that a ban on alcoholic beverages is in place Friday through Sunday.

Possession of open or closed containers of alcohol is prohibited on the Truckee River from Lake Tahoe to the Alpine Meadows Bridge.

County officials cite state law as banning possession of alcohol on the river and islands. County ordinance bans alcohol on riverbanks, islands and bridges.

The Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City is the only bridge excluded from the ban.

Both counties sought the Fourth of July ban in recent years to discourage driving under the influence, drunkenness and fighting associated with drinking and partying on the rivers.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Roseville man was sentenced to 10 years and four months in state prison for impersonating a SureWest Communications employee, driving a company car and using a company credit card.

Preston Douglas Vandeburgh, 27, was sentenced Tuesday in Placer Superior Court after pleading guilty last month to five felony charges, including burglary, identity theft, taking a vehicle and computer fraud. He also admitted to enhancements to his sentence related to having a previous strike for burglary and of having served a prior prison sentence.

"Since he pled to a strike, Mr. Vandeburgh will have to serve 80 percent of his 10-year term, meaning he will serve a little over eight years in prison," said Deputy District Attorney Rick Opich.

Vandeburgh broke into SureWest offices in June 2008, the district attorney's office said. He then took equipment and employees' confidential code information.

At times, he came onto SureWest property, posing as an employee. His criminal activity ended in December when SureWest officials detected someone using one of their computers off-site.

The computer had been stolen. When police went to the home, they found SureWest items taken in a burglary from company offices and arrested Vandeburgh.

From Kim Minugh:

Elk Grove police are warning firework stand operators to be on the lookout for counterfeit bills.

Police are aware of two cases in which people used counterfeit $50 bills to buy fireworks at two local stands, according to a department news release.

The crime is compounded by the target. Firework stands often are operated by non-profit groups trying to raise money for youth-based organizations, the release states.

Police offer these tips for preventing the passage of counterfeit bills:

- Be suspicious: Take time to look at and feel the money you receive.

- Check for obvious things like duplicate serial numbers.

- Be especially suspicious of older bills (those bearing pre-1996 designs) - or simply refuse them - and bills of larger denominations. Nearly all legitimate pre-1996 bills have been taken out of circulation and destroyed.

- Look at the bills in the light. The color-shift ink is very hard to fake. The security stripe and watermark are impossible to duplicate with an inkjet printer.

- Borders and markings should have clean, crisp lines and come to sharp points.

- If you believe you are receiving a counterfeit bill, call the police.

For more information about detecting counterfeit money, visit the U.S. Secret Service Web site at www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml.

Anyone with information regarding the passage of counterfeit bills is asked to call Elk Grove police at (916) 714-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers to Crime Alert can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Bee Staff

Thieves cleaned out a youth football program's fireworks stand sometime last night, taking more than $3,000 in inventory and crippling the program's scholarship program, said one of the group's backers.

Ironically, the Sacramento Junior Cougar's stand at Freeport Boulevard and 35th Avenue is near the Sacramento Police Department, said Francine Mata, one of the group's backers.

She said the program uses proceeds from the fireworks stands and other fund-raising ventures to offer scholarships to families of children who cannot afford the program's fees.

The program offers football for ages 6 to 15 and Kennedy High School is its home field.

Mata asked for anyone who has information on the theft to call the police.

Editor's note: This is another report in an occasional series on unusual events or people found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

Bee Staff

The center of dumb could be found about 2:50 p.m. Monday in the 4000 block of Norwood Avenue.

Sacramento police officers responded to a call of a large fight, according to a crime report.

Details are sketchy but what is known doesn't speak well of the human race.

"One of the combatants apparently hit his friend with a shovel while trying to hit an unknown person," an officer reported.

Some suspects tried to flee in a vehicle but crashed. The driver was DUI.

The only reported injury was one person taken to a hospital with a head injury.

At least one other person contemplated the day's events from jail.

Editor's note: This is another report in an occasional series on unusual events or people found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

From Bill Lindelof:

Turns out it wasn't a sign of the times.

Despite a sign that appeared on a door for a short time at Sacramento County Sheriff's Department headquarters saying that concealed carry weapons permits would not be issued or renewed, that is not the case and permits would still be available for those who qualify.

A sign on the door at department headquarters read that "No further CCWs will be issued or renewed until the Sheriff's Department organizational change is complete."

Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said that the decision on the sign was made at a lower level and should not have been done.

"There is absolutely no change as we speak today as far as the application and renewal procedures," said Curran.

From Bill Lindelof:

The prospective river rafting guide who drowned in the South Fork of the American River was identified today as Soren Pedersen, 29, of San Francisco, an El Dorado County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

Pedersen was part of a group of prospective river guides learning how to navigate a stretch of whitewater when he was killed, said sheriff's Lt. Bryan Golmitz said.

About 4:50 p.m. Monday, rescuers from CalFire and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office and Fire District responded to Trouble Maker Rapids, near Coloma, to a report of a person trapped under the water.

Pedersen had been thrown from the raft and trapped against a set of rocks near the middle of the river. The force of the river's flow pushed Pedersen under water.

Bystanders and rescue workers attempted to save Pedersen, but were unsuccessful. Pedersen's body was recovered after about four hours.

Golmitz said Pedersen was wearing a flotation device, but the current tore it from his body once he was trapped against the rocks.

Editor's note: This is another report in an occasional series on unusual events or people found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

Bee Staff

This is not something that normally makes the news, but probably should, so here goes.

A Sacramento police officer and garbage truck driver combined Monday to avert a potentially serious explosion.

A Sacramento Police Department report explains the incident:

At about 8 a.m., a garbage-truck driver noticed his load was on fire. The driver worried that the fire might reach the truck's natural-gas fuel tank.

The driver steered his truck away from surrounding houses. He tried dumping the burning refuse in a field near Sora Way and San Juan Road, but couldn't get all the burning material out of the truck.

A Sacramento PD officer quickly assessed the situation and began evacuating houses in the immediate area.

Sacramento Fire Department units then arrived and extinguished the blaze.

Then everyone probably went quietly back to work.

Editor's note: This is another report in an occasional series on unusual events or people found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

Bee Staff

No brotherly love in this crime report from the Sacramento Police Department.

A man told police that his stepbrother and another subject robbed him of his tax refund at gunpoint earlier this month.

Here's the tale from a Sacramento PD summary:

At about 7 p.m. Sunday, officers found the suspect stepbrother - Lorenzo Lee, 22 - at residence in 1300 block of Old West Drive.

A probation search of the residence turned up nothing but a car parked in the driveway at the residence became the object of the officer's attention - especially after a search yielded a two-shot Derringer pistol and an unspecified quantity of drugs inside the spare-tire compartment.

Everyone at the residence claimed ignorance of the car's ownership. That didn't save Lee, who was arrested on suspicion of robbery and gun charges.

Bee Staff

Sacramento police officers took down a drug-dealer suspect - complete with body armor and handgun near Del Paso Boulevard late Saturday night, according to a crime summary.

The report gives this sequence of events:

Sacramento Police Department officers were targeting the Del Paso Boulevard area. Near the intersection of two nearby streets - Boxwood Street and El Camino Avenue - the POP team encountered "a subject suspected of selling narcotics."

The suspect tried to flee and officers reported they saw him discard on eighth of an ounce of rock cocaine. A subsequent probation search of the suspect turned up the body armor, a handgun "more ammunition at a nearby location." The 26-year-old suspect was arrested.

From Bill Lindelof:

Three defendants were ordered to stand trial for allegedly following people home from a Sacramento nightclub, targeting their victims for carjacking or robbery and, in one case, shooting at them.

A Placer County District Attorney's Office news release states that in the first case, a victim was robbed, carjacked and kidnapped at gunpoint Nov. 22 in North Highlands.

In another, on Nov. 30, three people were followed from the Tropicana nightclub on Arden Way and shot at. A woman told police she and two friends were followed from the nightclub to Rocklin.

When they stopped on South Grove Street, an occupant of a black Lincoln Navigator got out and shot at the their vehicle. No one was injured.

Police soon stopped the Navigator, and Felipe Ortega, 26, Omar Lozano Villicana, 19, and Mirna Corral, 35, all of Sacramento, were arrested.

The three suspects have been held to answer on charges of conspiracy, robbery, kidnapping and carjacking stemming for both incidents. Ortega was also held to answer on a charge of possession of a firearm by an ex-felon.

Placer County Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis, who presided at the preliminary hearing for the defendants last week, set a trial date of Aug. 17.