From Kim Minugh:

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

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

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

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

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

- Check for obvious things like duplicate serial numbers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bee Staff

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bee Staff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Bill Lindelof:

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

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

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

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

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

From Bill Lindelof:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bee Staff

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

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

A Sacramento Police Department report explains the incident:

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

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

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

Sacramento Fire Department units then arrived and extinguished the blaze.

Then everyone probably went quietly back to work.

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

Bee Staff

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

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

Here's the tale from a Sacramento PD summary:

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

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

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

Bee Staff

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

The report gives this sequence of events:

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

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

From Bill Lindelof:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From the Lodi News-Sentinel:

A new police and fire computer program went live last week -- almost a year after the City Council approved it.

Although the public probably won't see much of a difference, said Cpl. Dale Eubanks, police will have a better idea of the shifting hot crime spots.

The system manages everything from dispatching police and fire to writing crime reports, to passing on alerts about wanted criminals.

It includes maps, records all call and response times, and can connect with other law enforcement databases.

The program, from OSSI Sungard, was estimated to cost about $250,000 when it was proposed to the City Council last August. Funds came from the police operating budget, a Congressional public safety grant and several other funds.

Lodi is the first department to adopt it in California, and is serving as a kind of guinea pig. In exchange, the company gave the city a steep discount, Eubanks said. The program would have otherwise cost about $1 million, he said.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Roseville man has been scheduled for sentencing after pleading guilty to several charges, including driving under the influence and manslaughter in connection with the drunken driving death of a passenger in his vehicle last year.

Brandon Moreno, 20, entered his plea Wednesday in Placer County Superior Court. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 17.

Moreno drove a vehicle carrying three passengers that ran off Foothills Boulevard in Roseville and struck a tree in the early-morning hours of Dec. 20, 2008. Passenger Brandon Keith, 20, of Roseville was killed and another passenger, Joseph Castillon, was injured.

Moreno's possible sentence could range from probation to a maximum of seven years in state prison.

From Bill Lindelof:

A series of what authorities say were gang-related fights at Sacramento County Boys Ranch have landed eight youths suspected of starting the trouble in the higher security Juvenile Hall.

A series of fist fights among gang members erupted about 9 p.m. Saturday at the Boys Ranch. One ward was treated for minor cuts that required stitches, but no staff members were injured, officials said.

To quell the disturbances, which ultimately involved 17 wards, staff used pepper spray and summoned help. Additional probation officers, Sacramento County sheriff's deputies and officers from the Folsom and Rancho Cordova police departments helped return wards to their dorms.

The fights appeared to gang-related, said county probation department spokeswoman Erin M. Treadwell. About 80 percent of the 94 Boys Ranch residents are affiliated with gangs.

The eight wards suspected of starting the fights were moved to Juvenile Hall in part because they can be isolated in individual rooms there rather than kept in the dorm-style setting featured at the Boys Ranch.

From Bill Lindelof:

A series of what authorities say were gang-related fights at Sacramento County Boys Ranch have landed eight youths suspected of starting the trouble in the higher security Juvenile Hall.

A series of fist fights among gang members erupted about 9 p.m. Saturday at the Boys Ranch. One ward was treated for minor cuts that required stitches, but no staff members were injured, officials said.

To quell the disturbances, which ultimately involved 17 wards, staff used pepper spray and summoned help. Additional probation officers, Sacramento County sheriff's deputies and officers from the Folsom and Rancho Cordova police departments helped return wards to their dorms.

The fights appeared to gang-related, said county probation department spokeswoman Erin M. Treadwell. About 80 percent of the 94 Boys Ranch residents are affiliated with gangs.

The eight wards suspected of starting the fights were moved to Juvenile Hall in part because they can be isolated in individual rooms there rather than kept in the dorm-style setting featured at the Boys Ranch.

From Bill Lindelof:

A pickup slammed into a tree north of Chico, killing the passenger and resulting in the arrest of the driver for suspicion of drunken driving, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The CHP said that Mathew Smith, 26, of Chico was speeding west on Humboldt Road east of Bissell Court about 8:30 p.m. Saturday when his pickup drifted off the roadway and hit a large pine tree. The impact ripped open the pickup's right side, badly injuring passenger Mathew Hays, 27, of Chico.

Hays was ejected from the truck, and efforts by emergency workers to save him were not successful. The CHP reported that Smith was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter.

From Gina Kim:

A 26-year-old Lodi man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and kidnapping as well as two hit-and-runs in an alleged daylong crime spree, authorities say.

It started at 9 a.m. Saturday when the Galt Police Department was called to a commercial burglary at a smog-and-tune-up shop in a complex with the Squeeze Inn in the 500 block of Industrial Drive, said Galt Sgt. Charles Dedriksen.

There wasn't anyone there, but there was evidence of a struggle as well as blood splatters, Dedriksen said.

Police believe Christopher Blasingame attacked a 51-year-old Galt man he knew there and then forced the man into his own pick-up, Dedriksen said.

The suspect drove to a feed and supply store in unincorporated San Joaquin County, and went in to ask to use the phone. When the clerk refused, the suspect drove the truck in circles next to the store and then backed the truck into the building before fleeing, Dedriksen said.

After that, the suspect ran the truck into a garbage dumpster in an alley behind the 600 block of South Central Avenue in Lodi and fled on foot, said Lt. Steven Price of the Lodi Police Department.

The victim was found shoved behind the seats in the truck's cab, Price said. He was taken to Lodi Memorial Hospital and then transferred to UC Davis Medical Center.

Blasingame was arrested in Lodi and booked into the Sacramento County Jail, according to Galt police.

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

Bee Staff

Portrait of family life just this side of hell.

About 11:28 p.m. Friday, Sacramento police officers recently responded to a domestic violence report in the 800 block of Maplegrove Way to find an alcohol-fueled family fight.

"Officers arrived to find the 16-year-old stepson and his 21-year-old brother in a fist fight. The 21-year old had punched his stepdad in the face. The 9-year-old brother watched the intoxicated family fight and was crying hysterically," the officers reported.

Officers did blood alcohol tests (0.08 result is legally drunk in California). Dad blew .15, Mom blew .125 and the 16-year-old stepson .10.

The result was the 21-year-old went to jail for hitting Dad and possession of a switchblade knife. The 9-year-old and 16-year-old were taken from the home by other family members, pending an investigation by the county's Child Protective Services.

From Chelsea Phua:

A police pursuit in Elk Grove early Saturday morning ended with a suspected car thief crashing the stolen vehicle into a south Sacramento house with sleeping occupants, authorities said.

Officer Christopher Trim said Sedrick McKenny, 44, who is also known as Cedrick McKinney and other various aliases, allegedly fled with the vehicle - a 2003 white Lincoln Navigator - from a gas station near Laguna Boulevard and Laguna Springs Drive shortly after 4 a.m.

The vehicle's owner was inside the store at the gas station and had left the engine running, Trim said.

Police officers spotted the stolen vehicle on Old Creek Drive, not far from the gas station and attempted to stop the driver, who did not obey the officers' commands.

The chase ensued, ending with the vehicle crashing into a house in the 4900 block of Summerbrook Way in South Sacramento, Trim said. Occupants inside were sleeping at that time.

"Thankfully no one was injured," Trim said.

The suspect tried to flee on foot, but was captured in the rear yard of the residence, Trim said.

McKenny is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail and is ineligible for bail because he violated his parole, online jail records show.

McKenny is also being held on suspicion of several felony charges, including first-degree robbery, theft and unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle, evading a police officer and driving in a reckless manner and opposite to the flow of traffic, records show.

From Chelsea Phua

Two teenage boys have been arrested after allegedly attacking a group of people who were digging up night crawlers along a bike trail in the Richardson Village neighborhood of north Sacramento, police said.

Sgt. Norm Leong said a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit a crime. A gang enhancement was also added for the boys, who belong to a gang, police said.

The boys were part of a group that attacked another group at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday near the bike trail off of the 3300 block of Altos Avenue.

Leong said one of three victims was a man in his 30s. Another victim was the man's sister, Leong said. It's not clear the relationship between the third victim and the first two.

An online police log reported that three people were digging up night crawlers when four juvenile boys approached them. One of the juveniles punched one of the three victims in the face. The suspects took off and returned with another handful of people. They fired several shots at the victims and a victim's house before fleeing, police said.

No one was hurt and no damage was done to the house.

A few hours later, at about 5:45 a.m., officers received a call reporting that some of the same suspects returned to the area.

Police found five people, who tried to escape. They detained three and arrested two who they found to be gang members, Leong said.

From Chelsea Phua:

A former El Dorado Hills man accused of bilking his neighbors and at least two banks of almost $1.7 million was allowed to be released on a $1 million bail Friday, according to court records.

An El Dorado County Superior Court Judge ordered Richard Betchley, 59, to be electronically monitored and to surrender his passport.

Betchley was previously held on a $5 million bail.

Authorities said Betchley tricked more than a dozen people into investing in a property behind his former home in Serrano, promising them a minimum return of 12 percent a year.

He also told some of the same friends that he had a contract with the California Department of Transportation for a product he was selling, which convinced them that it was a profitable investment, authorities alleged.

Betchley's next court date is July 8.

From Jane Braxton Little:

Six men charged with multiple felonies in a marijuana farm raid last week have been transferred to federal custody to face arraignment in the Eastern District of the U.S. District Court in Sacramento.

Lassen County District Attorney Robert M. Burns dismissed all state charges Thursday, when the suspects appeared for a scheduling hearing in Lassen County Superior Court.

Acting U.S. Attorney Larry Brown will prosecute the case under federal law, Burns said.

The six suspects were arrested June 16 after a team of county and federal investigators stumbled on the marijuana garden near Little Valley in northern Lassen County.

A seventh suspect began firing on the officers. He was shot and killed in the ensuing gun battle, which also injured two Lassen County Sheriff's deputies.

Facing federal charges are Clemente Arroyo, Jose Zepeda, Norman Mike, Jose Mendoza-Garcia, Miguel Mosquedo and Alex Zavala.

Pictured are Placer County Assistant District Attorney Scott Owens, left, Deputy District Attorney David Tellman, Senior Deputy District Attorney Suzanne Gazzaniga and Placer County District Attorney Brad Fenocchio.

From Chelsea Phua:

The California District Attorneys Association has named two Placer County prosecutors who won a conviction in a 26-year-murder mystery "Prosecutors of the Year," according to a news release.

Suzanne Gazzaniga and Dave Tellman on Thursday night received the statewide award for counties with populations of 400,000 or less during the association's conference.

It's the second consecutive year and third time in six years that the Placer County District Attorney's office has won the award, said Assistant District Attorney Scott Owens.

Gazzaniga and Tellman successfully prosecuted Paul R. Kovacich, Jr., a former Placer County sheriff's sergeant for killing his wife Janet Kovacich. The mother of two young children disappeared in 1982 at the age of 27.

Kovacich, 59, is serving a state prison term of 27 years to life.

The case was difficult because of the passage of time and its circumstantial nature, Owens said.

District Attorney Brad Fenocchio nominated Gazzaniga and Tellman, praising their "unique skills, intellect and sheer courtroom mastery." Gazzaniga, who was the lead prosecutor, said that she and Tellman were proud to win justice for the victim's family.

She described it as "an incredible privilege." "It was an absolute honor to champion justice for the young mother's parents, who passed away never knowing justice," Gazzaniga said. "To receive an award for this work is a tribute to all those involved in this case who persevered and dedicated themselves to the pursuit of justice."

From Bill Lindelof:

A judge granted early furloughs Friday to 48 of the 63 wards of the Warren E. Thornton Youth Center as the juvenile lock-up closes after four decades, the victim of county budget cuts.

Another 15 youths were ordered house at Juvenile Hall, pending further hearings to determine their next commitment, said Probation Department spokeswoman Erin Treadwell. She said those hearings will be next week.

The wards granted furloughs must adhere to the conditions of furlough and will be supervised by Juvenile Field Probation Officers, Treadwell said. They will also continue to receive treatment services in the community, she said.

But the center will be missed, Treadwell said. "It has been very valuable."

During protracted budget wrangling, the county probation department was able to keep open the Boys Ranch but couldn't salvage the Thornton Center, which houses younger, less sophisticated offenders.

The average age of wards at Thornton was 13 to 16 years old for boys and up to 18 for girls.

On Friday, a courtroom was set up at the center so that the 65 young people wouldn't have to be transferred to juvenile court.

Cases came before the court where a public defender, deputy district attorney, probation officials, the judge and parents were present.

Best options were be explored for each ward, Treadwell said.

The building will be closed Tuesday, but the county needed a few days to prepare the facility for final closure so the youth were being transferred on Friday.

The facility is not far from Juvenile Hall on Branch Center Road near Bradshaw Road and Highway 50. Offenders at the center were typically incarcerated for robbery, drug offenses, auto theft and assault.

Treadwell said closing Thornton posed less of a public-safety risk from the facility's wards than would arise from closing Boys Ranch.

Working with the wards at a young age at the center gave probation a good chance to put them on the right path, Treadwell said.

While at Thornton Center, young offenders got treatment for mental health, anger management and drug addiction.

The youths also attended school. And if they progressed well through the program, they could go home on weekends.

The Thornton Center operated with locked doors but Boys Ranch and Juvenile Hall have higher security precautions.

The county must keep Juvenile Hall open since it is where youthful offenders who've committed the most serious criminal acts are incarcerated.

Closing the 110-bed Thornton facility, which has been in service 41 years, will save $8.9 million.

From Andy Furillo:

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Kevin J. McCormick today sentenced Denishio Demmetrius Collins to prison for 58 years to life for the "friendly fire" shooting death of a fellow gang member four years ago.

A jury in February convicted Collins, 27, of first-degree murder in the June 27, 2005, killing of David A. Perkins, 22.

Collins and Perkins were two several members from the Oak Park Bloods' "Ridezilla" subset that had launched an attack on some suspected rival Crips. One of the bullets meant for the rivals, however, killed Perkins.

Jurors found that the fatal bullet came from a TEC 9 assault weapon fired by Collins.

Bee Staff

A sprawling bar fight left one man shot in the leg, a security guard injured and two men in jail, according to a Sacramento Police Department crime report.

The incidents grew out of what apparently was a running fight inside and outside of the American Spirit Bar in the 3200 block of Northgate Boulevard shortly after midnight Thursday, according to the report.

Here's the chain of events as described by the report:

Two security guards inside the bar were unable to defuse a fight inside the bar and called for assistance from a guard in the parking lot.

The fight spilled outside the bar to the parking lot where one guard confronted and attempted to restrain one of the "main combatants."

The guard struck Richard Hernandez, 40, with a baton, knocking him to the ground. But as the guard was attempting to handcuff Hernandez, several people came to Hernandez' aid and assaulted the guard.

Eric Stockley, 32, allegedly grabbed another guard's can of pepper spray and sprayed the guard in the face.

"Fearing for his own safety because he was outnumbered by the crowd, bleeding from a wound to his face and now disabled by pepper spray to the face, the security guard drew his sidearm and fired one shot at Stockley," the report states. "The suspects immediately ceased their attack on the guard."

Stockley attempted to flee on foot but was caught. Hernandez fled in a vehicle but was stopped by responding Sacramento police officers at San Juan Road and Northgate.

The security guard suffered injuries to his face. Stockley suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and was transported to a hospital. Hernandez also was transported to a hospital for treatment.

Hernandez will face a charge of felony battery, the report states. Stockley was on parole and will face charges of being an ex-felon in possession of tear gas and use of tear gas when not for self defense purposes, the report states.

From Kim Minugh:

A man accused of killing a 38-year-old Fair Oaks woman while driving drunk committed suicide this week, according to authorities.

Christopher Sandbach was found dead in his Orangevale apartment by his wife on Tuesday night, said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran. His death was determined to be the result of a suicide, Curran said.

Sandbach was scheduled to be in court Monday. He faced charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence in connection with the Feb. 16 death of Angelique Mayo.

The mother of five was pulling out of her apartment complex on Madison Avenue that rainy night when her car was struck a 2001 Ford F-350 pickup driven by 45-year-old Sandbach, the California Highway Patrol reported at the time.

Mayo was pronounced dead at the scene.

The CHP said Sandbach lost control of his truck in the heavy rain before his car struck Mayo's.

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

Bee Staff

Pop quiz: If someone shoots up your residence and vehicle twice, what do you do?

The answer for residents of one South Sacramento home apparently is something other than calling the police, according to a Sacramento Police Department crime report.

Here's the chain of events the report outlines:

Around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Sacramento police investigated a report of shots fired into home in the 6200 block Sun River Drive. The resident said that a bullet went through her kitchen slider.

Officers canvassed the neighborhood and found numerous spent shell casings in front of a home in the 7900 block of Glen Elder Way, which is "right around the corner" from the house on Sun River Drive, an investigator wrote.

The Glen Elder Way house and vehicle in the driveway were "riddled with bullet holes," but Sacramento PD never logged a call about a shooting at that address.

But no big deal, residents told police. The house was the target of another shooting on Tuesday (another incident never reported to police.)

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

Bee Staff

A Sacramento police officer listed the following as "suspicious activity," which seems understated.

A woman on Cache River Circle in the Pocket neighborhood came home from the store on Wednesday to find that someone had decorated her front yard with Easter decorations.

The woman "then found numerous folders and CD files on her doorstep."

The woman "could not provide any explanation as to who or why someone did this to her house."

The Easter bunny sending a message?

A deliveryman on drugs?

A door-to-door salesman unclear on the concept?

One lane of Fair Oaks Boulevard near Wilhaggin Drive is blocked because of a three-car traffic accident in which one of the drivers was texting before the collision.

A traffic management Web site reports that the driver of a pickup was texting and rear-ended a car, which then hit another vehicle. Nobody was injured in the accident reported to the California Highway Patrol at 6:55 a.m.

As of Jan. 1, it was against state law to text while driving.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

The Citrus Heights Police Department is seeking any additional victims of an alleged child molester they took into custody this morning.

About 1 a.m., police served a warrant on William B. Tooker of Fair Oaks, police said. Tooker is accused to committing between six and eight acts of child molestation on a child who resides in Citrus Heights, according to police.

Tooker, 48, is being held in Sacramento County Main Jail on $1 million bail, according to jail records.

Anyone with any additional information about Tooker is asked to contact Det. Joe Rangel of the Citrus Heights Police Department at (916) 727-5849 or its anonymous tip line at (916) 727-5524.

From Chelsea Phua:

A butcher knife and a pregnancy test were among the items that investigators found inside the El Dorado Hills home where a 47-year-old woman was discovered dead last week, according to a search warrant document returned to court today.

The victim's 14-year-old daughter, Tylar Marie Witt, and the daughter's 19-year-old boyfriend, Steven Paul Colver, are suspects in the killing of Joanne M. Witt.

Tylar Witt appeared in court Monday for a juvenile detention hearing. Colver was arraigned the same day.

The butcher knife was found in the kitchen sink. El Dorado County Sheriff's department spokesman Lt. Bryan Golmitz said the murder weapon has not yet been identified. Evidence is currently being processed and will be sent to the Department of Justice as part of the investigation, he said.

A pregnancy test also was found, but El Dorado County's Chief Assistant District Attorney Bill Clark said "it doesn't play any part in the investigation so far."

Other items collected from the home on Tattinger Court include a letter from "Boston," which is Colver's nickname, pillows, blankets and a master bedroom door.

Bee Staff

A panhandler turned into a robber on Wednesday, the Elk Grove police reported.

A police report gave this sequence of events:

At about 12:50 p.m., the 43-year-old victim was in the Wal-Mart parking lot in the 8400 block of Elk Grove Boulevard. She was loading items into her vehicle when she was approached by a man who asked her for $5.

When the victim refused the man's requested, he ripped a gold necklace from her neck.

A crème-colored vehicle pulled up and the robber got in. The vehicle fled north on West Stockton Boulevard.

The suspect was described as a black male, 18 to 20 years old with dreadlock hair. He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighed about 120 pounds.

From Chelsea Phua

Officers shot an 18-year-old Rocklin man suspected of robbing a retail store shortly after midnight on Thursday, according to a Rocklin police news release.

Police said Cody McKie was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, treated for a bullet wound to his foot and released, the release states. He has been booked into the Placer County Jail on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy and possession of a hypodermic syringe.

The release lays out this chain of events:

Officers were alerted by a burglar alarm at the Big Kmart Store at

5615 Pacific St. at about 12:30 a.m. They arrived at the business and found a door propped open. During the search, they found Mckie and shot him once.

The officers involved in the shooting were placed on routine administrative leave, pending the completion of an investigation, police said.

Bee Staff, Associated Press

State Attorney General Jerry Brown will look into the case of a Carmichael man charged with manslaughter in a fatal Clear Lake boating accident that also involved Lake County's chief deputy sheriff.

Brown reported on his Facebook page Wednesday that he has spoken with Lake Count District Attorney Jon Hopkins about the charges brought against Bismark Dinius. He was held responsible for the 2006 accident that killed his passenger, Lynn Thornton of Willows, and injured seven other people.

Lake County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Russell Perdock was driving the speedboat that slammed into Dinius sailboat, but prosecutors claim Dinius was at fault because he did not have his boat's running lights on and was sailing under the influence of alcohol.

From Bill Lindelof

Thousands of pot plants worth what authorities say was $58 million were found and pulled from the ground in El Dorado County.

The sheriff's department said the marijuana-growing operation off Salmon Falls Road near the Dorado Ridge Trail and Salmon Valley Lane was taken apart last week.

A department news release said authorities found and destroyed 32,000 plants, some as tall as 6 feet, that were growing over a three-mile area covering private, state and federal land and watered with a mile of irrigation lines fed by dammed creeks.

No suspects were found at the site and no arrests in connection with the operation have been made.

No other information was available.

From Bill Lindelof:

Seven people were arrested in Woodland on suspicion of buying alcohol for minors as part of an sting operation using under-age police decoys.

The seven adults arrested Tuesday were at five businesses where volunteers for the Woodland Police Department under the age of 21 asked adults to buy alcohol for them. During the operation, 43 people were asked to purchase the alcohol, but only the seven arrested complied with the decoy request.

The effort is funded by a federal grant awarded to the Woodland Joint Unified School District to curtail youthful binge drinking.

The seven were cited and released with notices to appear in court.

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

Bee Staff

Appearances can be deceiving.

At about 2 p.m. Monday in Sacramento's McKinley Park, a woman told Sacramento police that she had seen a small girl alone in the park, according to a crime report.

The woman said she picked up the girl. A man approached her and demanded she put the child down. Apparently, the woman was slow to respond and the man grabbed the girl from her arms.

The woman called police and reported a possible child abduction.

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department later located the man and child. Deputies determined the child was "happy and safe" and the man was her father.

What would you have done?

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

Bee Staff

A recent confrontation between an armed neighbor and burglary suspects on a Sacramento street was pregnant with possibilities - not all of them good.

However, the incident in the 1300 block of Nogales Street on Monday night ended with one warning shot fired and one suspect in custody - one of the better possible outcomes.

According to a Sacramento Police Department crime report, a witness saw two males break into a neighbor's house late Monday night.

The report lays out this chain of events:

The witness confronted the suspect inside the house but was unable to detain them as the suspects fled on foot.

The witness then armed himself with rifle and chased the suspects in his car. The witness fired "one warning shot, which was sufficient to gain some compliance" from one suspect.

A second witness came to assist the first and they overpowered the suspect.

Net result: One suspect booked for burglary and one firearm booked for "safekeeping pending further investigation."

From Bill Lindelof:

A string of smash-and-grab auto burglaries have hit tourists who leave their vehicles in Lake Tahoe parking lots while hiking mountain trails or visiting the shoreline.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Department authorities said most of the thefts have occurred at trail heads or other parking areas near Emerald Bay and Fallen Leaf Road where there is little pedestrian traffic.

Working quickly, the burglars smash a window, unlock a door and plunder the vehicle, typically taking credit cards and driver's licenses -- making victims vulnerable to identity theft.

Sheriff's officials say they plan to conduct a sting operation to thwart the thieves. Though no details have been offered, deputies said the sting will be sporadic throughout the summer tourist season.

Deputies urge outdoor enthusiasts to leave valuables at home and take wallets, purses, credit cards and identification along when hiking.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking the community's help to identify a robbery suspect, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

At 10:12 p.m. June 2, the suspect (right photo) entered the Lichine's Liquor and Deli, 7107 South Land Park Drive, waving a gun and demanding money, authorities said. The suspect took cash and merchandise from the business.

Witnesses saw him flee the scene in the passenger's side of an older purple minivan. According to police officials, the suspect was a Latino male adult, unknown age, 6 feet, 1 inch tall weighing 160 pounds. He was wearing a very distinctive torn gray hooded sweatshirt with a black scarf covering his face, dark jeans and black shoes with white trim. He was armed with a handgun.

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

From Stan Oklobdzija:

The Sacramento Police Department is looking for an at-risk missing 72-year-old man last seen Tuesday in the Hagginwood neighborhood.

Roy Nelson (left photo) was last seen at his home on the 1600 block of Nogales Street yesterday morning, according to a Sacramento Police Department news release.

Nelson is believed to have left on foot and was last seen wearing a button-up shirt and blue jeans. Nelson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, police said.

Nelson is described as about 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds, police said. He has brown eyes and gray hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sacramento Police Department at (916) 264-5471.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento Bee reporter Kim Minugh is looking for people who live or have lived in the Willow Pointe at Lindale apartments at 6601 and 6701 Sunnyslope Drive, or who have had some experience with that apartment complex. Please contact her at (916) 321-1038 or kminugh@sacbee.com.

From Andy Furillo:

Sacramento Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall is slated to be honored Thursday as the Prosecutor of the Year at the California District Attorneys Association leadership meeting in South Lake Tahoe.

Kindall, a 25-year veteran of the office, recently put on the case that convicted Andre Germaine Pulido of first-degree murder in the barbershop shooting death of UC Berkeley honors student Rodrigo Rodriguez Jr.

"He is a great prosecutor, supervisor, teacher and teammate," Sacramento District Attorney Jan Scully said in her nominating letter for Kindall. "His professional dedication is second to none."

Kindall has previously been honored as Sacramento's Prosecutor of the Year in 1994 and with the office's Victim Services Award in 2001.

From Kim Minugh:

Lincoln police are investigating an armed robbery at a pharmacy this afternoon, according to authorities.

Police responded to the Twelve Bridges Pharmacy on Twelve Bridges Drive about 12:45 p.m. after a suspect displayed a semiautomatic handgun and demanded narcotics from an employee, according to a Lincoln police news release.

The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of drugs. He is described as white, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds, according to the release. He has an acne-scarred face, and was wearing a black shirt, black pants, a tan fishing hat and aviator glasses.

He was seen fleeing in a late-model, white Toyota pickup truck with a second suspect, police said. The truck was last seen northbound on Highway 65 from Twelve Bridges Drive at a high rate of speed.

Anyone with information is asked to call Lincoln police at (916) 645-4040.

Bee Staff

Four Sacramento residents have been arrested in connection with insurance fraud, according a news release from the state insurance commissioner.

Arrested were (photos top to bottom, left to right)Ruben Andrade Sr., 48; his son, Ruben Andrade Jr., 18; Cristina Ramirez, 20; and Gustavo Hernandez, 20; all of Sacramento, in connection with insurance fraud charges, according to Commissioner Steve Poizner.

Hernandez was arrested at his Sacramento residence on June 19. Andrade Sr., his son Ruben, and Ramirez turned themselves into authorities on June 20, the release states. All individuals were booked into Sacramento County Jail.

A Sacramento County Urban Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force investigation alleged that in September 2008, Ruben Andrade Sr. filed a vehicle loss claim with his insurance company for alleged vandalism of his vehicle and theft of his wheels and tires, the release states.

Ruben Andrade Jr. and Cristina Ramirez recorded statements with the auto insurance company that the 2005 Chrysler 300 was vandalized where it was parked at their residence sometime during the night while they were asleep, the release states.

Ramirez, Ruben Andrade Jr. and Sr. all gave statements to the insurance company that they had no knowledge of who committed this crime and that they were not responsible for loss and damages, the release states.

In June 2009, the Auto Fraud Task Force discovered that Ruben Andrade Sr. allegedly conspired with his son and Cristina Ramirez to stage the vandalism of his vehicle at their apartment complex, with the assistance of Gustavo Hernandez, who allegedly removed the tires and wheels, the release states.

Potential loss total for Andrade's claim is approximately $13,950.

From Kim Minugh:

For three Sacramento bandits, the bandanas were a pretty good idea. They just thought of it a little late.

Sacramento police are asking for the public's help in identifying three robbery suspects (left) who hit up Chatham Beauty Supply in Robla on Sunday evening.

The punchline: The three men covered their faces with bandanas only after entering the store and getting their mugs snapped by surveillance cameras, according to Sgt. Norm Leong.

The cameras caught fairly clear glimpses of the suspects, who robbed the Norwood Avenue store about 6:15 p.m. Police described them as:

Suspect 1 -- an African American male between 18 and 21 years old, 5-foot, 8-inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing a black beanie cap with a small brim and (eventually) wore a dark camouflage bandana over his face. He also wore a long-sleeved black shirt with a short-sleeve black T-shirt over it; long, black jean shorts; black tennis shoes; and a black backpack. He was armed with a small handgun.

Suspect 2 -- an African American man 5-foot-8, 150 pounds. He has long, black hair worn in a "fluffy" pony tail, light complexion and a thin mustache. He was wearing a shirt over his face, a short-sleeve black T-shirt, black jeans and black tennis shoes.

Suspect 3 -- an African American man between 18 and 21 years old, 5-foot-7, 145 pounds. He has a light complexion. He wore a black do-rag on his head, a light blue bandana over his face, a black jacket, dark blue jeans with faded spots on the knees and black tennis shoes.

Anyone with information about the three suspects is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or text in a tip to 274637. Enter "SACTIP" followed by the information. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Editor's note: Notebook is an occasional series on unusual events or people found by The Bee's police reporters and editors

Bee Staff

People have been charged, convicted by state and federal authorities; they have even gone to jail. But still an apparent lunatic fringe insists on pointing laser devices at aircraft.

The latest reported act was about 11:10 p.m. on June 17 in the 4800 block of Image Way, according to a Sacramento County sheriff's report.

The sheriff's helicopter was en route to a call, when an "intense green laser beam pointer" was aimed at the aircraft several times.

The beam hit both deputies in the helicopter.

Deputies on the ground tracked the beam to the home of a 16-year-old, who was cited and released to the custody of his mother.

Bee Staff

Slowing it down may be boring for motorists but the numbers say the action is saving lives and preventing injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Speed-related collisions involving motorists in the state resulting in injury or death are on the decline after a $6 million, year-long project, according to a CHP news release.

Through September 2008, there were 255 deaths, compared to the 2006 baseline totals when there were 290 deaths, a 12.1 decrease, the release states. For speed-related injuries, there were 25,584 injuries in 2008 and 30,726 in 2006 baseline totals for a 16.7 decrease.

The CHP recently concluded the grant-funded project "Savings Lives in California II," which involved a three-prong strategy.

The first element was to reduce collisions on state highways - accomplished by using Light Detection and Ranging and added enforcement on the state highways.

The second element of the project was to reduce collisions on county roads, using radar trailers.

The third strategy was to reduce motorcycle collisions on all highways.

Officers also enforced seat belt and child safety seat laws. A large portion of the 20,000 citations that were issued during the project, were for lack of seat belt usage.

"The importance of this project cannot be understated," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. "Collisions resulting in injury and death, where speed was the primary collision factor, are preventable."

The CHP also conducted traffic safety presentations, and promotional items regarding curbing speed were handed out to participants, the release states.

Funding for the project was provided by a $6.16 million grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the release states.

And it ain't over just because the federal money ran out. The CHP plans to continue using grant-funded projects to make California's highways safer for motorists, the release states.

From Barbara Barte Osborn:

A chiropractor charged with setting fire to her Truckee office and home entered a not-guilty plea Monday to two felony counts of arson.

Erinn Tamney Randall, 38, who has been appointed a public defender, entered the plea at the Truckee branch of Nevada County Superior Court.

Randall, who remains in custody at the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility in Nevada City in lieu of $1 million bail, is scheduled to appear next at a July 7 felony conference in Truckee, a court spokeswoman said.

The Truckee fires, on June 1 and 2, followed a fire earlier the morning of June 1 at a Loyalton building where Randall also has an office and living quarters.

Randall was rescued by neighbors from the fire in Loyalton, which is about an hour's drive from Truckee. All three fires were quickly extinguished by local fire departments.

Initial investigations by the Loyalton Fire Department and Sierra County Sheriff's Department determined that fire was also caused by an arsonist, Sheriff John Evans said in a news release.

The state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is investigating circumstances surrounding the Loyalton fire.

"We're still in limbo in Sierra County," said Sheriff's Deputy Jared Murray. "I just spoke with our D.A. and he's awaiting our report and CalFire's before deciding whether any charges should be filed here."

The Loyalton fire caused "several thousand dollars worth of property damage," Evans said. The two Truckee fires are estimated to have each caused about $10,000 damage.

From Bill Lindelof and Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police are asking for help from witnesses who might have seen the person or people responsible for killing a 44-year-old man in Meadowview driving the dead man's car in the neighborhood Tuesday.

Detectives believe that the suspect or suspects killed Keith A. Fessler, then set his Carella Drive home on fire to cover up the crime, said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. They then fled in the victim's burnt-orange 2004 Honda Element and, after abandoning it near 68th Avenue and Tamoshanter Way, set it ablaze as well, Leong said.

About 1:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a house fire on the 7400 block of Carella Drive. After extinguishing the blaze, they found a man's body in a bedroom.

Sacramento County coroner's officials identified the victim today.

Police are investigating Fessler's death as a homicide and, because of that designation, are not releasing the cause of death or a possible motive behind the killing, Leong said.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter "SACTIP" followed by the information. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Tuesday's homicide was the 11th in the city this year.

From Sam Stanton:

Nearly a year after the beating death of 4-year-old Jahmaurae Allen, the suspect in the case entered not guilty pleas today in the case and had a jury trial scheduled for Nov. 10.

Jonathan Lamar Perry (left photo), 27, was arraigned on murder and child endangerment charges in Sacramento Superior Court this afternoon in a brief hearing.

Perry, who has been held in the Sacramento County Main Jail since his arrest following the July 21 death of Jahmaurae, was the boyfriend of the little boy's mother.

He is accused of throwing Jahmaurae against a wall of their Foothill Farms apartment after Jahmaurae wet his diaper in the middle of the night. At a court hearing June 10, sheriff's Detective Brian Shortz testified that Perry had left him a voice mail after the boy died confessing to causing Jahmaurae's injuries.

The boy's death sparked a series of investigations into operations at Sacramento County's Child Protective Services agency, including revelations that records of his case had been altered after his death.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police said today that a man who barricaded himself in a house in the 2300 block of Oakmont Street in North Sacramento on Monday was eventually arrested.

Daniel Lee, 31, of Sacramento was taken into custody on suspicion of assault, police said. Police said that he had allegedly swung a knife at a neighbor.

Police were forced to use so-called "less than lethal munitions" to take him into custody, although it was not clear what type of weapon was used.

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

Bee Staff

The 15-year-old male getting money at an ATM must have looked like an easy mark, but sometimes toughness doesn't show, a Sacramento County sheriff's crime summary shows.

Just after midnight on Sunday in the 7100 block of Stockton Boulevard, a woman demanded the boy's money. When the teen refused, the woman attempted to stab him with a pair of scissors.

The boy wrestled the would-be robber to the ground and disarmed her, the summary states.

The suspect fled on foot. The suspect is described as a black female, age 20-25, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds.

From Bill Lindelof:

Gunfire has taken the life of another young man at an apartment complex in the 6700 block of Sunnyslope Drive in the Sacramento's south area.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies responded about 11 p.m. Monday to the report of gunshots at an apartment complex near Florin Road and Stockton Boulevard.

When they arrived, they found a man on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported the victim to a hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, the sheriff's department said.

No witnesses to the shooting were found during a canvass of apartment residents by deputies.

Officials have neither a motive or suspect in the case.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office this morning identified the victim as Sevon T. Boles, 26, of Sacramento.

Boles' death was the second in a little over a month at an apartment house in the 6700 block of Sunnyslope Drive, a peaceful-sounding name for a street with a violent recent history. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department last month arrested a 25-year-old Sacramento man in connection with the April 29 killing of Curtis James Anderson Jr., 20.

In that case, deputies booked Jamaral Smith into the Sacramento County jail on suspicion of murder and violating his parole.

Investigators said Anderson exchanged words with the suspect before gunshots were heard in the 6700 block of Sunnyslope Drive.

Sheriff's investigators said Anderson had tried to run from his assailant, who chased him through an apartment complex. Deputies found Anderson on the ground with a gunshot wound in his head. He died at the scene.

The slaying of the young man shocked his family, many of whom described how much they cared for him.

From Kim Minugh:

A 27-year-old woman was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison for her part in an identity theft ring, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

Stealing mail and going "dumpster diving" between March 28 and April 16, Jennifer Chavez found the name of one victim and the bank routing number of another and used them to forge and cash 13 counterfeit checks, according to the release.

Authorities who searched her home found stolen mail, counterfeit checks, computers and printing equipment. Detectives linked Chavez to the crimes by tracing fraudulent transactions and viewing surveillance footage, the release states.

Three other people were linked to the identity theft ring, and two of them have been arrested, according to the release. The third remains at large.

At the time she committed the crimes, Chavez was on probation for similar offenses, the release states.

From Bill Lindelof and Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County Coroner's deputies today have identified the woman killed in a mobile home fire as Linda K. Clifton, 61, of Sacramento.

Firefighters responded to the fire at a mobile home park at 3419 Killeen Circle just before 6 a.m. Monday, said Capt. Christian Pebbles, spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. After extinguishing the blaze, they found the woman inside the burned motor home, Pebbles said.

Cause of the fire is not yet known. Pebbles said investigators noted cigarette and candle usage and that "these have not been ruled out" as factors.

There was no smoke alarm in the mobile home, Pebbles said.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Nevada man died from injuries suffered when his pickup truck rear-ended a big rig near Newcastle and then hit the center divider.

Jeffrey Koorenny, 48, of Winnemucca, was driving east on Interstate 80 about 11:30 p.m. Sunday when he failed to slow and his pickup struck the rear of a big rig's trailer, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The pickup then crossed the eastbound lanes and bounced off the concrete freeway divider before crossing the eastbound lanes again and running off the road.

Koorenny died at the scene.

From Chelsea Phua:

The 19-year-old man accused along with his 14-year-old girlfriend of killing the girls mother pleaded not guilty to murder charges today in El Dorado Superior Court.

Steven Paul Colver made his plea in front of Judge Douglas Phimister a few hours after his accused accomplice, Tylar Marie Witt, 14, made her first court appearance.

Colver and Witt have been charged with killing Joanne M. Witt, 47, whose body was found in her El Dorado Hills home last Monday.

Phimister, who told the shackled defendant that "this is a serious felony," appointed attorney Dain Weiner to represent Colver.

Prosecutor Lisette Suder recommended that Colver be held without bail. Phimister said he would review the bail's status at Colver's next court appearance, scheduled for Aug. 3

During Tylar Witt's morning court appearance, the girl was told she could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of.

Witt, identified by court officials as "Tylar Marie W," appeared shackled at the waist and ankles in the Placerville courtroom wearing a gray sweatshirt and dark pants.

During this morning's hearing, counts against the 14-year-old were not read aloud because they are confidential in juvenile proceedings. However, Judge James R. Wagoner, indicated that on the first count the teen could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Outside the courtroom, Chief Assistant District Attorney Bill Clark said the first count is a murder charge. Even though that carries a 25-years-to-life term, if Witt remains in the juvenile system, she would be in custody only until age 25, Clark said.

Witt is being charged as a juvenile, but Clark said that could change, pending completion of the investigation. Voters amended a provision in state law in 2000 that mandates that court hearings for minors 14 and older accused of a serious crime such as murder be open to the public.

In court, Wagoner also said the girl could face additional confinement on two other counts, but he provided no details. Clark said the other two counts are not directly related to the alleged killing of Joanne Witt.

One is a charge of battery from an incident in May, when sheriff's deputies responded to a call alleging a 14-year-old girl assaulting her 47-year-old mother at Joanne Witt's El Dorado Hills address, a sheriff's department report revealed. The other charge involves possession of stolen property, Clark said.

Wagoner also disclosed he is acquainted with the teen's grandparents, serving with them in the same charitable organization. Wagoner also indicated that the grandparents were in court. He said, though, that the relationship will not affect his ability to fairly judge the case.

The next hearing for the girl will be July 27.

Outside court, acquaintances of the two teens from Oak Ridge High School spoke about the pair.

They said of the two, Tylar Witt was quieter. Colver had a habit of wearing his PE clothes over his trench coat, said Eric Hadden, 18. He liked to talk about his anime and knife collections, Hadden said.

Friends noticed cuts on Colver, and Colver would tell them he sharpened his knives on himself, Hadden said.

"It's just odd," Hadden said.

Friends said that Colver was a "sweet guy" but characterized Tylar Witt as "selfish."

Joey Pacific, 18, said his sister was friends with Tylar Witt but stopped associating with her about a year ago.

"I know (Witt's) mom loved her a lot," Pacific said. "Everything her mom did was just to make her life better, and she just did not appreciate it."

On Friday, the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office filed a murder charge against Colver, alleging that he killed Joanne Witt sometime on or between June 11 and June 12 with "malice aforethought." Prosecutors included a special allegation that Colver "personally used" a knife in the killing, which could add a year to his sentence if he is convicted

A juvenile petition was filed against "Tylar Marie W," whom they previously identified as Tylar Marie Witt.

Authorities widely disseminated the names and photos of Colver and Tylar Witt earlier last week, saying they were being sought on suspicion of murder and were considered armed and dangerous.

They were arrested Wednesday outside a San Bruno cell phone store, unarmed and tired, authorities said.

El Dorado County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jim Byers said detectives suspect the relationship between the teens led to the stabbing death of Joanne Witt. A close friend of the victim told The Bee earlier this week that tensions developed after she discovered the teens were having intimate relations.

From Bill Lindelof:

Fire officials this morning are investigating the cause of a house fire that killed a woman and injured a man in Oak Park.

Fire investigators are exploring whether reports of fireworks being ignited in the area were a factor in the fire that burned a house in the 4500 block of 12th Avenue, trapping two elderly, disabled residents.

Reports of the blaze were received about 10:48 p.m., and firefighters arrived in four minutes, a fire department spokesman said. By then, the house was engulfed in fire and a citizen and Sacramento police were removing the man from the structure.

Firefighters entered the burning home and found the woman in the back bedroom. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

An adjacent home suffered fire damage, and its residents were provided temporary housing by the American Red Cross.

From Matt Weiser and Bill Lindelof:

Fire investigators say today that a refrigerator might have provided the "ignition source" to detonate a cloud of insecticide in a Citrus Heights apartment -- a bug bomb explosion that caused walls to separate from the roof.

Three families were left homeless in Citrus Heights on Sunday after the explosion that was triggered by overzealous use of insecticide foggers.

A tenant of the three-unit apartment building in the 7500 block of Cook Avenue was trying to deal with a cockroach infestation when he activated 10 cans of insectide fogger in the apartment, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Christian Pebbles.

"Metro Fire Arson unit cannot rule out the refrigerator as the ignition source," Pebbles stated in a release.

There was no fire in the building, but the explosion caused major structural damage, forcing the building to be condemned, Pebbles said. The three families occupying the building got help Sunday from the Red Cross to find temporary housing. No one was hurt in the explosion.

"We're lucky because there was flying glass all the way across the street," Pebbles said. "We had massive damage to the entire building. We have structural bearing walls blown out."

He said the tenant had asked his landlord for help with the insect problem but received no response. But using 10 foggers in an apartment was "well over the recommended limit" for deploying the devices, Pebbles said.

The California Department of Pesitcide Regulation warns that in typical residential use, label directions call for only one or two 8-ounce cans of fogger.

Label directions advise users to turn off ignition sources such as gas pilot lights and electrical appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators that might produce a spark when they cycle on and off, the department said in a press release.

Propellants used in most foggers are flammable.

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From Matt Weiser:

A man was rescued by boat from Lake Natoma Sunday after falling from a cliff along the lakeshore and severely injuring his leg,

The incident occurred at about 7 p.m. when the man in his mid-40s was watching his son jump off a shoreline feature called China Wall into the lake. When the man walked closer to the cliff edge, he slipped and fell 40 feet down to the water's edge, said Capt. Christian Pebbles of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

Fire rescue personnel responded to the scene by boat. With help from the Folsom Fire Department, the victim was recovered and transferred to a waiting ambulance and then to a hospital. Further information was not available late Sunday, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Pebbles said the cliff soils are notoriously loose and unable to support a lot of weight.

"Don't stand or hang out toward the edge of cliffs along the American River Parkway," Pebbles said.

From Barbara Barte Osborn, Special to The Bee:

Truckee Police officers have arrested a Donner Lake man for allegedly refusing to stop at an active road-construction zone nearby.

William J. Carter, 19, was arrested for investigation of felony assault with a deadly weapon after his vehicle swerved toward a flagger, striking the stop sign she held, police said.

"Damage was located on the suspect vehicle consistent with statements that indicated a flagger's handheld stop sign had been struck," Police Sgt. Jason Litchie said in a news release.

The flagger and other witnesses described the vehicle, including a partial license-plate number, to police officers after the incident last week.

On Friday, officers located the vehicle and its owner, Carter, at a residence near the construction zone, at the west end of Donner Lake.

"The driver acknowledged that construction crews had ordered him to stop his car with other traffic, " Litchie said.

Carter was booked into the Nevada County Sheriff's Department's Truckee jail without incident.

Motorists are required by the California Vehicle Code to obey traffic-control personnel, Litchie said in the release.

"Truckee PD," he said, "asks everyone to be courteous and patient during our summer construction season."

From Cathy Locke:

Elk Grove police have arrested a second person in connection with Sunday's death of 14-year-old Ronald Kenoly.

The 13-year-old suspect turned himself in to the Sacramento County Juvenile Hall on Friday evening and was taken into custody on suspicion of murder, an Elk Grove Police Department news release states.

Detectives arrested a 14-year-old Sacramento youth Thursday evening in connection with the homicide.

Kenoly was found lying on the front lawn of a residence in the 8600 block of Heritage Hill Drive at 12:19 a.m. Sunday and died later at a hospital.

Based on witnesses' statements, detectives believe Kenoly had left a nearby party and was walking home when he was confronted by two individuals. Witnesses told police there was a fight, Kenoly fell onto the front lawn of the residence, and the other two suspected assailants fled.

Authorities continue to investigate and are asking anyone with information to call the Elk Grove Police Department Communications Center, (916) 714-5115, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers to Crime Alert can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Tips also may be sent via SMS text message by entering CRIMES (274637) on a cell phone, followed by Tip732, the agency identification number, and the message.

From Cathy Locke:

A 24-year-old Citrus Heights man was arrested Friday night in connection with the Thursday night death of a pedestrian on Greenback Lane.

An attorney representing a client who claimed to be the driver in the collision contacted the Citrus Heights Police Department about 5 p.m. Friday, a police department news release states. Garnik Danielyan later was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving.

During an interview, police said, Danielyan told investigators the location of his silver 2002 Mercedes Benz. The vehicle was impounded after it was determined that damage to the vehicle was consistent with the collision, the news release states.

Dennis Wurster, 53, of Citrus Heights was crossing Greenback Lane northbound near Burich Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday when he was struck by a westbound vehicle. The westbound driver failed to stop, continuing on Greenback before turning north on Mariposas Avenue, police said. Wurster died at the scene.

The vehicle that struck Wurster was described as a silver or light grey Mercedes with tinted windows, and police said it would have suffered heavy damage to the front end.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

The victim of Thursday night's hit-and-run killing has been identified as Dennis Wurster, 53, of Citrus Heights, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office said.

Wurster was struck and killed near Greenback Lane and Burich Avenue at about 9:45 p.m., Citrus Heights Police said.

After hitting Wurster, the driver fled westbound on Greenback Lane, then turned northbound on Mariposa Avenue, police said. Sac Metro Fire Department emergency units responded to the scene, but were unable to save Wurster, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The vehicle involved is described as a silver or light grey Mercedes with tinted windows, Citrus Heights Police said. The car would have taken heavy front-end damage in the crash.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Citrus Heights Police Department at (916) 727-5500.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Elk Grove Police arrested a 14-year-old Sacramento boy on suspicion of homicide in the death of another 14-year-old Elk Grove boy who was found dead on a lawn in Elk Grove on Sunday, police said.

The boy was arrested Thursday evening by Elk Grove Police and is being held in Sacramento County Juvenile Hall, said Sgt. James Fuller of the Elk Grove Police Department.

Based on numerous witness statements, Fuller said that Ronald Kenoly, 14, was approached by two boys on his way home from a party. The three got into a fight, and Kenoly fell on the lawn while the other boys fled.

Elk Grove Police are searching for the other boy involved in the fight, Fuller said.

"We know who he is and we're actively searching for him," he said.

An exact cause of death is still being determined, Sacramento County Coroner's officials said Friday. Previously, Elk Grove Police said there were no obvious signs of trauma on Kenoly's body at the scene, but Fuller said Friday that police couldn't discuss any subsequent evidence uncovered for fear of jeopardizing the investigation.

Fuller did say the boys all appeared to have known each other, but wasn't sure if there were any longstanding conflicts between them.

The three all had "mutual friends in an (Elk Grove) apartment complex," Fuller said.

Though Kenoly had an existing asthma condition, Fuller said the coroner had ruled out an attack as a cause of death.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Elk Grove Police Department Communications Center at (916) 714- 5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

Tips can also be sent via text message by entering CRIMES (274637) on a cell phone, followed by Tip732 and the message.

From Chelsea Phua

The El Dorado district attorney's has filed a murder charge against a 19-year-old man accused of killing his girlfriend's mother.

The complaint, filed today by DA Vern Pierson, alleges that Steven Paul Colver (photo) killed Joanne M. Witt sometime on or between June 11 and June 12 with "malice aforethought."

Prosecutors also included a special allegation charge that Colver "personally used" a knife in the killing.

Authorities said a juvenile petition was filed against "Tylar Marie W.", whom they previously identified as Tylar Marie Witt, the 14-year-old daughter of the victim and Colver's girlfriend.

"Due to the nature of juvenile proceedings no further information regarding this petition can be released at this time," the news release from the District Attorney's Office states.

Authorities had previously sought Tylar Witt on suspicion of murder when she fled to the Bay Area with Colver after the alleged killing.

Her detention hearing is scheduled for Monday at 8:15 a.m. in El Dorado County Superior Court Department 1. Colver, who has been booked into the El Dorado County Jail this afternoon, is also scheduled for arraignment Monday in Department 7.

From Kim Minugh:

Roy Houston celebrated his 23rd birthday at the Sacramento County Main Jail.

Houston (photo) was booked there Thursday night on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, among other charges, according to booking records. U.S. Marshals picked up Houston last week in the Texas city that shares his name, and he was extradited Thursday, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

Houston is accused of killing 21-year-old Donald Ray McCall in a February 2005 car chase in North Sacramento, Leong said.

The initial investigation went cold, until a probation search revealed the weapon used to kill McCall, Leong said. With the help of cold case grant funding and two persistent detectives, police acquired an arrest warrant for Houston earlier this year.

He already was wanted in connection with another shooting in 2005, Leong said. He faces a charge of assault with a deadly weapon and firing a weapon into an occupied dwelling or vehicle in connection with that case, according to booking records.

In connection with McCall's death, Houston faces one count of murder and one count of assault on a person with a semiautomatic firearm, records show.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

Detectives believe there are people with information about the homicide that have not come forward. They are asking those people come forward, now that Houston is in custody. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have arrested 19-year-old Alex Eugene Toliver in connection with the Nov. 1 slaying of 24-year-old Patrick Razaghzadeh. That brings to eight the number of men facing a murder charge for Razaghzadeh's death and five attempted murder charges for the shootings of five of the victim's friends.

Toliver also is the eighth arrest in an effort by sheriff's detectives to knock down what they describe as two small but persistently violent gang subsets from North Highlands: Monk Mobb and TNA. The two groups are part of the larger North Highlands Gangster Crips network, according to detectives.

In the early morning hours of Nov. 1, Razaghzadeh was gunned down in the backyard of his Rogue River Drive home. He had been hosting a Halloween party for friends, detectives allege, when members of the Monk Mobb and TNA crashed the party. Razaghzadeh died at the scene; five of Razaghzadeh's friends also were shot, but survived.

Last week, detectives arrested: Carlos Lavance Allen, 18; Corey Andre Carmicle, 22; Charles Steven Ferrell III, 21; Elijah Rasean Fields, 18; Willie Cavil Harris IV, 19; Willie Earl Toliver Jr., 22; and Jarrell Edward Triplett, 16.

The Bee is naming the defendants who were juveniles at the time the alleged crimes occurred - Allen, Fields and Triplett - because the District Attorney's Office has confirmed that they will be tried as adults.

All of them - including the latest suspect, Alex Toliver - face one count or murder and five counts of attempted murder.

Alex Toliver is Willie Toliver's younger brother, according to detectives.

A ninth suspect also has been arrested in connection with the case: Leighni Nikkol Hadl, 23, faces one count of conspiracy.

In making the arrests, detectives say they are optimistic they have broken the back of the two gang subsets. They allege that many of the suspects in the Razaghzadeh homicide have been recurring problems for detectives, and that their names have come up in several previous investigations.

The gangs have been responsible for at least four homicides, more than a dozen shootings and 70-plus robberies in the last year-and-a-half, detectives allege. In the course of the latest homicide investigation, detectives say they gathered valuable information on other violent and unsolved crimes, and that arrests might follow in those cases, though they declined to provide more details.

For a previous story, click here.

From Bill Lindelof:

El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Neves has announced he will not run for re-election to a third term.

Neves, 55, said wants to spend more time with his family, said a department spokesman.

Five men have already indicated they intend to run for sheriff in 2010:

-Capt. Craig Therkildsen, a veteran of more than 25 years with the department.

-Stan Perez, former chief of the CHP's Valley Division.

-John D'Agostini, an Amador County sheriff's sergeant before he joined the District Attorney's Office in Amador County.

-Bob Luca, an El Dorado County District Attorney's Office investigator.

-Larry Hennick, who retired in 2006 from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.

From Bill Lindelof

A bizarre home invasion in South Sacramento -- in which an intruder made a victim crawl into his own attic and shot at a door because he feared somebody was behind it -- has ended peacefully.

The suspect, age 32, was taken into custody by Sacramento police. He has not yet been identified. Police believe he may have been under the influence of drugs.

Sgt. Norm Leong said the department received word of shots fired in the neighborhood near Cosumnes River and Franklin boulevards about 4 a.m. While units were in the neighborhood, police dispatchers received a cell phone call from a resident on Tyndall Court summoning help because there was an armed gunman in their home.

Leong said police later learned from the residents that a man entered the unlocked garage and began knocking loudly on the door to the house. One of the residents opened the door and discovered the man armed with two handguns.

The suspect corralled the family -- five children and three adults -- into the garage. He then forced one of the adults to walk about the house.

At one point, he incorrectly remarked that one of the residents was a police officer, said Leong. At another point, he thought someone was lurking behind a door.

"He said he would kill the person he thought was behind the door so he shot," said Leong. "Luckily, there was nobody there."

Then, the suspect told one of the victims to climb into the attic. The man complied and the suspect followed.

"But the suspect fell off of the ladder and then bizarrely, pushed the guns away from himself and gave up," said Leong. "The hostages were all able to get out unharmed. The suspect eventually came out on his own and was taken into custody."

A SWAT team responded and made sure there were no more suspects inside the house. The victims, including children whose ages range from an infant to about 10 years old, did not know the suspect.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested a 31-year-old man today on suspicion of killing his girlfriend's 5-year-old son, according to authorities.

Eduardo Zamora Jr. (left photo) was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail today on one charge of murder and one charge of assault resulting in the death of a child under 8 years of age, according to booking records.

Zamora is accused in the death of his girlfriend's 5-year-old boy on Wednesday, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Just before 11 a.m. that day, the Sheriff's Department received a call from paramedics who had responded to a 911 call from Zamora on the 3600 block of S. Port Drive, Curran said.

Paramedics arrived to find the 5-year-old unresponsive and covered in bruises. He was transported and died at a local hospital, Curran said.

The boy had been alone at the home with Zamora, Curran said. Authorities issued a warrant for Zamora's arrest this morning, and he was taken into custody just before noon.

Curran said Zamora lived at the address with the boy and the boy's mother, who was Zamora's girlfriend. No other children lived there, although Zamora's son visited occasionally.

The 5-year-old boy has no history with Sacramento County's Child Protective Services agency, Curran said.

Zamora is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

He has no criminal history in Sacramento County, according to Superior Court records.

Bee Staff

A Sacramento Superior Court judge has sentenced a convicted embezzler to six years in prison and to more than $500,000 in restitution and taxes, according to a news release from the Sacramento County district attorney.

Mary Ann Machado pleaded no contest to grand theft embezzlement and tax fraud charges in separate cases, District Attorney Jan Scully said in the release. She received three-year prison terms in each case.

Machado also was ordered to pay $435,919.41 in restitution to her former employer, who was not identified, and $66,994.98 to the State Franchise Tax Board for taxes owed on the embezzled monies, Scully said.

Machado embezzled the money in her position as the sole bookkeeper for a large company in Sacramento County, Scully said.

Machado credited her own bank accounts and credit cards with the extra funds she charged to the company and used the stolen monies to supplement her income and lifestyle, including the purchase of expensive purses, Scully said.

From 2002 until 2008, Machado manipulated the books in order to conceal the ongoing thefts, Scully said. In 2008, employees discovered problems with the company's books and contacted the Sacramento Police Department.

"Anyone contemplating embezzling from their employer should be aware that penalties include a state prison sentence and full restitution of all embezzled monies," Deputy District Attorney Lani Biafore

From Kim Minugh:

The Sacramento police officer shot during a traffic stop last month is out of the hospital and recovering at home, officials say.

Officer Tyson Butler, a six-year veteran, was shot in the arm and thigh after he pulled over a vehicle for what police described as a "routine" traffic stop on May 24.

The car's driver, 19-year-old Jose Munoz, turned and fired at Butler as the officer approached the vehicle, police say. Munoz led officers on a chase until he crashed his car and apparently shot himself in the head, officials said. Munoz died at the UC Davis Medical Center.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office later confirmed that Munoz's cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Preliminary autopsy results indicated it was self-inflicted, Assistant Coroner Ed Smith told The Bee last month.

At the time, officials said Butler, who is right-handed, suffered extensive nerve and vascular damage to his right arm. He will undergo therapy, but it is unclear how long before he is fully recovered, Sgt. Norm Leong said today.

Leong said Butler has declined to be interviewed by media.

From Andy Furillo:

A Sacramento jury today convicted Andre Germaine Pulido (see photo) of first-degree murder in the shooting death of UC Berkeley honor student Rodrigo Rodriguez Jr. outside an Oak Park barbership in 2007.

Pulido placed his head in his hand and then dropped his forehead onto the defense table after the Superior Court panel also found the special-circumstance allegation to be true that he was lying in wait before killing Rodriguez in the mistaken belief that the victim had shot him two weeks earlier.

As a result of the jury's finding, the 26-year-old Pulido will be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. Judge Stacy Boulware Eurie scheduled his sentencing for July 17.

"This has been a very difficult journey, especially because 'Roddi' was such a great young man that tried so very hard to represent the Oak Park community and young people in general by pushing himself towards high achievement and devoting his time and effort towards improvement in many areas of life, particularly in the area of education," Rod Rodriguez Sr., the 21-year-old victim's father, said in a prepared statement.

"This conviction will not bring Rod back to us, but it will serve as a reminder that evil will have its day in court."

Jurors deliberated for nearly three full days before announcing late Wednesday that they had reached a verdict.

Rodriguez was gunned down in the House of Skillz parking lot on Martin Luther King Boulevard on Sept. 16, 2007. Several witnesses gave police a description of the shooter that generally matched that of Pulido. Investigators found the murder weapon in Pulido's bedroom closet. Cell phone records also placed Pulido close to the House of Skillz in the murder's time frame.

The defendant's relatives declined to comment after the verdict.

Defense attorney Tom Johnson, in a written statement, said, "I sat in the same courtroom as the jury for eight weeks. They are good people, and I know they worked hard to reach a decision. The verdict is what it is."

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall declined to comment.

Bee Staff

Children visiting the Roseville Police Activities League will soon enjoy an eight-computer, networked lab, thanks to Heald College IT interns, according to a Roseville Police Department news release.

The interns refurbished donated personal computers, designed the lab space, and are installing the computers and network in the RPAL gym, the release states.

The students are interns in Heald College's IT 280 Technology Internship class, which meets at the Sacramento Sheriff's Department's Toy Project. Heald College and the sheriff's Toy Project have been refurbishing computers since October 2003, the release states.

The computers are then donated to needy families and non-profit organizations serving children, especially school-age children from kindergarten through 12th grade, the release states.

The non-profit Toy Project welcomes tax-deductible donations of used computers, cables and network equipment. For more information, call Bob Johnston at (916) 414-2738, or e-mail him at Robert_johnston@heald.edu.

For more information about membership in the police activities league's open gym and other programs and activities, visit the league's Web site at http://www.rosevillepal.org/.

Bee Staff

Two pedestrians, including a 2-year-old girl, suffered major injuries when they were struck while crossing a street on Wednesday, according to a Roseville Police Department news release.

At approximately 12:17 p.m., a 59-year-old male pedestrian was crossing Harding Boulevard just north of Estates Drive carrying his 2-year-old granddaughter when they were struck by southbound 2003 Lincoln sedan, the release states.

The driver, a 65-year-old woman from Granite Bay, was not injured and stopped immediately after the collision, the release states.

The girl was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center and then been transferred to UC Davis Medical Center where she is in critical condition, said Dee Dee Gunther, Roseville police spokeswoman.

The grandfather is still at Sutter Roseville Medical Center and is listed in fair condition, she said.

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

Bee Staff

Dumbness must have blown in with the Delta Breeze one recent night, according to a recently released Sacramento County Sheriff's Department crime summary.

About 10 p.m. on June 15 in the 4400 block of Oakhollow Drive, a motorist briefly eluded officers who caught up with him as he was walking away from a bush. Officers searched the bush and found an unloaded revolver.

On that same night just before midnight near Laurine Way and 37th Avenue, deputies attempted to stop a car that was reported stolen. The driver sped around the corner. When deputies caught up with the car, it was parked at the curb and a man was walking away.

Deputies stopped the man and found several "shaved keys," which are a favorite car-theft tool. One of the keys fit the ignition of the stolen car.

Both suspects were given rides to the barred think tank.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Yolo County judge has thrown the book at a convicted child molester.

Superior Court Judge Arvid W. Johnson Tuesday sentenced Victor Anthony Chappale, 46, of Vallejo to 116 years plus two consecutive 30-years-to-life terms in state prison for convictions for eight felony sex crimes. Chappale was convicted by a jury April 23 of rape and other sex crimes involving two children under the age of 14 while living in Davis and Woodland.

The judge denied Chappale's request for a new trial, a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release states. Chappale was serving a state prison sentence for killing a man, and was scheduled to be released on parole in 2010, when he was charged by the Yolo district attorney with the sex crimes.

"The jury and the judge finally provided justice to the victims, who hopefully can begin to heal now that their abuser will spend the rest of his life behind bars," said prosecutor Tiffany Susz.

From Bill Lindelof:

A suspected car thief is recovering from burns after police said he tried to set a stolen sedan on fire after stripping it of parts.

Woodland police said that Alberto Vega, 20, is being treated at UC Davis Medical Center with second- and third-degree burns to his hands, arms, head, neck and face. The Woodland resident has been unable to speak with detectives because of his burns.

Alberto Vega's cousin, Diego Vega, 22, of Woodland, is suspected of being an accomplice and has been arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property, arson and conspiracy.

Police said they responded to Woodland Memorial Hospital on Tuesday when they learned Alberto Vega had been dropped off at the emergency room, suffering from severe burns. Detectives say they believe Alberto and Diego Vega removed parts from a stolen sedan and then worked with others to put it on a trailer and take it to County Road 18 near County Road 98.

When Alberto Vega tried to ignite the car, he also set himself on fire, police said, before being driven to a Woodland apartment where friends attempted to help him.

However, when Alberto Vega's breathing became labored, they walked him to Woodland Memorial hospital.

In addition to the Vega cousins, detectives say two other suspects are involved in the incident. Two cars have been towed by police, and an engine and other parts have been recovered.

From Denny Walsh:

An Elk Grove man this week filed suit against the city of Sacramento, its police chief and two officers, claiming he was severely beaten for no reason by one of the officers as he left a midtown nightclub last year.

Jaime Lara, 32, claims officers accosted him from behind when he and members of his family exited the Azukar Lounge at 1616 J St. early June 1, 2008. "Lara offered no resistance," the suit says.

The suit says he was beaten so badly medical staff at the jail would not allow him to be booked and told the officers he should be taken to a hospital.

While at Sutter General Hospital, the officers told Lara he was not being charged and was free to go. So his wife took him to Kaiser's South Sacramento Medical Center, the suit says.

He was diagnosed with a concussion, lacerations and blurred and double vision, it says.

Lara later filed a formal complaint with the department's internal affairs unit, the suit says.

"On April 17 . he received a letter signed by Chief of Police (Richard) Braziel and (Lt.) Neil Schneider . in which he

was advised that their investigation 'revealed improper conduct by our employee. Appropriate corrective action has been taken,'" according to the suit.

The department never identified his assailants and did not inform him of the nature of the "corrective action," the suit says.

The suit names as defendants the city, Officer Tristan Piano, Sgt. Daniel Monk and Braziel.

"I can't comment on any case that's undergoing litigation," department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said late today. He did confirm that the officers involved in the incident are still on the job, but would not say whether any of them were disciplined, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.

From San Oklobdzija:

The body of a man found dead in a car on U.S. Forest Service land in Georgetown has been identified as Colby Jee Reed, 22, of Georgetown, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office officials said today.

Sheriff's officials said they suspect foul play in Reed's death. So far, the cause of death is being withheld, officials said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office at (530)621-6600.

From Andy Furillo:

A jury has reached a verdict in the murder trial of Andre Germaine Pulido, but it will not be read until Thursday morning in Sacramento Superior Court, a spokeswoman said today.

The verdict will be announced in Department 24 at 10:30 a.m., court spokeswoman Ginger Sylvester said.

Pulido, 26, is accused of gunning down Rodrigo Rodriguez, 21, a UC Berkeley scholarship student and local civic volunteer, outside the House of Skillz barbershop in Oak Park in September 2007.

Prosecutors said Pulido shot Rodriguez in the mistaken belief that the victim shot him two weeks earlier.

The jury heard evidence over 15 days of testimony dating to May 11. It began deliberations on Monday after attorneys delivered their closing arguments last week.

Notebook: Sac PD K9 is fan favorite

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

From Kim Minugh:

The voters have spoken: Buck is the best.

Or at least so sayeth the online voters in a retired chiropractor's local competition for top police K9. After more than 3,000 tallies, Sacramento police Officer Randy Van Dusen and his four-legged partner, Buck, took the title.

Dr. Donna Schwontkowski came up with the contest idea after attending a K-9 competition, according to a Sacramento police news release. To help the community learn more about the dogs and their talents, Schwontkowski created a Web site - www.sactopdogcontest.com - with videos of each dog in the competition and received sponsorships to support the contest.

Van Dusen and Buck beat out seven other K9 teams.

Buck is a 7-year-old, 90-pound German Shepherd born in the Netherlands. He and Van Dusen, an 11-year veteran of the department, have been working as a team for four years. In addition to his regular duties as a police K9, Buck also is trained to assist the Sacramento Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.

To see a video of Buck used in the contest, go to http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3764407037832279084.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials will hold a public meeting next week to discuss the closure of a fire station in Fair Oaks.

The meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, in the community room at 8890 Roediger Lane.

The station in question is No. 33, whose engine serves the communities of Orangevale and Fair Oaks. It is one of three stations that district officials will close to bridge an $11 million budget shortfall, caused by declining property tax revenues.

The shuttering of stations 33, 64 and 102 will save the district an estimated $4.5 million, according to district officials.

Next Saturday's meeting has been organized to provide information about the closure to the community and answer residents' questions, according to a district news release.

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

Bee Staff

A carjacking suspect might have escaped if he hadn't circled back to the motel where his girlfriend was staying, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department crime summary.

Officer spotted the suspect in a hijacked vehicle around 9 a.m. on June 12, but the suspect sped away, according to the summary released today.

The summary gives this account:

The suspect ran "ran numerous stop signs and red lights" and then attempted to ram a marked patrol vehicle.

The suspect drove to a motel in the 3400 block of Watt Avenue, where he drove through a grassy common area. There were numerous people, including children, on foot in or near the common area.

The suspect left the area at a high rate of speed. But after about 5 minutes, the suspect circled back to the motel, where officers finally were able to stop the vehicle and arrest him.

The suspect's girlfriend apparently took all this in and decided to flee herself, leaving her 3-year-old child "with strangers."

Booked into jail on suspicion of various charges were Luis Vasquez-Zamora, 23, and Carolina Saelao, 33.

Bee Staff

The California Highway Patrol is asking the public's help in solving a cold-case - a 2002 hit-and-run death in Tracy.

The CHP news release from Officer Robert Rickman included a warning to the suspect: "We will not stopping looking for you."

The CHP gave this account:

At 8:49 a.m. on June 15, 2002, an unidentified driver made an unsafe lane change, striking Brian Sabanal's vehicle. The impact caused Sabanal's vehicle to swerve off the roadway and overturn several times, ejecting Sabanal from the vehicle.

The collision occurred on eastbound Interstate 205, west of Tracy Boulevard. Sabanal was driving a white GMC four-wheel drive pickup.

The suspect was driving a Toyota-type pickup truck. The truck was small, possibly a compact, gray or blue in color. The vehicle would have damage to the driver's side door.

The suspect stopped in the center divider but then fled eastbound on I-205. There were two occupants in the vehicle.

The driver was described as a while male in his 20s, 6 feet, 3 inches tall with short brown hair that was possible spiked. The passenger was described as a white female in her 20s with brown hair.

Information may be supplied anonymously and "need not be conclusive by itself," Rickman said.

"We believe that someone has information could lead to solving Brian's case - comments to friends made the passenger or driver, suspicious vehicle damage, etc.," Rickman said. "All hold potential for valuable investigatory leads."

From Kim Minugh:

A homeless man found dead in a field this morning appears to have died of natural causes, Sacramento police say.

The man, who was in his 30s, was found about 8 a.m. near 16th and Basler streets, police said.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene to determine if a crime had been committed. However, it appears the death was not suspicious, said Sgt. Norm Leong, pending auutopsy results.

From Bill Lindeof:

A search is under way for an jail inmate who should have gone to state prison but was instead mistakenly released in Yuba County.

Yuba County sheriff's deputies are looking for Joseph Thomas Connor, 32, who was accidentally released Tuesday, a sheriff's spokesman said.

He was about to sent to state prison for four years.

"It was a paperwork error not an escape," said a Yuba County sheriff's department spokeswoman.

Connor was already sentenced in Sutter County for domestic violence and then had been transported to Yuba County for court proceedings on the separate crime of assault.

From Chelsea Phua:

A body found east of Georgetown today appears to be the victim of foul play, according to a release from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.

At about 6 a.m., the sheriff was advised of a possible dead person in a vehicle on an unidentified US Forest Service road several miles East of Georgetown, off Wentworth Springs Road, the release states.

Responding units discovered the body of an unidentified male subject in a vehicle, the release states. The male subject appears to have been the victim of foul play, the release states.

The victim has not been positively identified and the cause of death has not been determined other than to say it is listed as suspicious, the release states.

Bee Staff

A man who killed a woman after a night of drinking and gambling at the Thunder Valley Casino has lost a bid to have his trial reviewed.

The California Supreme Court has denied a petition by convicted murderer Mario Flavio Garcia for the review, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Garcia filed the petition in April following a Feb. 25 decision in which the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed his conviction of first-degree murder in the 2005 slaying and disappearance of Christie Wilson following a night of drinking and gambling at the Thunder Valley Casino in Placer County, the release states.

The state Supreme Court denied the petition June 10 and also ordered that the opinion of the appeal court be a non-published one, meaning it cannot be cited as legal precedent, the release states.

Garcia, 56, a former Auburn resident, is currently serving a state prison sentence of 59 years to life.

Wilson was 27 when she disappeared from the casino near Lincoln on Oct. 5, 2005. Casino cameras showed Garcia and Wilson gambling together the night of Oct. 4, 2005. They also showed them walking together toward the parking lot at 1:13 a.m. Oct. 5. Her body has not been found.

Placer County sheriff's detectives arrested Garcia after finding hair follicles with Wilson's DNA in and on his car. Later, tiny blood spots matching Wilson's DNA were found on a back seat.

A jury convicted Garcia of murder on Nov. 21. Several jurors said the DNA evidence and Garcia's unconvincing explanation for scratches and bruises were factors in their verdict.

From Kim Minugh:

A suspicious object found outside the post office on Alhambra Boulevard has been deemed safe, according to Sacramento police.

Police are in the process of reopening Alhambra and Q Street, said Sgt. Norm Leong.

The object was found in front of the post office on Alhambra, between Q Street and Stockton Boulevard. It was reported to police about 1:15 p.m. About two hours later, the bomb unit declared there was no threat, Leong said.

From Chelsea Phua and Bill Lindelof:

El Dorado authorities on Tuesday named the daughter of an El Dorado Hills woman found dead in her home and the daughter's boyfriend as suspects in the death, investigators said.

El Dorado Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Byers said detectives have issued arrest warrants for Steven Paul Colver, 19, and Tylar Marie Witt, 14, in connection with the killing of Witt's mother, 47-year-old Joanne M. Witt. Byers said the suspects fled to the Bay Area and are considered armed and dangerous. Colver also goes by the alias "Boston," Byers said.

Joanne Witt died a "violent death," according to authorities.

"We do believe that the relationship between the daughter and the boyfriend may have led to this murder," Byers said.

Tuesday morning, police towed the vehicle the pair were believed to have been driving from a construction zone in downtown San Francisco, Byers said.

They also may have both altered their appearances - Tylar Witt dyeing her blond hair jet-black and Colver cutting his hair short and also dyeing his hair black, Byers said. Tylar Witt is 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 135 pounds and Colver is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 135 pounds.

Deputies found the victim's body in her home in the 200 block of Tattinger Court after co-workers reported that she had failed to show up for work.

Joanne Witt worked as an assistant in the engineering unit of the county's Department of Transportation. Department officials declined to comment further.

When Joanne Witt did not show up for work Friday, sheriff's officials said, co-workers began to worry about her. They went to the home over the weekend but got no response when they knocked on the door.

Joanne Witt missed work again Monday, prompting her colleagues to report her missing to authorities. Deputies went to the home and found her body.

On Tuesday afternoon, Wynter Aubin, a resident in the upscale neighborhood of brick and concrete stucco homes and well-kept lawns, said the news of Joanne Witt's death is upsetting for the close-knit community.

"What could provoke something that serious?" Aubin said, adding that she did not know Joanne Witt very well but described her as "a nice lady." Aubin said she recalled Witt's daughter walking in the neighborhood with the boyfriend once. Aubin said her husband noticed the young man on more occasions, often dressed in a tight black leather vest and combat boots.

Joanne Witt's house sits on a slope in a cul-de-sac. On Tuesday afternoon, several news trucks were parked outside the earth-colored home.

Authorities said two calls for services were made to the house in recent months. One was a medical call in April and the other was for a crime report in May, Byers said, adding that he could not divulge the nature or details of that crime under a state law that governs victims' rights. The specific law applies to victims of sexual assault.

Attempts by The Bee to reach Joanne Witt's family and relatives were unsuccessful.

A woman who acknowledged to be Colver's mother answered the phone. She declined to comment.

"This is a very disturbing time for me," she said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office at (530) 621-6600.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man Citrus Heights police say stole a pickup truck and then crashed it on Antelope Road this morning has died.

The man, who authorities have not yet identified, is suspected of stealing a the pickup about 6:30 a.m. from a Citrus Heights resident who said he left the vehicle running in front of his home before going to work.

About 10 minutes later, officers spotted the truck traveling near Antelope Road and Garden Gate Drive. The driver tried to elude authorities, who pursued until the pickup sideswiped another car and rolled near the intersection of Antelope Road and Don Julio Boulevard, police said.

The suspect suffered serious injuries and was taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital, where he died.

Bee Staff

A woman who threw gasoline on her boyfriend and lit it has lost her bid to withdraw a guilty plea. Instead, she has been sentenced to four years in prison by a Placer Superior Court judge, according to a news release.

Judge Jeff Penney also ordered Traci Nicole Gilson, 21, of Foresthill, to make restitution of $27,630 to help pay the victim's medical bills, the release states.

The sentence was imposed Monday after Gilson had tried for the past month to withdraw her guilty plea, which she had made on March 11. She had also admitted to a special allegation of causing great bodily injury, the release states.

Gilson's family hired a new attorney who tried to convince Judge Penney that her client made an uninformed decision when her previous lawyer worked out a plea deal with Placer County Deputy District Attorney Joe McInerney, the release states.

However, McInerney told the court that the defendant discussed the plea deal with the previous attorney and signed and initialed the documents that spelled out the agreement, the release states.

Gilson's previous attorney testified in a hearing last week that his client faced a potential sentence of 15 years or more in prison if found guilty in a trial. She was charged with assault likely to cause great bodily injury, arson causing great bodily injury, vandalism, petty theft and battery on a shopkeeper.

The plea deal called for four years in prison for the assault and the special allegation. The other charges were to be dropped, the previous attorney said.

After taking the arguments from the attorneys under submission, Penney returned to the court Monday and ruled that Gilson failed to provide evidence that the guilty plea was made by mistake or inadvertence, the release states.

Gilson and her new attorney, Linda Parisi, then agreed to proceed with an immediate sentencing, the release states.

The incident involving Gilson and her then boyfriend occurred in November as the two were arguing in a car. After tossing gasoline from a can on him, she used an incendiary device to spark the fire, the release states.

The victim suffered severe burns to his hands and to the right side of his face, the release states.

His car also sustained major damage.

From Kim Minugh:

Three men -- including a father and son -- were arrested last week in connection with a Sacramento-Bay Area cocaine distribution ring busted by authorities, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Wrapping up a two-month investigation by two multi-agency drug task forces, authorities arrested the three men at a home in the 6000 block of Belleau Wood Lane in Sacramento and seized five kilos of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $750,000; 223 grams of marijuana; a semi-automatic handgun; and nearly $9,000 in cash, according to a news release issued by sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Arrested were Sacramento residents Fidel Raymundo, 64, and his son, Abel Raymundo, 30; and Bay Area resident Martin Campos, 35, the release said.

Fidel Raymundo was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on a charge of transportation, sale or distribution of a controlled substance, booking records show. Abel Raymundo was booked on a charge of possessing a controlled substance for sale. Martin Campos was booked on a charge of transportation, sale, or distribution of a controlled substance.

All three are being held without bail.

The investigation was conducted by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) task force and the California Multijurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team (CAL-METT). Participating were the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Sacramento County Probation Department, Folsom police, Sacramento police, Citrus Heights police and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Bee Staff

The Placer County Sheriff's Department has suspended the search for a missing San Jose man who was in a boat that capsized on Hell Hole Reservoir Thursday night, according to a news release.

Peter Flores, 50, was last seen around 9 p.m. Thursday night when the small fishing boat he was in with his son and another friend capsized in the frigid waters of the mountain reservoir located about 65 miles east of Auburn, according to the release from the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

The son and friend were able to make it to shore and were found by a boater Friday morning. Flores was believed to have attempted to swim to shore, the release states.

Friday, Placer County Sheriff's Search and Rescue volunteers, with assistance from fire crews from El Dorado National Forest, were able to determine that Flores was not on the shoreline, the release states. Placer County Water Agency, which operates Hell Hole, also assisted with their boat and made their facilities available to searchers overnight.

Saturday, the effort turned from rescue to recovery. The Placer County Sheriff's Marine Unit was assisted by marine units from the Nevada and Yuba county sheriff departments, the release states.

Using search boats, underwater search equipment and divers, they were unable to locate Flores' body. It was determined that the reservoir's rocky, rugged bottom would make it futile to continue the search, the release states. The search was suspended Saturday night.

Bee Staff

If terrorists attempt to take over a cruise ship or any other act on San Francisco Bay, they will be met with an armed response via helicopter in addition to surface ships.

The added security from the U.S. Coast Guard went into effect in February, according to a new release.

"Imagine a USS Cole-like attack on a cruise ship, on the San Francisco Bay ferry system, on our bridges," said Cmdr. Samuel Creech, commanding officer of Air Station San Francisco. "We want the opportunity to do more than shake our head and shake our fists..."

The station's MH-65 "Dolphin" helicopters can be equipped with M-14T rifles and machine guns, he said. The station has eight "highly trained gunners" available on short notice.

"The training make precise marksmen," said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael S. Conrad, who has been qualified as a marksmen since 2005 and is serving as an instructor. "Hopefully we not will have to use the (marksmen), but I know that the right people are in place..." (Editor's note: An earlier version dropped the word "not" from the previous quote. Thank you to all the sharp eyes who pointed this out. My apologies - Bill Enfield.)

From Stan Oklobdzija:

A homeless man was arrested today on charges he set fire to a portion of Effie Yeaw Nature Center this afternoon, Sacramento Metro Fire officials said.

Kristopher Kent Cromwell was taken to Sacramento County Main Jail around 2:15 p.m. after he admitted to arson investigators that he intentionally lit a cigar filter and threw it into dry grass at the Carmichael park, said Capt. Christian Pebbles, Metro Fire spokesman.

Metro Fire teams put down the fire, Pebbles said in a press release.

Cromwell, who is a validated Juggalo gang member, was initially detained by Sacramento County Park rangers, Pebbles said.

From Kim Minugh:

A pest control worker died today in what authorities called a "freak accident" in Curtis Park.

The man, whose name has not been released, was under a house on the 2800 block of 27th Street when the porch collapsed above him, said Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Capt. Jim Doucette.

Doucette estimated a 6-foot by 6-foot concrete slab crushed the man.

The accident occurred just before 1:30 p.m. Firefighters were on scene four minutes after receiving the call but weren't able to extract the man until almost 2 p.m., Doucette said.

The man was accompanied by one or two coworkers at the time of the accident, Doucette said.

Doucette said it was not immediately clear what caused the porch to collapse, but noted that the home was relatively old, probably built in the 1920s.

From Bill Lindelof:

A judge today sentenced Wayne Albert Caskey to 50 years to life in prison for the shooting death of a man in a south Sacramento electronics shop three years ago.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny imposed the term after last year's conviction of Caskey, 46, in the June 11, 2006, slaying of Gary P. Brooks.

A separate jury that heard the case against a second defendant in the case, Bennett Louis Kovac, failed to reach a verdict and Kenny declared a mistrial. Kovac, 45, is awaiting a retrial.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Plumas County woman who was hit by lightning on June 4 has died.

The woman, Maryann Heald, 70, after being struck was flown by helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she died Thursday.

A Plumas County sheriff's spokesman said the lightning that knocked the woman down at her home near Portola "burned off" all the fabric of her umbrella she had been holding.

From Bill Lindelof:

Homicide investigators are at an El Dorado Hills home where a woman's body has been found by sheriff's deputies.

The body of a woman in her 40s has been found at a residence in the 200 block of Tatinger Court where, said Capt. Craig Therkildsen of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.

The woman did not show up for work in El Dorado Hills on Friday, which caused co-workers to worry about her well being. The co-workers went to the home over the weekend and knocked on the door but got no response.

When the woman was not at work again today, deputies went to the home, and once inside they found the body of a woman that deputies said matched the general description of the missing person, who was in her 40s.

Therkildsen said he did not know circumstances of the woman's death.

From Bill Lindelof:

A team of Roseville Police Department Explorers took first place overall in a big competition even though they were one of the smallest groups taking part.

The five members of the department's Explorer Scout Post was the second-smallest group among 23 teams from California and Arizona that competed in the Kern County Memorial Explorer Competition last month.

The team brought home trophies and top honors based on cumulative points. The team (left) was composed of Danny Timoney, Ricky Hinds, Cameron Bal, Brandon Simmons and Jason Simmons.

The teens competed in agility events and were rated on their performance in simulated law enforcement situations, such as traffic stops, suspicious person calls, and stolen vehicle calls.

Roseville's Explorer Post is a volunteer organization of young people from ages 14 to 20 who are interested in law enforcement careers.

The Explorers receive training in law enforcement and ride along with officers to observe them on the job. For more information about the explorer program, visit the city's Web site http://www.roseville.ca.us/police.

From Kim Minugh:

Watch your paint jobs, people. There's a serial egger on the loose.

For three consecutive nights, Sacramento police have received reports of cars being egged and tires slashed in a Natomas neighborhood, said Sgt. Norm Leong.

The incidents have stretched over Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in the area of Sparrow Drive, Poppy Hill Way and Screech Owl Way. All told, the vandals slashed tires on about eight cars and egged at least 10, Leong said.

Police believe the vandalism likely can be attributed to the same group of people.

Officers were assigned to patrol the area Sunday, but the problem persisted. Police obtained some potential leads but no arrests have been made, according to police report.

By Kim Minugh, Bill Lindelof and Gina Kim:

Sacramento County coroner's officials have completed an autopsy on a 14-year-old boy who collapsed and died just after midnight Sunday, but the cause of his death remains unclear.

The official cause will not be known until after test results return, the coroner's office said.

Earlier today, Elk Grove police spokesman Officer Chris Trim confirmed that Ronald Tre Kenoly suffered from asthma, and that the coroner's office was aware of the ailment.

Kenoly was found lying on a front lawn in the 8600 block of Heritage Hill Drive just after midnight Sunday. He had been walking home from a party, according to police.

He was transported to Methodist Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:09 a.m., the coroner's office reported.

Witnesses said the teen was confronted by two people just before he collapsed. Without the results of the autopsy, police are not sure whether that played a role in the teen's death.

Trim said there were no obvious signs of trauma.

"We don't know if it's a criminal thing or a medical thing," Trim said. "So we're still figuring that out."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Elk Grove Police Department, (916) 714-5115.

From Bill Lindelof:

Auburn police are warning residents that two scam artists have gone door-to-door falsely collecting money for the Sacramento State marching band.

The scam occurred last week when two men knocked on doors and said they were collecting money to finance a band trip to London.

At least two people donated, giving $35 and $110 for the phony trip, said Auburn police Capt. John Ruffcorn.

The suspects, one white and one Hispanic, are in their 20s, police said.

Ruffcorn said California State University, Sacramento, has no current fundraising for its marching band.

Auburn police say residents should ask solicitors for valid identification and, while the solicitor waits, call and verify that the fundraising is legitimate.

Relative to the marching band scam, Ruffcorn asks residents to call (530) 823-4237 if they are approached by solicitors.

From Hudson Sangree:

West Sacramento Police are investigating a possible murder Saturday in the 400 block of Maple Street.

At about 4:20 p.m., officers responded to a call of a 44-year-old woman found in her bed with a head wound, police said in a statement released today.

A preliminary investigation showed the possible cause of death was a blow to the head with an unknown object, they said.

No arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, the statement said.

The victim's name has not been released, pending notification of her family.

By Ryan Lillis

Three people have been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a 23-year-old man found earlier this week in a midtown Sacramento home.

The victim, James Arthur, had been dead for a week before his body was found in his mother's home on the 600 block of 22nd Street, Sacramento police said.

Jeremy Ackerman, 20, Johnathan Baker, 21, and 20-year-old Nadine Klein were arrested in connection with the suspected homicide, according to police.

Arthur was found on Wednesday by a neighbor, police said. Arthur's mother was out of the country and had asked the neighbor to check on her son.

Sacramento police said the three suspects - acquaintances of the victim - had gone to the home on June 3 to rob Arthur.

Ackerman and Klein were arrested Friday afternoon and Baker was taken into custody just after midnight Saturday, according to police.

From Kim Minugh:

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the victim in Wednesday's midtown homicide as 23-year-old James Douglas Arthur.

Arthur was found dead about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday by a neighbor who entered a house on the 600 block of 22nd Street to check on the homeowner's son, according to Sacramento police. The homeowner, who was out of the country, had not heard from her son and asked the neighbor to use a spare key to look in on him.

Initially, authorities were not clear whether the dead man was the homeowner's son, but Sacramento police Officer Laura Peck confirmed that relationship Friday.

Police said the victim suffered trauma to the upper body and detectives are investigating the death as a homicide.

From Chelsea Phua

Sacramento County Sheriff's child abuse detectives have arrested a 57-year-old man for allegedly molesting a young family member who stayed with him and his wife during the summer of 2008.

According to a news release, Lorenzo Jimenez Sr. (see photo), who has been a registered sex offender in the county for the past 30 years, was arrested Thursday on felony charges of sexual acts with a child 10 years old or younger and engaging in 3 or more acts of substantial sexual conduct with a child under age 14. He is being held in lieu of a $1 million bail and scheduled for arraignment on Monday.

The victim told her mother in April about the alleged molestation, authorities said. Detectives said they do not believe more children have been molested by Jimenez Sr., but they are interested in finding other estranged family members to interview.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Darin Pometta at 916-874-5203 or 916-874-5191.

From Chelsea Phua:

Placer County Sheriff's officials are searching for a 50-year-old San Jose man who was reported missing in the Hell Hole Reservoir area this morning.

According to a news release, Peter Flores was last seen at 9 p.m. yesterday when his boat capsized. Flores' son and a friend stayed with the boat while Flores attempted to swim to shore. Authorities said it's not clear if Flores was wearing a flotation device.

The sheriff's dive team is searching the frigid waters and search and rescue teams are searching the rugged shoreline, the release states.

The Flores family was camping at Hell Hole, a remote reservoir about 65 miles east of Auburn, the release states.

Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a robber who wore a distinctive hooded sweatshirt when he struck a liquor-deli store.

The department released surveillance photos (see below). A news release gave this chain of events:

At 10:12 p.m., June 2, the robber entered the Lichines Liquor and Deli,

7107 South Land Park Drive, waving a gun and demanding money. He took cash and merchandise.

Witnesses said he fled in an older purple minivan driven by an unknown individual. The robber is described as a Hispanic male adult, unknown age, 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing 160 pounds.

He was wearing a distinctive torn, grey hooded sweatshirt with a black scarf covering his face, dark jeans and black shoes with white trim. He was armed with a handgun.

If you have information, call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Andy Furillo:

A long-time drug offender with a 15-year criminal history in Sacramento pleaded no contest today to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of a south area man last year.

Gabriel Pete Chavez, 33, is expected to get a 13-year term for the death of Dinesh Kumar Singh, 31. Sentencing is scheduled for July 10 in Sacramento Superior Court.

Deputy District Attorney Scott Triplett said Chavez and Singh fought with each other during the Aug. 9 a gathering of methamphetamine users in a garage on Glendora Court. Triplett said prosecutors reduced the charge from murder because the witnesses were "suspect."

"These are the tough ones," Triplett said. "It comes down to what you can prove."

Defense lawyer Michael Bowman said there was evidence in the case that the victim produced a knife and "had a propensity to use violence." Court records showed that Singh had one drug and three driving under the influence convictions - all misdemeanors - dating back to 1966.

Chavez had been to prison once on a drug conviction and had seven other convictions dating back to 1994 for offenses such as drugs, assault, driving under the influence, battery and resisting arrest.

From Kim Minugh:

Editor's note: Notebook is an occasional series on slices of life found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

Meet the Sacramento Police Deparment's new celebrity duo: Officer John Azevedo and his four-legged partner, Blitz.

The K9 team is featured in a series of Eukanuba dog food ads hitting magazines this month, including Food & Wine, Runner's World and Field and Stream.

Above a photo of smiling Azevedo and a very obsessed-looking Blitz - perhaps there's a bowl of Eukanuba behind the camera - is the text "Protecting Blitz isn't a luxury. It's a duty. That's why we feed him Eukanuba." In another version of the ad, the text reads "Strong defenses keep Blitz ready to roll. That's why we trust only Eukanuba."

The ads coincide with a 3-and-a-half minute commercial that can be seen on You Tube featuring Blitz at home with Azevedo's family and on the streets with the 8-year veteran cop (to see the clip, click here). In that clip, Azevedo talks about Blitz's need for a healthy, high-calorie food like Eukanuba, as well as the dog's "very finicky digestive system" (ew).

Then he gushes - and he's not usually one to gush - that the 5-year-old German shepherd "means the world to me."

"He's more than a partner. He's a friend, he's a companion, he's a family member," Azevedo says in the commercial. "He keeps me safe on the street."

But the K9 duo isn't selling out, said Sgt. Steve Oliveira, who leads the K9 unit. The department received no money for being a part of the Eukanuba campaign - department management OK'd Azevedo's participation on those terms, Oliveira said.

Instead, the department benefits from a positive portrayal of its K9 unit, Oliveira said. Oh yeah, and they got a couple coupons for dog food out of it, courtesy of Eukanuba.

Already, Oliveira is fielding supportive phone calls about the ads.

"It's a good PR piece for us," he said.

The partnership began when Oliveira approached Eukanuba about being a sponsor of a Western States Police Canine Association competition hosted by SPD in 2008. The pet food company then invited some of the department's K9 teams to perform demonstrations at a dog show in Long Beach, and later, to be a part of their campaign.

Oliveira saw an opportunity to promote Azevedo and Blitz, who were named the top law enforcement K9 team in the West after 10 competitions last year.

The duo, who have been working together two years, won honors as "top competitors" in 2007 after besting other teams in agility, obedience, search and protection. They earned that title again in 2008, as well as best overall team.

Oliveira said Eukanuba sent a film crew from New York - complete with a makeup artist - to Azevedo's home for a three-day shoot. They even returned after not getting all the footage they wanted, Oliveira said.

Much to his chagrin, Azevedo had to take down Christmas decorations for the "season-neutral" shoot, Oliveira said.

"(The crew) scratched up his lineoleum floor," Oliveira said. Ribbing Azevedo, he added: "He never stopped talking about that."

And, in case you're wondering, no false advertising here: Azevedo really does feed Blitz Eukanuba. Most of the K9 unit uses that brand as well, Oliveira said.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

The California Highway Patrol is looking for help in finding a driver who fled the scene after hitting a 15-year-old out riding his bike.

About 7 p.m. Tuesday, the 15-year-old was riding his bike near Walerga and Elverta roads when he was struck by an older model Pontiac Grand Am in a parking lot, the CHP said. After the collision, the driver took off southbound on Walerga Road.

The 15-year-old was treated for a fractured leg and is expected to recover, the CHP said.

A witness described a partial plate of the car as 6FXH0?? or 6FXK??0, according to the CHP. The driver is described as a Latino male is his late 20s with short black hair, the CHP said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP at (916) 338-6710.

Editor's note: Notebook is an occasional series on slices of life found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

Bee Staff

Resisting arrest is virtually always a losing proposition but apparently two Sacramento men were either unaware of the odds or decided to defy them, according to crime reports released this week by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

On June 6 at a residence in the 2500 block of Gunn Road, a 5-foot-7-inch, 260-pound man, who also was "heavily intoxicated," threatened fire/medical personnel who were trying treat him after his sister hit him in the head. Deputies were called and he tried the same attitude, but this time was met with a shot from a stun gun, which didn't stop him.

He ended up in a struggle with a deputy until a second stun-gun shot convinced him to give up and go to jail.

On June 6 at a motel room in the 4600 block of Watt Avenue, deputies called to check on the welfare of a man in a room were met with violence by the 29-year-old occupant of the room. The man first threw a chair at deputies and missed and then flung the TV remote at the officers. He followed with kicks and punches, but deputies finally got him into handcuffs and a ride downtown.

From Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento police detectives are asking the public's help to solve the cold-case murder of a 19-year-old Redding girl whose body was found in 1983 and remained unidentified for more than two decades until recent DNA results determined who she was.

According to a news release, Elizabeth Nichols died from being physically assaulted and her body was spotted by a passer-by in a drainage canal near Interstate 5 and Del Paso Road on March 4, 1983.

Nichols' mother, Alice Nichols, said her daughter went missing on Feb. 19, 1983.

Authorities said she walked away from a mental hospital in Shasta County.

Alice Nichols said Los Angeles police detectives contacted her two years ago to obtain DNA samples from her because they believed a body they found there might have been her daughter's. The DNA didn't match Elizabeth Nichols but the samples were entered into a DNA database used by law enforcement.

The DNA did match the body of a woman found in Sacramento.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Alert at 916-443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). When texting, enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Chelsea Phua and Stan Oklobdzija:

Authorities have yet to identify a man whose body was found in a Midtown Sacramento house on Wednesday evening.

Sacramento police are investigating the homicide and detailed this sequence of events:

The owner of the home in the 600 block of 22nd Street, who was out of the country, called a neighbor to check on her son, with whom she hadn't been in contact for a few days. The neighbor, who had a key to the home, found the man, described as in his 20s or 30s, dead. The neighbor contacted police about 5:20 p.m.

Lt. Jim Hendrickson couldn't say how the man was killed but said there was obvious trauma to the body, which had been in the house for several days.

Spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said Thursday morning it's not clear if the victim was the owner's son and coroner's officials said they have not yet determined the victim's identity.

From Kim Minugh:

Eight people are in custody in connection with a 2008 Halloween party shooting that left a 24-year-old man dead and four of his friends wounded, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Seven of eight suspects were booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail and juvenile hall throughout the day Wednesday, each on one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder, according to authorities. The suspects are: Corey Andre Carmicle, 22; Charles Ferrell, 21; Willie Cavil Harris IV, 19; Willie Earl Toliver, Jr., 22; two 18-year-old men who were 17 at the time of the crime, and a 16-year-old boy who was 15 at the time.

The Bee is not naming those three suspects because they were juveniles at the time of the shooting.

In addition to the murder and attempted murder charges, the suspects also face enhancements for allegedly committing the shooting with a handgun and on behalf of the Monk Mob street gang, of which the suspects are members, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

The eighth suspect, 23-year-old Leighni Nikkol Hadl, faces one felony count of conspiracy, according to detectives. They describe her as an "associate" of the Monk Mob gang and say she helped some of the suspects flee the party. She also helped them cover up evidence of the crime, according to detectives.

The charges stem from a Nov. 1 shooting at the Rogue River home of 24-year-old Patrick Razaghzadeh, who was hosting a Halloween party. Detectives say gang members crashed the party and then sprayed bullets into a backyard crowd after an argument broke out about their behavior at the party.

Razaghzadeh was killed and four of his friends hurt. None of the victims were gang members, according to authorities.

Sheriff's homicide detectives told The Bee earlier this year that they believed the assailants to be members of two small but violent gang subsets known as Monk Mob and TNA. The two groups are part of the North Highlands Gangster Crips organization and are relatively interchangeable in terms of membership, according to detectives.

They attributed at least four homicides in a year and a half to the two groups, including one in the city of Sacramento. Members of the subsets also committed a dozen or more shootings and more than 70 robberies in 2008 alone, detectives said.

After this week's arrests, suspects are outstanding in just one of the homicides: The Dec. 9, 2007 fatal shooting of Manuel Castillo near American River College.

Three of the homicides attributed to the gangs - the three in the sheriff's jurisdiction - had similar characteristics. But the Rogue River homicide particularly concerned detectives because they saw it as a marked escalation in the gangs' violence: None of the victims were gang members, and the assailants had traveled far out of their North Highlands territory to commit their crime.

Detectives said more arrests might be made in the Rogue River case, but declined to elaborate.

The Dakota County Sheriff's office in Minnesota is seeking the true identity of this suspect, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

The suspect (left photo), known as Keng Nera, was arrested and gave information that leads detectives to believe he is possibly a suspect in a serious crime in Sacramento that occurred a few years ago, authorities said.

Nera was arrested for a felony assault case in Minnesota, but further investigation led investigators to determine he used a fictitious name. The suspect's prints did not match anyone's in the system, and he did not provide any other information that would lead to his true identity, officials said.

The suspect is described as age 30, possibly Laotian, 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds. He has a "TRG" tattoo on his right wrist and across his upper back and an "EBK" tattoo on his right forearm, according to authorities.

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

From Jon Ortiz, Bee Capitol Bureau:

A high-ranking state prisons official has been charged with driving under the influence while in a state vehicle, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed on Wednesday.

The California Highway Patrol arrested Corrections Undersecretary Scott Michael Kernan (left photo) around 8:10 p.m. on Sunday as he was driving on Jackson Highway near Rancho Murietta toward his home in south Sacramento County.

A CHP official did not return a call Wednesday for details, including Kernan's blood alcohol level at the time of the arrest.

Corrections spokesman Seth Unger said that Kernan was driving a state vehicle when he was stopped.

Kernan is on personal leave from the $157,405-a-year job and is scheduled for arraignment at the Sacramento County courthouse on July 16.

"The department will evaluate the circumstances and defer to department policy on possible disciplinary actions," Unger said.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police arrested four suspects today in connection with the 2004 slaying of 37-year-old Clayton Skinner.

Skinner died July 3, 2004, after suffering blunt force trauma during an attempted robbery in his South Natomas home, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

The initial investigation did not yield any arrests. But detectives taking a second look at the case this year gathered enough evidence for four arrests, Leong said.

Arrested in connection with Skinner's killing were: Taje Holliman (left photo), 18, and his 19-year-old brother, Teran Holliman (second from left photo); Robert Hammons (second from right photo), 23; and Christina Martinez (right photo), 24, according to Leong.

The three male suspects robbed Skinner a week before his death, Leong said. The victim apparently knew at least some of his assailants through acquaintances.

Officers arrested Hammons at his North Sacramento home. Martinez already was in custody in Sacramento, and Taje Holliman was in custody in Utah. U.S. Marshals took Teran Hollman into custody in Utah. Each faces charges of murder, robbery, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, Leong said.

From Kim Minugh:

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified a couple who died after a head-on collision in Rancho Cordova on Saturday.

They are 83-year-old Thomas Thurlow and 82-year-old Winifred Thurlow, according to the Coroner's Office. The couple resided in Elk Grove.

The California Highway Patrol reported that a mechanical failure might have caused a 17-year-old driver traveling northbound on South Watt Avenue to veer into a Honda Civic traveling the opposite direction. Neither drugs nor alcohol were suspected factors in the collision, the CHP said.

Winifred Thurlow was pronounced dead at the UC Davis Medical Center. Her husband died during surgery.

The 17-year-old driver was treated for a broken arm and leg, the CHP reported.

From Sarah Frier:

The family of a Sacramento County hit-and-run victim is offering $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver.

Christian Reinheimer, 38, is recovering from injuries after he was struck while bicycling at the intersection of Arden Way and Mendota Way on May 28, around 6 p.m.

He told authorities the driver was a light-skinned gray-haired woman in her 50s. Her car was described as silver or light-colored mini-van that should have right front hood damage and a broken windshield.

Call the California Highway Patrol with any information: (916) 338-6710.

From Bill Lindelof:

A highway chase that began in Elk Grove ended 90 minutes later in Sacramento when the driver was taken into custody.

The incident began about 6 a.m., when police received a call about a despondent person threatening his life. Officers made contact with the man near Bruceville and Calvine roads. When officers tried to speak with him, he took off and a pursuit began.

Elk Grove police chased the driver northbound on Highway 99. However, for the concern of other motorists, police dropped back and relayed information about the driver to the California Highway Patrol.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies eventually located the driver, who again refused to stop. The driver, headed downtown, spoke by cellphone to fire department dispatchers, who relayed information to the CHP.

"All our concern was to see if we could contact him wherever he was going to stop and end it there," said CHP spokesman Officer Jason Gonzales. "But of course, when confronted by the officers, he didn't want to stop."

The pursuit ended near Bercut Drive and Richards Boulevard. At 7:27 a.m. officers took the man into custody after evacuating some of the area.

Sacramento Police Capt. Daniel Hahn shares updated Natomas crime news with residents via Robslist, a listserv about crime in that area:

Natomas has a significant number of vehicle burglaries. In May there were 72 vehicle burglaries reported. 43 in N. Natomas, 22 in S. Natomas and 7 in Northgate/Gardenland.

• Most of the burglaries occurred during the night time hours (or early morning hours)

• Most involved broken windows (remember a lot of alarms don't go off unless you open the door)

• Most involved property left in the open in the car so the burglar can see it.

• Several tool boxes, bags, GPS device on window etc.

Things to remember for prevention:

• Park in garage if possible

• don't leave items in plain sight (even if it isn't valuable - criminals don't know there isn't anything valuable inside your gym bag.

• Park in well lighted areas

• Look out for your neighbors and suspicious activity in your neighborhood.

• Most of these burglars are probably driving or walking in our neighborhoods late at night. They are looking through our car windows to see if there is anything valuable (i.e., suitcase, briefcase, GPS, Bag, laptop, cell phone etc.).

• This means if you see people walking around in your neighborhood late at night and taking a close look at our cars - call the police.

Click here to view a map of where the vehicle burglaries have occurred.

A 72-year-old man who was reported missing from his Arden Arcade assisted living facility has been found and returned to his care facility in good health, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department reports.

Deputies believe Earl Simeona walked away from the Park Sacramento Assisted Living Center, 1922 Morse Ave., Monday morning.

Bee Staff

Officers from the Citrus Heights Police, Sacramento Police and the El Dorado County Sheriff's departments will don aprons as "celebrity" waiters in separate events this month to benefit the Special Olympics of Northern California, according to news releases.

The "Tip-A-Cop" events will be:

-Wednesday for the lunch and dinner shifts at Applebee's Restaurant in Cameron Park, 3281 Coach Lane.

-Wedesday from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Applebee's Restaurant in Natomas at 3601 Truxel Road.

-June 23 from 2 to 9 p.m. at the Elephant Bar Restaurant, 6063 Sunrise Mall.

Tip-A-Cop is part of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) campaign. LETR, which includes an international series of relay runs and special events like Tip-A-Cop, is presented by more than 85,000 law enforcement officers worldwide to help raise money and public awareness for Special Olympics, the releases state.

From Bill Lindelof

A Canadian truck driver faces up to a year in Placer County jail after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of manslaughter without gross negligence.

Lakhwinder Sidhu of Ontario, Canada, entered his plea in the death of Miguel Ramos, 42, of Bakersfield, who died April 11, 2008 on eastbound Interstate 80 near the Newcastle exit. Ramos had pulled off the roadway because of vehicle trouble when Sidhu's big rig drifted to the shoulder and struck him.

Sidhu faces a sentence that could range from probation to one year in jail. He is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 6, according to a district attorney's office press release.

From Bill Lindelof

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department will resume searching today for an experienced hiker who apparently is lost in the Sierra.

A search for Matthew Kinney, 26, of Placerville, began Saturday morning when searchers on foot began looking for him. The night before, the sheriff's department got word that Kinney was overdue from a hike that would have taken him from Loon Lake to Horsetail Falls near Twin Bridges.

"He is an experienced back-country individual," said Lt. Bryan Golmitz, spokesman for the department. "He had supplies and equipment that would sustain him out there. I'm not sure if he had the food supplies to sustain him this amount of time."

Since he was reported missing, search teams have hiked mountain trails and aircraft from the California Highway Patrol have assisted from the air. A big effort to find Kinney again today is planned, Golmitz said.

From Christine Vovakes:

A 58-year-old man who threatened to commit suicide was fatally shot by officers after he aimed his shotgun at them Saturday evening, a Chico Police Department spokesman said.

Stephen Michael Bell of Chico called 911 about 6:10 p.m. and told the dispatcher that he was going to shoot himself, Chico Police Sgt. Rob Merrifield said.

When Bell emerged from his apartment, he had a double-barreled shotgun in a low position, which he refused to drop at officers' commands.

An officer fired a beanbag shotgun at Bell, who then raised his gun and pointed it at several officers, according to Merrifield.

Five officers fired their weapons at Bell, striking him in the torso, Merrifield said. Bell died at Enloe Medical Center in Chico.

Bell had cared for his wife during a long illness. She died of cancer two years ago, and last year Bell suffered serious burns, Merrifield said.

According to a Chico Police Department news release, the officers involved - Lea Barrett, Dale Prosise, Greg Rogers and Joel Schmid, and Sgt. Ted McKinnon - are on administrative leave. The shooting is under investigation.

From Kim Minugh

A 35-year-old Canadian man has pleaded no contest to a charge in connection with an April 11, 2008 collision that killed a man on Interstate 80, according to authorities.

Lakhwinder Sidhu, of Ontario, Canada, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of manslaughter without gross negligence, according to a news release issued by the Placer County District Attorney's office.

Sidhu faces probation to one year in jail, the release states. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 6.

Sidhu's big rig drifted to the shoulder of eastbound Interstate 80, near the Newcastle exit, and fatally struck 42-year-old Miguel Ramos, according to the release. Ramos, of Bakersfield, had pulled off the freeway because he was having car trouble.

From Andy Furillo

A Sacramento jury today convicted two men of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a homeless man last year on the American River bike trail near the 16th Street bridge.

The verdicts were returned against J. Douglas Halford, 66, and Mark Ray Hernandez, 44, in the death of Michael Lawrence Wentworth, 47, a popular denizen in the homeless community who went by the nickname of "Gremlin."

Halford and Hernandez had been staying at the home of Basler Street resident Danny Hughes and defending him against a man who had been threatening him. When another man made threats outside Hughes' house, Halford and Hernandez followed him up the levee. Then they wound up in the fight that left Wentworth dead on April 30, 2008.

Superior Court Judge Marjorie Koller scheduled the sentencing date on the two defendants for July 10.

From Andy Furillo

A judge today sentenced a former Hewlett Packard network engineer to prison for 40 years to life for the shooting death of his girlfriend in his Antelope home.

Matthew James Degroff, now 39, sat impassively at the defense table while Sacramento Superior Court Judge David I. Brown imposed the term for the Jan. 11, 2007, second-degree murder of Renee Denise Rose, 39.

In a letter to the court, one of Rose's daughters said she had visited her mother and Degroff barely 10 minutes before the shooting and that everything seemed calm.

Rebecca Porter said in the letter that Degroff "turned out to be a man who would hug her son goodbye, and then shoot her 10 minutes later."

A jury convicted Degroff, a former Marine, on May 7. He claimed that it was a case of self defense, that Rose, who had methamphetamine in her system at the time of her death, had come at him with a knife.

Deputy District Attorney Alan R. Van Stralen strongly disputed the self-defense theory at trial and repeated in a brief interview today that "it definitely was not a case of self defense."

"The jury clearly didn't buy that," Van Stralen said.

Editor's note: Notebook is an occasional series on slices of life found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

From Bill Lindelof

Daily activity logs indicate that Sacramento police were kept busy since Friday and over the weekend with a variety of stops, accidents and arrests. A sampling of activity:

Friday, Ninth and P streets -- A Vespa driver was thrown several feet when her scooter was hit by a pickup. The scooter was pinned under the Toyota Tundra truck.

The Vespa rider was reported in critical but stable condition.

-- Saturday, Ahambra Boulevard near H Streets --Two teens were at a Del Taco fastfood restaurant in the early morning hours when they were approached and asked for money. Both said they spent all their money on food.

A couple of hours later, as they walked on Alhambra Boulevard, a car pulled up and two men jumped out, one of them the earlier panhandler. The men demanded they give them everything of value and then pushed the teens to the ground.

The suspects left with "items from the victims" and the teens suffered minor injuires.

-- Friday, Center Parkway and Cosumnes River Boulevard -- Two officers stopped a driver for playing music too loud and having false registration tags. The officers grew suspicious because the 24-year-old driver was very nervous - and he had a digital scale on his lap.

During a search of the vehicle, officers found pills, "cocaine base" and marijuana.

-- Saturday, Dixieanne Avenue and Empress Street -- Two officers trying to speak with teens had to give chase on foot. One officer tackled one teen who was found with a loaded 9mm handgun and cocaine. The officers caught the second teen.

-- Saturday, 600 block of Plaza Avenue --Two officers conducting a welfare check in North Sacramento found a 53-year-old man armed with a metal pole. He resisted arrest and tried to grab one officer's handgun.

Officers eventually were able to take him into custody for trying to disarm an officer.

-- Saturday, Truxel Road and Waterwheel Drive -- Officer arrested a suspect after a traffic stop. The suspect had 28 small bags of marijuana and a scale.

From Cathy Locke

A search of the Putah Creek Road area west of Interstate 505 yielded no sign of a missing Winters woman.

The Winters Police Department called in outside agencies to assist in the search for Leticia Barrales Ramos, who disappeared in April and is presumed dead. Her husband, Felipe Cruz Hernandez, was arrested as a suspect in the case more than a week ago.

The department received information that Hernandez was seen at Putah Creek Road next to Putah Creek the day after Ramos disappeared.

Six cadaver dogs and their handlers were involved in the search Friday, which took approximately four hours, according to a police department news release.

The department's dispatch center said they were not aware of any new searches today.

Anyone with information that could help locate Ramos is asked to call the Winters Police Department at (530) 795-4561.

From Chelsea Phua

A 21-year-old man was arrested this week for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old El Dorado Hills girl, according to El Dorado County Sheriff's officials.

Kurt Gohagan (photo) was employed as a counselor at a teen center in El Dorado Hills, where the girl often went after school, Sgt. Jim Byers said.

They met in November and investigators determined the relationship was ongoing for several months, Byers said.

The girl's parents, who have never met Gohagan, found out about the relationship from their daughter on June 2, and reported the matter to authorities the same day, Byers said.

Gohagan was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old. Byers said Gohagan has posted bail.

From Chelsea Phua

Talk about a domestic fight.

A Pollock Pines woman hit her husband with a broom, fly swatter, phone book, fork and frying pan - yes, a frying pan - according to an El Dorado County Sheriff's department report.

Janis Williams, 61, was arrested on a charge of inflicting corporal injury on her 66-year-old husband on May 28. She was released June 1, a department spokesman said.

The report said Williams struck her husband while intoxicated and he had visible injuries.

From Sarah Frier:

A former Kaiser plastic surgeon today pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual exploitation of patients.

Scott Takasugi, 56, will face up to three years and eight months in prison, will surrender his medical license and will have to register as a sexual offender for life, said Shelly Orio, Sacramento District Attorney's spokeswoman.

Takasugi was alleged to have unnecessarily touched and photographed women's genitalia when they sought his care for unrelated surgeries from 1996 to 2006.

Takasugi had practiced 14 years at a Kaiser Permanente's medical center on Morse Avenue, receiving more than 40 patient complaints.

The first charge relates to a woman who was scheduled for plastic surgery in March 2006. She was placed in a pre-operation room and given medication to relax her for the procedure, before Takasugi entered the room and allegedly sexually assaulted her, a District Attorney's office news release states.

The second charge relates to a patient in May 2006 who was asked to remove her underwear, the news release states. Takasugi then sexually assaulted her while taking pictures, the news release states.

Other sexual charges were brought against Takasugi but dropped.

"This is a case where a doctor used his trusted profession to sexually exploit his patients," Deputy District Attorney Keith Hill said. "With the defendant's medical license revoked and the requirement for him to register as a sex offender, he can never again use his position to victimize future patients."

As he was investigated in 2006 for sexual exploitation, police found weapons in his lavish ranch home in Carmichael, including a rocket launcher and machine guns. Weapons charges were dropped.

Takasugi is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9 in Department 21 of the Sacramento County Superior Court.

From Sarah Frier:

A Sacramento County Sheriff's sergeant will not face another trial for misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, Placer District Attorneys said.

Christopher Dayton Guerrero's first trial ended in a hung jury last month when a Placer County Superior Court jury couldn't agree on counts of DUI and DUI with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or higher, causing Judge Joseph O'Flaherty to declare a mistrial, a Placer County District Attorney's office news release states.

"Based on the jury's split and on the comments made to us by jurors after the trial, it appears unlikely that the outcome would be any different with another jury in a second trial," said Deputy District Attorney Kyle Jibson, who prosecuted the case.

In the morning on Oct. 4, 2007, Guerrero was stopped by a Roseville police officer on suspicion of DUI. The officer said Guerrero failed field sobriety test and blew a blood alcohol level of .16 percent.

The officer allowed Guerrero to get a ride home without arresting or citing him, the news release states.

Roseville police investigated the incident several days later, after a local TV station reported it, and the District Attorney's office filed DUI charges, the news release states.

Last month, the trial jury was split 8-4 in favor of a not guilty verdict for the DUI charge and 7-5 in favor of a not guilty verdict for DUI with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher.

"Some of the jurors felt that the officers who were in on the traffic stop should have written their reports immediately after the incident instead of having to rely on their memories several days later," Supervising Deputy District Attorney Ted Peterson said.

Bee Staff

Elk Grove detectives arrested a 20-year-old man after investigators said they found evidence of marijuana and LSD sales at a residence.

Michael Wayne Sickels was arrested on suspicion of drug violations after a search of a residence in the 9200 block of Trenholm Way, according to an Elk Grove Police Department crime summary.

The search also turned up a stole firearm, the summary states.

Editor's note: Notebook is an occasional series on slices of life found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

Bee Staff

From dog attacks to flying salsa bowls, men and women found ways in May to say "I don't love you anymore," according to crime reports from Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

The Sheriff's Department reported last month more than 60 domestic violence cases, most resulting in arrests, according to information released to the media. The number of cases does not appear unusual for a month.

Here is a sampling:

May 30, 3800 block of 43rd Avenue - Man, 40, arrested for whipping his girlfriend, 40, with a leather belt and slapping her in the face.

May 30, 7600 block of Southbreeze Drive - Man, 41, throws toy truck hitting woman, 31, and their 1-year-old male. He then straddles the on the floor and hits her "not less than 20 times."

May 29, 10700 block of Coloma Road - Former boyfriend, 29, of 28-year-old woman texts and phones woman late at night in violation of restraining order. He then goes to her residence. She flees. Man is arrested. He has violated restraining orders "multiple times' previously and has an active warrant against him for the prior violations.

May 28, 2600 block of Cottage Way - A 36-year-old male beats his hearing impaired girlfriend, 49, to the point she requires medical attention. He also breaks the videophone she uses to communicate. He is arrested when he shows up at the hospital.

May 28, 4400 block of Oakhollow Drive - A 22-year-old husband cuts his 20-year-old wife with a kitchen knife, opening a large wound on her wrist.

May 26, Bridge Street and Capitola Avenue - A 17-year-old wife becomes so enraged at her 19-year-old husband that she bites and scratches him on neck and arm. She is arrested and sent to juvenile hall.

May 25, 8100 block of Visalia Way - About 16 years of marriage and having five children together were not enough to stop a 45-year-old man from accusing his 37-year-old wife of cheating on him. He then beats her.

May 22, 7200 block of Carmi Street - A 20-year-old man attempts to strangle a 22-year-old woman, in front of their two children.

May 20, 9200 block of Palmerson Drive - A 62-year-old man becomes enraged that his 14-year-old grandson is taking "too long to get into car." He throws the boy into his van and strikes the boy's head. When his 59-year-old wife tries to intervene, the man grabs her wrist and breaks it.

May 9, 6300 block of Doncrest Lane - Man, 33, strikes 29-year-old girlfriend in head with bowl of salsa, causing "visible injury."

May 6, 5500 block of Knoll Drive - The 41-year-old boyfriend of a 23-year-old woman orders his dog to attack the woman, who suffers a bite on her ankle. He follows the attack by slamming her into a wall.

May 6, 4700 block of Hazel Way - A beer bottle and a perfume bottle are weapons of choice for a 31-year-old man to batter his 22-year-old girlfriend.

May 5, 4800 block of J Parkway - Husband, 24, orders wife, 20, to quit talking on cell phone as she holds their infant son. When she doesn't immediately comply, he knocks her onto a bed, causing her to drop son on carpeted floor. He then chokes her while son is still on the floor. Infant is uninjured.

May 5, 4100 block of Palm Avenue - A 19-year-old man doesn't like what he sees in his 18-year-old girlfriend's text messages. He knocks her into bathtub. She suffers minor injuries.

Bee Staff

A woman hid merchandise in a stroller carrying an infant and fled when confronted by store personnel, almost dumping the infant out in the parking lot, according to a Sacramento Sheriff's Department crime summary released this week.

The summary gives this chain of events:

A woman pushing a stroller entered a Ross Dress for Less in the 1200 block of Howe Avenue on May 28. The woman took merchandise from display racks and hid the items under the stroller.

The woman left the store without paying for the merchandise. When a loss prevention officer confronted the woman, she tried to flee across the parking lot while pushing the stroller.

As she fled, the "child began to slip out of the stroller." The woman then struck, scratched and bit the loss prevention officer until deputies arrived.

Booked into jail on suspicion of child endangerment, theft and probation violation was Felicia Harris, 38, according to the summary.

From Sarah Frier:

A 23-year-old woman died Thursday after a vehicle collision in Fair Oaks, authorities said.

The driver of the car in which she was riding is suspected to have been under the influence of marijuana, said Officer Lizz Dutton of the California Highway Patrol.

About 4:30 p.m., Marshall Staats, 30, made a left turn from San Juan Avenue onto Winding Way in front of a Ford F-250 truck, and his Honda was broadsided, Dutton said.

Right after the crash, Staats grabbed a backpack from his car and ran to put it in a nearby garbage can, Dutton said. Bags of marijuana were in the backpack, Dutton said.

Staats' girlfriend was pronounced dead after she was transferred to Mercy San Juan Medical Center. She was identified by Sacramento County coroner's officials as Ebony Lorraine Wash of Sacramento.

Staats was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the Ford complained of pain.

Staats was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, vehicular manslaughter, possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license, Dutton said.

From Sarah Frier:

A jury decided Tuesday to send a Woodland man to prison for life without parole after it found he committed two murders in 2001, according to a Yolo County District Attorney news release.

Faustino Romero, 30, was convicted in April of two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping for robbery, robbery, burglary, assault with a firearm, false imprisonment and spousal abuse, the news release states.

The jury found that on March 11, 2001, Romero and another man shot at four men who were outside a home on Sixth Street in Woodland, killing Javier Aguilar, the news release states. It was a shooting inspired by a gang fight the night before.

The next month, Romero was hired to kill Charles Smythe of Gridley, the news release states. The jury found that Romero drove Smythe to County Road 17 in Yolo County, then shot him and slit his throat, the news release states.

Romero will be sentenced July 15.

From Sarah Frier:

A grass fire consumed about 200 acres along Interstate 5 and Hood Franklin Road on Thursday afternoon, fire officials said.

No structures were damaged and no one was injured. It took 30 to 45 minutes for 12 engines from the Cosumnes Community Service District and helping agencies to get the fire under control by about 4:35 p.m., spokesman Steve Geissinger said.

Smoke slowed traffic on Interstate 5, he said.

Five small fires sprang up around the same time and firefighters were able to put out four of them quickly, Geissinger said.

The fifth grew to about 150 acres, burning from Interstate 5 to Franklin Boulevard, but didn't jump the street to the residential side, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Bee Staff

The California Highway Patrol said Thursday that its program to catch people who fail to register their vehicles in-state had its most successful year in 2008, bringing $1 million.

The CHP's "CHEATERS" (Californians Help Eliminate All The Evasive Registration Scofflaws) program has helped return more than $4 million to the state since the program's inception five years ago, the CHP said in a news release.

"Every year, the state loses millions of dollars in revenue from California residents who unlawfully register their vehicles in other states or countries," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow

State law requires an owner to register their vehicle within 20 days of accepting employment or establishing residency in California. Failure to comply with the law will result in penalties.

Anyone who spots an out-of-state license plate can report it anonymously to the CHP's website (www.chp.ca.gov). The following information is needed:

-The state that issued the plate.

-License plate number.

-Date and time observed.

-Where it was observed.

-Make, model and color of vehicle.

-Any additional comments (decals, license plate frames, bumper stickers, for example).

Once the information is submitted, it is automatically fed into the "CHEATERS" database. If there is enough information to prove that the owner or driver of the vehicle is a California resident, a compliance letter will be sent requiring the owner to properly register their vehicle, the release states.

"These violators are in California using our services, but not paying their fair share of the costs," Farrow said.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police say that passers-by stopped a 25-year-old man suspected of sexually assaulting a two-year-old in a city park near Kenwood Street and Marconi Avenue.

Details are sketchy but police said that people on Wednesday afternoon passing by John Mackey Park, a triangle-shaped park between Arcade Boulevard and Kenwood Street in the Ben Ali neighborhood, saw a man sexually assaulting a child.

The citizens then confronted the man. Police arrived and arrested Eric Rashaad Brooks (left photo) on suspicion of two counts of felony sexual assault on a child.

Bail was set at $250,000.

From Barbara Barte Osborn:

TRUCKEE - A chiropractor with practices in Truckee and Loyalton was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of setting fire to the office and home she owned in Truckee.

Erinn Tamney Randall (photo), 38, is also being investigated in connection with a Monday fire that damaged a Loyalton building in which she had a medical office and living quarters.

Randall was rescued by neighbors from an upstairs bedroom window in the Loyalton building, on Main Street, shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, said Daniel Jacobs, a Sierra County Sheriff's dispatcher in Downieville.

The fire at Randall's home in Truckee occurred at about 7:30 a.m. Monday and the blaze at her downtown Truckee office, at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to a Truckee Police Department news release.

Police detectives who questioned Randall at the Truckee office fire arrested her for investigation of two counts of arson related to the two Truckee fires, Lt. Randy Fenn said in the release.

"Through investigation, detectives developed probable cause to arrest Dr. Randall for setting fire to her business on Donner Pass Road," Fenn said. "She was later charged with setting fire to her home on Laburnham (Circle) as well."

Randall was in custody Wednesday at the Nevada County jail in Nevada City pending arraignment. Her bail has been set at $1 million.

Each of the Truckee fires caused an estimated $10,000 in damage, a police spokeswoman said.

The Loyalton fire, extinguished by the city's volunteer fire department, caused "several thousands of dollars in damage," Sheriff Evans said in his release.

Evans said, "All three fires...appear to be related and a suspect has been arrested...This has been an involved investigation spread over several locations and jurisdictions."

From Bill Lindelof:

Shasta County Sheriff's deputies faced a potentially dangerous situation when they arrested two men for suspicion of growing marijuana, according to a press release.

When members of the Shasta County Marijuana Eradication team found 569 marijuana plants Wednesday on property in the "Small Farms" area, they also recovered assault rifles and a sawed-off shotgun. Deputies said there were also three pit bulls on the property.

Tanen Joe Munoz, 22, and Russell Andrew Judson, 21, were arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and being armed during the commission of a felony.

From Chelsea Phua:

Citrus Heights and Sacramento police have arrested four young men, including two juveniles, for being allegedly involved in at least one of a series of home invasion robberies in Citrus Heights, authorities said.

Police identified the suspects as Jordan Urban, 18, Kevin Deshields, 21, and a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, who are not being named because they are juveniles. The 17-year-old was arrested Tuesday in the 800 block of Claire Avenue in Sacramento. The rest are also from Sacramento.

Police said that between May 1 and May 13, five incidents of home invasion or armed robberies were reported in Citrus Heights. Police also said in all cases, the suspects were armed. Several firearms were recovered during the arrests. The 17-year-old is accused of committing a home invasion on May 13.

From Chelsea Phua and Bill Lindelof:

Four men have taken official steps to run for El Dorado County sheriff.

A former chief in the California Highway Patrol, an investigator for the El Dorado County District Attorney's office an investigator with the Amador County District Attorney's office, and a retired El Dorado sheriff sergeant are vying for the opportunity to run the 395-member department.

Stan Perez, former chief of the CHP's Valley Division, said he has resigned from the force to begin his campaign in anticipation of the 2010 election.

John D'Agostini, an Amador County sheriff sergeant before he joined the District Attorney's office in Amador County, said he plans to formally announce his candidacy June 13.

Bob Luca, an El Dorado County district attorney's office investigator who has three decades of experience in law enforcement, also has officially filed his intention to run.

Larry Hennick, who retired in 2006 from the El Dorado County Sheriff's department after 32 years of service, is running for the office a second time.

Hennick, 56, who lost to incumbent Jeff Neves in a closely-fought race in 2002, said he wants to bring back "resident posts," where deputies who live in outlaying areas patrol their own neighborhoods. It would reduce response time and also cut fuel costs for the department, Hennick said.

Also, deputies would have the personal contacts in their communities. "They're in tune with the area that they live in, they know the problems, they know the businesses," Hennick said.

Hennick also plans to work on a long-term rehabilitation program for misdemeanor offenders, who would do community services instead of jail time, he said. That way, jails are reserved for those with the most serious felony offenses, he said.

Hennick was one of the first members of the department's SWAT team when it was founded in 1977. He was voted by his peers as "Officer of the Year" in 1980, promoted to detective in 1981 and soon after, started the El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement team. As a sergeant in charge of courts services and extraditions in 1997, Hennick commanded 30 deputies under him.

Hennick said his roots in El Dorado County go back to his grandfather, who was born in the county in 1901.

Luca, 63, spent 30 years at the state Department of Justice where he was chief of the California Bureau of Investigation. He works as a criminal investigator in the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office.

Luca has lived in El Dorado County for 22 years. He began his DOJ career as an undercover narcotics agent. While attending college, he was a reserve deputy sheriff in Fresno County.

After retiring from DOJ he was global director of security for Eo Trade Financial.

"We need someone with broad-based experience in the public and private sectors who can lead the sheriff's office through tough fiscal times without compromising core services," Luca said.

D'Agostini, 43, is a fourth-generation El Dorado County resident whose grandfather was a county supervisor and whose father served on the board of the Pioneer Union School District. D'Agostini is a Pioneer School District trustee and is second in command for the Amador County Combined Narcotics Enforcement Unit.

D'Agostini graduated from the Sacramento County Sheriff's academy and in 1994 became an Amador County sheriff's deputy. He was promoted to sergeant in 2001 and was transferred to the district attorney's office in 2003.

Most of D'Agostini's experience is in investigating narcotic cases, but he also dealt with various cases including fraud, child abuse and homicide.

As sheriff, D'Agostini said he wants to emphasize community-oriented policing. Getting deputies more involved with the community is a more efficient way of policing, especially when budgets are tight and resources limited, he said.

"What I want to do is get back to the roots of true community service enforcement," D'Agostini said.

Perez, 52, a Sacramento native, served nine years active duty in the Air Force and 14 in the reserves, retiring as a chief master sergeant. For the past six years with the CHP he has commanded 19 stations and managed 1,100 employees and a $200 million budget.

He began his CHP career in 1983 and has had a varied law enforcement career: commander of the governor's protection detail; special adviser to Ukraine on converting military police to a state agency; CHP's state legislative liaison; and Valley Division chief.

For Perez, the fight against drugs and budgetary problems are the most pressing concerns in El Dorado County.

"There a growing concern about drugs and gangs passing through our community," Perez said Tuesday. "We don't want to let them take root here."

Current El Dorado County sheriff Jeff Neves is "leaving his options open right now," said a department spokesman, adding that Neves is focused on budget constraints and has not decided if he will run for another term overseeing a 395-employee department.

From Chelsea Phua:

A husband and wife have been arrested on charges that they sexually molested a child under the age of 14 in 2007, according to the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

The Lincoln couple, Obed Amaniadab Duran, 25, and Annie Michelle Duran, 21, are being held at the Placer County jail on $75,000 bail each and scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday afternoon, according to a news release from the DA's office.

Authorities allege that the couple molested the child on three separate occasions between August and December of 2007.

Placer county prosecutor Jeff Wood said the girl would occasionally stay with the Durans, who knew her family.

Obed Duran is charged with 12 counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor under the age of 14, a molestation count and a count of exhibiting pornographic material to a minor. Annie Duran is charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor under the age of 14.

From Hudson Sangree:

A man accused of killing his wife in the small town of Winters pleaded not guilty to murder charges Wednesday in Yolo Superior Court.

Felipe Cruz Hernandez, 39, is accused of killing Leticia Barrales Ramos, 28, at the apartment they shared with their 10-year-old daughter.

Ramos was last seen in public on April 12. Presumed dead, her body has not been found.

Investigators seized bloodstained items from the apartment late last week and arrested Hernandez, though they did not say how they believe Ramos was killed.

Hernandez was formally charged Monday, and the Yolo County Public Defender's was appointed to represent him.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 15.

From Bill Lindelof:

An El Dorado sheriff's spokesman said today that Kenneth John Lowry, suspected of raping and beating a woman and then shooting himself in the head, has died.

Deputies said they received a call at 6 a.m. Monday from a 43-year-old woman who reported she had been raped and beaten by a man she was dating. The woman said she escaped from the man's home on the 5000 block of Old Frenchtown Road in Shingle Springs.

Deputies transported her to Marshall Hospital in Placerville where her condition was described as moderate.

Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Bryan Golmitz said deputies searched the area near Old Frenchtown Road but were unable to locate the suspect.

Deputies and investigators stayed in the area, and at 3 p.m. a resident on Old Frenchtown Road called the sheriff's office to report that Lowry, 41, was at his house.

Golmitz said in an e-mail that when deputies walked toward the residence, Lowry shot himself in the head. Lowry was flown by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

From Bill Lindelof:

Roseville police have released a sketch of a suspect they believe ordered a man to drive across town at gunpoint before robbing him.

The robbery occurred April 25 when a 20-year-old man walked to his parked car on Gerry Way near Oak Ridge Drive in east Roseville. As he was unlocking his car door, a man (left) confronted him, got into the back seat and pointed a gun at the victim.

The victim drove to Circuit Drive near Weber Park, where the suspect took his wallet and walked away.

The suspect is described as Latino, in his 20s, 6 feet tall, 185 pounds, with a buzz-cut hair style.

Anyone with information is asked to call Roseville police at (916) 774-5070 or Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards for anonymous tips.

From Bill Lindelof:

A state appellate court has upheld a long sentence for a Lincoln man convicted of driving under the influence.

Jeffrey Charles Wren, 38, of Lincoln, had appealed a 27-year sentence for DUI after his conviction in 2008 by a Placer County jury.

A Placer County prosecutor, however, says that though the sentence is severe, it is proper. Wren has a long record of criminal offenses and DUI convictions. He was given the long prison stretch under the state's "three-strikes" felony sentencing guidelines.

"Based on his repeated criminal conduct, he posed a great danger to society with his drinking and driving," said Todd Kuhnen, Placer County deputy district attorney.

Wren argued that one of two previous strikes on his criminal record should not be counted and that the long prison sentence was unconstitutional because it represented cruel and unusual punishment for drunken driving.

But the Third District Court of Appeal stated in its opinion that Wren had three prior convictions for DUI, that he was out on bail when his last offense occurred and that he was convicted in 1991 on two felony counts of child molestation.

A news release from the Placer County District Attorney's Office recounted Wren's lengthy record, starting with a 1992 incident where he was found drunk in the restroom of a Folsom restaurant, a loaded gun in his pocket.

While that case was pending, he violated probation by fleeing the state. Wren then was apprehended in 1995 in Montana for DUI and received an eight-year prison sentence.

In 2000 he failed to register as a sex offender and in the next two years violated parole for alcohol-related reasons. He also was convicted of DUI in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

In 2006 he was arrested on a felony charge of possessing methamphetamine. He was free on bail when he was arrested by the California Highway Patrol near Lincoln for driving under the influence.

With three prior DUI convictions within 10 years, the new charge was a felony. Also, his prior strikes made him subject to the three-strikes law and a candidate for a 25-years-to-life prison sentence.

Appellate court judges noted that the trial court judge stated Wren had a lifestyle of "repeatedly engaging in behavior that only by the sheerest happenstance did not result in death or personal injury."

From Andy Furillo:

Two separate Sacramento Superior Court juries have returned first-degree murder convictions against two men in the shooting death of a 20-year-old man nearly two years ago in a Carmichael apartment.

One panel today convicted Ardaryll Ryan Weaver, 26, as the gunman in the Oct. 6, 2007, slaying of Craig Cagley in the Atherton Apartments on Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Last Thursday, another panel convicted Weaver's accomplice, Willie Lee Walker, 23. The two juries found that the murder took place during the commission of a burglary and robbery, which will subject the two defendants to life terms in prison with no chance of parole.

Weaver's sentencing has been scheduled June 24. No date has been set yet on Walker's sentencing.

From Chelsea Phua:

El Dorado County authorities are offering a $25,000 reward in hopes of solving a 23-year-old homicide case in which a 76-year-old man was killed when he went to check on a possible burglary at his son's home in Rescue.

According to a news release by the El Dorado County Sheriff's department, Haley Wing had gone to his son's residence just off Green Valley Road on June 2, 1986, and was fatally shot outside.

Investigators say they have received countless leads over the years, but none has led to the identification of the killer.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Rick Fitzgerald at (530) 642-4718 or Detective Rich Strasser at (530) 642-4712. Authorities say callers' information will be kept confidential.

From Bill Lindelof:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has offered a $50,000 reward in the 2007 killing of a Sacramento restaurant worker.

Sio Meng Lai (photo), who worked as a cook at the Tea Cup Cafe on 21st Street in midtown Sacramento, was returning home from work the night of Nov. 26, 2007, when he was killed.

Sacramento police said Lai, 48, was an honest, hard-working family man with no criminal history. Investigators said the motive for the killing remains unclear.

Under the governor's program, 249 rewards have been offered since 1967. Nineteen have been paid.

The reward process begins when the governor receives a request from law enforcement. The Lai reward was requested by Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel.

From The Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

Sonoma County's head of drunken driving and drug addiction programs has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Tom Newell, a supervisor in the Department of Health Services' drug and alcohol services division, was arrested Friday after authorities spotted him driving recklessly just west of Sebastopol.

The California Highway Patrol says they believe Newell was under the influence of a pain killer. Toxicology tests are still pending.

Newell says he's been taking prescription painkillers for chronic pain from five knee surgeries and a hip replacement. He says he wasn't feeling well at the time, which is why he was driving recklessly.

He's due in court on June 18.

From Kim Minugh:

Despite recent good news from the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding decreasing crime rates in Sacramento, city police officials say they are seeing an increase in sexual assaults so far this year.

In the first quarter of 2009, police have received nearly double the number of reported sexual assaults from the same period of 2008, said department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. Additionally, officials have noticed that many of the cases involve assaults by acquaintances of family members of the victim or people known to the victim, Leong said.

Though Leong acknowledged that those assaults are more difficult to prevent because the victims often trust and feel comfortable around their attackers, he said victims can take action to ensure a successful case. He encouraged victims to report the attack immediately, avoid showering prior to an examination and keep the clothes worn during the attack.

Excluding sexual assaults, Leong said crime statistics from the first quarter of 2009 are down compared to 2008 - when statistics showed an 8 percent decrease from the prior year, according to statistics released Monday by the FBI. Homicides in particular are down dramatically this year: there were just six by April 30, 2009 - the end of the first quarter - compared to 16 in the same period last year.

Leong attributed the overall decrease in crime to community cooperation, high staffing levels on patrol and the ability of lieutenants who are watch commanders to shift resources in response to crime trends.

Leong provided these general safety tips for deterring or avoiding sexual assaults by strangers:

- Avoid meeting anyone alone that you have never met or only know casually (i.e. online chat rooms, blind dates, etc.). If you do, make sure someone knows who and where you are meeting, and try to meet in a public place

- If you are out after hours or late at night, have someone you trust walk with you.

- Always watch a bartender mix your drink and don't accept open drinks from strangers.

- Don't go to parties where you don't know the host

- Don't accept rides from strangers

- If you feel uncomfortable with a situation, call someone you trust to pick you up.

- Stay in well-lit, public areas when out at night

- If you don't know a person, don't trust them

- Avoid being intoxicated to the point of not remembering or not being able to defend yourself

- Go out in a buddy system and have an agreement that you will stay together and leave together

- Beware of people you meet on the Internet. Internet conversations can lead to a false sense of knowing a person

Bee Staff

A woman known as the "gym bag bandit" has been sentenced to 6 years in prison, according to Jan Scully Sacramento County district attorney.

Angela Martinez, 34, had entered guilty pleas to several counts identity theft and fraud with a two-year enhancement for committing one of the crimes while out on bail, Scully said in a news release.

Martinez targeted 24 Hour Fitness customers, the release states.

Coined the "Gym Bag Bandit" by the Sacramento Police Department, Martinez used a stolen membership card to enter several 24 Hour Fitness centers throughout the county, the release states.

Scully said Martinez operated like this:

Once inside, she took bolt cutters from her gym bag, broke into lockers and stole personal items. She used the victims' identification and credit cards to commit further thefts.

Martinez was caught after a 24 Hour theft victim called one of the facilities to see if her stolen membership card had been used. The computer showed that the card had been scanned at that location minutes before her call.

The police were then able to locate and arrest Martinez.

Robert Martinez, who was the getaway driver for Angela Martinez, was previously convicted and sentenced to 32 months in state prison.

Deputy District Attorney Robert Clancey gave credit for the successful prosecution to "a multi-jurisdictional effort that will prevent citizens throughout the Sacramento region from becoming future victims."

Bee Staff

A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in prison for identity theft, according to Jan Scully, Sacramento County district attorney.

Carlos Bonilla also was ordered to pay at least $20,675 in restitution, according to a news release from Scully.

In April 2008, investigators from several agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service, Department found counterfeit checks and drivers' licenses, blank check paper, three laptop computers and U.S. mail belonging to numerous victims in a parole search of Bonilla's residence, the release states.

A forensic examination of the laptop hard drives revealed scanned images of drivers' licenses and checks, the release states.

Bonilla stole the identity of several victims to create counterfeit checks in their name and then used the checks to make fraudulent transactions at various locations, the release states.

Eight companies in Sacramento County were victimized, including Chase Bank, American Tires and the Old Navy clothing store chain.

From Bill Lindelof:

Stockton police characterized as "cold-blooded" the killing of two security officers, shot dead in their cars this morning.

"There is no doubt that it is incredibly cold-blooded," said Officer Pete Smith, a Stockton police spokesman.

The guards were found in separate vehicles at the Park Village Apartments on Alvarado Avenue by citizens who called police about 2 a.m. Both of the guards, who work for Ad Force Security, had multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene, police said.

The apartments are not far from El Dorado Street and Alpine Avenue.

So far, police have no motive. Smith said both guards were unarmed and sitting in their cars, which were parked side-by-side

Smith said investigators have found not signs of struggle.

From Bill Lindelof:

Truckee police are investigating two suspicious fires in as many days that might be related.

The first fire occurred about 7:30 a.m. Monday a single-family home in the 10000 block of Laburnham Circle. Truckee Fire District firefighters requested assistance from the police due to the suspicious nature of the fire, police said.

Later that afternoon, detectives and arson investigators from Cal Fire used a search warrant to seize from the home evidence that might help explain the fire's origin, police said. The items were taken to the state Department of Justice lab for forensic examination.

About 8 a.m. today police and firefighters responded to a fire at a commercial building in the 10000 block of Donner Pass Road. Again, firefighters suspected the fire was suspicious and asked for police to help investigate.

A police department news release said the fires are related but did not elaborate. Cal Fire arson experts will assist Truckee detectives in the investigation.

Each fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage, mostly from heat and smoke. Nobody was injured and no arrests have been made.

"We believe there is physical evidence that will link the two," said Lt. Randy Fenn, spokesman for the Truckee Police Department.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man suspected of raping and beating a woman shot himself in the head when El Dorado County sheriff's deputies approached his residence, authorities said this morning.

Kenneth John Lowry, 31, of Shingle Springs survived the gunshot wound and was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. His condition was not immediately available.

Deputies said they received a call 6 a.m. Monday from a 43-year-old woman who reported she had been raped and beaten by a man she was dating. The woman said she escaped from the man's home in the 5000 block of Old Frenchtown Road in Shingle Springs.

Deputies transported her to Marshall Hospital in Placerville where her condition was described as moderate.

Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Bryan Golmitz said deputies searched the area near Old Frenchtown Road but were not able to locate the suspect. However, deputies and investigators stayed in the area, and at 3 p.m. a resident on Old Frenchtown Road called the sheriff's office to report that Lowry was at his house.

Golmitz said in an e-mail that when deputies walking toward the residence Lowry shot himself in the head. Lowry was flown by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

From Kim Minugh:

The public is invited to attend hearings that begin Tuesday as part of Sacramento State University's search for a new police chief.

The person who fills the position of chief of police and director of public safety is responsible for administrative duties and for coordinating with the campus community and the outside agencies, according to a Sacramento State news release.

Among the five finalists are two local candidates: Reuben Meeks, chief of the Rancho Cordova Police Department and a captain with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department; and Daniel Davis, a lieutenant in the university's Department of Public Safety, the release states.

Meeks' hearing will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday; Davis' at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The other candidates are:

• Mark DeRosia, chief of police in Delano. His hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

• Steve Jaureguy, chief of police and director of public safety at California State University, Stanislaus. His hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. June 12.

• Gregory Harris, chief of police at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C. His hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 15.

All hearings will be take place in Room 301 of Sequoia Hall.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man was shot to death after a fraternity party in Chico early Sunday morning, authorities said.

Responding to a call at 3:20 a.m. Sunday reporting a shooting, Chico police found a 28-year-old man in the driveway of the residence at 318 Hazel St. suffering from a gunshot wound.

The address is location of the Delta Psi Delta fraternity house.

The victim, who was not a California State University, Chico, student, and has not been identified pending notification of family, died at a hospital about an hour later. Detective Lt. Mike O'Brien said the victim was a Chico resident who had attended the party with a group but did not reside in the house.

Witnesses told police that a party ended just before the shooting. Several people were standing in the yard and on a sidewalk by the house when witnesses heard gunfire and saw a man running from the area.

"The party had broken up at least a half hour before the shooting, and people were milling about," O'Brien said.

Delta Psi Delta is not recognized as an official Chico State fraternity, O'Brien said, because of "issues throughout the years."

O'Brien said police are investigating whether the shooting was gang-related. No arrests have been made.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man suspected of killing a bicyclist with his pickup Sunday afternoon in Marysville was arrested after fleeing the accident scene and trying to elude authorities.

Killed was Lucinda Gillis, 32, who was struck after a truck allegedly driven by Andrew Cornett ran a red light. Gillis died at Rideout Hospital.

California Highway Patrol officers said that Cornett, 24, was driving southbound on North Beale Road about 3:30 p.m. when he ran a red light at Feather River Boulevard and struck Gillis as she was about to finish crossing the street.

Officers said Cornett fled in his truck but abandoned his vehicle not far from the crash site. Officers surrounded Cornett's home, a CHP report states, and arrested the suspect after he ran to a neighbor's shed.

Cornett was booked into Yuba County Jail on multiple charges, including suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter.