A 20-year-old was shot and killed around 2 a.m. today after an argument broke out between two groups on Del Paso Boulevard in North Sacramento, Sacramento police reported.

The suspect, described as an African American male in his 30s, fled in a white 2000 Ford F150 with the license plate 8K45096, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, police spokesman.

The victim, described as an Asian male, was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

California Highway Patrol officers have arrested three suspects parked in an area near Cisco Grove that had been the site of wire thefts and equipment vandalism.

The suspects, all from North Highlands, were in possession of stolen copper wire and tools used for taking the wire.

Officers Schuyler Bell and Chris Crabtree found the trio early Tuesday morning in an area where several Caltrans electrical boxes for message signs had been vandalized.

One victim has died in a shooting along Del Paso Boulevard at Fairfield Street in North Sacramento early this morning.

As of 6 a.m., police were still out on the scene investigating, and portions of Del Paso Boulevard were closed off.

No further details were available.

Davis police have arrested two people in connection with robberies Tuesday night in south Davis in which victims reported being threatened with a knife.

About 7:58 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of the Sorrento Apartments at 1540 Valdora Drive regarding a robbery that had just occurred. The victim, a 20-year-old man and Davis resident, told police that two Latino males had confronted him in front of the apartment complex, pushed him and demanded his property. He said one of the suspects threatened him with a knife.

The victim fled and the suspects left without any of his belongings, according to a Police Department news release.

An observant resident is credited with alerting Rancho Cordova police to suspicious activity that led to the arrest two juveniles and the recovery of stolen property.

Police were dispatched to the area of Cregan Court and Pericles Drive shortly after 1 p.m. Monday after a citizen reported seeing to males enter a residence through the back yard and later leave through the garage. The caller reported that the two were pulling a wagon with a safe inside as they left the area.

As officers responded, a burglary alarm call also was pending for a residence on Pericles Drive. On of the officers called the homeowner and verified that a safe was inside the residence, according to a Police Department news release.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Robert Neal-Anderson of second-degree murder in the Oct. 2, 2009, stabbing death of David Maxey in the victim's South Natomas apartment.

The jury deliberated for more than two days before reaching its verdict this afternoon around 3:30. Neal-Anderson could have been convicted of first-degree felony murder for killing Maxey during the course of a break-in. But one member of the jury who asked to remain anonymous said a small number of panelists "couldn't get their head around it."

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police updated the description of the suspect vehicle in a double-homicide of two elderly Sikh men shot last year when they were out for their routine afternoon walk.

At a press conference this afternoon, police officials said the suspect drove a lifted full-size pick-up truck, tan or gold in color, with a standard-size cab, similar to the one pictured at left. They do not have details on the make or model year of the truck.

Speaking from the Elk Grove City Council Chambers, officials pleaded with the public to continue calling the department with tips or leads.

A bank robber arrested Tuesday led Roseville police to himself unintentionally, officials said today.

Ogan Gencer, 20, is suspected of holding up a Wells Fargo bank branch on Sierra College Boulevard at 10:10 a.m. Tuesday.

However, he is also accused of calling 911 to report a fake emergency miles away 15 minutes before the holdup, during which the robber gave a teller a note indicating he had a gun.

In making a call to distract police, Gencer forgot a few things, according to Dee Dee Gunther, spokeswoman for the department.

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.

A Santa Barbara County man was sentenced today in federal court in Sacramento for his involvement in marijuana growing operations in El Dorado County.

Ryan Louis Ennis, 39, of Buellton was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to nine years for conspiring to cultivate marijuana.

In sentencing, Judge Mendez described Ennis as the leader and financial backer of a sophisticated, well-funded marijuana operation, saying that he provided marijuana to distributors on the East Coast, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

A coroner's investigation of a of a man's death in a rural area of of El Dorado County turned up a store of explosive materials.

About 11:30 a.m. Friday, El Dorado County sheriff's deputies were called to the 2300 block of Sandridge Road in the southern part of the county regarding a report that a man had been found dead in his driveway. Deputies confirmed that Donald Smith, 69, appeared to have died of natural causes, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. As part of the coroner's investigation, deputies then undertook to inventory and ensure safe keeping of Smith's property.

While checking a shop located a ways from the main residence, deputies found items they believed to be of a suspicious nature. They summoned the sheriff's bomb squad, and technicians confirmed that the items were explosive ordnance and explosive compounds.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department seeks the community's help in locating a teenage girl who was reported missing from her Florin-area home.

Madison Watson (pictured), 13, was last seen Sunday evening at her home in the 7900 block of Springarden Way. She was discovered missing Monday morning and is believed to have voluntarily left her residence sometime during the night, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. Officials said she is considered at-risk because of her unstable mental condition.

She is described as white, about 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing approximately 100 pounds. She has light brown, shoulder-length hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115.

Yolo County Animal Services officials are asking the public's help in identifying and finding a dog that bit a man in Davis last week.

About 2 p.m. Thursday, a man reported being bitten by a fawn-colored boxer-type dog while he was walking in the area of Valdora Street in south Davis, near the Safeway store.

The victim said a woman was walking two boxers, both of them on leashes. When the man passed, one of the dogs turned and bit him, leaving puncture wounds on his arm, according to a Yolo County Sheriff's Office news release.

Roseville police announced the arrest this evening of a 20-year-old man in connection with the robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank this morning.

Roseville detectives took Ogan Gencer into custody in Folsom about 6 p.m. He will be booked into Placer County Jail on suspicion of robbery, according to a Police Department news release,

About 10:10 a.m., a man entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 8850 Sierra College Blvd. and gave a clerk a note demanding money, police said. He was given an undisclosed amount of money and was seen leaving the area on foot.

A 19-year-old UC Davis student died today of injuries suffered when he was struck by a vehicle Friday night.

Davis police were called to Arlington Boulevard and Shasta Drive about 11 p.m. regarding a collision involving a pedestrian and a vehicle. Police said a 62-year-old Davis woman was eastbound on Arlington Boulevard approaching the intersection of Shasta Drive. As she entered the intersection, her vehicle struck a pedestrian, Brennan Morrow, who entered and started to cross the roadway, according to a Police Department news release.

Morrow, a Davis resident, was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center with severe injuries.

A Lincoln man was arrested today in connection with the theft and destruction of a historical marker from the Placer County community of Ophir.

Anthony James Karas (pictured), 47, was taken into custody and booked into the Placer County Jail on suspicion of grand theft and possession of stolen property, according to a Placer County Sheriff's Department news release.

The California Registered Historical Landmark plaque was reported stolen in January. It had been found at Lozanos and Bald Hill roads. Sheriff's detectives said it was valued at $951.

Last week, deputies found the sawed-up marker (pictured) dumped along Fiddyment Road and were able to trace it back to Karas, officials said. The marker had been cut into many pieces and all of the writing was ground from the solid brass piece.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Mark C. Anderson, the man who burned up hundreds-of-millions of dollars worth of fine wine in a failed attempt to cover-up his theft of wine, was sentenced Tuesday in Sacramento federal court to 27 years in prison.

Anderson, 63, of Sausalito, was also ordered to pay clients of his wine storage business $70.3 million in restitution. Each victim suffered losses ranging from tens-of-thousands to hundreds-of-thousands of dollars.

As part of a guilty plea he later repudiated and tried unsuccessfully to withdraw, Anderson admitted torching the Wines Central warehouse in Vallejo on Oct. 12, 2005. The wine Anderson stored there for his clients was a small part of the inventory.

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.

Sacramento Sheriff's deputies returned a pair of toddlers to their mother after they were found wandering in Rancho Cordova.

The children were found by an unidentified woman around 9 a.m. in the 2600 block of Capitales Drive.

They were clad only in diapers and appeared to be 2-year-old twins.

Deputies were directed to El Parque Circle, after a woman who recognized the children and told officials the parents lived there.

The children were reunited with their mother, but Sheriff's officials have asked Child Protective Services to evaluate the home situation.

Sacramento police arrested a suspected bicycle thief Monday, after he was chased by the bicycle's owner.

Police were alerted at 8:57 a.m. that the white bicycle had been stolen from the vicinity of 17th Street and Markham Way in Land Park.

Having seen the thief taking his bicycle, the victim jumped in his van and followed, honking his horn and yelling for people to stop the culprit.

By Hundson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A Yolo County judge is scheduled to sentence Marco Antonio Topete this morning for the assault-rifle slaying of sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz in June 2008.

Jurors in the case recommended that Topete receive a death sentence. Judge Paul K. Richardson will decide whether to follow that recommendation, after ruling on yet another motion for a new trial by defense attorneys.

The hearing begins at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. 4 at the Woodland courthouse.

Carlos Alcala

calcala@sacbee.com

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

calcala@sacbee.com

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

calcala@sacbee.com

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.

Woodland police reported the arrest of four people after a residential burglary was interrupted Monday afternoon.

Officers were called to the 1600 block of Truckee Way about 3:30 p.m. regarding a report of a burglary in progress. When they arrived, the suspects were fleeing the area, but the first officer on scene was able to stop one suspect, Angela Zuniga, 38, of Woodland, according to a Police Department news release.

The officer was able to provide information that led to apprehension of two other suspects, Arthur Tunstall, 43, and Esteban Torres, 21, both of Woodland. The fourth individual, Jason Peck, 345, of Woodland, was taken into custody later at his home.

In conjunction with National Burn Awareness Week, Feb. 5-11, the Firefighters Burn Institute in Sacramento urges people to take measures to prevent "scald" burns.

Scald burns are the leading cause of death in the home among children age 4 and younger, and account for 40 percent of the burn injuries for children up to age 14, according to a news release.

Such burns, caused by hot liquids or steam, are more often the cause of burn-related injuries among young children than contact burns, which are caused by direct contact with fire and are more prevalent among older children, officials said. The majority of scald burns suffered by children result from hot foods and liquids spilled in the kitchen or other areas where food is prepared and served.

A Sacramento County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a 47-year-old man during a physical confrontation early this morning, according to Sacramento police officials.

The Sacramento County coroner's office identified the victim as Lamont Harmon. An autopsy is pending, officials said

Harmon was shot around 2:30 a.m. in a Kmart parking lot at Stockton Boulevard and Lawrence Drive, police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said. Two deputies spotted him walking in the parking lot shortly after city police reported finding a stolen vehicle parked nearby at Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge Road, Pettit said.

Three people were hospitalized after their Jeep Cherokee flipped over during a collision with a Chevy Malibu being chased by California Highway Patrol vehicles on Stockton Boulevard near 65th Street in Sacramento, a CHP spokesman said.

The Malibu driver, D'Anthony Chaney, 21, of Sacramento, also was hospitalized for injuries he suffered in the crash and while trying to flee on foot, CHP Officer Michael Bradley said.

The pursuit began around 7 p.m. Sunday, after the Malibu exited a Burger King parking lot into the path of a CHP vehicle on Stockton Boulevard that was forced swerve, Bradley said.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the three people killed early this morning in a yead-on collision with a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on Highway 50 near Gold River.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a man identified as Oliverio Lopez, 41, died inside a Pontiac SUV that was struck about 12:45 a.m. by a Honda CRV that was eastbound on westbound Highway 50. Two women in the rear seat of the SUV, Francisca Temblador Raymundo, 58, of Mexico, and Margarita Temblador de Lopez, 53, of Sacramento, were ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

The driver of the SUV, Gustavo Sandoval-Gonzalez, 31, of Sacramento and a rear-seat passenger, Pedro Cornejo, 59, also of Sacramento, were reported in critical condition at area hospitals late this afternoon.