Sacto 9-1-1

From David Richie:

Sheriff's deputies in El Dorado County continue their investigations of several incidents related to thefts of machinery or equipment containing copper and other precious metals. Construction storage areas, rooftop air conditioning equipment and parked vehicles all are being targeted.

An office manager at a building in El Dorado Hills contacted the sheriff's office last week after she tried to turn on the building's air conditioning system for the first time this year. Nothing happened. When employees investigated, they discovered that during the past few months someone got up on the roof and ripped apart the air conditioner to get at its copper components. The estimated cost to repair the damage is in excess of $5,000.

On Sunday, a man told deputies that he had left his Jeep Wrangler parked near Newtown Road and Fort Jim Road on April 13 with a "for sale" sign in the window. When he went back to check it on Sunday, he noticed that the engine sounded very loud. Someone had crawled under the vehicle to cut out his catalytic converter.

The catalytic converter thieves were especially active last month, striking in broad daylight in El Dorado Hills. Several vehicles were hit in the Blue Shield office parking lot and outside Nugget in the Town Center complex.

From Art Campos:

Lincoln police are investigating a 20-year-old man's report that he was pushed out of a parked vehicle by two men, struck across the head with a skateboard and robbed of $220.

The victim, who is from Granite Bay, was not seriously injured, police said.

Lt. Paul Shelgren said the victim reported that he arranged to meet the two men in Lincoln and buy a video game from them. The victim said he wasn't familiar with the men, Shelgren said.

Shortly before 9 p.m., all three men got into the suspects' dark-colored, late-model BMW and drove to Celtic Drive and Abbeyhill Lane, where the assault occurred, the victim reported.

The victim described his assailants as white and in their 20s, Shelgren said. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (916) 645-4040.

Shelgren cautioned citizens not to get into vehicles with strangers and to be cautious when answering ads in the newspaper or Internet.

A spike in metal thefts is endangering the public, California Department of Transportation officials report.

Thieves targeting copper wiring in traffic signals, street lights and guard rails has state highway officials warning of dangers to the public.

More details from the San Bernardino Sun.

From David Richie:

A Citrus Heights man heads to court Thursday facing a felony charge of strong-arm robbery after being identified as one of three men who jumped another man Sunday morning near Antelope Road and Zenith Drive early Sunday morning.

The victim, who resides in North Highlands, told officers that he was beaten and kicked by three men after refusing to give up his backpack. He described a Volkswagen Jetta as one of two vehicles used by his attackers.

Officers spotted a Jetta about a half hour later near Antelope Road and Garden Gate Drive, about a mile from the place where the man told officers that he was attacked. The victim then identified Shaun Michael Tillis, 22, who was arrested about 1:30 a.m. Tillis denied any involvement in the incident, officials said.

Tillis remains in Sacramento County Jail with bail set at $40,000.

The Sacramento Citizens' Crime Alert Reward Program has released its updated list of the area's wanted suspects.

Sacramento Police Department robbery detectives seek Tyrone Funches, left, on a felony $120,000 bail arrest warrant for robbery and attempted robbery. Funches, 20, is described as 5-foot-10 weighing 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last known to reside in the 2400 block of Rio Linda Boulevard in North Sacramento.

The Sacramento Police Department also seeks Maequiesha Wright on a felony no-bail arrest warrant for willfully disobedience of a court order and making threats to commit a crime that would result in death or great bodily harm. Wright, 23, is described as 5-foot-10 weighing 185 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last known to reside in the 2900 block of Channel Court in the Arden Arcade area.

For more details about these and other wanted suspects, view the Crime Alert Web site. If you have information about any wanted person or crime, call 1-800-AA-CRIME or 916-443-HELP.

The Redding Police Department is co-sponsoring an event Saturday aimed at helping remove abandoned vehicles from properties: a Vehicle Amnesty Day.

Police officials said city of Redding and Shasta County residents can turn over their vehicles to the Pick-N-Pull in Redding for free. There are some guidelines, the most important being: No stolen cars.

Here are the details: Download file

From Bill Lindelof:

A Woodland woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of throwing a caustic chemical into the face of another woman during a dispute at an apartment complex, police said.

Officers who responded to the Barcelona Apartments, 422 North St., about 6:30 p.m. learned that a 21-year-old Woodland resident had been attacked, according to a Woodland police news release.

Police suspected that Maria De Lourdes Cervantes threw a chemical at the unidentified woman during a dispute. Cervantes had left the scene before the officers arrived.

She was later located and arrested by officers at her residence in the 1000 block of North Street. She was booked into Yolo County Jail on charges of throwing acid or a flammable substance with intent to disfigure or burn.

Officers identified the type of caustic chemical, which assisted in treating the victim. Her name, condition and the exact type of chemical were not specified by police.

Los Gatos police say about two dozen people have been victimized in a new spin on ATM thefts.

Investigators say at least 25 people have had their debit card and personal identification numbers stolen while shopping at Lunardi's Supermarket.

A police spokesman says thieves were able to get the debit card and PIN numbers by switching out an ATM card reader at the store.

Here's the San Jose Mercury News story

Caught this on the radio this morning:

Since it was founded, the L.A. SWAT team has been all-male, mostly white and resistant to change. But that may soon change. The unit has permitted a woman to enter its training program, and if Jennifer Grasso, 36, survives the intense 12-week course, she will make history.

The NPR story notes that the SWAT team is going through some other changes recently. Some complain that the team's program is putting too much focus on negotiation skills rather than physical training. Also, the team had its first fatality in its 41-year history.

The story also mentions the case of Nina Acosta, who sued the LAPD for $2 million after she passed the physical tests but was still barred from entering the program.

Elk Grove police have arrested the third teenager accused of being involved in burglarizing a home early Monday morning.

Officers responded to a call at 8:20 a.m. from a neighbor who spotted juveniles breaking into a house in the 9300 block of Salado Court.

Three youths were seen running from the area and police captured two of them about a block from the home. A 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, were arrested on suspicion of burglary, said Christopher Trim, spokesman for the police department.

More details from Sandy Louey:

From Sandy Louey:

The Elk Grove Police Department plans to conduct a citywide curfew sweep Friday night.

The sweep will be conducted in conjunction with the Cosumnes Community Services District and the Elk Grove Unified School District, said Sgt. Eric White, who oversees the problem-oriented policing unit for the Elk Grove police.

Under the city's municipal code, anyone younger than 18 is subject to a 10 p.m. to daybreak curfew when not accompanied by parents or a guardian.

The sweep is being planned because Friday is the opening day of the carnival at the Elk Grove Western Festival in Elk Grove Regional Park. The games are scheduled to close at 9 p.m.

The last citywide curfew sweep that the police department conducted March 21 resulted in 31 juveniles being cited.

From Phillip Reese:

Twenty-two California homeless residents fell victim to hate crimes or violent attacks last year, resulting in four deaths, according to a report released today by a homeless advocacy group.

Nationwide, 160 homeless people were victims of hate crimes or violence last year, resulting in 28 deaths, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.

California had the 17th-highest rate of attacks on the homeless. None of those attacks took place in the Sacramento region.

"Those experiencing homelessness are often ignored or misunderstood by society. If these brutal attacks were committed against any other religious or minority group to the same degree, there would be a national outcry and call for governmental action," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of NCH.

"We must respond to this dehumanization and protect homeless persons against hate crimes," Stoops said.

Here's the report.

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of $2,500 for information about the shooting of a domestic goose at the Vacaville Lagoon.

The International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia is caring for the goose. It was the second goose that has been shot with a dart at the lagoon.

Here are more details from The International Bird Rescue Research Center.

Some students at a Portland, Ore., high school have shaved vertical lines into their eyebrows in a trend recently made popular by hip-hop star Soulja Boy. School officials say the mark looks like a gang symbol.

Centennial High School administrators are telling students with the lines that they can't return to school until they shave their eyebrows off. Assistant Principal Mark Porterfield said the students are not suspended, but they are not allowed in school until they cooperate.

Here's the Portland Oregonian story

From the Associated Press:

A 15-year-old student who allegedly posted violent Web messages on his San Gabriel Valley high school Wikipedia page has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of making criminal threats.

Angry, offensive messages started popping up more than a year ago on the Glen A. Wilson High School page on Wikipedia, the popular user-edited online encyclopedia.

Here is the Los Angeles Times' story

From Ryan Lillis:

Police are looking for a pair of burglars who may have hit two homes in the Golf Course Terrace neighborhood -- and one of them might be having trouble keeping his hair in place.

Witnesses reported seeing the pair climb through a side window of a home in the 6800 block of 23rd Street about 10:25 a.m. Thursday, according to police reports. Several Sacramento police units -- including K9 unit dogs -- swarmed the area but had no luck finding the burglars.

The incident was similar to a break-in around the corner the previous day, when a home on Mangrum Avenue was hit, police said.

Witnesses near the Mangrum Avenue home told police they saw two boys around the ages of 16 or 17 "casing" the home. One of the boys had "orange twisties" in his hair, police said.

From Bill Lindelof:

A balding man in his 50s held up a bank Monday afternoon on Sunrise Boulevard near White Rock Road, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

At 2:38 p.m., the armed man entered the West America Bank branch at 2893 Sunrise Blvd. and demanded money from tellers. He left on foot after taking an undisclosed amount of cash.

He is described as white, 5-foot-7, with a medium build. His hair was dark and he had a mustache. He wore a dark-colored suit and a white dress shirt.

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

Here's an interesting story in the Apr. 26, 2008 edition of the San Jose Mercury News that describes an alleged murder-for-hire plot of a prominent businessman using recently unsealed court documents, which are posted online with the article.

While the documents do not allege a motive for the killing, they do tell how a task force quickly cracked the high-profile homicide by tracking down five suspects using shoe leather, computer forensics, cell phone records - and then got four of those men to implicate the fifth suspect, Esequiel "Paul" Garcia, as the mastermind.

This is a good piece to read for some insight on a case investigated using old-fashioned and high-tech means.

According to the an affadavit by Detective Clinton Tada, the alleged shooter left behind some incriminating evidence, including a printed photo of the victim from the site Metroactive.com and a printed map showing directions to the murder scene. Police obtained warrants to find out which IP addresses accessed that specific information which helped lead them to one of the plot's alleged perpetrators.

From Ryan Lillis:

A jury is deadlocked on whether an 18-year-old man should be convicted for trying to kill a Sacramento police officer in 2006.

Jose Angel Gallardo is facing charges of attempted murder, robbery and two counts of attempted carjacking in connection with a chase through the Natomas Marketplace that ended with Gallardo's companion being shot dead by the officer.

The jury foreman told Sacramento Judge Michael T. Garcia on Monday that the jury needed clarification on some facts of the case before deliberating further.

According to authorities, Gallardo and another man robbed a teenager of his iPod, sneakers and other belongings on May 22, 2006.

Later that day, Sacramento Police Officer Kevin Howland spotted the suspects' car in the Natomas Marketplace, police said. The car sped off and hit Howland, who ended up on the roof, police said.

Howland fired into the car and killed the driver, 19-year-old Eugene Timothy Gallegos, police said.

Here's The Bee's detailed account of the 2006 incident:

From Dan Nguyen:

Reader Michele writes:

Someone cut the catalytic converter right off our truck last night. The sheriff I talked to said they had another call regarding the same issue (antelope area). I've heard of two other exact incidents in the city recently, one in Rio Linda which is close to Antelope and one in the South area. I think the word should get out to the neighborhoods this is happening in. This is serious business.

This seems to be happening a lot these days. For background on this, read Tony Bizjak's March
6, 2008 story on this.

Converters, which reduce vehicle emissions, are a top target for car-part thieves internationally, including Mole Valley, England, where police reportedly advised residents last week to scrawl names and phone numbers on their converters, just in case.

California Highway Patrol officials report thefts are rampant statewide.

Criminals aren't going "green," police say. They're going for the gold. Converters include small amounts of precious metals, including platinum, as well as gold in some newer models. Rising thefts may be linked to spiraling market prices for those metals, according to police.

The Republic newspaper of Columbus, Ind., reports that a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing
$330,000 worth of stolen precious metals from catalytic converters.

I did a quick search in our archives for "catalytic converter" and found
these incidents mentioned in our recent Placer County cops log. All of them
involved Toyota vehicles, particularly the 4-Runner model:

200 block of Bonny Knoll Road, Roseville, breaking or removing vehicle parts. A catalytic converter was stolen from a 1995 Toyota 4-Runner between 10:30 p.m. April 9 and 8:45 a.m. April 10.

1000 block of Hillcrest Avenue, Roseville, theft from a vehicle. A catalytic
converter valued at $200 was stolen from a 1993 Toyota 4-Runner between 9:30
p.m. April 9 and 9 a.m. April 10. The victim told police he discovered the
theft after starting his vehicle and hearing a loud rumbling noise.

300 block of Brennen Circle, Roseville, grand theft. A catalytic converter
valued at $600 was stolen from a 1986 Toyota 4-Runner between 6 p.m. March
30 and 11 a.m. April 2.

3 Somer Ridge Drive, Roseville, vehicle burglary. A $500 catalytic converter
was stolen from a 1993 Toyota pickup parked at the Somersett Hills
Apartments between 8 p.m. March 20 and noon Friday.

5415 S. Grove St., Rocklin, theft. A catalytic converter valued at $250 was
stolen from a 1994 Toyota pickup truck parked at the Hidden Grove Apartments
between 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday.

Merganser Court, Rocklin, theft. A catalytic converter valued at $300 was
stolen from a 1998 Toyota Tacoma between 9:30 p.m. March 13 and 4:30 p.m.
March 14.

A side note: At a picnic yesterday, someone told me how a couple years back he witnessed some men stealing a catalytic converter in broad daylight outside of McKinley Park. He and a friend tried to get a picture of the men as they peeled away in their getaway vehicle, but accidentally pressed the power button instead of the shutter!

A newlywed couple spent the night in separate jail cells after police said they brawled with each other, then members of another wedding party, at a suburban Pittsburgh hotel.

Here's the blow-by-blow tale from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Roseville police are asking for the public's help in finding a man who robbed the No Limit Wireless store at 214 Douglas Blvd., and pushed a shop employee down.

Police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said the man entered the store at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, went behind the front counter and shoved the female clerk to the floor.

Here's Art Campos' story.

The Sacramento Police Department on Monday released the booking photos of the Elk Grove couple -- Derek Garcia, 22, left, and Mauriel Mercado, 20 -- who were arrested on suspicion of leaving a 2-year-old boy inside a parked car Friday evening while they went shopping at Arden Fair mall.

Read Chelsea Phua's story.

Two adults associated with a high school championship rugby club have been cited for contributing to the delinquency of minors during an early morning party, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office.

The pair, an assistant coach and the videographer for the Mother Lode Rugby club, allegedly gave beer to minors at the April 19 party at an El Dorado Hills residence.

The case comes as educators and police agencies throughout the region warn about the dangers of mixing minors and alcohol ahead of the high school prom season and graduations.

Providing alcohol to minors "is a big deal," said Sgt. Jim Byers, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office spokesman. "The danger to the juveniles is immense in our eyes."

More details from David Richie:

From the Modesto Bee:

Modesto police are blaming a scratching cat for an accident that toppled a power pole and shut down a street for nearly an hour. A police sergeant said Friday that a woman was driving with a cat in her lap. The animal scratched her, and she drove into the pole.

The woman suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. The cat was taken to a vet to treat an injured eye.

On Wednesday, the Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a bill by Assemblyman Bill Maze that would make it illegal to drive with a pet in your arms or in your lap.

Citrus Heights police officer Jennifer Kell examines a driver's license during a DUI checkpoint Friday on eastbound Greenback Lane. Photo by Anne Chadwick Williams/awilliams@sacbee.com

Greenback Lane glowed with flashing lights Friday night.

Citrus Heights police set up a drunken driving checkpoint for eastbound drivers while radar-equipped motorcycle teams monitored traffic in the westbound lanes. About a dozen tow truck drivers waited in the Lowe's parking lot.

The scene on Greenback Lane, just west of Sunrise Boulevard, was the focus of a stepped-up drunken driving enforcement program that ran from 8 p.m. Friday to about 3 a.m. Saturday. Extra patrols also targeted other areas of the city.

The effort paid off with police arresting seven people for driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. They towed 19 vehicles and issued 52 tickets for other violations.

David Richie provides more details:

A short high-speed chase involving a parolee ended about 100 yards from the California Highway Patrol's Contra Costa County office.

Read the Contra Costa Times' story about incident, which started as a speeding stop in Concord and ended in the arrest of the 26-year-old parolee.

If you missed Saturday's "America's Most Wanted" television show, here is the program's online report about the Sean Aquitania case.

It has been seven months since Aquitania, 21, and his 7-month-old son, Sean Jr., were executed on a south Sacramento street.

Read The Bee's latest story and editorial about the case and unsolved homicides committed in Sacramento County.

From Chelsea Phua:

Authorities have arrested 14 people and seized $1 million involved in a methamphetamine distribution ring in the Sacramento area, according to a Friday news release by U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott's office.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department and the Sacramento Police Department took part in the long-term investigation that included the use of a court-authorized federal wiretap.

Those arrested Thursday and Friday were: Miguel Vasquez, 36, of Cameron Park; Frank Blue IV, 19, of Sacramento; Cameron Craven, 40, of West Sacramento; Rhiannon Wright, 31, of Carmichael; Willie Thomas, 37, of Antelope; Osiel Betancur, 34, of Sacramento; Rene Wright, 49, of Rescue; Juan Vega, 27, of Elverta; Justin Witt, 30, of Sacramento; Jason Bracy, 36, of West Sacramento; Randall Ortiz, 29, of Carmichael; Toby Vann, 40, of Sacramento; Leon Edwards, 35, of Rio Linda; and Robert Scott, 55, of Sacramento. Three more remain fugitives.

Authorities also executed 20 search warrants and recovered about $700,000 from two safe deposit boxes and a residential safe. Agents also seized an additional $200,000 from two bank accounts. Also recovered were 13 guns, a taser and about 10 pounds of methamphetamine from a hidden compartment in a vehicle.

From the Associated Press:

Police are looking through surveillance video to determine who detonated a small pipe bomb on the campus of Hanford High School, sending students into a three-hour lockdown in their classrooms.

Police say no one was injured when the bomb exploded around 12:15 p.m. Thursday in a gated storage area behind the school’s automotive shop.

Here are The Fresno Bee's stories today and Thursday about the incident.

Off-duty Sacramento City firefighters and city officials, including City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond, will be going door-to-door Saturday morning to help install smoke detectors in a south Oak Park neighborhood.

The event is an effort to promote having working smoke detectors in homes, according to Chris Harvey, spokesman for the Firefighters for Sacramento City group.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by a barbecue featuring children's activities at Maple Elementary School, 3011 37th Ave.

The effort is part of a community awareness campaign to inform residents about the importance having a working smoke detector in every home. On. Jan. 6, 2007, a fire resulted in the deaths of two young children in Sacramento's Avondale neighborhood.

Following is The Bee's story about the incident and the creation of a task force to deal with the issue:

Citrus Heights police are investigating a homicide -- the city's first this year -- Friday morning in a guest house behind a home.

"We have a suspect in custody, the investigation is ongoing and we will release his name when the investigation is further along," said Sgt. Eric Mattke, a Citrus Heights police spokesman.

Here's David Richie's story

A chiropractor accused of drugging two women and sexually assaulting one of them in his office has surrendered to authorities.

Antioch police say 37-year-old Jason Goettsch was accompanied by his attorneys when he turned himself in at Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez on Thursday afternoon.

Here's the San Francisco Chronicle story.

Two brothers have been arrested on suspicion of bank robbery after officers surrounded a south Sacramento apartment complex and recovered a large amount of money.

The brothers, Devin Laroyce Santos, 21, and Christopher Monroe Santos, 19, were booked into Sacramento County Jail.

Here's the rest of Bill Lindelof's story

From Ryan Lillis:

The true crime television program "America's Most Wanted" Saturday night will profile the investigation into the Aquitania homicides.

The program will air at 9 p.m. on Fox 40.

Sean Aquitania, 21, and his 7-month-old son were shot and killed Sept. 14, 2007, outside a home on Country Greens Court in south Sacramento, authorities said. Detectives said Aquitania went to the home to visit a friend and walked into a home invasion robbery.

"America's Most Wanted," hosted by John Walsh, has helped in the capture of nearly 1,000 fugitives over the past two decades, according to the show's Web site.

Here's The Bee's latest story and editorial about the case and unsolved homicides committed in Sacramento County.

From Chelsea Phua:

A local cop is about to make his debut on national television. Sacramento Police Det. Mike Wood is scheduled to appear tonight on "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric."

Wood, who has been investigating real estate fraud for three years, was invited to talk about a growing national problem as more homes go into foreclosure -- "professional squatters" moving into vacated bank-owned homes.

Wood said he is both nervous and excited to be interviewed on national television, but he is happy to do it because it will help alert people to this fraud.

Wood said it is important that bank agents be aware of the conditions of the foreclosed homes they own, and renters should be wary about from who they are renting. Some of the squatters have pretended to lease property and have absconded with deposits.

Wood will have to tape the interview. He doesn't usually get home by 5:30 p.m., when the broadcast is scheduled to begin on Channel 13.

The Citrus Heights Police Department plans to conduct a DUI checkpoint Friday night through early Saturday morning.

Officers will be posted from 7:30 p.m. Friday through 3:30 a.m. Saturday on Greenback Lane, west of Sunrise Boulevard.

Officers will be checking drivers for signs of impairment and for possessing a valid driver’s license, according to a department news release. The vehicles of drivers without a valid driver’s license are subject to tow.

The Davis Police Department has released the results of Yolo County’s "Avoid the Eight" team's saturation patrol of the city during Picnic Day weekend.

According to a department news release, the DUI patrol saturated Davis on Saturday night and stopped 70 vehicles, put 14 drivers through a field sobriety test, issued nine citations for various vehicle code violations and arrested three people for suspected drunken driving. Four additional drivers were arrested on DUI charges by patrol officers Friday and Saturday nights.

Authorities report the "Avoid the Eight" team is planning a DUI checkpoint during the Memorial Day weekend.

Oakland police have a second suspect in custody in connection with a series of “takeover” robberies that have taken place in the area during the last few weeks.

Here's an update from the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Sacramento Citizens' Crime Alert Reward Program has released its updated list of the area's wanted suspects.

The Sacramento Police Department robbery detectives seek Benny James Guevara, left, on a felony $200,000 bail arrest warrant for armed robbery. On March 9, Guevara, also known as "Crazy," is suspected of robbing a drive-through cashier at gunpoint at McDonald’s, 2335 Florin Road. Guevara, 28, was reportedly driving a red Ford Expedition. He is described as 5-foot-9 and weighing 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Guevara's whereabouts and address are unknown.

The Sacramento Police Department felony assaults detectives seek Shonn Lynn Pardue on a felony $3 million bail arrest warrant for assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. Pardue is also wanted by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department on a felony $90,000 bail arrest warrant for drug crimes. Pardue, 32, is described as 6-foot-1 weighing 300 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last known to reside in the 7300 block Stockdale Street in the Meadowview area of Sacramento.

For more details about these and other wanted suspects, view the Crime Alert Web site. If you have information about any wanted person or crime, call 1-800-AA-CRIME or 916-443-HELP.

The Bee's Regional editions publish Public Safety Watch stories each Thursday. Here's a roundup of those stories and Police/Fire Logs, as compiled by Bee reporters:

Sacramento/North Sacramento/south Sacramento:
Sacramento theft suspect faces $1 million bail
Police/Fire Log

Arden/Carmichael:
Graffiti vandals meet their match
Motel worker pistol-whipped, robbed
Police/Fire Log

Elk Grove/Laguna:
Party patrol is on duty
Police/Fire Log

Citrus Heights/Orangevale:
Internet threats end in arrest of 13-year-old
Police/Fire Log

Folsom:
Astronaut lands in Folsom, chows down with firefighters
Police/Fire Log

Rancho Cordova/Gold River:
Police/Fire Log

Placer County:
Three-month meth probe ends in four arrests
Police/Fire Log

El Dorado County:
Police/Fire Log

From Bill Lindelof:

A Galt man has been arrested and 31 weapons seized during a routine check on whether he was complying with terms of his probation.

Michael James Sutton, 56, was booked into Sacramento County Jail after being arrested on weapons and drug charges Wednesday. Among the weapons found were an automatic pistol and assault weapons.

Sacramento County Probation Department officials allege that the home in the 14000 block of Christenson Road in Galt where the weapons were uncovered was frequented by drug users. In addition to to the weapons, a small amount of methamphetamine and weighing scales were found.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

A suspected Rancho Cordova truck burglar was caught in the act by a home surveillance camera, and now the police are asking the public's help in catching him.

Since Tuesday, five trucks were hit in the city's Sun River neighborhood, near Sunrise Boulevard and Coloma Road, and construction tools were taken from each, said Sgt. Pete James of the Rancho Cordova Police Department.

During one of the heists, a surveillance camera managed to capture some pictures of the suspected burglar.

According to police, he's a white male who stands about 5-foot-10-inches with a thin receding hairline and a moustache.

Anyone with information about the man's identity should call Rancho Cordova Police Officer Shelly Hodgkins at (916) 875-9634.

Wilbur Reynolds

From Ryan Lillis:

Daniel Norman, the surviving suspect in the bizarre arson-slaying case that left a 76-year-old Foothill Farms man dead Sunday, made his first court appearance Wednesday and was told he could face the death penalty in the case.

Norman, 41, had the charges of arson and murder read to him by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Russell Hom, who told him he could face execution if found guilty. He was appointed a public defender and the matter was rescheduled for May 7.

Norman did not enter a plea Wednesday. He is charged in the death of Wilbur Reynolds, whose body was found in his burning home Sunday afternoon. Sacramento sheriff's detectives believe Norman and an accomplice killed Reynolds during a robbery attempt and set the fire to cover up the crime.

The alleged acomplice, David Kenneth Hamilton, a 39-year-old parolee who was a neighbor of Norman's in Citrus Heights, had once rented a room from Reynolds.

Hamilton was killed by a sheriff's detectives as authorities closed in on him just before midnight outside the Heritage Inn in Roseville.

Here are previous Bee stories about the case:

Foothill Farms murder suspect violated parole in October

'Bizarre' day of violence leaves victim, alleged killer dead

Placer County sheriff's officers said they arrested three people recently after a road rage incident got out of hand in Loomis.

Tempers flared at 3 p.m. Sunday between occupants of two cars, including a couple who had an 8-month-old daughter in the back seat of their vehicle, deputies wrote in their report of the incident.

Details from Art Campos:

A Granite Bay High School coach is trying to solve a mystery, and it has nothing to do with who's going to be the starting point guard on his girls' basketball team.

Wayne Brummond can't figure out who's hitting golf balls from a hillside home above his residence in Loomis.

For five months, the balls have been raining down on his 3 1/2-acre property on Shallow Creek Road. Brummond suspects they are coming from Ridgewood Drive, about 800 yards from his home.

"They've hit my house, landed in my swimming pool. My kids have found hundreds of balls all over our property," Brummond said.

More details from Art Campos:

From Laurel Rosenhall:

Inderkum High School in North Natomas will host a town hall meeting Thursday night to discuss how to prevent underage drinking.

Students, parents and other concerned citizens can attend the event, which is put on by Inderkum's Friday Night Live program. Friday Night Live is a statewide effort to reduce drunk driving and substance abuse and promote healthy lifestyles for youth.

The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Inderkum High School theater, 2500 New Market Drive.

An Atlanta pub owner unleashes his own invention to protect his establishment -- A 300-pound, waist-high robot marked "SECURITY" rolling through downtown long after dark.

The device features bright red lights, a blazing spotlight, an infrared video camera and a water cannon in a spinning turret.

Here's the Associated Press story

From Bill Lindelof:

A sweep last week of suspected gang members resulted in 115 arrests, the recovery of seven firearms and the confiscation of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine with a street value of $238,000, according to law enforcement authorities.

Dubbed SNAG III: Sacramento Neighborhoods Against Gangs, the sweep was the third of its kind conducted by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and the Sacramento Police Department in conjunction with federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies.

The operation took place Thursday and Friday with 320 officers from 21 agencies targeting known gang members on parole or probation in the Sacramento region.

From Art Campos:

Rocklin police took two youths into custody following alleged graffiti and robbery incidents near the city's Sunset East Park, the police department reported.

Sgt. Jamie Knox said officers responded to a call at 5:15 p.m. Friday about possible gang activity around the park in the 5900 block of Willowynd Drive.

The officers found graffiti painted in the park, and a man who told them he'd just been robbed of his MP3 player and other items by a male juvenile carrying a gun, Knox said.

Police searched the area and arrested a Roseville teenager on suspicion of robbery, he said. A second boy, a North Highlands resident, was taken into custody on suspicion of vandalism, the sergeant said. Officers were unable to find a firearm, he said.

Knox said police are continuing to investigate and are requesting that anyone with further information contact them at (916) 625-5400.

Authorities have arrested and charged a 16-year-old boy in connection with the takeover robbery of an Oakland restaurant.

Authorities say the arrest could be a step toward finding other suspects in the recent takeover robberies of eight restaurants in Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville and San Leandro since March 31.

Here's the Oakland Tribune story

From M.S. Enkoji:

Placer County Sheriff Edward Bonner, left, is the new president of the California State Sheriff's Association, the non-profit professional organization representing each of the state's 58 counties.

Bonner was sworn in recently during ceremonies in Monterey.

The long-time Placer County lawman said his term will be challenged by shrinking budgets brought on by the eroding economy.

Bonner began his career with the department in 1974, getting elected in 1994. He is now in his fourth term.

Bonner and his wife, Jeanne, have two sons.

From Bill Lindelof:

Two hooded robbers armed with a large hunting rifle with a stainless steel barrel and black scope are responsible for several robberies in the north part of Sacramento, according to police.

The suspects are wanted for holding up three pizza parlors and a video businesses in a string of robberies that began about a month ago.

The businesses they are suspected of sticking up are:

** Straw Hat Pizza, 4441 East Commerce Way, at 9:57 p.m. March 17.

** Pizza Guys, 2820 Del Paso Road, at 9:33 p.m. April 5.

** Round Table Pizza, 3290 Arena Blvd., at 10:52 p.m. April 5

** Hollywood Video, 2701 Del Paso Road, at 10:20 p.m. April 21.

For the story and surveillance video of one of the robberies, click here

From Art Campos:

Roseville police arrested six motorists during a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint operation over the weekend.

Officers stopped 839 vehicles during the five-hour effort that began at 9 p.m. Friday on Sunrise Avenue at Sun Tree Drive, said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

Five were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and the sixth for a felony drug warrant, she said.

The officers also issued five citations to motorists for driving without a valid license and had six vehicles towed away, she said.

From Sandy Louey:

Galt High School officials will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday to address concerns that led parents to pull their students out of school early Friday.

About 400 parents picked their children up from Galt High before the school day ended that day because of rumors of an impending gang fight that never took place.

Tom Gemma, superintendent for the Galt Joint Union High School District, said the rumors resulted from a fight on campus earlier last week. Talk of retaliation had circulated through student text messages and on MySpace and Facebook, Gemma said.

The meeting will be in the auditorium at Galt High, 145 N. Lincoln Way.

A 7-Eleven market in Roseville had a surprise visitor roll into the store Sunday -- a 2000 Mazda sedan.

The car came crashing through the store's front window, knocking down a customer and scattering products, police reported. The driver then backed the car out and fled. The driver was later caught and arrested, police said.

The customer sustained minor injuries but declined medical assistance, said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

More details from Art Campos:

From Dan Nguyen:

There's a local upside to the National Insurance Crime Bureau's report on
auto thefts: the Sacramento Valley has dropped out of the NICB's top 10
rankings for auto theft hot spots. For the 2006
calendar year, our area (which includes Roseville and Arden-Arcade) was
ranked seventh, with the rate of car thefts at 957.65 per 100,000
inhabitants. We were also seventh the previous year.

According to the NICB's numbers, we're merely No. 13, with an auto theft rate of
784.89.

And there is a national upside to the NICB's car theft numbers.
Their analysts, looking at preliminary 2007 crime data, predict that 2007 is
on track to be the fourth year in a row for declining auto thefts.

A quick comparison: this year's eighth-place auto theft hotspot is Albuquerque,
NM, with 819.64 car thefts per 100,000 inhabitants for the year 2007.

Here's an auto theft CrimeMapper search

A Louisiana state Senate panel rejected a bill on Tuesday that would make it a crime to wear one's pants too low, even as Cajun-country towns around the Bayou State have been banning saggy pants from their streets.

Violators would have faced a fine of up to $175 and eight days of community service.

Here's more from the Associated Press

Elk Grove police arrested three men in connection with a burglary Monday night.

The incident occurred shortly before 11 p.m. in the 7100 block of Rio Cavado Way when the homeowner called police after the burglars had entered her house through a rear sliding glass door, said Christopher Trim, spokesman for the Elk Grove police.

Here's the rest of Sandy Louey's report.

The San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area areas fared poorly concerning vehicle thefts in 2007, according to a report issued today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The Modesto metropolitan statistical area had the highest per capita rate for vehicle thefts in the nation in 2007, according to the NICB. The Stockton MSA ranked fourth and the San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont MSA ranked fifth.

Here are the Top 10 rankings:

1. Modesto, CA
2. Las Vegas/Paradise, NV
3. San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, CA
4. Stockton, CA
5. San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, CA
6. Laredo, TX
7. Albuquerque, NM
8. Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, AZ
9. Yakima, WA
10. Tucson, AZ

For more details about today's report, click on the NCIB Web site.

The Sacramento Fire Department on Wednesday will introduce its newest search and rescue canine -- Jakers.

A badge-pinning ceremony for Jakers, the department's newest member of the Sacramento-based Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 7, is scheduled at 2 p.m. at Sacramento Fire Department Station No. 10, 5642 66th St.

According to a department news release, Jakers is joining Anna, who is approaching retirement age as a member of the task force.

Jakers and his handler, firefighter Jeff Ivy, will demonstrate some of the dog's search and rescue skills. Department officials report Anna was one of the first rescue dogs on the ground Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center.

From the Associated Press:

U.S. marshals say they arrested a man wanted in four states, including California, for impersonating a priest and stealing items from hospital patients and employees.

Leslie Earl Raymond, 38, was arrested Monday in Las Vegas by
members of a regional fugitive apprehension team after a tip from a
person who recognized him from a weekend segment on the television
show "America's Most Wanted."

More details about Raymond from the "AMW" Web site

From Lakiesha McGhee:

Sierra College's Rocklin campus will be the site Wednesday of a multiagency emergency response exercise as the college tests its preparedness with a "lockdown" drill.

Area agencies will respond to a simulation of a “multiple-casualty incident,” which will take place in a closed section of the campus, according to a college news release.

Residents should not be alarmed if they see an unusual number of police vehicles, firetrucks, ambulances and even helicopters in the area, college officials said.

The exercise will last about three hours in the morning and will minimally affect the flow of traffic on routes to and from the campus at 5000 Rocklin Road.

The exercise is being organized by the Rocklin Police and Fire departments under a grant from the state Office of Homeland Security.

Questions or concerns should be directed to the Sierra College Public Information Office, (916) 789-2668 or (916) 781-0411.

A chase that began Monday morning in Gold Run in Placer County ended with a former University of Nevada football player being arrested west of Reno.

Charles Wilson, 23, was booked into the Washoe County jail on charges of speeding, failure to maintain a travel lane, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Here's the Reno Gazette-Journal report.

From David Richie:

An Orangevale man attracted Citrus Heights police's attention last week while driving near Greenback Lane and Mariposa Avenue.

An officer on April 14 noticed that Tyler Harrison Smith, 27, was not wearing a seatbelt and his 2000 Lexus did not have any license plates.

During the traffic stop, the officer smelled marijuana. He soon found a pipe and a small amount of pot on the center console.

The officer then opened the trunk and found two pounds of suspected marijuana.

Smith was arrested on suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale.

Smith is no longer in custody, but he is due in court today on two felony charges.

From David Richie:

Four men are due in court Tuesday morning after their arrests last week in connection with a series of vehicle burglaries in the area around Plum Tree Court in Citrus Heights.

An alert resident called Citrus Heights police about 1 a.m. April 15, reporting that his truck had just been broken into. Other witnesses described a small four-door sedan with a loud muffler that had been seen in the area.

Officers spotted a car matching that description and stopped it at about 1:30 a.m. near Sunrise Boulevard and Old Auburn Road . They detained the driver, Dmitriy Drobenyuk, 21, as well as passengers Pavel Vaslinskiy, 21, Eugene Andreyov, 25, and Vitaly Bukhalyuk, 23.

A search of the car turned up crowbars and other items police described as burglary tools as well as suspected stolen property.

All four men were booked into Sacramento County Jail.

They each face charges of burglary and possession of stolen property.

Officials from Roseville Crime Stoppers report that they have mailed a $1,000 check to a person in Austin, Texas, who provided information that led to the arrest of Morgan Michelle Hoke, 21, otherwise known as the bank robbing "Ponytail Bandit."

Here's Art Campos' Feb. 14 report about the arrest:

A young woman thought to be the "Ponytail Bandit" who robbed three banks in May, including one in Roseville, has been arrested in Thailand, authorities announced.

Morgan Michelle Hoke, 21, was detained by Thai immigration officials after an arrest warrant was issued by the FBI and police in Austin, Texas, where the first bank robbery by the "Ponytail Bandit" occurred May 7.

The robber, who got her nickname because she wore a baseball cap with her ponytail sticking out of the back, hit the Wells Fargo Bank branch at 2000 Douglas Blvd., Roseville, on May 23.

Seven days later, the "Ponytail Bandit" robbed the First Heritage Bank in Lynnwood, Wash.

Austin police said a tipster from Roseville identified Hoke as a potential suspect.

Police said arrangements are being made with Thai officials to extradite Hoke to the United States.

Hoke's husband, Stuart Michael Romine, 26, also is wanted in connection with at least three Texas bank robberies, according to Austin police. His whereabouts are unknown.

More details about the reward, from Roseville Crime Stoppers:

It was a violent weekend in Chicago, where at least 32 people were shot and six were killed.

Here's a story from the Chicago Tribune and one from the Associated Press.

A rash of Oakland robberies continues, including Saturday night when police believe a suspect shot in an exchange of gunfire with a liquor store owner may have robbed another store a few minutes earlier.

Here's the Oakland Tribune story about the latest incidents.

A 13-year-old student at Sylvan Middle School was booked into juvenile hall Thursday after she posted threats against another student on MySpace.com, officials said.

Earlier, the girl had threatened the other student with a piece of glass she picked up in the schoolyard, Citrus Heights police officials said. But taking the dispute into cyberspace is what really got her in trouble.

The girl was charged with a felony count of making terrorist threats. An arrest summary also indicates a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a weapon.

The incident is another local example of Internet-related crime that law enforcement officials are dealing with nationwide.

On Friday, Ann Marie Linscott pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges stemming from a Craigslist ad soliciting the murder of an Oroville woman who is the wife of Linscott's former lover. Here's Denny Walsh's story about that case.

More on Thursday's incident from David Richie:

Bee Metro Staff

A 62-year-old inmate at the Sacramento County Jail committed suicide Saturday afternoon by climbing over a safety railing and jumping, the sheriff's department said.

The inmate jumped at about 1:40 p.m. after leaving his cell on the eighth floor on a social visit, sheriff's officials said.

Paramedics took him to an area hospital, and he was pronounced dead at 2:23 p.m.

The inmate's identity was not released Saturday, but officials said he was facing "multiple felony counts" and had been in the jail since Thursday.

By Bobby Caina Calvan

A 75-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon when a 5 p.m. blaze engulfed a Carmichael apartment in the 5700 block of Madison Avenue, Metro Fire officials said.

A cause of the fire was still under investigation.

The man's body was discovered in the apartment's kitchen, but his remains had not yet been removed from the structure, said Assistant Fire Chief Greg Mugartegui. Heavy smoke has prevented crews from reentering the building. The fire spread rapidly and also damaged the upstairs unit directly above the unit where the fire started, he said.

The man lived with his brother, who fire officials also described as elderly.

By Bobby Caina Calvan

An elderly woman escaped a blaze that gutted her home Saturday after an apparent oven fire swept through her Campus Commons duplex apartment, the Sacramento Fire Department said.

The woman was not injured, said Capt. Jim Doucette.

The fire left her home uninhabitable, although the 2:32 p.m. blaze did little damage to the adjoining unit located in the 2300 block of American River Drive.

The fire was contained within about 15 minutes, but the home's wood shakes were especially stubborn, said Doucette.

As many as 50 firefighters from two fire battalions were dispatched to the scene, according to the department.

The official cause was still under investigation, but fire officials strongly suspect an oven fire was to blame, Doucette said.

A reader emails:

Does anyone know what happened on 39th Street between T street and Miller Way [Friday] evening?...the block was taped off between about 6pm and 10:30pm, with hazmat trucks, ambulance, numerous police cars, fire trucks, CSI truck, etc....

Reporter Blair Robertson checked the media line this morning and was told it was a false alarm...what they found were light bulbs (perhaps a suspicious package report?).

"Sounds to me like the kids have figured out a new way to get out of school. Isn't this the third report this week?"

-- mizelle, commenting on the "Rumors of gang fight end school day early for many Galt students" story on sacbee.com

I don't think it's happened that many times locally, but this has been a particularly sensitive week nationwide in light of the anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings. The date of 4/14 was picked for a death threat at earlier this week Saint Xavier University in Illinois. The university and surrounding schools were closed.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Chicago Public Schools system has not closed a school down due to threats in the past two years.

In Los Angeles County, a high school was closed after threats (now scrubbed) were found on the school's Wikipedia entry. A student was arrested today on suspicion of making criminal threats, according to the LA Times.

The strange story of Cynthia Sommer, a San Diego woman imprisoned for poisoning her Marine husband, took an abrupt turn yesterday when the district attorney announced that the murder case would be dropped.

She was convicted on Jan. 2007 and faced a life term in prison. But she was granted a new trial in December after San Diego County Superior Court Judge Peter Deddeh ruled that she was denied a fair trial because attorneys had introduced inflammatory evidence that Sommer had partied and gotten breast implants after receiving her husband's life insurance money.

But the district attorney moved to dismiss the case entirely on Thursday, saying that new tests on the body of Sgt. Todd Sommer found no arsenic.

From the LA Times:

SAN DIEGO -- After 876 days in jail for a murder that prosecutors now say did not happen, Cynthia Sommer knew what she wanted: a fancy coffee drink at Starbucks, followed by a coconut-shrimp dinner at Bully's restaurant.

In the next few days, Sommer, 34, plans to go shopping and reunite with her three sons in Michigan -- ages 8, 12, and 13 -- and her 16-year-old daughter in Florida.

Later, she said at a news conference today, she will decide how to pay her legal bills and whether to sue the district attorney for prosecuting her and overlooking evidence that ultimately cleared her of poisoning her Marine husband.

The results of the customer service survey that the Sacramento Police Department commissioned is now online in PDF form. We wrote about the preliminary results last week. Generally, respondents wanted faster respondent times and a higher rate of actual officer response (though many were also OK with filing online reports for crimes like vandalism).

The survey had 983 respondents.

Chief Rick Braziel said the expectations were reasonable...if the money could be had. Department spokesman Sgt. Matt Young pegs the figure at $50 million, for a wishlist consisting of: 32 dispatchers, four dispatch supervisors, 25 community service officers, 167 police officers and five lieutenants.

There are some pretty astonishing stories of crime victims confronting and helping to capture or convict their assailants in the Sacramento District Attorney's list of Outstanding Citizens (story, PDF press release).

One that caught my eye was of D'Rhajeon Brooks-Taylor, a boy who was forced to spend his sixth birthday in a van that was used by gang members to conduct a drive-by shooting. According to the district attorney's press release, Brooks-Taylor's testimony helped convict the two shooters.

Archive story about the incident below

By Bill Lindelof

Butte County detectives are investigating whether a woman arrested for suspicion of embezzlement used the purloined funds to purchase so many items from a home shopping television network that they filled the interior of her home and spilled out onto the porch.

Jennifer Marie Sites, 37, an employee of Hamre Equipment, a Chico heavy equipment company, was arrested on 200 counts of embezzlement-grand theft and 10 counts of forgery.

The owner of Hamre Equipment suspected that Sites had embezzled from the company and reported the theft Saturday, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said.

At the time of the initial report, the amount embezzled was suspected to be $100,000, but lead detective Dan Angel now conservatively estimates that the amount taken is more than $200,000.

Detectives have searched Sites residence in Orland and frozen her bank accounts.

During the search of her home, detectives found an extensive number of items purchased from a home shopping show, the sheriff's department said. So many items were found, many still not out of their boxes, that detectives have not been able to establish their total cost.

The televison purchases filled the interior of the residence and part of the porch, authorities said. Detectives also suspect Sites used embezzled funds to pay her mortgage.

Some readers have complained about the lack of race description in a recent Midtown sexual assault report. There was no specific information given by the victim, said department spokeswoman Michelle Lazark. She has posted an item on her blog about the assault, including all the known description details and a link back to an informational series on sexual assault prevention.

Four of 11 adults approached fell for a Roseville police sting this week in which underage decoys stood outside stores that sell liquor and asked adults to buy alcohol for them, the department reported.

One of those adults was arrested after police determined that he was under the influence of marijuana, said department spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

The sting, popularly known as a "shoulder tap," was conducted Tuesday as police used volunteers younger than 21 to ask adults to purchase liquor for them, Gunther said.

Here's the rest of Art Campos' story.

Redding police say they've caught the Anderson "Catch Me If You Can" thief, the Redding Record Searchlight reports. The reference is to the movie about Frank Abagnale Jr., a famous thief who devised a way to forge checks and defraud banks.

In the movie, he's depicted as a criminal who called to chat with the FBI men chasing him. The alleged Anderson thief, Christina Lee Cameron, did the same with Redding investigators, the Searchlight reports.

Redding Police say an Anderson identity thief, whom detectives called “Catch Me If You Can,” because of her propensity to call detectives to chat with them like Leonardo Dicaprio’s character in the 2002 film, was captured this morning hiding in a car in Happy Valley.

Christina Lee Cameron, 38, faces at least 200 counts of identity theft and writing forged checks, said Redding Police Sgt. Dean Stainberg.

Her mugshot from the Redding's police most wanted page (their added text):

Three juveniles reportedly involved in a south Sacramento shooting were arrested Thursday after a police chase that ended in a crash near Interstate 5 and Sutterville Road.

Here's Todd Milbourn's updated report

The Fresno Bee has video of the 25+ min press conference regarding the officer-involved shooting of a Fresno teenager.

365 reports for Roseville, from 3/21 to 3/31.

181 reports from Folsom, for the month of March.

56 reports from Rocklin, for 4/4 to 4/19.

http://www.sacbee.com/crimemapper

From Todd Milbourn:

A 22-year-old Sacramento woman was sexually assaulted walking home in midtown early Wednesday, police said. The attack happened at about 12:30 a.m. in an alley near 17th and R streets.

"She heard footsteps, turned around and didn't see anything. All of sudden this male arm-barred her and forced her to the ground and sexually assaulted her," said Michelle Lazark, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department.

The woman struggled home after the attack and called police. The suspect fled in the general direction of the Safeway grocery store at 18th and S streets.

Lazark described the suspect as a male with a deep "Barry White voice," black hoodie pulled tight and black pants. He told the victim he had a knife but none was seen. Anyone with information is urged to call (916) 264-5471.

There have been a recent spate of armed robberies of businesses, especially restaurants, in Oakland, Berkeley and Emerville. In the robberies, suspects have ordered workers and customers to hand over their money, police said.

Here's an Oakland Tribune story about the the Oakland and Berkley incidents and another article about the Emeryville robbery, which took place Wednesday night at an upscale restaurant.

The Bee's Regional editions publish Public Safety Watch stories each Thursday. Here's a roundup of those stories and Police/Fire Logs, as compiled by Bee reporters:

Sacramento/North Sacramento/south Sacramento:
Burglary suspect arrested
Police/Fire Log

Elk Grove:
Suspects in shooting being held without bail
Police/Fire Log

Arden/Carmichael:
Teens rob pizza guy of his pies
Police/Fire Log

Citrus Heights/Orangevale:
Citrus Heights targets DUIs, red-light runners
Police/Fire Log

Rancho Cordova/Gold River:
Unregistered sex offender chased, arrested
Police/Fire Log

Folsom:
Police/Fire Log

El Dorado County:
Police/Fire Log

Roseville/South Placer County:
Roseville High wins school seat belt challenge
Police/Fire Log

It will be a watchful weekend for area drivers. On Wednesday, we posted Roseville Police Department's plans to hold a sobriety checkpoint at 9 p.m. Friday on an undisclosed street.

Today, Bill Lindelof reports about police agencies planning crackdowns on drunken driving in Rancho Cordova, Davis and Sacramento beginning Friday night.

Here are the details.

A Sacramento driving instructor asked a 16-year-old student to pull over as part of her driving lesson last year – and then molested her, sheriff's officials say.

Gerard Max Hill, 57, of Sacramento now faces misdemeanor charges of sexual battery and child molestation stemming from the November 2007 incident, and authorities say this may be just the beginning.

"We believe there are more victims out there," said Sgt. Tim Curran of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Read the rest of Todd Milborun's story

After an attack on a 17-year-old student volunteer, Placerville police are recommending that officials close the skate park at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds until it can be adequately supervised. Investigators have arrested six juveniles and one adult in connection with the April 4 incident, said Capt. Mike Scott, Placerville Police Department spokesman.

Here's the rest of The Bee's story, written by David Richie and Cathy Locke. Here is Locke's original story about the incident.

"This should be the rules for all public and private transportation. If you cannot follow the rules of the bus you will be asked to leave. If you keep acting like a fool or a criminal then you will not even be allowed to ride or even enter the transit. Time for people to act with respect for others ... "
-- imaami, commenting on the "Legislature moves to ban repeat offenders from light rail" story on sacbee.com

The Sacramento Citizens' Crime Alert Reward Program has released its updated list of the area's wanted suspects.

The Sacramento Police Department and The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department seek Valentino Martin Gomez, left, on several felony charges, including kidnapping, grand theft and assault with a deadly weapon. Bail has been set at $200,000. According to authorities, Gomez is a known street gang member, narcotics user and known to carry weapons. He is 19 years old and is described as 5-foot-9 weighing 220 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Gomez was last known to reside in the 700 block of San Juan Road in the South Natomas area.

The Sacramento Police Department robbery detectives seek Gaylend Sykes on a felony $25,000 bail arrest warrant for armed robbery and making threats to kill. Sykes is 42 years old and is described as 6-foot weighing 175 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last known to reside in the 4900 block of Mack Road in the Valley Hi area. According to authorities, Sykes is known to frequent the Tangerine, Mack Road, Center Parkway, The Liquor Tree and Evergreen Shopping Center areas.

For more details about these and other wanted suspects, view the Crime Alert Web site. If you have information about any wanted person or crime, call 1-800-AA-CRIME or 916-443-HELP.

Toni Radys won't be spending Mother's Day with Mom next month.

The 55-year-old Moorpark woman has been sentenced to 123 days in Ventura County jail for preying on her elderly mother.

Prosecutors say Radys pleaded guilty to insurance fraud, grand theft, mental abuse and financial elder abuse with a special allegation of a loss over $150,000.

Here's the rest of the Associated Press story:

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento detectives are investigating the disappearance of a 20-year-old man who, according to a friend, was last seen falling from the I Street bridge into the river.

As with missing person investigations that are somewhat complex, homicide investigators are looking into the disappearance of Robert Alexander Rodriguez, according to a press release from the Sacramento Police Department.

Rodriguez, a Sacramento resident, was last seen by a friend at 7:30 p.m. April 10. According to the friend, he and Rodriguez were walking on the I Street bridge, which connects downtown Sacramento and West Sacramento.

The friend told police he saw Rodriguez fall into the river and not resurface. The friend searched the river for hours, according to police.

Rodriguez was not reported missing until Monday. Rodriguez's family reports they had not heard from him since April 10, which is unusual.

Searches by boat proved unsuccessful. Rodriguez was last seen wearing black "Dickies" brand pants, black shoes and a black sweater.

Police request that anyone with information call (916) 443-HELP.

From Art Campos:

An alert for Roseville motorists: City police plan to hold a sobriety checkpoint at 9 p.m. Friday on an undisclosed street. Police say it's a location where a significant number of drunken driving accidents have occurred.

Police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said officers also will check for driver's licenses.

On March 15, police conducted a checkpoint on Roseville Parkway near Reserve Drive and arrested three motorists for driving under the influence, she said. They also issued 13 citations for invalid driver's licenses or other violations, she said.

From David Richie:

Security personnel at Mather Airport made a surprise discovery Monday night -- a homeless man sound asleep inside a cargo plane.

A sheriff's summary released today does not indicate how long the 44-year-old man had been sleeping or how he gained entry into the area off Truemper Way. Deputies were called about 11:40 p.m. after United Parcel Service security guards found him. The security guards then checked the plane and "found it to be clear of suspicious items," the summary states.

The man was issued a citation and deputies gave him a ride to a nearby light-rail station, where he was released from custody.

Sacramento Police CSI officers gather evidence at the scene of the home of Raul Magana-Valencia, 32, who was found dead in his car in the driveway of his home Feb. 19. Photo by Paul Kitigaki Jr./pkitigaki@sacbee.com

From Bill Lindelof:

Numerous news stories about the shootings of three Mexican men in south Sacramento whose homicides may be the work of the same shooter have failed to generate many leads, the Sacramento police said Tuesday.

"We have received very few tips," said police spokesman Sgt. Matt Young. "Obviously, we are disappointed."

The department had anticipated a larger response from the public. Officers have been working with both the English- and Spanish-language media to get the word out.

The three men were killed over the past two months while behind the wheels of their cars. The shootings happened within a one-mile radius, between midnight and dawn.

There does not appear to be any motive in any of the killings. There are similarities that lead investigators to believe the shootings may have been committed by the same person.

Here's Ryan Lillis' Sunday story about the case and Crystal Carreon's Monday story focusing on community reaction in south Sacramento.

A vandalism spree has telephone and e-mail lines buzzing as Orangevale residents in the Arden Hills neighborhood compare notes.

Sport utility vehicles were targeted over the weekend in the area east of Main Avenue, overlooking Lake Natoma. Much of the damage occurred between 1 and 3 a.m. Sunday on Bullion Way. Residents said they found five SUVs with the back windows shot out.

More details from David Richie:

From David Richie:

On Wednesday morning, Folsom High School students will be involved in a "mock" double fatality, a two-car collision near the school entrance on Prairie City Road as part of this year's "Every 15 Minutes" safety program focusing on the dangers of drinking and reckless driving.

The re-enactment will include a realistic emergency response involving a California Highway Patrol helicopter as well as units from the Folsom Police Department and Folsom Fire Department.

"Every 15 Minutes" is an intense interactive program provided by public safety agencies every year at selected schools. The car wreck and emergency response is just part of a program that tries to get teenagers to think hard about their decisions to drink and drive.

A Santa Rosa repeat sex offender is facing the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced on rape and sexual assault charges involving two young relatives.

A Sonoma County judge Monday sentenced Carl Skidmore to 290 years to life in prison after he was convicted in January of multiple counts of rape and sexual assault charges.

Here's the Santa Rosa Press Democrat story

From David Richie:

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness plans to meet with Fair Oaks residents Wednesday during Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan's 7:30 a.m. "community cabinet" at Village Cafe and Grill, 10131 Fair Oaks Blvd.

The informal morning sessions provide an opportunity for residents to voice their concerns about local issues.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for the arrest and conviction of a man who the FBI says held up the same Woodland bank twice in brazen robberies in a one-month period.

Here's the story posted at www.sacbee.com.

Posted here are surveillance photos of the April 9 robbery, top, at the Washington Mutual Bank on East Gibson Road, and of the March 13 robbery.

From Art Campos:

Five hours after a convenience store was robbed by a gun-toting man Sunday in Roseville, police had a suspect in custody, they reported.

Todd Michael Bray, 34, of Newcastle was identified by police as the robber and agreed to turn himself in after they contacted him by telephone, said Dee Dee Gunther, a department spokeswoman.

The robbery occurred at 7:40 a.m. at the Shell gas station, 601 Sunrise Ave., she said.

The suspect pulled a handgun on the clerk, demanded cash from the register and left in a blue pickup truck after getting the money, Gunther said. No one was injured in the crime, she said.

Bray is being held in the Placer County jail in Auburn on suspicion of robbery and burglary. His bail is $60,000, Gunther said.

Citrus Heights police are continuing their high-profile drunken driving enforcement and preparing to install cameras at key intersections to help them ticket drivers running red lights.

Police arrested three suspected drunken drivers Friday night at a DUI checkpoint on Sunrise Boulevard near Sunrise Mall. A fourth suspected DUI driver was taken into custody by officers participating in stepped up drunken driving enforcement over the weekend.

More from David Richie:

Roseville police say they have arrested four people in a three-month-long investigation into the illegal sales of methamphetamine in the city and in unincorporated areas of Placer County.

Over the course of the probe, police recovered more than two pounds of crystal methamphetamine, which had a street value of more than $42,000, said Dee Dee Gunther, a department spokeswoman.

Three of the suspects were arrested March 21 and the fourth was apprehended Thursday, she said.

More details from Art Campos:

Three suspected shoplifters were corralled Friday afternoon when Citrus Heights police spotted them traveling on Greenback Lane in their champagne colored 1996 Cadillac Eldorado.

Two of the three suspects, Larry Donnell Austin, 22, and Jacob Noah Gartrell, 20, remain in Sacramento County Jail today. The Caddy's owner, Pavel Dachouk, 23, also was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, burglary and conspiracy but he was released from custody Sunday.

More details from David Richie:

The Organization of Public Safety Telecommunicators is honoring dispatchers this week in the Sacramento region.

All public safety communications centers in the counties of Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado and Sutter are participating in the special week, and an awards banquet honoring two local dispatchers is planned Saturday at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento.

Jennifer Collins, a Rocklin Police Department communications manager and a banquet organizer, said the week is for celebrating "the hard work and professionalism that communications personnel display on a daily basis."

"They are the silent heroes that are the first line of communication during an individual's time of emergency," Collins said in an e-mail to The Bee.

More details from Art Campos:

From Ed Fletcher:

Alert area couple James Gravin and Stacey Thrasher, left, are going to be honored by the Sacramento Board of Supervisors, officials announced today.

Late last month, Gravin, with his sandal-wearing girlfriend Thrasher giving chase, ran down a man who had reportedly robbed Joann's Elegant Gifts, near 10th and L streets.

Gravin recovered the money, but the guy got away. At least temporarily.

More than an hour later, the couple stopped at the Torch Club for a drink only to have the man -- identified by police as 53-year-old Tyrone Christopher Wright -- not only came into the bar, but sit on the stool next to Gravin.

That time, with an assist from Thrasher, who flagged down a California Highway Patrol officer, Wright was taken into custody. He was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of robbery and violating his parole.

Here's Ryan Lillis' original story

79 entries added for Rocklin, for Mar. 21 to Apr. 3.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Dept. Detective Sgt. Mike Jones of the Safe Task Force is the scheduled guest speaker at the next Carmichael and Foothill Farms community meeting April 22.

According to a department news release, Jones will discuss sexual assault prevention, Megan's Law, Jessica's Law, sex offenders living in area neighborhoods, (what you can and cannot do as a concerned citizen), signs and symptoms of an abusive environment, and upcoming and current legislation.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Carmichael Park Clubhouse, 5750 Grant Ave. For more information, call (916) 487-4309.

Police tip lines can be essential, or frivolous, as these reports indicate.

Just north of Sebastopol in Sonoma County, a homeowner's tip led the to the discovery of 2,350 marijuana plants. Here's the Santa Press Democrat story

Meanwhile, in Spokane, Wash., a police and sheriff's department tip line yields about a dozen calls daily, but callers seem to have other topics on their minds, including "How do thaw a turkey?" Here's the Associated Press story

A 20-year-old Auburn man has been placed on three years' probation for walking onto the Placer High School campus with a weapon, later said to be a BB gun, in his waistband.

Francisco Evangelista received the sentence Thursday from Placer Superior Court Judge Robert P. McElhany, who also credited him with 337 days of jail time.

More from Art Campos:

Concerned over several violent assaults in recent weeks, the city of Lincoln has scheduled a town forum to discuss the growing problem of gangs.

The forum will be at 7 p.m. April 30 at the Lincoln High School Theatre, 790 J St. There is no admission charge and reservations are not needed.

More details from Art Campos:

The Power Inn Alliance, a coalition of more than 600 businesses and property owners in the Power Inn area of Sacramento, plans a "Crime and Dine" event from noon to 1 p.m. April 24.

According to an Alliance news release, among the topics to be presented is Police Reporting 101. A Sacramento Police officer will show residents the process of filing police reports by phone and Internet.

For more details about the event, view the Alliance's Web site.

M.S. Enkoji's story "No charges to be filed in shooting death of Sutter deputy's son" has prompted a wave of impassioned reader comments. Here are two:

' ... An accident can happen to anyone. This is a terrible tragedy. The officer had to have the weapon. Children can be really fast. If he could do things differently would he? Of course. But sometimes accidents happen ... '
-- SacObserver

'i'm a live member of the nra, thats owned guns since i was 10 years old i'm now 66, nobody leaves a gun so a child gets it, you don't clean a gun when it's loaded when my 4 kids were growing up my guns were locked up, and not loaded, this is a terrible thing to happen.'
-- erkson

San Joaquin County Sheriff's investigators say a man tracked down his estranged wife before shooting her to death at a Lockeford strip mall.

Gary Abbott then fatally shot himself Wednesday with the gun he bought after she filed for divorce.

Court records show Barbara Abbott, 49, filed for divorce in December after 22 years of marriage.

Here's the Stockton Record story

As part of National Crime Victims' Rights week, Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully will present 10 people with an outstanding citizen award at 9:30 a.m. April 18 at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, 700 H St.

According to a District Attorney office news release, the honorees "demonstrated extraordinary bravery and social consciousness through their coooperation with our criminal justice systems."

Click here for more details about those who will be honored.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department seeks the public’s help in finding 53-year-old Mary Therese Blair. According to a department news release, Blair was last seen at 9:30 a.m. April 4 by family members at their residence in the 5500 block of Haskell Avenue in Carmichael.

Blair is 5-foot-3 and weighs 130 pounds. She has red hair and brown eyes. She may be wearing a white fleece jacket, blue jeans and may have a purple rolling suitcase with her.

Blair is considered at-risk because she has been diagnosed with dementia and may be delusional, the release states.

Anyone who has seen or knows Blair's whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (916) 874-5115.

Sunday begins National Crime Victims' Week. At noon Monday, a press conference will take place in front of West Sacramento City Hall, 1110 W. Capitol Ave., to honor and remember Yolo County violent crime survivors, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's news release.

Also scheduled to attend the event are Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon and West Sacramento Police Chief Dan Drummond, community leaders, victim advocates, prosecutors and law enforcement personnel.

View the Office for Victims of Crime Web site for national information about the week.

6260 reports being added as we speak.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police are looking for two burglars who broke into a home Thursday morning.

A call came in at 9:36 a.m. about two men in dark clothing, one with a purple backpack, who entered a home in the 4700 block of Laguna Park Drive, police said.

The two burglars had gotten in through a broken window. The husband and wife were home, but never encountered the two men, said Christopher Trim, spokesman for the Elk Grove Police Department.

The two men, who were spotted by an officer, ran away. Police spent two hours trying to locate the men, employing a helicopter. Officers conducted a door-to-door search with the help of a K-9 officer, Trim said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police at (916) 714-5115.

Bee reporter Walter Yost was playing tennis last month at Miller Park in Fair Oaks. When he returned to his car, he found broken glass below his passenger side door. A small backpack containing his cell phone was taken. Yost filed a Sheriff's Department report, and his cell phone was later found and two suspects were arrested in connection with the incident.

Here's his story

In a related story, David Richie details tips from Sacramento County Sheriff's Department representatives to help prevent vehicle or home break-ins.

The Bee's Regional editions publish Public Safety Watch stories each Thursday. Here's a roundup of those stories and Police/Fire Logs, as compiled by Bee reporters:

Sacramento/North Sacramento/south Sacramento:
North Highlands man arrested in firing of gun
Police/Fire Log

Arden/Carmichael:
Notebook computers stolen from Carmichael school
Police/Fire Log

Elk Grove/Laguna:
Cosumnes to hire three firefighters for Galt station
Police/Fire Log

Citrus Heights/Orangevale:
Police say car search turns up drugs
Police/Fire Log

Folsom:
Police/Fire Log

Rancho Cordova/Gold River:
Police/Fire Log

Placer County:
Auburn arrests may be part of retail theft ring
Police/Fire Log

El Dorado County:
Police/Fire Log

The FBI is looking for a man as well as a possible accomplice who robbed the US Bank branch inside Safeway at 3320 Arden Way on Wednesday.

The robbery occurred at about 10:30 a.m. when a man approached a teller and handed over a note asking for money. No weapon or getaway vehicle was spotted, but the FBI said the robber left the store with another man.

The robber was described as African-American, between 22 and 30, about 6-feet 1-inch tall and weighing 200 to 230 pounds. He wore a black shirt and a red Houston Astros baseball cap.

The second man was an African-American or Hispanic man between 22 and 30, described as shorter and with a thin build. He wore a white or gray sweatshirt with the hood over his head.

It is the third such bank robbery in the vicinity that the FBI has asked for help in solving since March 17, when a robber wearing an Oakland A's hat hit the Bank of America branch inside the Save Mart at 2501 Fair Oaks Blvd. Another robbery occurred March 25 at the Bank of America at 6705 Fair Oaks Blvd.

The FBI does not believe the three robberies are connected.

Anyone with information can call the FBI at (916) 481-9110, the Sacramento Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

-- Bee Metro Staff

The Sacramento Citizens' Crime Alert Reward Program has released its updated list of the area's wanted suspects. Shane Edward Eck, left, and Thomas Arthur Steele (Crime Alert initially provided an incorrect photo) was are both wanted by the Sacramento Police Department for willfully failing to register as sex offenders.

Eck is wanted on a felony $20,000 bail arrest warrant. He is 34 years old and is 5-foot-11 weighing 175 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. Eck's whereabouts are unknown.

Steele is also wanted on a felony $20,000 bail arrest warrant. He is 45 years old, 6-foot-2 weighing 210 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Steele's whereabouts are also unknown.

For more details about these and other wanted suspects, view the Crime Alert Web site. If you have information about any wanted person or crime, call 1-800-AA-CRIME or 916-443-HELP.

Alcohol was the root of two incidents in El Dorado County, authorities said.

According to El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies, one inebriated man reportedly walked out of a store without paying for more than $300 worth of groceries, while another man who had been drinking allegedly damaged a surveillance camera at a fast-food restaurant.

David Richie provides the details:

Burglars took more than $5,000 worth of antique furniture and appliances out of a house in the 3900 block of Omo Ranch Road in the worst of three recent break-ins targeting homes that are on the market and unoccupied.

The property owner told El Dorado County sheriff's deputies that the theft must have occurred sometime between March 23 and April 3. When she returned to the house to check on it, she discovered that it had pretty much been cleaned out.

David Richie provides more details about the burglaries:

Public transit passengers -- or cell phone users in general -- watch your voice volume in public. A retired officer was found not guilty after a two-day nonjury trial after he confronted Long Island Rail Road commuters who, among other things, were speaking too loudly on their cell phones.

Here's the Associated Press story

From Stan Oklobdzija:

If you unwisely choose to assume the identity of another person, at least learn to spell their name correctly.

Kristopher Williams, 31, was arrested by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department on April 5 on various charges relating to violating a protective order and forgery after being caught on his ex-wife's property, according to a sheriff's report.

While going through Williams' property before taking him to jail, deputies found three checks with his ex-wife's name on them, the report said.

One of these checks was made out to Williams and signed, though deputies noticed the ex-wife's name was spelled incorrectly. Not surprisingly, Williams' ex-wife told deputies that she never gave Williams any checks nor did she ever write a check to him.

From Ryan Lillis:

Two young muggers with big appetites attacked a pizza delivery guy outside an apartment complex in the Arden Arcade area on April 1, authorities said.

The suspects, both in their late teens, grabbed three large pizzas, two orders of chicken wings and a 2-liter bottle of soda from the 41-year-old delivery guy, according to sheriff's records.

The victim was "in fear for his safety," according to sheriff's records. As for the suspects, they were last seen running into the apartment complex.

Neighborhood watch in action:

A 49-year-old Orangevale man came home at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday to find a strange white truck parked in his driveway, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department report.

On his way inside the house, he was approached by a strange woman who started asking him weird questions, the report said. Feeling uncomfortable, he walked into his house and found both his back doors open and his TV out of place.

Stan Oklobdzija provides more details:

Sacramento sheriff's investigators say a 26-year-old man made an interesting choice of his sidekick when he attacked two men in their Arden area apartment: his mom.

Ryan Lillis provides the details

733 reports added.

What would Pluto think?

A man dressed in a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt held up a pair of sandwich shops in the Natomas area Saturday night, according to Sacramento police.

Ryan Lillis provides more details:

From Ryan Lillis:

A 54-year-old man caught in gang crossfire over the weekend in the city's Ben Ali neighborhood is recovering from his wounds at UC Davis Medical Center and is expected to survive, police said.

According to police reports, two groups began shooting at one another at around 7:40 p.m. Sunday in the 1500 block of Orlando Way. Investigators believe the groups were rival gangs.

Officers responding to the scene found the victim, who had been shot several times, police said.

The shootout may have been related to reports of shots being fired earlier in the evening outside a Lao New Year celebration on Rio Linda Boulevard, police said.

A home surveillance camera's fleeting image of a burglar and a police officer's hunch led to an arrest in a rash of vehicle break-ins in east Roseville.

Officer Keith Marzolf knew that a man on probation - who resembled the image - had been seen in the area for about a month, said Dee Dee Gunther, a police spokeswoman.

On Sunday, Marzolf got his break.

Art Campos provides more details:

Five Folsom restaurants have been cited for selling alcohol to minors, according to a news release issued today by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Owners or managers contacted for comment characterized the incidents as embarrassing one-shot mistakes and several noted that the employees involved were inexperienced.

ABC investigators working with underage decoys visited 19 businesses in Folsom on March 8 and again Saturday.

More details from David Richie:

'The tax collector is the second oldest profession in the world.'

-- kennerd, commenting on the "Stress and the IRS" story

A domestic dispute call at a Santa Rosa mobile home park yielded a big fireworks discovery in a trailer.

Read the Santa Rosa Press Democrat story

A 45-year-old man was sentenced to more than nine years in prison for a one-day crime spree that included threatening a disabled former friend with a claw hammer and choking the elderly owner of Emil's Shoe Store in Woodland.

The criminal binge ended the same day with the culprit drunk in a Napa saloon.

Bill Lindelof provides more details:

Why a suds heist in the Milwaukee area? That's where the beer is. Here's an Associated Press story of an ambitious beer theft involving stolen semi tractors.

The key to how John Savalin died Saturday at the hands of Sheriff's Sgt. Rich Rider rests in the video footage taken by Rider's dashboard camera, Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness says.

McGinness said at a press conference Monday that he has reviewed the video and that it justifies Rider's decision to fire on Savalin. He says he may release the video later, but won't while District Attorney's Office investigators review the case.

The Bee filed a Public Records Act request Monday seeking release of the tape. To be notified when the sheriff responds to the request, go to sacbee.com/emails and sign up for Breaking News alerts.

An Arden Oaks reader inquired why helicopters and officers were swarming her neighborhood at 11:30 p.m. Monday.

Here's Bill Lindelof's report: It's unclear exactly why the helicopter might have been searching from the skies above Arden Oaks, but it may have been related to a missing woman who walked away from an adult care facility about that time.

The watch summary notes that a woman, who was legally blind, wandered off from the care facility in the 1300 block of Bell Avenue.

That caused the Sacramento Sheriff's Department to conduct a search of the area for the "at risk" woman.

At a little after midnight someone found a woman wandering in the 1700 block of Bell, apparently the woman in question. She was taken to the hospital and the case was cleared at 1 a.m., according to the watch summary.

The tax deadline is a week away, meaning stressful times for some people. Denny Walsh details what happened to an Antelope woman whose dealings with an IRS agent became so heated that she eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on a federal officer and is scheduled to be sentenced today.

Here's the story

I added 2,778 reports for Feb. 2008 into CrimeMapper

Someone emailed me asking why he couldn't find a sexual assault that he had filed a report on. Some reports from the agencies have addresses redacted, so doing a search for sexual assaults will only find a small number of the actual reports.

Fearing a risk to public safety, Roseville police abandoned a recent vehicle pursuit in which the fleeing car hit speeds of up to 100 mph.

Four days later, the suspected driver and an occupant were arrested at a home in Lincoln, police said.

Art Campos provides more details:

Another Oxycontin-related arrest, as reported by David Richie:

A Granite Bay man was driving around about 5 a.m. Friday in a car containing a variety of controlled prescription medications with no accompanying prescriptions, officials said. The car also had an expired registration tag - cue flashing lights and patrol officers.

The man was identified by police as Steven Patrick Row, 25, who was already on searchable probation and out on bail with another charge pending, Citrus Heights police officials said.

The traffic stop was made near Wonder Street and Hanson Avenue in Citrus Heights.

A search of the car turned up Oxycontin and other drugs, officers said.

Row was booked into Sacramento County Jail on four fresh felony charges, including suspicion of possession of narcotics and controlled substances for sale. He also was wanted by the California Highway Patrol for driving without a license and violating a written promise to appear in court.

Roseville police arrested a man over the weekend after he allegedly ran away from a collision in which his car struck a minivan, causing both vehicles to erupt into flames.

Two people in the minivan suffered minor to moderate injuries in the crash and were taken by ambulance for treatment at Sutter Roseville Medical Center, said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

The accident occurred at 2:13 a.m. Saturday on westbound Douglas Boulevard near Professional Drive, she said.

More details from Art Campos:

Residents who do not figure out an escape plan until their house catches fire may never get out alive, Jill Conner, a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District community services specialist warned Fair Oaks and Orangevale residents last week.

"As parents, imagine how you would feel if you found out that your child's school has stopped doing fire drills," Conner said. "Where are the fires starting? They are not at school. They are starting in your home at three in the morning."

More details from David Richie:

Roseville police said two men chose the wrong time to paint gang-related graffiti on a street sign. They did it in plain view of officers parked nearby in an unmarked vehicle, police said.

The two men were arrested after driving away and being pulled over by the officers, said Dee Dee Gunther, a police spokeswoman.

Art Campos provides more details:

Sacramento County Sheriff's officers examine circumstances surrounding an officer-involved shooting Saturday in Fair Oaks. Photo by Kevin Amey/Special to The Bee

Sacramento Sheriff John McGinness said today the fatal weekend shooting of a motorist by a sheriff's sergeant was justified.

The motorist, John Savalin, 41, aimed his car and accelerated toward the sergeant, McGinness said during a press conference.

"I believe firmly his decision to use deadly force was very much in policy," the sheriff said, adding that the events were captured on the patrol car's dashboard camera and supported the officer's actions.

Read the rest of Ryan Lillis' updated story.

Here's Crystal Carreon's story in Monday's Bee about reaction from Savalin's family members and friends.

A felon with past convictions for arson and weapons violations is in jail today on $1 million bail after being arrested by Citrus Heights police for allegedly assaulting someone with a stun gun.

Robert Lee Mertes, 51, was arrested about 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the 7800 block of Sayonara Drive, according to records released today.

More from David Richie:

Two newlyweds had a memorable first night this weekend when their wedding revelry got out of control, Vallejo police report.

Here's the story from the Vallejo Times-Herald.

Gearing up for Teen Driving Safety Week, state officials today will announce the start of a public awareness campaign to reduce the number of California teenagers killed in car accidents every year.

A program called Impact Teen Drivers will begin targeting sophomores at public high schools with information and materials to influence driving habits and cut down on the rate of teen driver accidents, the leading cause of death for youths, according to a press release from Impact Teen Drivers organizers.

Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of schools, CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow, a member of the California Teachers Association and the mother of an accident victim are scheduled to announce the program at 10 a.m. in Room 1190 at the Capitol.

Teen Driving Safety Week begins the week of April 14.

According to a recently released study from the American Automobile Association, crashes in California involving drivers 15 to 17 years old cost $2.8 billion, including medical expenses, loss of life and other damages. The study, based on 2006 figures, reported that teenagers in this group were involved in 66,785 crashes that resulted in 177 fatalities and 27,869 injuries.

By David Richie

A Citrus Heights woman could face felony forgery, burglary and child endangerment charges after her arrest Wednesday at a supermarket in Citrus Heights.

Police were called to the Raley's supermarket on Lichen Drive by a suspicious pharmacist after Katie Marie Miller, 24, allegedly tried to obtain prescription pain killers with what appeared to be a phony prescription. Officers found her carrying additional blank prescription forms and other indications that she may have obtained prescription drugs at several other pharmacies in the area.

Officers said they also found Miller's 3-year-old daughter alone in a car in the parking lot, some distance from the store.

Miller was booked into Sacramento County Jail on four felony charges and one misdemeanor including suspicion of forging a prescription, suspicion of receiving stolen property, suspicion of commercial burglary and suspicion of child endangerment. She was released from custody the same day.

A person can be charged with burglary if a police officer suspects that the person has entered a home or a business to commit a crime.

By David Richie

A Citrus Heights police officer relied on his technological edge Wednesday when confronting a man who was trying very hard to talk his way out of trouble.

Emanuel Pedro Espinoza was the passenger in a car pulled over for vehicle code violations on Mariposa Avenue.

The officer thought that his tattoos were an indication of possible gang activity. He asked Espinoza if he had been in trouble recently and Espinoza allegedly gave him a phony name. When the officer checked that name, his in-vehicle computer spit out a physical description that really did not fit Espinoza. The computer system then provided a photograph that was clearly another guy.

Armed with all that information, the officer went back to the car and suggested to Espinoza that they should start all over again.

As it turned out, Espinoza is not quite John Dillinger. But officials in several jurisdictions are probably going to talk to him about cleaning up his act. He was booked into Sacramento County Jail Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of giving false information to a police officer.

Records indicated that he is on probation after pleading no-contest to a misdemeanor weapons charge last year. He was wanted by Sacramento police for driving without a license or vehicle registration and failing to appear on those charges. Espinoza also had two misdemeanor warrants out of Placer County.

By Ryan Lillis

Sacramento police are searching for a woman they fear may have been killed after witnesses saw her get struck on the head and dragged into a Valley Hi home by a man this week.

Several witnesses heard a fight break out Monday morning inside a home on Limited Court, Sacramento police said. The argument spilled out into the street, where 54-year-old Robert Krzewicki was seen hitting a woman on the back of her head with a bottle and dragging her into the house, police said.

A short while later, Krzewicki was seen backing his vehicle from the home and leaving.

Krzewicki was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, but has refused to tell investigators who the woman is or where she is now.

The victim was described as a white woman in her 30s or 40s, standing between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall. She had a thin build, "sunken cheeks" and dirty blonde hair.

Police said she was wearing a tight-fitting black short-sleeved shirt.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Sacramento homicide investigators at (916) 808-0650.

By David Richie

A parolee-at-large made it easy for Citrus Heights police early Thursday when officers found him in the middle of the street, passed out behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle with the lights on and the engine still running.

Justin John Desmond, 28, might have made a clean getaway if he had been able to respond to a worried resident who ran up to the driver's side window and yelled at him. The resident looked inside, saw that Desmond and his girlfriend were both unconscious, and called 911.

The engine was still running when officers got to scene near Catamaran Drive and Catboat Court. They soon determined that the green Dodge van had been stolen from a gated community off Don Julio Boulevard. Paramedics were called when the officers could not get a rise out of Desmond.

A search of the van revealed a "shaved key" in the ignition and another half dozen shaved keys.

A records check confirmed that Desmond is a parolee and that he was driving with a suspended license.

He was booked on numerous charges, including suspicion of vehicle theft and suspicion of receipt or purchase of a stolen vehicle.

He remains in Sacramento County Jail, deemed ineligible for bail.

His girlfriend was not arrested.

By Ryan Lillis

An Oregon man who authorities said enticed a 16-year-old Wheatland girl to travel home with him so he could have sex with her earlier this year was indicted by a federal grand jury Friday, authorities said.

David Anthony Faboo, 38, was charged with transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to federal prosecutors, Faboo enticed the young girl to travel with him to Oregon through conversations on the telephone and Internet between Feb. 14 and Feb. 24. Faboo then drove to Wheatland and picked up the girl Feb. 24 "with the intent of engaging in sexual relations" with her, according to the news release.

Police caught up with Faboo near Grants Pass, Ore., after the girl sent text messages to her friend indicating she had made a mistake by going with the suspect, police said. Authorities tracked the pair using the signal from the girl's cell phone.

Faboo, a resident of Hillsboro, Ore., faces up to life in prison, prosecutors said.

By Ryan Lillis

A 48-year-old man was struck by a car and killed on a south Sacramento street early Friday morning, and the driver was later arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, police said.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was walking in the middle of Freeport Boulevard near Florin Road when he was struck by a 1998 Audi at about 2:21 a.m., said Sacramento police Officer Michelle Lazark.

The driver of the car, 23-year-old John McClain, stopped the car and called 911, Lazark said. He then waited for police to arrive.

Lazark said the victim was wearing dark clothing.

McClain was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of driving while under the influence, jail records show.

By Denny Walsh

Five members of a prominent San Joaquin County family will plead guilty to federal tax charges stemming from years of pocketing unreported cash proceeds from their agriculture packing and shipping operation, one of the San Joaquin Valley's largest, court papers show.

Lawrence Sambado and his wife Beverly, their sons Timothy and Richard Sambado, and Timothy's wife, Marie Josee Dusablan-Sambado, are due to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dale A. Drozd.

They are charged in five informations filed March 21 by prosecutors Benjamin Wagner and Matthew Segal.

Lawrence, Timothy and Richard Sambado are charged with filing false income tax returns, and Beverly Sambado and Marie Dusablan-Sambado are charged with structuring monetary transactions with financial institutions so as to avoid federal reporting requirements imposed on the institutions.

Their undoing grew out of the separation of Richard and Anne Sambado. In January 2004, in the midst of their divorce proceedings, she and her lawyer walked into the Internal Revenue Service and spun a mesmerizing tale of skimming, according to court papers.

Anne Sambado told the agency of her own use of cash and cashier's checks totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars to decorate her home, buy pool and spa supplies, and pay for stays at luxury resorts in Carmel Valley and Hawaii.

Subsequent investigation by the IRS turned up the family's cash expenditures for foreign travel, household maintenance, home improvements, food, clothing, child care and housekeeping services, court papers say. They say many of these outlays showed up on the Sambado brothers' corporate books as business expenses, some labeled "packing and shipping labor."

Approximately $341,738 in corporate checks were used for the construction of a Stockton home for Timothy and Dusablan-Sambado but, when Anne Sambado's lawyer made a demand for documents in connection with the divorce proceedings, the checks were transferred from the company's expense accounts to a loan account for Timothy Sambado, the records say.

The Sambados own and operate a large plant in Linden, a tiny community 13 miles northeast of Stockton. The plant houses Prima Frutta Packing Inc., a fresh fruit packer owned by the brothers; Primavera Marketing, Inc., a marketer and shipper of fruits and vegetables owned by the father and sons and a fourth partner; and A. Sambado & Son, Inc., the original farming enterprise owned now solely by Lawrence.

According to court papers, Lawrence and his father, Alex Sambado, were farmers in the Linden area, but by the early 1980s their joint venture had become "a ranch packer of cherries, apples and walnuts." Lawrence and Beverly "then decided to transform the....operations to compete directly in the world export markets."

As part of their plea deals, the five family members will be required to make restitution to the government and file amended returns. But much of the taxes on unreported income will never be recovered because it is impossible to calculate how much was skimmed over the years and spent for then personal benefit.

There is no estimate in court papers of how much income was secreted from the government, and much of the skimming falls outside the statute of limitations on federal tax crimes.

It will be up to the IRS to negotiate a settlement with the family.

Court papers say the money at issue was derived from the sales of "peddler fruit," that is fruit of inferior quality that does not meet U. S. Department of Agriculture standards. Peddlers - often operators of roadside stands - came to the plant and paid cash for this fruit, primarily cherries and apples.

On the morning of Oct. 6, 2004, IRS agents raided the corporate offices and seized documents, computerized records and other materials. In support of the search warrant, a 48-page affidavit of IRS Special Agent Scott Friesen lays out the investigation.

Friesen says in the affidavit that, after nine months of looking into Anne Sambado's allegations, he concluded the five defendants - during an unknown period but dating back at least 15 years - evaded taxes:

- "....by skimming currency obtained through the sale of fruit to fruit peddlers and diverting that currency to their own personal benefit without reporting" it as income.

- "....by making numerous....expenditures for their own personal benefit and deducting such expenditures as corporate expenses, without reporting the expenditures as income."

The agent also concluded that Lawrence and Beverly Sambado and Marie Dusablan-Sambado "structured transactions to evade reporting requirements by purchasing multiple cashier's checks with currency in amounts less than $3,000" on different days at different banks or branches, "preventing the financial institutions from properly recording the....transactions."

By Art Campos

Playing their own version of "Beat the Clock," California Highway Patrol officers cited 22 motorists during a mere two hours Wednesday in Granite Bay.

Using an abrieviated version of their "zero tolerance" enforcement, the officers gave tickets to 22 motorists for speeding and arrested one for drunken driving.

The officers issued the citations during a two-hour period that began at 3:30 p.m. on Auburn Folsom Road near Placer Canyon Parkway, said CHP Officer Kelly Baraga.

Usually, the no-tolerance efforts run all day and are conducted on state highways within Placer County, said Baraga, who works in the agency's Newcastle office.

However, recent accidents caused by speeding drivers on Auburn Folsom Road prompted Wednesday's "quick hit" enforcement, she said.

"The speed limit on that stretch is 45 miles an hour," Baraga said. "We recorded one driver going 63 miles an hour. Most of the ones we ticketed were going about 10 miles over the limit."

By Phillip Reese

The "police blotter" -- the daily or weekly listings of who's been arrested for what in local communities -- is an old newspaper tradition. It's fallen out of favor lately as growth makes the sheer number of arrests in places like Sacramento County impossible to print without dropping a huge brick of a newspaper on readers' doorsteps every week.

The internet changes that. Now, for all Sacramento County arrests in 2008, The Bee is now providing this information online. You can search our database by a suspect's name, a home street, type of crime or other criteria.

This electronic police log will be updated monthly.

Go here to try it out.

The FBI is looking for help in finding the man who robbed a Sacramento bank on St. Patrick's Day.

The robbery occurred at the Bank of America branch inside the Save Mart Supermarket at 2501 Fair Oaks Blvd. at about 1:45 p.m., when a man handed a note to a teller demanding money. The FBI says the man left the bank and that no getaway vehicle was seen.

He was described as being in his early to mid-20s with a thin build, weighing 130 to 150 pounds. He was wearing a green and brown Oakland A's baseball cap and a matching long-sleeve hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information can call the FBI at (916) 481-9110, the Sacramento Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

By Ryan Lillis

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel said his agency is researching what happened to crime levels and trends during past recessions to try to predict what will happen during the current period of economic hardship.

Braziel covered a wide range of topics during a 90-minute sit-down with The Bee's editorial board Thursday afternoon.

Braziel spoke of the important role social services play in keeping a community clean and safe, his desire to see more things open in the city overnight and the tough decisions his department will face as it sets its priorities during the current budget crisis.

One category of crime that historically increases when the economy sours are property crimes such as home burglaries and auto theft. The chief, who took command of the department in January, said there has been an "uptick" in daytime burglaries in the city over the past month.

A daily check of the department's crime logs has shown that many of these break-ins are being committed by juveniles, including an incident last week in the Pocket area in which four teenagers were arrested after a pair of midday break-ins.

The Bee has asked the police department to compile its arrest totals for juveniles booked on suspicion of burglary over the past several years. Without citing statistics, police officials have said in the past that more young people seemed to be committing those crimes.

If there has been an increase, it would be in contrast to trends in fatal violence among young people in the city this year.

One teenager - an 18-year-old man - has been the victim of a homicide in Sacramento through the first three months of the year. Last year, 13 teens were the victims of homicide in all of Sacramento County, down from 24 the year before, according to the coroner's office.

By Art Campos

An Auburn man charged with failing to nourish his infant daughter is being held by immigration officials after being released from the Placer County jail on $25,000 bail.

The attorney for David Abraham Mark said his client, who has a "green card" that allows him to live in the United States, was placed on a federal hold as a precaution that he might flee the country.

Attorney Dean Starks disclosed the federal hold to explain to a Placer Superior Court judge why Mark, 49, was not in court today for a mandatory appearance. Starks urged Judge John Cosgrove not to issue an arrest warrant for his client for failing to appear.

"He's in federal custody," Starks said. "He's not going anywhere."

The attorney said issuing a warrant might cloud Mark's status with immigration officials.

Cosgrove agreed and set Mark's next court appearance for May 8.

Mark and his wife, Monica Sue Mark, 38, who remains in the Placer County jail on $150,000 bail, have been charged with cruelty to a child by abuse, neglect or endangerment of health.

The Marks were arrested Jan. 29 after Auburn police investigated a complaint by the county's Child Protective Services that the couple's baby, Sheila, had lost one-third of her birth weight when she was brought to a doctor for her six-week checkup Dec. 26.

Bee Metro Staff

The FBI is looking for help in finding the man who robbed the Bank of America branch at 6705 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Carmichael on March 25.

The robber walked into the bank at about 1:30 p.m. and "mumbled something that was not understood to one of the bank tellers," the FBI said in a press release.

"The robber then demanded money and threatened physical harm to the teller. No weapon was seen and shortly after making his demand the robber exited the bank."

No getaway vehicle was seen, but officials described the robber as an African-American man in his late 30's to mid-40's, 5'8" to 6' tall and weighing about 200 pounds.

He had dirty black hair with a gray spot on the top and a black beard. He was wearing a torn yellow shirt over a dark tank top, and had on dark pants and white tennis shoes. He was carrying a black backpack with a large zipper pocket, the FBI said.

Anyone who has information about the robbery can call the FBI at (916) 481-9110, the Sacramento Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. There may be a reward of up to $1,000 and callers can remain anonymous.

The man accused of that bizarre chase last fall in the Carmichael area that ended in a Del Campo student being killed is back in court today for what is expected to be a routine hearing. The Bee's Superior Courts reporter, Crystal Carreon, has the story.

By Crystal Carreon

The man accused in the death of a Del Campo high school student last fall is scheduled to return to court Thursday morning for further proceedings.

Tyrone Palmer, 39, was arraigned last month on a murder charge and 15 other felonies -- including vehicular manslaughter, hit and run, auto theft and weapons charges - stemming from an October crash that killed Kailey McGagin in Carmichael.

McGagin, 17, was a passenger in her friend's Honda Civic when Palmer drove after them after one of the girls threw an egg at him as a prank, authorities said.

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol said that Palmer was allegedly driving a stolen pickup when he slammed into the Honda and cut off the car three times, causing it to lose control.

That triple murder in the Yuba county town of Linda is more than two weeks old now, and authorities apparently believe the suspects headed to Mexico. The Bee's federal courts reporter, Denny Walsh, has the latest:

By Denny Walsh

Federal flight warrants have been issued for four men wanted in connection with a triple homicide March 13 in the Yuba County community of Linda.

In affidavits submitted to a federal magistrate judge in support of criminal complaints filed against the four suspects, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marco Rodriguez says they are Mexican nationals who were in the United States illegally but may have fled to Mexico.

Murder warrants were issued March 24 by the Yuba Superior Court for the arrests of Nicolaus Solano, 28; Guillermo Larios Garcia, 43; Alfredo Valdovinos Chavez, 22, and Saul Marroquin, 26, Rodriguez says in the affidavits.

The criminal complaints charge the four are "traveling in interstate commerce to avoid prosecution," in violation of federal law.

Associates of the suspects have told law enforcement officers that the men have "family and friends in Mexico that will hide (them) and possibly assist (them) in avoiding prosecution for this murder," Rodriguez says in his affidavits.

According to the Yuba County Sheriff's Department, the men have been linked by forensic evidence and witness statements to the gunshot slayings in a Linda apartment of brothers Jesus Arreguin-Cardenas, 37, and Jose Arreguin-Cardenas, 31, and Manuel Robles-Basurto, 27.

There have been a number of heists involving Oxycontin in recent weeks, and now police are looking at similarities in some of them, wondering if the same people may be responsible. The Bee's police reporter, Ryan Lillis, has the story:

By Ryan Lillis

An East Sacramento pharmacy was robbed of the pain medication OxyContin Tuesday night and police are investigating whether the heist was connected to similar robberies in the region.

Two men went into the Sacramento Medical Park Pharmacy on the 5200 block of Elvas Avenue as the business was closing at 6 p.m., police said. They said they were armed and one of the men demanded to know where the OxyContin was kept.

The suspect then went behind the counter and filled his backpack with OxyContin and methadone before the pair ran out of the store and down 52nd Street, police said.

One of the suspects was a white man between the ages of 20 and 30 who stood 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 170 pounds, police said. He wore a white bandana, a black sweatshirt and dark pants.

The other suspect was a white man standing 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 220 pounds. He wore a black ski mask, a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

Investigators are looking into whether the robbery was connected to a hold-up at a Roseville Walgreens last weekend, said Sacramento police Sgt. Matt Young.

In that incident, a man wearing a black mask jumped over the counter of the pharmacy on Foothills Boulevard and demanded OxyContin from the clerk, police said. The robber put several bottles of the drug and other narcotics in his backpack and took off.

No weapon was flashed during the robbery, police said.

By Denny Walsh

Federal flight warrants have been issued for four men wanted in connection with a triple homicide March 13 in the Yuba County community of Linda.

In affidavits submitted to a federal magistrate judge in support of criminal complaints filed against the four suspects, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marco Rodriguez says they are Mexican nationals who were in the United States illegally but may have fled to Mexico.

Murder warrants were issued March 24 by the Yuba Superior Court for the arrests of Nicolaus Solano, 28; Guillermo Larios Garcia, 43; Alfredo Valdovinos Chavez, 22, and Saul Marroquin, 26, Rodriguez says in the affidavits.

The criminal complaints charge the four are "traveling in interstate commerce to avoid prosecution," in violation of federal law.

Associates of the suspects have told law enforcement officers that the men have "family and friends in Mexico that will hide (them) and possibly assist (them) in avoiding prosecution for this murder," Rodriguez says in his affidavits.

According to the Yuba County Sheriff's Department, the men have been linked by forensic evidence and witness statements to the gunshot slayings in a Linda apartment of brothers Jesus Arreguin-Cardenas, 37, and Jose Arreguin-Cardenas, 31, and Manuel Robles-Basurto, 27.

By Bill Lindelof

A former mortician has made his first appearance Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dale A. Drozd following his indictment and arrest on 21 counts of bank fraud.

Trent Mark Davis, 43, of New Iberia, La., formerly a licensed funeral director at Sacramento Memorial Lawn, is suspected of stealing customers' checks totaling more than $85,000 and then depositing them into his bank account. He entered a not guilty plea and was released on bail.

The maximum penalty for each count is 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office in Sacramento. However, any actual sentence will be determined by the court according to the federal sentencing guidelines.

By Christina Jewett

Charles C. Head, the alleged ringleader of a massive mortgage fraud case, had his scheduled appearance today in federal court in Sacramento postponed until Thursday.

Just over a week ago, McGregor Scott, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, announced that Head and 18 other people had been indicted on charges related to scamming more than a hundred of people facing foreclosure and sucking millions of equity out of their homes.

Officials dubbed the case "Operation Homewrecker" and said defendants are accused of stripping $12.6 million in equity from the homes of 115 people living in states from California to New York.

Head, 33, of La Habra, is the alleged ringleader in the case and faces a minimum of 20 years in prison if he's convicted.

Head was held in Orange County until Tuesday, when he was booked into Sacramento's main jail. He is now scheduled to appear at 2 p.m. Thursday before Judge Dale Drozd at the courthouse at 5th and I Streets.

By David Richie

Suburban residents are making it too easy for opportunistic criminals on the prowl for their next home or vehicle break-in.

That is a main message Sacramento County sheriff's representatives sent out Monday night during a community meeting in Orangevale and it is a message they will repeat at 6 p.m. tonight during a similar session at the McMillan Center in Fair Oaks Park, off Fair Oaks Boulevard, just south of Madison Avenue.

At tonight's session, officials want to provide residents with information about preventing home, vehicle and business burglaries. Tonight's session may have a harder edge than Monday's because detectives still are trying to determine who killed Fair Oaks resident Eleanore Nichols and torched her home on Archer Avenue, between Sunrise Boulevard and Fair Oaks Boulevard, on March 9.

But sheriff's officials want to press home the point that too often residents fail to secure their homes, garages and vehicles, said Sherrie Waugh, the crime prevention specialist for the sheriff's Northeast Division.

"In 60 percent of the residential burglaries, the people came in through unlocked windows or doors," Waugh said.

Residents who lock their cars, are still leaving a treasure trove in plain sight to tempt smash and grab artists. Thousands of dollars in laptop computers, cash, car stereos, I-pods, digital cameras, and portable global positioning systems are going out those shattered windows every week. Burglars also are happy to heist personal documents that can be used for identity theft, Waugh said.

Losses are not just occurring in the unincorporated area. From Thursday through Sunday, Folsom police investigated approximately 27 home or vehicle burglaries or attempted break-ins resulting in property damage, according to police logs. In 11 of those cases, the target was unlocked or the door was open. In almost every incident thieves got away with valuable items.

Some thieves are very bold. Several cases have been investigated recently involving entry into a home through an open garage while residents were home and working in their backyards, Waugh said. Those victims might not even know that they have been hit until they start noticing that jewelry and other items are missing.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputies Dave Kirby and Mike Hatfield echo Waugh's comments. They are problem-oriented policing specialists assigned to the Northeast Division.

On a recent burglary alarm call they discovered that every door in the home, including the door to the gun safe, was unlocked, Kirby said.

"Most residential burglaries are in the daytime, especially in the better neighborhoods," Kirby said.

He calls locations like fitness center parking lots "smorgasbords" for car burglars. "You should not leave anything in a vehicle that you do not want stolen," Kirby said.

While residents are at work trying to cover the cost of their home in the suburbs, a sports utility vehicle and other luxuries, most criminals are working equally hard just to cover the skyrocketing cost of their methamphetamine habit.

"We think that over 85 percent of residential burglaries are drug-related," Hatfield said.

It is an expensive habit, forcing many burglars into a high volume mode. The $600 PlayStation video game system they just stole from a house in Fair Oaks may only get them $20 out on the street, Hatfield said.

Better protection starts with greater awareness, Waugh said. Residents are not doing a good enough job of banding together to protect each other. Get to know your neighbors and learn who belongs on your street and who does not, Waugh said.

Be willing to call 911 if something does not seem right. Learn how to observe and report correctly, with good descriptions of suspects - what they are wearing, what they are driving, what they are carrying, Waugh said.

She also emphasized the need for residents to make the call and then let law enforcement officers do their jobs. An over-active resident can be just as bad as an apathetic resident.

"Don't confront suspects or chase them," Waugh said. "You put yourself in danger and we don't catch the bad guy."

By Sandy Louey

A woman got a little more with her coffee than she expected Tuesday.

The woman was at It's a Grind coffeehouse, 9620 Bruceville Road, around noon when a man exposed himself to her.

The man sat in a chair directly in front of the woman and rattled his newspaper to get her attention, said Chris Trim, Elk Grove police spokesman. The woman glanced over and noticed the man was exposing himself.

The woman left the store and called store employees from another location. Store employees called police, but the man had already left the coffee house.

The man is described as African American, in his early 60s, 6 feet tall and weighing about 180 pounds. He was wearing a shirt and jacket and navy colored shorts.

Trim said that victims of crime should not wait to call police. "So this doesn't happen to someone else," he said.

The latest excessive force lawsuit against Sacramento sheriff's deputies and the jail is under way in federal court, with lawyers in great disagreement over whether the inmate was mistreated or injured himself before he wound up in jail. Here's Denny Walsh's update from court:

By Denny Walsh

A federal court jury will have to decide what happened during the two minutes or less it took to shackle Don Anthony Antoine to a cell's floor grate at the Sacramento County Main Jail.

The opening statements made Wednesday to the jurors by opposing attorneys could not be more at odds.

"It was the summer of 2004," Antoine attorney Darren Kessler told the panel of six women and three men. "Don Antoine was happy. He was just a hardworking, regular guy. He enjoyed his job as a customer service representative at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Within hours, that all changed."

Motioning toward four sheriff's deputies seated a the defense counsel table, Kessler said, "These deputies kicked, punched, beat and choked him. His voice box was damaged. His larynx was severed. He felt like he was going to die."

But defense attorney Robert Chalfant countered that Antoine "was never punched, he was never kicked, he was never choked."

Antoine's injuries that night were due to a one-car accident in which his vehicle was totaled, and from a fight he started with firefighters who responded to the accident scene, Chalfant told the jury.

"He sustained all his injuries before he got to the jail," he said. "This is a classic case of someone who is too drunk to know his own condition.

"This case is not about a violation of Don Antoine's civil rights," Chalfant declared. "This case is about money, and they will ask you for a bunch of it."

Antoine is accusing deputies Chris Baker, Joseph Reeve, Brian Wade and Christopher Britton of using unconstitutional excessive force while shackling him to the grate in the early hours of June 19, 2004. He is also accusing Sgt. Darin Griem of watching the beating and making no attempt to stop it.

Antoine's is one in a long line of lawsuits over treatment of arrestees and inmates at the jail during the tenure of former Sheriff Lou Blanas.

He claims various physical injuries - primarily a fractured larynx - and emotional and actual damages, and seeks monetary compensation in an as yet unspecified amount.

The five deputies insist Antoine was belligerent and at times out of control from his first contact with firefighters right on through the intake process at the jail.

They say he refused to quit hitting and kicking the steel door of the safety cell where he had been placed, and he was shackled to the grate to preventing him from hurting himself.

There is not a video of him being shackled, nor is there an incident report.

Antoine, a 41-year-old Army veteran with no prior arrests, wound up in jail that night after running his car off the Arden-Garden Connector in the Gardenland area of Sacramento.

There was a fight between Antoine and firefighters who had arrived to render aid, in which Antoine's nose was broken. Sacramento police officers eventually arrested him on charges of assaulting a firefighter, driving under the influence of alcohol, and possession of nun chucks, a martial arts weapon.

He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of an illegal weapon and was sentenced to 15 days in a county work program and three years of probation.

The court hearing for those accused in the library bribery and overbilling case has ended without major developments. Here's Crystal Carreon's update:

By Crystal Carreon

A married couple and an ex-supervisor at the Sacramento Public Library appeared in court this morning but did not enter pleas on felony charges linked to an alleged billing scam that investigators say inflated work costs, paid for bribes and gouged more than half-a-million dollars from taxpayers.

Superior Court Judge Gary Ransom read charges against James Mayle, 63, his wife, Janie Rankins-Mayle, 59, and former library facilities supervisor Dennis Nilsson, 61, that include bribery and grand theft. Nilsson and Mayle also face additional counts of conflict of interest.

During the brief hearing, all three of the accused remained stoic with their eyes fixed on the judge.

Defense attorneys Daniel Karalash for Nilsson, Richard Dudek for Mayle and Philip McCarthy for Rankins-Mayle agreed to return to court on May 1 for further proceedings.

After the hearing, the Mayles and Nilsson quickly left the courthouse separately and declined to comment. Their lawyers also refused to discuss the case.

The hearing took place just two blocks from the city's central library where audits, in light of the scandal, have raised questions of oversight, checks and balances and bookkeeping at one of the largest branches in the region.

Investigators believe Nilsson abused his role as facilities manager and colluded to steer business -- maintenance, repairs, and other handyman work -- to a firm owned by Rankins-Mayle beginning in 2004 and continuing through part of last year.

Rankins-Mayle, who headed the firm that eventually became known as Hagginwood Services Inc., is the wife of Mayle, who worked for the library at the time as security director. Mayle was also the vice president of his wife's firm.

According to investigators, subcontractors were directed by Nilsson to turn over their bills to Haggingwood instead following earlier practices of filing directly with the library. Hagginwod then allegedly doubled and even tripled those charges and submitted its bills to the library on official company letterhead.

For example, investigators found that one subcontractor charged $3,240 for changing ceiling tiles, but when he submitted those charges to Hagginwood, the firm turned around and billed the library for $10,480.

Library officials began hearing about suspicious billing by Hagginwood as early as 2005 -- and an employee had even pointed out to Nilsson the Mayles' ties to the company. Nevertheless, Hagginwood was awarded a contract a year later to oversee and manage maintenance work at the library, documents show.

Hagginwood, as it was later discovered, did not have a state license to do contractor's work.

It is estimated that the firm billed the library more than $1.3 million for its work. Investigators have estimated at least $650,000 of that was questionable, according to a report commissioned by the library.

When later questioned about the numbers, Rankins-Mayle said in a recently released affidavit that she was not given any direction on how to bill the library and that her only direction came from Nilsson.

Nilsson approved all invoices from Hagginwood over the years. Prosecutors allege he was also paid more than $90,000 in bribes from the Mayles.

All three were arrested last week in connection with the alleged scheme. They each remain free on $45,000 bail.

By Ryan Lillis and Chelsea Phua

Divers will head back into the Sacramento River Wednesday to search for the man who crashed a pickup truck into the water during a high-speed chase with police.

Officers with the Drowning Accident Rescue Team found the allegedly stolen white GMC pickup in the river near Miller Park early Wednesday, but the driver was not inside, authorities said. The truck's driver seat window was down, said California Highway Patrol Officer Michael Bradley.

The search for the driver will not expand beyond the river, Bradley said. If he is not found, authorities are not planning a manhunt because the man was being chased for "non-violent offenses," Bradley said.

The chase started about 10:40 p.m. when the CHP received a report of a suspected drunken driver.

Officer Aaron Kingsley said he spotted the vehicle speeding and weaving northbound on Interstate 5 near the Fruitridge Road exit.

When he attempted to stop the truck, it accelerated and took the exit to Broadway and into the Land Park area.

Kingsley said the truck ran several stop signs and red lights in the residential neighborhood. Bradley said the truck was traveling at 80 to 90 mph and was going against traffic on Broadway for a period of time.

The chase ended about 11 p.m. when the truck broke through a barricade at Broadway and Front Street, drove through a utility pole and down an embankment into the Sacramento River, authorities said. Officers saw a cloud of smoke and some sparks before the truck hit the water.

The truck is registered in Tuolumne County and is suspected to be an unreported stolen vehicle, Bradley said. Authorities in Tuolumne County and Merced County - where the truck allegedly was taken - may know who the driver is, Bradley said.

With a mortgage/foreclosure crisis dampening the economy, authorities say they are seeing plenty of new fraud cases popping up. Authorities say one of the largest in the nation surfaced in recent months and affected homeowners across the nation and in Sacramento. The Bee's Christina Jewett first broke word of the case and the Sacramento-based FBI investigation in February, and the alleged ringleader is now expected to make his first court appearance in Sacramento today.

By Christina Jewett

Charles C. Head, the alleged ringleader of a massive mortgage fraud case, is scheduled to make his first appearance today in federal court in Sacramento, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Just over a week ago, McGregor Scott, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, announced that Head and 18 other people had been indicted on charges related to scamming more than a hundred of people facing foreclosure and sucking millions of equity out of their homes.

Officials dubbed the case "Operation Homewrecker" and said defendants are accused of stripping $12.6 million in equity from the homes of 115 people living in states from California to New York.

Head, 33, of La Habra, is the alleged ringleader in the case and faces a minimum of 20 years in prison if he's convicted.

Head was held in Orange County until Tuesday, when he was booked into Sacramento's main jail. He is scheduled to appear at 2 p.m. today before Judge Dale Drozd at the courthouse at 5th and I Streets.

By Chelsea Phua

The Sacramento County District Attorney plans to honor National Crime Victims' Rights Week by seeking a resolution from the county board of supervisors at today's board meeting, according to a news release.

Jan Scully will also honor the victims and witnesses at the District Attorney's Annual Outstanding Citizen Awards ceremony on April 18, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the board of supervisor's chambers.

This year's National Crime Victims Rights Week is from April 13 to 19. The nation observes the annual event with rallies, candlelight vigils and a host of commemorative activities.

Of the 23 million victims in the country, 5.2 million are victims of violent crime.

Attorneys are scheduled to appear in federal court in Sacramento today to begin trial on yet another excessive force lawsuit filed against the Sacramento Sheriff's Department