From Ed Fletcher:

Two men were convicted this week in the 2006 Placer County slaying and torture of Guy Edward Farmer.

Two separate juries convicted the two men, Donald Hugh Sherman (left photo), 44, of Penryn, and Peter Daniel Schoemig (right photo), 32, of Reno. Sherman was found guilty Monday. Schoemig's jury returned with a guilty verdict Friday.

According to prosecutors, Farmer was accused of stealing chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamines. When Farmer would not confess, a trio of enforcers worked him over.

Sherman faces a sentence of life without parole, while Schoemig could be sentenced to 25 years to life. Sentencing is scheduled to take place Nov. 30.

Farmer was killed because he knew secrets about Sherman's meth manufacturing operation from his Penryn ranch-style home and because he threatened to go to the police, prosecutors said.

Even after Farmer was beaten, kicked and his boot-covered feet burned with a torch over several hours the evening of Sept. 5, 2006, the missing drug making chemicals were never recovered.

After a failed escape attempt, Sherman decided to kill Farmer, prosecutors said.

With Farmer tied up Schoemig administered a lethal does of crushed prescription pills.

Farmer's body was found Oct. 3, 2006, by off-road drivers who had gone to a remote area off Highway 395 near Reno and stopped to explore a gold mine, according to Placer County sheriff's officials.

Sherman was found guilty of first-degree murder, torture and possession of drugs for sale.

Schoemig was found guilty of murder. He was acquitted of the torture charge.

From Andy Furillo

A Sacramento jury today convicted a 19-year-old man in the torture-murder of his disabled victim outside a convenience story in Rancho Cordova.

Frank Abella, 19, faces the probable term of life in prison with no chance of parole for the June 7, 2008, bludgeon killing of William Deer.

The 50-year-old victim was beaten to death after buying a cup of coffee at the 7-Eleven in the 10200 block of Mills Station Road at 2:15 a.m. and sitting down to drink it in front of a check-cashing store next door.

Along with the murder, the Sacramento Superior Court jury also convicted Abella of robbery and torture.

Deputy District Attorney Shari Greco's trial brief said that after Deer was beaten unconscious, Abella and another suspect, James Washington, 19, returned within an hour and shot the man seven times in the face and 13 times in the chest and stomach with a BB gun.

Proceedings against Washington have since been suspended while he undergoes a mental competency evaluation.

Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard scheduled Abella's sentencing for Jan. 15.

Bee Staff

A 24-year-old Roseville man faces up to one year in the Placer County Jail after pleading no contest to two counts of felony animal cruelty, according to the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Ryan Paul Junaid (photo from his jail booking in December) made the plea Wednesday before Placer County Superior Court Judge J. Richard Couzens, who set his sentencing for Jan. 22, according to a news release.

Prosecutor David Broady of the Placer County District Attorney's Office said investigators confiscated videos of Junaid using pliers to dissect live guinea pigs. The videos would have been used as evidence had Junaid gone to trial, he said.

Junaid was arrested last Dec. 9 by Roseville police who investigated tips that someone was dumping injured or dead animals near the Secret Ravine Parkway area, the release states. Junaid was apprehended during a stakeout by officers, the release states.

Bee Staff

There's a storm coming for DUI offenders in California in general and Sacramento in particular, according to a series of announcements this week.

The California Highway Patrol and the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office announced major expansions in apprehension and prosecution of DUI drivers paired with more emphasis on preventive programs.

The latest announced from the CHP was the agency has received nearly $5.6 million for the "Border-to-Border DUI Enforcement Campaign." The overall goal of the campaign is to reduce alcohol-involved collisions and victims, statewide by at least 5 percent.

Earlier today, Sacramento DA Jan Scully announced the receipt of a $1 million grant to form a team for the prosecution and prevention of DUI-related injuries or deaths. The grant also includes funding for education and prevention programs.

Earlier in the week, the CHP announced that the agency has dedicated more than $1 million federal grant money to California's Designated Driver Program through August 2010.

The Designated Driver Program consists of community education presentations and information booths staffed by CHP officers throughout the state

The latest CHP announcement said that in addition to enforcing DUI laws, officers will enforce all other traffic safety laws such as speeding, unsafe passing and occupant violations. The CHP will also conduct sobriety/driver license checkpoints and DUI task force operations.

Last year, according to the Department of Justice, 217,201 people were arrested statewide for DUI; the CHP was responsible for roughly 45 percent of those arrests.

"Sadly, despite aggressive enforcement and public awareness efforts by our officers, impaired driving continues in California," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. "Every time you get behind the wheel after drinking, you put your life and the lives of others at risk."

According to CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System there were 65,929 fatal and injury collisions in the CHP jurisdiction in 2008.

Among those 9,568 were alcohol-involved collisions. These same collisions resulted in 837 victims killed and 13,140 victims injured.

The CHP also will conduct local traffic safety presentations and Designated Driver Programs to thousands of people throughout California during the course of the grant period which ends September 20, 2010.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Bee Staff

A West Sacramento man with a history of violence against police has been convicted of a felony stemming from a confrontation he had with officers this spring, according to Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig.

Reisig said that on Wednesday a Yolo County jury convicted Anthony Gino Roman, 43, on one felony count of resisting a police officer in the performance of his duties by use of force or violence.

Here's how Reisig laid out the chain of events leading to Roman's arrest and conviction:

West Sacramento police officers answered a call residence on April 24. According to the caller, Roman had been behaving erratically and residents were afraid.

Upon entering the residence, officers encountered Roman and ordered him to put his hands in the air. Roman refused to comply and turned his back to the officers and reached into his pockets.

Roman ignored the officers' commands to show his hands and threw an object onto the ground. One of the residents yelled that Roman had a knife.

When the officers attempted to take him into custody, Roman became violent. After officers arrested him, they found a folding pocket knife in his pocket.

Roman is on probation for a being convicted of a similar charge in 2004 and has a history of being violent with the police, Reisig said. In the previous case, he was under the influence of methamphetamine and fought West Sacramento officers using brass knuckles, Reisig said.

Deputy District Attorney Jim Walker who prosecuted the case said: "It's a scary situation when officers are responding to a call for help and they come face-to-face with a fighting, violent man. West Sacramento officers should be commended for handling the situation without anybody getting seriously hurt."

Roman's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1. He faces up to three years and eight months in state prison.

Bee Staff

Four men who were arrested in May for allegedly causing $80,000 in damage by painting graffiti on walls throughout Roseville and Sacramento are facing 90-day jail sentences after pleading no contest to vandalism, according to the Placer County District Attorney.

The four will also be subject to paying for the damages and doing community service when they return to Placer County Superior Court for sentencing on Dec. 2, according to prosecutor Tracy Lunardi of the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

The defendants - Corey Simpson-Upmeyer, 20; Andrey Petkov, 19; Mikhail Russu, 20, and Frederick Rivera-Valdivia, 19 - were arrested May 8 during an undercover graffiti sting operation conducted by the Roseville Police Department, Lunardi said.

In court Wednesday before Judge J. Richard Couzens, each defendant entered a plea of no contest to a single count of vandalism, Lunardi.

Each was originally charged with 22 counts of vandalism-related crimes as well as enhancements for street gang terrorism. They faced the possibility of state prison sentences.

Police said the men were part of a gang known as the Sacramento Graffiti Killers and that the group was responsible for more than 300 cases of "tagging" in Roseville and Sacramento.

Bee Staff

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office is muscling up against DUI offenders who kill and maim, thanks to a $1 million boost.

District Attorney Jan Scully announced Friday the receipt of a $1 million grant to form a team for the prosecution and prevention of DUI-related injuries or deaths, according to a news release.

The two-year grant will fund a specialized team to prosecute DUIs that result in death or serious injury and a DUI community awareness program focused on educating juvenile and adult drivers and potential passengers of the dangers of DUI drivers, the release states.

The goal of this two-pronged approach is to not only to reduce the number of DUI-related injuries and fatalities but also to reduce DUI driving in general in Sacramento County, Scully said.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Here is how Scully said the prosecution and community awareness programs will work:

Prosecutors assigned to this team will undergo extensive specialized training in the area of collision reconstruction and other scientific disciplines related to such cases.

Each case will be prosecuted "vertically," meaning one prosecutor will litigate the case from beginning to end.

Having specialized prosecutors dedicated to these DUI cases will allow for more effective prosecution and accountability of offenders. Victims and families of victims will also be aided by the vertical prosecution team as they will have a single contact person who knows all the facts and issues of their case from arraignment to judgment and sentencing.

Through the DA's Office, a community services officer will present the driving safety program - "Driving it Home" - to juvenile and adults in Sacramento County.

Using personal stories, graphic video, photo displays, and the wrecked vehicle of a 17 -year old boy who died as a result of his injuries in a collision, "Driving It Home" uses emotional impact to help people understand how their decisions affect others.

Emphasis is also placed on helping potential passengers develop the behavioral tools and confidence to prevent DUI driving and to protect themselves from riding with an intoxicated driver.

"Repeat and felony DUI offenders are over-represented in bad crashes," said Christopher Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "This effort will help prosecute the worst-of-the-worst offenders, while working to keep alcohol involved crashes from happening in the first place."

"This DUI vertical prosecution team will undoubtedly save lives through targeted enforcement and wide-spread education to prevent future DUIs," Scully said.

Bee Staff

Placer County Sheriff's detectives arrested two suspects Thursday night who were part of a counterfeit-currency ring, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Detective Jim Hudson arrested Lakeisha C. Pearson (left photo), 23, and Ryan Ragsdale (right photo), 24, both residents of Sacramento County, and booked them into the Placer County Jail on charges of burglary, passing counterfeit currency and conspiracy, the release states.

Pearson also is a federal fugitive, having fled house detention two months ago while awaiting federal charges of passing counterfeit credit cards, the release states.

Hudson said more arrests are expected and more counterfeit money has been located.

The pair passed more than $1,000 in fake $50 bills in Placer County Target stores on Oct. 22, Hudson said. In the past 60 days, Pearson, Ragsdale and others passed as much as $100,000 in fraudulent $50 bills in Placer, San Joaquin and Sacramento counties, the release states.

The serial number on the $50 bills they are currently passing is IB06637078B. These suspects were using chemicals on the currency that avoided detection when retailers used pen-detection devices, the release states.

As the busy holiday retail season approaches, the Sheriff's Department encourages businesses to be extra diligent in taking cash as counterfeit currency trafficking continues to grow. There are many ways to guard against this type of crime, including inspecting the bills for the numerous safeguards already in place.

The Secret Service offers many tips at the following Web address: http://www.secretservice.gov/know_your_money.shtml.

Bee Staff

Roseville Police Department Vice and Narcotics Enforcement Team officers have uncovered a marijuana growing operation inside an unoccupied house in the 1800 block of Blue Skies Drive in west Roseville, according to a Police Department news release.

Officers served a search warrant at the house on Wednesday and seized 33 mature marijuana plants, cash, and other evidence of marijuana cultivation and sales, the release states. City of Roseville building and code inspectors posted the house as uninhabitable due to electrical work that had been done without permits.

Robert Clive Cooper, 40, of Roseville was renting but not living in the Blue Skies Drive house, the release states.

He was arrested without incident on suspicion of possession and cultivation of marijuana, and released from the Roseville City Jail after he posted a $5,000 bail bond, the release states.

The Citrus Heights Police Department Robbery Unit is seeking the community's help for any information leading to the identity of the person or persons responsible for the theft of a large quantity of antique Russian gold rubles (sample photo at left), Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

On Oct. 18, authorities report 210 coins were stolen in the following denominations: 120 five-ruble, 80 10-ruble, five 15-ruble and 5 7 1/2 ruble-ruble. The coins are dated from 1860 to 1902 and have the image of Czar Nicholas II on the front, and the denomination and date of the coin on the back. Some of the coins were stacked in clear plastic containers, and others were in books with coin sleeves.

Anyone with information about the coins 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 Hudson Sangree:

An 18-year-old Granite Bay woman was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for her role in a drive-by shooting that wounded a teenage boy in Roseville last November.

Kelsey Mariah Brace (left photo) pleaded no contest to two felony charges of assault with a firearm, both strikes under the state's three-strikes law, according to a Placer County District Attorney's office news release. She was 17 at the time of the shooting but prosecuted as an adult.

She also agreed to testify against a co-defendant and expressed remorse in a letter, the release said.

Brace has already served 357 days in the Placer County Jail, and Judge Colleen Nichols gave her 178 days of for good behavior.

Brace started an argument in a restaurant parking lot that led to the Nov. 5 drive-by shooting of a 16-year-old boy on Sierra College Boulevard, near Douglas Boulevard, the release said. The boy has since recovered, authorities said.

A second victim, a 17-year-old boy, dived out of the way of the shooting, officials report.

Brace's co-defendant, Justin Mathew Wittkop, 19, of Granite Bay, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, according to the prosecutor's office. His trial is set for Jan. 11, 2010.

From Hudson Sangree:

A Sacramento man was sentenced to nearly eight years in prison Wednesday for raping a female acquaintance who gave him a lift to Auburn.

Shirfraz Ali (left photo), 24, received a ride with the victim in May, saying he had business in Auburn. But on a rural road he raped and choked her, according to a news release issued by the Placer County District Attorney's office.

The woman jumped out of the car and hailed a passing motorist. Ali drove away in the woman's car.

He pleaded no contest earlier this month to charges of rape, assault and unlawfully taking another person's vehicle.

Placer County Superior Court Judge J. Richard Couzens sentenced Ali and imposed fines and restitution payments of more than $4,000, the prosecutor's office said.

From Kim Minugh:

The Placer County Sheriff's department announced today that the 21-year-old woman who was found dead in a Loomis creek in August died accidentally.

Alyse Rachelle Conk, originally from Rocklin, drowned in the creek accidentally and because she was intoxicated with alcohol and over-the-counter medication, according to a news release from the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

Conk's body was discovered by a 16-year-old boy Aug. 27.

Results from toxicology tests and a forensic autopsy by the coroner's office confirmed detectives' suspicions that Conk had not been the victim of a crime, the release states.

Detectives had found evidence that she was alone and sleeping in Loomis Park sleeping near a shallow creek and none that indicated foul play, according to the release.

Bee Staff

A 91-year-old Roseville man faces charges in the beating of a 78-year-old woman, according to Roseville Police Department and the Placer County District Attorney's Office

Claude Francis Montgomery is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on 10 felony charges, including attempted murder, cruelty to a dependent adult, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting officers, according to the DA's office.

Deputy District Attorney Jim Deslaurier, said there will also be a bail hearing at this arraignment. Montgomery is being held without bail and Deslaurier said he will argue that the defendant continue to be held without bail in an effort to protect the 78-year-old victim.

A Roseville police spokeswoman said that at 10:55 a.m. on Sunday, Roseville Police responded to a report of a domestic violence disturbance and attempted stabbing in progress at a home in Roseville.

When they arrived, they arrested Montgomery, said Dee Dee Gunther. Montgomery is suspected of striking, attempting to stab, and threatening to kill a woman, she said.

Montgomery, who was armed with a knife, was arrested after a short struggle with officers, she said.

He was taken to a local hospital for medical clearance prior to booking, and was hospitalized for unrelated medical issues, she said. He was released from the hospital and booked into the Placer County Jail on Tuesday.

The female victim was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center for treatment of what appeared to be minor injuries. She was treated and released, Gunther said.

From Kim Minugh:

A mother and son arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing a 35-year-old man in Carmichael this weekend have not been charged with murder.

Regina Leigh Grant, 47, was released from jail Tuesday without having been charged with any crimes, according to jail booking and court records. Her son, 23-year-old Gerardo Verde Hernandez, remains in custody on an unrelated burglary charge and is being held in lieu of $90,000 bail.

Grant and Hernandez were arrested Sunday morning after Sacramento County sheriff's deputies responded to an apartment complex in the 5300 block of Marconi Avenue and found David Dale Fry lying on the ground, according to authorities. He had been stabbed and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Witnesses interviewed at the time indicated that Grant and Hernandez had fought with Fry before the stabbing, and they were arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of murder, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran. However, witnesses interviewed later provided conflicting accounts, and the District Attorney's office declined to charge the pair with murder, Curran said.

During the course of the homicide investigation, detectives were alerted to an unrelated burglary, and Hernandez is suspected in that crime, said homicide Sgt. Micki Links.

The homicide investigation continues and that neither Grant nor Hernandez have been ruled out as suspects, Curran said.

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

From Bill Lindelof:

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of grand theft walnuts in Yuba County.

Yuba County sheriff's deputies say they found 780 pounds of walnuts worth $1,170 in the bed of a pickup owned by one of the men that was parked in an orchard on Ellis Road north of Marysville.

A deputy looking to stem agricultural theft spotted a black Ford F250 with Texas license plates parked in the orchard Tuesday night. Sheriff's department spokeswoman Melanie Oakes said the deputy approached the truck and noticed that while leaves had been raked into piles there were no walnuts on the ground.

He also noticed that the pickup bed was three-quarters filled with walnuts.

The driver, Michael Caldon, 60, of Marysville, and passenger Terry Gilmore, 53, said they had permission from the orchard owner they identified as Cindy to harvest the nuts. Neither could provide the "Cindy's" last name or a way to contact her.

The third man, Wesley McGlone, 40, said he was just helping out.

A representative from the orchard confirmed that the three did not have permission to take the nuts -- and all three were booked into Yuba County Jail on suspicion of grand theft of farm crops.

Bee Staff

The California Highway Patrol announced today that the agency has dedicated more than $1 million federal grant money to California's Designated Driver Program through August 2010.

The Designated Driver Program consists of community education presentations and information booths staffed by CHP officers throughout the state, according to a CHP news release. Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Last year in California, 1,112 people were killed at the hands of an impaired driver. In 2007, another 1,272 victims were killed under similar circumstances, the release states.

"While the numbers of DUI fatalities has dropped in recent years, we still have a long way to go with young males," said Christopher Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Last year, according to the Department of Justice, 217,201 people were arrested statewide for DUI. Among those arrested for DUI in California, roughly 80 percent were male, and 53 percent of the men were between the ages of 21 and 34, the release states.

A DUI conviction for a first-time offender could result in jail time, loss of license and fines and penalties of $13,500 or more, the release state4s.

"The best way to avoid becoming a statistic or spending the night in jail is to be responsible and make a plan ahead of time; designate a non-drinking driver," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow.

Bee Staff

The Roseville Police Department has received first-place recognition for traffic safety efforts in a statewide competition.

The competition, the California Law Enforcement Challenge, is an annual friendly competition among similar sizes and types of law enforcement agencies, to recognize and reward the best traffic safety programs in California, according to a news release from the Roseville Police Department.

A panel of judges comprised of traffic safety experts from around the country evaluates efforts to enforce laws and educate the public about traffic safety, including occupant protection, impaired driving and speeding, the release states.

Agencies submit an application which documents their efforts and effectiveness in these areas. The winning safety programs are those that combine officer training, public information and enforcement to reduce crashes and injuries within its jurisdiction, the release states.

The Roseville Police Department was awarded first place in the category for California police agencies with between 106 and 160 sworn officers, the release states.

Since 2003, total reported collisions in Roseville declined 4 percent, and injury and fatal collisions declined 13 percent. At the same time the city's population increased 17 percent, the release states.

Credit for improved traffic safety goes to the Roseville Police Department and the City of Roseville's Public Works Department traffic engineering program, the release states.

Since 2003, the Roseville Police Department has increased the issuance of citations for moving violations by 34 percent, and has increased DUI arrests by 61 percent, the release states.

The city of Roseville partners in a variety of traffic safety education and prevention programs, including Every Fifteen Minutes, the High School Seatbelt Challenge, Click it or Ticket, Safe Routes to School, and the Pedalsafe Bicycle Safety Fair, the release states.

From Kim Minugh

It appears that Cut Throwt Records is trying to cut ties with Douglas Elmore.

Elmore, 24, faces two counts of murder in connection with the fatal shootings of a man and woman whose bodies were found decomposing in garbage bins outside a 39th Street home Friday. The coroner's office has not officially identified the bodies, but authorities believe they are those of 23-year-old Tammula "Tammy" Robbins and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Shawn Cope.

Robbins, Cope and Elmore were three of seven or eight people staying at the home at the time of the killings, according to Sacramento County sheriff's detectives. They said they are still trying to figure out the motive in the shootings, but allege that Elmore killed the couple sometime between Oct. 10 and Oct. 11.

Elmore's MySpace page, http://www.myspace.com/dugefresho6, in which he refers to himself as "Dug.E Fresh," Elmore portrays himself as an aspiring rapper and boasts of his ties with the Eastside Piru gang sect. It also refers multiple times to the Sacramento-based Cut Throwt Records label.

But Michael Coats, an assistant manager at Cut Throwt Records, told The Bee this week that Cut Throwt never signed Elmore, nor had any official connections with him. Elmore knew one of the members of what Coats referred to as the "Cut Throwt family" and began hanging around them in 2007 - but hasn't been around since, Coats said.

He said he doesn't know anything about Elmore, and sought to distance his label from the man and his alleged actions.

"We don't support any of that kind of mentality," Coats said. "That's not what we're about."

Coats said the killings were a tragedy, and "we would really like to give our condolences."

Bee Staff

A Vallejo man is being held in Placer County jail without bail after he allegedly led Roseville Police officers on high-speed chase, only stopping after a tire was shredded by a spike strip.

Here's how a news release from the Roseville Police Departments lays out the chain of events:

At 3:10 a.m. Tuesday, a Roseville Police officer tried to make a traffic stop on Foothills Boulevard near Baseline Road. The driver of the vehicle, a 1995 Honda Civic, instead sped off and led officers on a 13- minute pursuit on Roseville surface streets.

The suspect vehicle traveled at high speeds and at times traveled in opposing lanes of traffic. An officer deployed a spike strip on Atlantic Street near Eggleston, and the suspect vehicle went over it, shredding one tire.

The driver continued on three tires, finally yielding at Riverside and Cirby, and was taken into custody. According to the Vallejo Police Department, the Honda had been reported stolen from the parking lot of Sutter Solano Hospital in Vallejo.

The alleged driver, Matthew Ray Coble, 28, of Vallejo, was arrested on suspicion of evading a police officer with reckless disregard for public safety, vehicle theft, conspiracy, possession of burglar's tools, being under the influence of a controlled substance, driving under the influence of drugs, a drug addict driving a vehicle, and parole violation, the release states.

He is being held without bail in the Placer County Jail.

His alleged passenger, Tiffany Louise Mount, 25, of Vallejo, was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property, possession of burglar's tools, and conspiracy, the release states. She was released from the Placer County Jail the next day on a promise to appear, the release states.

From Cathy Locke:

A family of four reported missing from the Georgetown area has been located in Antioch.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said one family member, Sarah Jean Smith, 28, telephoned officers about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday after a friend saw on television that the family had been reported missing and at risk.

Smith said they were not missing and were staying with friends in Antioch, the sheriff's officials announced.

Earlier in the afternoon, Smith's mother, Judy Brown of Georgetown, said she was informed by a detective that Smith had been sighted Sunday in the Antioch area.

Brown said she last saw her daughter, 7-year-old grandson Joshua Todd Bargus, 15-month-old granddaughter Kylie Jean Just and Smith's boyfriend, Jason James McClellan, 40, on Oct. 20.

The family failed to return to Brown's home after picking up Joshua at Georgetown Elementary School. Brown reported them missing Friday.

The family made a similar abrupt departure from Brentwood about six weeks ago, following a dispute with the younger child's father, Brown said, but they came to Georgetown with clothing, children's toys and important documents.

Last week, they left all those items behind.

"They took absolutely nothing -- no underwear, no socks," Brown said, leading her to fear the worst.

Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Bryan Golmitz said there was no evidence of foul play, but the family was considered "at risk" because they disappeared with no notice and left without their belongings.

Golmitz said the California Highway Patrol made a flyover of the rugged Georgetown area Tuesday and the Sheriff's Department's Search and Rescue coordinator drove the area looking for possible evidence the family's car had gone off the road.

The FBI and several missing persons organizations also assisted in the search, he said.

From Chelsea Phua:

Placer County Sheriff's detectives have arrested four suspects and expect to arrest more people who are involved in a large-scale identity theft ring that has stolen at least $100,000 from victims.

Jayson P. Krack (top left photo), 29, James M. Marich (second from left photo), 45, Shelly McCrory (third from left photo), 40, and Andrew Clifford (right photo), 23, were booked into the Placer County Jail on dozens of charges related to stealing financial information, according to a sheriff's department news release.

Det. Dan Meier said in the release that the suspects have been breaking into mailboxes and cars, taking checkbooks, new checks sent from banks, credit card and bank account statements. They then manufactured checks on their home computer using the victim's information. Meier said they wrote the fake checks to themselves and passed them at grocery and liquor stores and at large retailer stores such as Wal-Mart, Rite Aid and Walgreens throughout the county.

Authorities are urging people to install locked mailboxes and to remove all financial information fro their vehicles, including checkbooks and mail, to check their mail daily and always use U.S. Post Office receptacles to post outgoing mail.

From Chelsea Phua:

Elk Grove police arrested two 15-year-old boys suspected of robbing a liquor store Tuesday morning, officials said. Police are also investigating if the pair is also responsible for a recent rash of liquor store armed robberies in the area.

Department spokesman Officer Chris Trim said at about 11 a.m. Tuesday, one of the suspects walked into the Elk Grove Discount Wine and Liquor store in the 9300 block of Elk Grove Florin Road with a gun and demanded money, while the other waited outside in a vehicle. They made off with some merchandise and an undisclosed amount of cash, Trim said.

The store clerk took down the license plate number of the getaway vehicle and provided police with the suspects' description. Police found out that the vehicle had been stolen in a carjacking incident in the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department jurisdiction. Police later found the stolen vehicle in the 8700 block of Elk Grove Boulevard.

Witnesses told police that they saw two occupants of the vehicle jump a few fences and into the Elk Grove Creek area, where police set up a perimeter to search for the robbers, Trim said. A K9 unit was deployed.

Police found one of the 15-year-old suspects in the 9500 block of Blarney Court. A woman living in the 8700 block of Bray Vista Way was taking out some garbage and found the other suspect hiding inside a garbage can in her back yard. Trim said she ran outside to wave down police officers.

"She opened the lid and he was there," Trim said.

The suspects are not being identified because they are juveniles, but Trim said one is from Sacramento and another does not have a permanent address.

Trim said detectives are working to determine if the boys are also connected to the three liquor store robberies since the weekend. One took place Saturday, one on Sunday and another on Monday. Two were along the Elk Grove Florin Road area and one was along Elk Grove Boulevard.

From Kim Minugh:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is offering a $50,000 reward for information in the 2008 killing of 18-year-old Colin Reid Jr. in North Sacramento.

Halloween will mark the one-year anniversary of Reid's death. Just five days after his 18th birthday, Reid was shot in the head outside the apartment complex where he lived with his father on Lampasas Avenue.

Friends and educators interviewed by The Bee at the time said he had befriended a motivated student, rededicated himself to school and was on track to graduate this past spring. He had hopes of attending American River College next, and had an appointment scheduled to tour the campus at the time of his death.

Reid was thinking about the future and wanted to do right by his infant daughter, those who knew him said.

Police Chief Rick Braziel requested the reward from the governor's office, according to a news release. Detectives suspect there are witnesses to the homicide that have not come forward, and they hope the reward will provide an incentive, said Sgt. Norm Leong, police spokesman.

"We are in need of help," Leong said.

In addition to the $50,000 promised by the governor's office, the Crime Alert organization also is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Reid's killer or killers. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous.

A Sacramento jury today convicted Bobby Chiu of first-degree murder in his retrial over the Sept. 30, 2003, shooting death of Roberto Treadway outside McClatchy High School.

Chiu, 22, was previously convicted in July 2005 for his role in what prosecutors described as the gang-motivated killing of the 15-year-old victim.

The defendant's conviction was overturned last November when the California Third District Court of Appeal ruled that Sacramento Superior Court Judge Trena H. Burger-Plavan improperly instructed the jury about lesser-included offenses.

Judge Lloyd G. Connelly scheduled Chiu's sentencing for Dec. 4.

The alleged shooter in the case, Ricky Che, has been charged in the case but has not been arrested or prosecuted.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

From Bill Lindelof:

Three Molotov cocktails were tossed at a Florin-area home early today, one of them breaking through an upstairs bedroom window, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials said.

The firebombing of the house in the 8800 block of Billfish Way occurred shortly after midnight, officials said. Metro Fire's arson unit and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department are investigating the incident.

The bomb tossed through the window was placed in a bathtub and extinguished by a resident The other two were thrown at the front door of the residence.

One resident suffered minor burns.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man suspected of pistol-whipping then stealing the car of a Sacramento Bee delivery person this morning has been arrested by Sacramento police.

Jonathan Hann, 22, of Sacramento is suspected of the mugging of the Bee carrier early today as he and his wife delivered newspapers at an apartment complex on the 6800 block of 24th Street.

The victim was in his car when he noticed the suspect following the carrier's wife as she delivered the paper.

The husband confronted the suspect and was pistol-whipped, police say. The suspect then drove off in the couple's car, crashing on 24th Street just south of Florin Road and running away.

The victim suffered minor injuries.

Later, a call was made to police dispatchers by a woman who said her grandson was injured and might be on drugs. When police arrived at her south-area home they noticed that the grandson, Hann, matched the description of the suspect in the mugging of the Bee carrier.

From Tony Bizjak and Loretta Kalb:

Nabbing suspected drunk drivers on a Friday night in Sacramento apparently is like shooting fish in a barrel.

The California Highway Patrol proved that again this past weekend when a concentrated strike-force patrol caught 60 people who were believed to be under the influence during an eight-hour effort spread over major freeways and surface streets in central and south Sacramento.

CHP officials flooded freeways and unincorporated areas south of the American River with 25 patrol units focused on impaired driving as part of a periodic effort called R.A.I.D. -- Rapid Apprehension of Impaired Drivers.

Sixty arrests in one night in Sacramento is not unusual, CHP spokesman Mike Bradley said.

"The south Sacramento area is a high-concentration area for alcohol and drug-related driving offenses," Bradley said. "We average in the 50s" during strike-force operations. "That is why Sacramento is one of the crash leaders in the state."

Bradley said arrests peaked about 11 p.m., when after-work drinkers are heading home, and 2 a.m., when the bars close.

Arrests were spread out on highways 99, 50, Interstate 5 and Business 80, as well as major surface streets in unincorporated areas, such as Florin Road, Stockton Boulevard and Franklin Boulevard.

CHP officials said their strike force was financed by anti-drunken driving grants from the state Office of Traffic Safety. That office keeps statistics that show Sacramento city and county have high incidents of alcohol-related injury crashes.

From Loretta Kalb:

Sacramento County Sheriff's officials today arrested 24-year-old Douglas Elmore in connection with the slayings of two victims whose bodies were found in garbage cans Friday in a south Sacramento neighborhood.

Elmore was taken into custody at 2 a.m. in Fairfield and booked into the Sacramento County main jail on two counts of murder. The bodies found in the garbage cans are believed to be those of Shawn Cope, 24, and Tammula Robbins, 23, who were reported missing by Robbins' mother on Oct. 13. Autopsy results are pending, but are likely to confirm the bodies are indeed those of the missing couple.

Elmore was staying at the home on the 5700 block of 39th Street, where the garbage cans were found. Detectives believe the murders occurred days before the victims were reported missing. No motive has been determined.

From Kim Minugh and Andy Furillo:

Sacramento police have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with Saturday morning's fatal shooting outside the Center Court restaurant and night club in Natomas, according to authorities.

Detectives allege Nicholas Newsome shot and killed David Blanks, 22, in a gang-related dispute, said Sacramento police Officer Konrad von Schoech. Both the victim and the suspect are from Sacramento and are associated with gangs, von Schoech said.

Newsome was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail early Monday morning on suspicion of murder, according to booking records. He declined a request to be interviewed by The Bee on Monday afternoon.

Witnesses told detectives they heard the suspect's group of friends and the victim's group of friends arguing before the shooting, which was reported just before 2 a.m. in the 3600 block of North Freeway Boulevard, von Schoech said.

Blanks was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gang detectives assisted in the investigation and arrested Newsome inside the movie theater next to Arden Fair Mall, von Schoech said.

Newsome, who is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, has a history of gun possession, according to Sacramento Superior Court records. In 2008, he pleaded no contest to carrying a .9 mm handgun and a .357 revolver "capable of being concealed" when he wasn't the registered owner, court records show. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and four years of probation.

Also in 2008, Newsome pleaded no contest to a felony count of falsely identifying himself to a police officer and received 15 days in jail and three years of probation, court records show. Earlier that year, he pleaded no contest to driving erratically while evading a peace officer and driving under the influence, both misdemeanors, according to records. In that case, Newsome was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of probation.

From Chelsea Phua:

Authorities said someone intentionally struck and killed a 35-year-old Sacramento man early Friday after a verbal confrontation.

The man, identified by Sacramento County coroner's officials as Julian Dearcos, lived in the 2100 block of El Camino Avenue, where the confrontation occurred shortly before 2 a.m., according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department news release.

Witnesses told deputies that the victim, who was on foot, argued with the driver of the vehicle before the driver struck him. The victim was dragged about 80 feet before the driver fled the scene, authorities said.

Deputies arrived to find Dearcos lying in the street.

Dearcos was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

Witnesses could not provide deputies with a description of the vehicle's driver, but the vehicle was found a short time later abandoned on Ethan Way, authorities said.

The vehicle, a 1995 white Honda, was determined to be a stolen, officials said..

Homicide detective said they do not know what triggered the confrontation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Those with information can also send a tip by texting to 274537 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Ed Fletcher:

A Sacramento-area bank robber was sentenced Thursday to nearly four years in federal prison after admitting guilt in five robberies from January through March.

Jerome Michael Endsley II, 28, of West Sacramento, will have to pay $14,678 in restitution in addition to his prison stretch of three years, 10 months, a U.S. Department of Justice news release states.

In each of the five robberies, Endsley reportedly handed the teller a white grocery bag and told that person to fill the bag with money. According to the complaint, Endsley insinuated he had a gun but never revealed a weapon.

The sentence reflects Endsley's robbery of two Sacramento banks: the April 15 robbery of the Chase Bank at 4701 Freeport Blvd. and the March 27 robbery of the Wells Fargo at 3518 Marconi Ave.

Endsley also admitted robbing the United Commercial Bank, 4790 Freeport on Jan. 2; the Bank of America at 5600 Folsom Blvd on Jan. 27; and the Bank of America at 4740 Freeport on Feb. 2. He was not sentenced for those crimes as a result of his plea agreement, said Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department.

His robbery takes range from the $741 he stole from the Wells Fargo to the heist of $9,703 from the Bank of America on Freeport.

A Sacramento Police Department officer arrested Endsley about a mile from the Chase bank as Endsley attempted his getaway. He was unarmed at the time of his arrest.

From Andy Furillo:

A Sacramento jury today acquitted an accused murderer in the May 2006 shooting death of a 26-year-old man in Oak Park.

Ivory Deshaun Garner, 26, was scheduled to be released from the downtown jail today after jurors found him not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting of Michael Dewatt Smith in the 3500 block of San Jose Way more than three years ago.

Garner's lawyer, Emory King, asked Superior Court Judge Steve White to dismiss other pending charges against his client so that Garner can leave the state. King said Garner has been on the receiving end of death threats. White scheduled a hearing on the dismissal for next week.

It was the second time Garner stood trial in the case. A mistrial was declared after a previous jury could not reach a verdict in his murder case two years ago.

Jurors in the current case deliberated for more than five days before returning today with their acquittal on second-degree murder and the lesser-included manslaughter offense. The panel on Thursday reported that it was deadlocked on the case, but resumed deliberations after the judge delivered some additional instructions.

In a brief interview today, the jurors, who asked that their names not be published, said they thought the shooting may have taken place in self defense.

Relatives of the victim expressed displeasure with the decision outside the courtroom.

"It's ridiculous," said Jessica Moore, who identified herself as a cousin to both the victim and the defendant. "He killed somebody. He took a life, and now he's getting away with it. It's not fair, and the verdicts are not fair."

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking Jamila Darnell Johnson (left photo) on a felony warrant for suspicion of grand theft and burglary, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Johnson is wanted for allegedly listing a house for rent on Criagslist, then collecting a deposit and rent, but he did not own of the house, officials said. Bail is set at $10,000.

Johnson is described as age 32, 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 155 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

He is known to frequent the 9000 block of Willowberry Way in Elk Grove and the 2300 block of Ponderosa Road in Rescue, authorities said.

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

From Chelsea Phua:

Four people were indicted in Yolo County Superior Court this month for allegedly attacking four other people because one of the victims made remarks supporting the United States in ousting the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, authorities said.

The indictment by a Yolo County grand jury Oct. 13 came more than 5 1/2 years after the March 7, 2004, incident.

Mohammed Qumar Ashraf, 29, of Sacramento, Khialluddin Niazi, 69, of West Sacramento, Sarajuddin Niazi, 31, of Union City and Zafaruddin Niazi, 27, of Los Gatos, were indicted on several counts, including suspicion of attempted murder, according to the Yolo County District Attorney's office.

Prosecutors said the four defendants, three of whom are related, and several other unidentified suspects went to the residence of one of the victims armed with baseball bats.

Three of the victims needed medical attention.

After the indictment, arrest warrants were issued for the defendants, but all were released on their own recognizance by Judge Arvid Johnson, who ordered the defendants to surrender their passports.

All four are expected to be arraigned on the indictment Nov. 20.

From Kim Minugh:

Roseville police are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect or suspects responsible for a series of arson incidents at Oakmont High School.

Arson was reported at the Cirby Way campus Oct. 17, 18 and Oct. 20, according to a Roseville Crimestoppers bulletin. In the last incident, six plastic garbage cans were set on fire early in the morning, the bulletin said.

The cans were found on rooftops, in a tree, on a bench and on a sidewalk. One was completely melted by fire, the bulletin said.

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Roseville Crimestoppers at (916) 783-7867. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Joe Davidson:

Onterrio Smith, a former Grant High School football star whose National Football League career was derailed by off-field issues, was jailed overnight by Nevada County Sheriff's Office on a drug charge warrant.

According to the Truckee Police Department, Smith, 28, was a passenger in a Pontiac GT that was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 80 in Truckee at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday

The driver, John Payne-Johnson Sr., was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, Truckee police Capt. Randy Fenn confirmed to The Bee today. Smith was arrested after a routine check revealed that he had an outstanding warrant from Sacramento for possession of a controlled substance. Smith was booked at 12:26 a.m., Penn said, and bail was set at $15,000.

Smith set regional and Northern California rushing records in 1998 at Grant in becoming the most heavily recruited player in the program's storied history. Smith has admitted in Bee stories in recent years, including last December, that his football career had rough stretches due to his own mistakes.

From Kim Minugh:

Woodland police are reminding residents to lock their cars and remove valuables after two juveniles were arrested on suspicion of burglary Wednesday morning.

Shortly before 4 a.m., a homeowner on Purdue Drive called police after he heard his garage door opening and, upon investigating, found an intruder in his garage, a news release states.

The intruder fled and was met by a second person, the release states. The two then fled on bicycles. The homeowner followed in his pickup truck and was able to give suspect descriptions to police, the release states.

Officers soon found two juveniles in the area of County Road 98 and Wilson Road and detained them. The victim then identified the juveniles as the people he saw fleeing his house. Another victim came forward later and reported her car had been burglarized on Ivie Place, the release states.

Police arrested the juveniles -- ages 16 and 17 -- on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and other undisclosed charges, the release states. Police did not release the suspects' names because they are minors.

Both of the cars allegedly burglarized were unlocked, the release states. The suspects found a garage door opener in one of the cars, allowing them to open the garage door on Purdue Drive, the release states.

From Bill Lindelof:

Four men were arrested on marijuana growing charges after Elk Grove police served warrants at six residences in the city and found more than 1,400 plants.

Detectives arrested Robert Le, 37, Tri Quang Trinh, 24, Tuan Tran, 25, and Son Le, 42, on charges that included suspicion of cultivating marijuana and possession for sale.

Detectives found indoor marijuana-growing operations at several of the residences and recovered a half-pound of processed marijuana.

Search warrants were obtained for homes on the 6700 block of Eskridge Way, 9000 block of Four Seasons Drive, 10300 block of Stathos Drive, 6000 block of Jefjen Way, 8500 block of Purcell Way, and 9500 block of Clarke Farms Drive.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County sheriff's Capt. Jim Cooper, flanked by several dozen local politicos and law enforcement officials, today formally announced he will run for sheriff.

Cooper's intentions to run were not secret. The day Sheriff John McGinness announced that he would not run for re-election next year, Cooper, who also is an Elk Grove city councilman, said he intended to run.

Today, he said he was ending the "exploratory" portion of his campaign. The Sheriff's Department, he said, needs "new direction."

"It's time to make safety and security for our community our priority," he said.

Cooper is commander of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes task force, which primarily investigates crimes against children involving the Internet and identify theft. He touted his street experience -- including the nine years he spent working gangs and narcotics undercover -- and his time as a councilman.

Among leaders endorsing Cooper's candidacy are former Sheriff Lou Blanas, Sacramento County Supervisor Jimmie Yee and Elk Grove City Council members Gary Davis and Sophia Scherman.

Cooper faces two official opponents in the race: sheriff's Capt. Scott Jones, who has been endorsed by McGinness; and Bret Daniels, an ex-sheriff's deputy and former Citrus Heights mayor who already has unsuccessfully run for sheriff three times. Former Sacramento police Chief Albert Najera has expressed interest in a run but has not announced a campaign.

From Bill Lindelof:

Elk Grove police have arrested a Sacramento man on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy he met on the Internet.

Charles Licop (left), 31, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on two sex-related charges, including suspicion of committing a lewd or lascivious act with a child under the age of 14.

Officers suspect that Licop met the teen on a social networking site and picked him up at his high school in Sacramento on Wednesday. Police said Licop then drove the teen to a vacant residence in Elk Grove where the assault took place.

Licop then drove the teen back to school. The victim later reported the assault to law enforcement.

From Chelsea Phua:

Authorities arrested a 48-year-old man Tuesday for allegedly working as an unlicensed contractor in a sweep through the burn area of the 49 Fire in Auburn.

Contractors State License Board officials, who conducted the sweep with other law enforcement agencies, said Jeffrey Lyn Scott, had a previous conviction of contracting without a license.

Authorities said Scott was serving a three-year probation term when he was caught on Tuesday operating under the name of "Jeff Scott Landscape Services" and doing a $3,300 job to rebuild a fence and landscape a yard destroyed in the wildfire.

CSLB also issued warning letters to seven licensed contractors for not carrying worker's compensation insurance.

Other agencies involved in the sting are the Placer County District Attorney's Office, the sheriff's department and the Department of Insurance. They covered job sites in areas where the governor declared a State of Emergency on Aug. 31 and checked licenses for 23 different entities.

Authorities caution homeowners to check out contractors before hiring them and ask licensees to report suspected unlicensed activity if they see it.

From Bill Lindelof:

A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of loitering at a public toilet after two teenage girls saw him Tuesday inside a restroom stall at Sacramento High School.

The teens entered a girl's bathroom at the Oak Park school and saw what appeared to be a man inside in a stall with his pants down. The girls left the bathroom and reported what happened to campus security.

Security approached the man after he exited the restroom. The man did not expose himself to the girls, said police, who were called to the campus at 5:48 p.m.

Martin Gonzalez was arrested on suspicion of loitering at a public toilet and a narcotics warrant.

From Kim Minugh:

Finally, no more trying to decipher the often-unintelligible voice from the sky: The Sacramento Police Department has begun posting real-time information on its Web site, about the work of the "Air1" helicopter crew.

The helicopter is in the air often and a variety of assignments, so the updates won't be constant. But department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said dispatchers will post live updates when the helicopter has been assigned to a call for awhile and when several other criteria are met.

The Web site currently features a "Helicopter Activity" tab through which site visitors can read old posts. When there is a new update, a moving helicopter graphic will appear on the homepage, Leong said.

The updates will include the helicopter's location, the nature of the call and any descriptions of suspects or missing people for whom the crew is helping search, Leong said. They also will include whether residents should stay indoors - advice that often isn't understood by residents trying to make sense of the helicopter's garbled announcements.

As part of increased community outreach efforts by police officials, news from the department also can be found on the popular networking tools Facebook and Twitter (under "SacPolice"). Leong said public information officers and the department's top leaders will be using Twitter in particular to post live updates on major news events, such as homicides and shootings with multiple victims.
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Several months ago, the department began posting daily activity logs on its Web site. The efforts, Leong said, are all aimed to help the public understand what the city's police officers do on a daily basis.

From Bill Lindelof:

The public is invited to see mounted units from several police jurisdictions put their steeds through their paces in the Folsom Police 2009 Equine Challenge.

The free event at the Dan Russell Rodeo Arena, 202 Stafford St., will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

An equine challenge highlights the trust and partnership between horse and rider. Competitive teams will exhibit mounted patrol and search and rescue skills.

Folsom Police has four equine units. They will be joined by other officers and search and rescue personnel teams on horseback.

From Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento police say they are looking for a woman in her 20s who stabbed a 22-year-old woman after the two had a confrontation.

Sgt. Norm Leong said the 22-year-old woman was a passenger inside a car southbound on Amherst Street in the Meadowview area. About 7:30 p.m. near 71st Avenue, she spotted the other woman walking along the street and exited the car. A verbal confrontation ensued and when the driver turned around, the victim was stabbed in her leg and the suspect had run from the scene, police said.

Authorities said the victim was taken to a hospital, where she was in stable condition.

Leong said it appears that the victim and the suspect knew each other and were having an ongoing dispute.

From Kim Minugh:

Look out Hollywood, here comes Blitz.

The Sacramento police K9 and his human handler, Officer John Azevedo, are now being featured on major television networks in a 30-second spot advertising Eukanuba dog food.

"Like most of us on the force, I work with a partner," Azevedo says in a voiceover. Then, as the camera focuses on a very happy-looking German Shepard peeking out of a patrol car window: "This is mine, Blitz."

Azevedo goes on to say that Blitz "means the world to me, for a lot of different reasons. He's more than a partner, he's family." So, of course, he feeds him Eukanuba.

We've written about the duo once before (click here) when the K9 team was featured in print ads in publications such as Food & Wine and Runner's World magazines.

As part of that ad campaign, Eukanuba created a 3 1/2-minute online commercial featuring the team, as well as Azevedo's family. They shortened those sentiments into a 30-second commercial that began airing in September and is scheduled to continue through January, said Sacramento police K9 Sgt. Steve Oliveira.

Initially, the Sacramento Police Department received nothing but good publicity from Azevedo's participation. But after the print campaign proved a success, Eukanuba offered $40,000 in donations with the creation of the television spots. The department agreed, Oliveira said.

Half that money eventually will be spent on replacing current canines when they need to retire - purchasing worthy canines runs between $8,500 and $10,500 these days, Oliveira said. The other half will go to the Sacramento Police Canine Association, a nonprofit that helps pay medical bills and burial expenses for retired canines.

The department's relationship with Eukanuba began in 2008, when Oliveira approached the company about being a sponsor of a SPD-hosted Western States Police Canine Association competition. From there, the partnership flourished.

Azevedo and Blitz are one of the department's prized K9 teams. They were named "top competitors" in 2007 after surpassing other law enforcement agencies' K9 teams in agility, search and protection during statewide competitions. They repeated the honors in 2008, when they also were named the best overall team.

Here's the commercial:

From Chelsea Phua:

A 28-year-old Roseville man pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of wire fraud that defrauded thousands of American Express cardholders, federal authorities said.

According to a news release by U.S. Attorney Lawrence Brown's office, Alexsandr Bernik obtained at least 11,800 American Express credit card numbers from October 2005 through November 2006 and charged each of them in amounts ranging from $9 to $15 under a fictitious business name "Lexbay Limited."

The charges were processed through interstate wires and ended up in an account held by Bernik. Bernik obtained more than $177,000 with the scheme, federal prosecutors said.

Bernik entered his plea before United States District Judge John A. Mendez and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 19.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department has released video of a fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk on Monday night. Detectives say 44-year-old Ravinder Singh Banga (left photo) was shot behind the counter of MC Discount Liquor and Food Minimart after he struggled with a man attempting to rob him. This raw surveillance video shows the robbery and shooting.

See the surveillance video here.

Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call Homicide Detective Jason Cvitanov at (916) 874-3778 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

From Bill Lindelof:

A portable classroom used for storage burned this morning at Antelope View Charter School.

The fire caused no injuries and was extinguished before spreading to other structures on the campus at 3243 Center Court Lane in Antelope.

Officials for Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said investigators have not ruled out an electrical problem as possible cause.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Yolo County jury has convicted a 61-year-old motorist from the El Dorado County community of Rescue of using his car as a weapon and driving recklessly.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office announced Monday that Sydney Raymond Wyckoff has been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving causing injury.

Wyckoff was found guilty of passing several cars at about 90 mph, weaving through traffic, then slamming on his brakes on Aug. 24, 2006.

Prosecutors said that on the Yolo Causeway Wyckoff turned and braked in front of a motorist from Davis. To avoid Wyckoff's vehicle, the driver braked and lost control of her car, which spun and then crashed hit the low causeway railing several times.

"Mr. Wyckoff is fortunate that no lives were lost because of his road rage," prosecutor Ryan J. Couzens said. "He was one guardrail away from murder charges."

A sentencing date for Wyckoff has not beens set. He faces a maximum of four years in prison, the district attorney's office said.

From Kim Minugh:

After a convenience store clerk was killed during an armed robbery in south Sacramento on Monday night, authorities are warning other business owners and employees that fighting back could lead to a far worse outcome.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives say 44-year-old Ravinder Singh Banga was shot behind the counter of MC Discount Liquor and Food Minimart at 4800 47th Ave. after he struggled with a man attempting to rob him shortly before 9 p.m.

The sheriff's department has released surveillance video of the robbery and shooting. See the raw video here.

The suspect shot Banga once in the chest during the struggle, and then fled the store on foot, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran. Another employee heard the gunshot while in a refrigerated area behind the store and came out to see someone in dark clothing leave the store, Curran said.

Homicide detective Jason Cvitanov said the suspect is believed to have been wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. It's unclear whether the suspect had a car outside.

Detectives believe that the suspect likely was after money and that the struggle might have prompted the shooting.

"It appeared the victim was trying to protect himself and the business," Cvitanov said. "Business owners should be aware it's property, and it's not worth getting injured or seriously hurt trying to save a few dollars or save property."

According to robbery detectives, hundreds of armed commercial robberies are committed every year within the Sheriff's Department's jurisdiction without any violence, Curran said.

"Statistics show that the vast majority end in a simple robbery when the clerks do not put up a fight," Curran said.

Obeying the suspect's commands might help ensure a safe outcome, Curran and Cvitanov advised.

Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call Homicide Detective Jason Cvitanov at (916) 874-3778 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

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From Kim Minugh:

The reward for information in the Sept. 27 shooting death of 18-year-old William Virdee is up to $12,000, according to authorities.

Virdee's family has raised $11,000 to offer to anyone whose tip leads to the arrest and conviction of the teen's killer or killers. Another $1,000 is being offered by the Crime Alert organization.

Virdee, a Rio Linda High School graduate, was shot in his car as he drove away from a party in the 6900 block of Eighth Avenue in Rio Linda, according to Sacramento County sheriff's detectives.

Detectives believe a "significant number" of people were standing in the street when two shooters opened fire and killed Virdee, said homicide Sgt. Micki Links. Few have come forward with information.

Anyone with a lead for investigators is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or homicide Detectives Robert Tracy at (916) 874-8480 or Scott Swisher at (916) 874-5963.

By Andy Furillo

Sean Nicholas Coyle caught a little bit of a break from California's Third District Court of Appeal.

Sentenced to three life terms with no chance of parole for a 2003 El Dorado County murder conviction, a three-judge appellate panel ruled Oct. 9 that Coyle only has to serve one of them - but still with no possibility of parole.

Coyle had been convicted in the robbery-murder of a suspected methamphetamine dealer. At sentencing, El Dorado County Superior Court Judge James R. Wagoner cited California's "three-strikes" law and tripled the life term on the defendant, who had 14 prior burglary convictions.

Justices Rick Sims, Ronald B. Robie and Tani Cantil-Sakauye voted unanimously to make Coyle serve his life term only once.

By Andy Furillo

Jason Lee Moore protested $6,250 of the $11,840.22 bill he got from the doctor, but California's Third District Court of Appeal says he still has to pay it.

Moore, convicted last year in Shasta County Superior court for burglarizing the doctor's home, was docked for the entire restitution payment to the physician, according to the panel's seven-page decision certified for publication.

The tab included the $6,250 the doctor charged at $125 an hour for attending the court proceedings, "a conservative estimate of what the victim earned per hour," the Sept. 23 decision said.

Moore considered the restitution fee excessive and appealed the award from Judge Anthony A. Anderson.

Presiding Justice Arthur G. Scotland and Justices Rick Sims and Harry Ull upheld the judge, saying that the doctor's lost wages "constituted economic loss attributable to the defendant's misconduct."

By Andy Furillo

It's official: the video-game-made-me-do-it defense doesn't fly in these here parts.

In an Oct. 14 published decision, the state's Third District Court of Appeal, which covers the Sacramento region, turned back the novel defense offered by Placer County man who was convicted of burglary, attempted robbery, evading the police and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

Jaisen Lee Henning argued to the court that he should have been allowed to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity for going sideways on July 7, 2007, after playing "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" for 10 hours. Adding to the equation: Henning's consumption over that time period of crystal meth, alcohol, Ecstasy, crack cocaine and magic mushrooms.

Henning argued to the appellate court that a "little green person" put a bug in his ear while he was at the "Grand Theft Auto" controls.

"It's time to do this," Henning imagined the voice telling him, according to the appellate court's decision that upheld his conviction in Placer County Superior Court. ""You can do this. Let's do this."

Henning then donned a black ski mask and stuck up a Days Inn motel. When an employee turned over his wallet containing $2, Henning noticed his car rolling down the motel's driveway, the 27-page decision said. He left the wallet, ran after the car and then got arrested after a high-speed chase.

Judge Charles D. Wachob sentenced Henning to17 years and four months in prison.

For the record, the three-judge appellate panel consisting of Acting Presiding Justice Cole Blease and Justices Ronald B. Robie and Rick Sims ruled that Judge Wachob blundered by not allowing Henning to enter the insanity plea and for refusing to get rid of the defendant's lawyer, who wouldn't enter the plea on Henning's behalf.

"However," the panel concluded, "both of these errors are harmless in light of abundant, uncontradicted evidence in the record demonstrating there was no factual basis for a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity."

From Ed Fletcher

State fire officials said today they believe the 49 Fire, which destroyed 63 homes and several businesses in August, was intentionally set.

"We have ruled every other cause out," said Daniel Berlant, a Cal Fire spokesman.

To move the investigation along, the agency today announced a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.

"Arson is a very serious crime," Berlant said. "Anytime we have an arson case we take it very seriously."

Officials believe there were actually two fires set 20 minutes and a 1/4 mile apart.

The first call about a fast-moving fire at Highway 49 and Rock Creek Road came in at 2:22 p.m. Aug. 31. At 2:42 p.m., another fire 1/4 mile east was reported, officials said.

High winds quickly merged the fires, making matters much worse, Berlant said.

The fire spread across nearly 350 acres in north Auburn, off Highway 49.

Anyone with information should contact the Cal Fire Arson Hotline at 1 (800) 468-4408.

The number of police officers slain in the line of duty fell sharply last year, according to FBI data released Monday. Read the story here.

From Kim Minugh:

A 42-year-old man was arrested Sunday for alleged sexual battery on a 78-year-old woman in downtown Sacramento, authorities say.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m., Sacramento police received multiple reports of a man exposing himself to and harassing passersby in the area of J and 10th streets, police said. Before officers arrived, the man allegedly approached a 78-year-old woman, touched her inappropriately and frightened her, police said.

Officers identified the man as Kevin Dresher, a parolee. He was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery, police said.

From Kim Minugh:

Lincoln police arrested a 26-year-old man Friday morning after investigators found a marijuana processing plant inside his Lincoln home, according to authorities.

Clinton Hooper, a Lincoln resident, was booked into the Placer County Jail on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sales, possessing concentrated cannabis, being a convicted felon in possession of live ammunition and committing a felony while out on bail, said Lincoln police Lt. David Ibarra.

On Friday morning, a Lincoln police officer responded to Green Ravine Drive and Fielding Lane after neighbors reported the strong odor of marijuana coming from a U-Haul truck parked in the area, Ibarra said.

As the officer began to drive away from the truck, the officer noticed a man walk up to the truck, Ibarra said. The officer confronted the man and learned he was on probation out of Sacramento County for marijuana possession, Ibarra said.

That led police to the man's residence in the 300 block of Falkirk Court, where they found more than 100 pounds of marijuana in various stages of processing, concentrated cannabis, live ammunition, narcotic paraphernalia and more than $11,000 in cash, Ibarra said.

Hopper is being held without bail, according to jail booking records.

From Bill Lindelof:

A former UC Davis accounting coordinator has turned herself in response to an arrest warrant charging her with embezzlement and theft of more than $38,000.

Sueanna Gaines, also known as Susie Cauchi, of Yuba City, surrendered Sunday at Yolo County Jail in Woodland. A university news release states that the warrant alleges that Gaines, who served 10 years as accounting and purchasing coordinator for intercollegiate athletics, made unauthorized use of a departmental gas credit card and a purchasing card.

Gaines also allegedly misappropriated cash deposits and receipts from sales of used cell phones.

The campus police department in August asked the Yolo County district attorney to issue the warrant for Gaines, who left UC Davis employment in December.

An audit of departmental controls found breakdowns in accountability, separation of duties and cash security. UC officials say measures have been taken to correct those problems.

The university found out about the alleged embezzlement in October 2008 when some gas credit card charges were questioned.

The allegations from the UC Davis Police Department included $17,324 in unauthorized gas credit card charges, $7,512 in fraudulent transactions using a department purchasing card for items such as camera equipment and wedding supplies and $10,000 in misappropriated funds, among other charges.

Intercollegiate Athletics Director Greg Warzecka said a newly hired budget analyst is providing additional oversight.

Gaines posted bond and was released. She is scheduled to appear in Yolo Superior Court on Nov. 17.

From Cathy Locke

A fundraising event to aid in the search for suspects in the recent shooting death of Rio Linda teenager William Virdee will be held Sunday.

An Octoberfest at the Fair Oaks Coffee House and Deli, 10223 Fair Oaks Blvd, in Fair Oaks Village, is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Funds from the event will be used to increase the reward offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the case. Sunday marks the three-week anniversary of Virdee's death.

The family, working with the Sacramento Sheriff's Department's Crime Alert Program, hopes the increased reward will lead to more tips and information about people involved in the Sept. 27 shooting. Virdee, 18, was in his car driving away from a birthday party in the 6900 block of Eighth Avenue in Rio Linda when he was shot.

Sunday's event will feature an Octoberfest menu and performances by several musical groups.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police said Friday there is no link between two home-invasion robberies - one of them fatal - in Meadowview during the last week.

On Thursday, two men broke into a home on Esterel Way, tied up one of four occupants and robbed them, according to police. Homicide detectives responded to investigate similarities between that crime and a home-invasion robbery just a quarter-mile away last Saturday night, in which 24-year-old Michael Thames was fatally shot.

But police spokeswoman Officer Laura Peck said Friday that detectives found no connection.

Also on Friday, police released updated descriptions of the suspects wanted in Thursday's attack: The first suspect is described as a black male adult, 6 feet tall and weighing about 240 pounds. The second is described as a black male adult, also 6 feet tall, weighing about 185 pounds.

From Kim Minugh

A 19-year-old man was sentenced today to life in prison without possibility of parole for killing a man in a 2008 gang-motivated drive-by shooting in Del Paso Heights.

Doshmen Jamaal Johnson, who continues to maintain his innocence, first will serve 10 years for carrying out the shooting that killed 27-year-old Perry Steele on behalf of the North Highlands-based "TNA" gang.

He then will serve a life sentence without possibility of parole for the first-degree murder, plus 25 years for using a gun.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White handed down the sentence this afternoon, calling Johnson's actions "cold blooded."

Other than the glorification of his gang, White said, "there appears to be no other purpose to the killing."

Steele, a member of the rival Del Paso Heights Bloods, died in May 2008, one month after being shot in his car while at a stoplight at the intersection of Del Paso and Marysville boulevards.

His sister, Bakita Adame, said her baby brother suffered a "slow and extremely painful death," losing all his limbs before finally succumbing to his injuries.

"It was a senseless act - cruel, ugly and ungodly," she told Judge White before he sentenced Johnson.

Velecea Diggs, Johnson's mother, said after the hearing that she will continue her fight to prove her son's innocence.

"They think it's over, but it's not," she said. "I'm going to make sure."

From Andy Furillo

A 19-year-old man was convicted of second-degree murder for the gang-related shooting death of another teenager more than two years ago on Vineyard Road near the Wildhawk Golf Club in unincorporated south Sacramento County.

Anh-Tuan Dao Pham, who was 16 at the time of the Feb. 22, 2007, killing of Dominique Hickman, also was convicted of attempted murder for wounding two more people less than an hour after he gunned down Hickman.

Pham is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17 by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley.

According to the prosecution in the case, Pham shot and killed Hickman about two weeks after Hickman had been engaged in a fight with rival gang members whom he suspected of throwing rocks at his mother's car.

After shooting Hickman, Pham then drove to the Caymus Park area and rammed the stolen car he used in the first shooting into a garage door at the house where more of his gang rivals were staying.

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Hightower said that Pham then got into another car that followed him to the house, drove away and then returned 15 minutes later to shoot the people from inside the residence who came outside to inspect the crash.

From Andy Furillo

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Tyrone Adam Palmer of second-degree murder for running a car carrying three teen-aged girls off the road two years ago, killing one of them and leaving another comatose.

Palmer, 40, also was convicted of eight other felonies, including two counts of assault for deadly weapon for ramming two other motorists with the same stolen truck he used to chase down and cut off the girls on Oct. 13, 2007.

Kailey McGagin, 17, was killed in the wreck induced by Palmer on Winding Way at Barrett Road. The driver of the girls' car, Seychelle Curry, now 20, was severely injured and remains in a persistent vegetative state. A third girl in the car, Valerie Schmidt, 19, suffered two broken legs.

Judge David De Alba scheduled Palmer's sentencing for Nov. 17.

According to testimony at trial, the girls drove up on Palmer at 4 o'clock in the morning on Mineral Court in Carmichael while he was in the process of stealing a utility trailer off another vehicle.

The girls had been partying and consuming alcohol earlier in the evening. They had been out on a prank, throwing eggs at a friend's house.

One of the girls, believed to be McGagin, threw an egg at Palmer, which prompted him to chase then down and run them off the road into a telephone pole.

To see an earlier story, click here.

Bee Staff

A 58-year-old Reno woman with a history of leaving her Down Syndrome child behind in stores or letting him wander away has been convicted by a Placer County jury for allowing it to happen again.

Mary Ellen Stamps was found guilty of one count of felony child endangerment Tuesday after a five-day trial in Placer County Superior Court in Auburn, according to a news release.

"It took the jury less than an hour to come back with the verdict," prosecutor Estelle Tansey of the Placer County District Attorney's Office said.

Stamps was charged for a March 25 incident in which she took her boy, then 7, to the Village at Northstar in Lake Tahoe and allowed the youngster, who is nonverbal, to run off unsupervised, Tansey said.

After looking for the boy unsuccessfully, the mother left Northstar to pick up her 14-year-old daughter, who was staying nearby at a home, Tansey said. She did not notify Northstar security that the boy was lost or missing, she said.

When Stamps returned to Northstar about one to two hours later, she found her son in the care of security officials, who had discovered him running unsupervised and without identification in an underground parking garage, Tansey said.

"The child could easily have been killed or seriously injured," Tansey said.

The prosecutor said Stamps had previously been fined $115 in Washoe County, Nevada, for leaving the child in a bookstore for about three hours while she went shopping elsewhere.

In addition, Tansey called witnesses to testify about another incident on May 29, 2009, in which the boy wandered away while Stamps was trying on roller blades in a sporting goods store in Reno. The boy was later found across the street in a Sam's Club parking lot, Tansey said.

According to Tansey, law enforcement officials have suggested to Stamps to consider having the boy wear a GPS tracking device or having identification tags sewn into his clothing.

"But the evidence shows that she hasn't done any of these things," Tansey said.

Stamps is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 8 before Judge Larry D. Gaddis.

Tansey said Stamps faces a sentence that could range from probation to six years in state prison.

By Merrill Balassone
mbalassone@modbee.com

Accused cop killer Columbus Allen Jr. II will be tried in Sacramento County, a Stanislaus County judge ruled Thursday.

He could face the death penalty if he's convicted in the February 2006 slaying of California Highway Patrol officer Earl Scott.

Superior Court Judge Hurl Johnson said Sacramento was the most convenient of the three counties on a final list of trial locations that included Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties.

Johnson acknowledged there may be "concerns" about media coverage of Scott's slaying by Sacramento television stations. But he said the Sacramento-area coverage did not factor into moving the trial.

"My decision on change of venue was based on the pervasive publicity of The Modesto Bee," Johnson said.

Modesto and Stockton are part of the Sacramento television media market in terms of local news coverage.

Johnson's decision was the first change of venue granted from Modesto since Scott Peterson was tried in the slaying of his wife, Laci, in 2004.

Johnson also noted Sacramento has the highest percentage of black residents -- about 10 percent -- of the three counties. The defense said a more diverse community than Stanislaus County, which is 3 percent black, is essential to getting a fair trial for Allen, who is black.

"We're going to have a white officer, an African American defendant, a law enforcement officer -- (those issues) are going to follow this case wherever it goes," Johnson said.

The Administrative Office of the Courts, the state court administrative body, polled several Northern California counties and came up with the list based on available space, personnel and other factors.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Alan Cassidy said Sacramento was the prosecution's top choice because of its proximity to witnesses and the convenience of transportation.

"We think all the logistics point to Sacramento," Cassidy said.

Defense attorney John R. Grele of San Francisco raised concerns during the hearing about the fairness of the process. Neither San Francisco nor Marin, his top choices, made the final cut. Grele said he may appeal the decision.

We seem to end up with counties the prosecution desires and none of the counties the defense wants," Grele said after the hearing.

Grele said holding the trial in San Francisco would have saved as much as $200,000 by keeping the defense team close to home.

Allen, 33, of Stockton is charged with shooting and killing Scott about 4:40 a.m. Feb. 17, 2006. The slain officer was found at the edge of northbound Highway 99, just south of Hammett Road near Salida, holding registration papers for a Nissan Maxima registered to Allen's wife.

Stanislaus County Superior Court Presiding Judge Jack M. Jacobson will decide whether to send a Stanislaus County judge to preside over the trial. If not, a Sacramento judge may preside.

Allen's trial date is set for Jan. 12.

From Bill Lindelof:

A BB gun-wielding vandal shattered windows in homes and cars in Greenhaven and South Land Park on Thursday night, Sacramento police said.

As many as 24 windows were broken about 10 p.m. on Windward Way, Parklite Circle, Senior Way and the area near Gloria Drive and 43rd Avenue.

Several witnesses provided descriptions of possible suspects to police. One description was of two adults on a pink motor scooter, while another description was of several people driving an older-model Oldsmobile.

From Kim Minugh

Sacramento police have released updated descriptions of the suspects wanted in connection with Thursday's home-invasion robbery in Meadowview.

Witnesses described the first suspect as a black male adult, 6 feet tall and weighing about 240 pounds, according to police. The second was described as a black male adult, also 6 feet tall, weighing about 185 pounds.

The men are suspected of forcing their way into a home on Esterel Way about 2:30 p.m. Homicide detectives are investigating whether the crime is linked to Saturday night's homicide just a quarter-mile away, said Officer Konrad von Schoech.

Two adults and two teens were home at the time of Thursday's home-invasion, and one of the adults was tied up during the robbery, von Schoech said.

Nobody was hurt. Police are still trying to identify what, if anything, was taken.

The suspects fled the home and have not been located.

Homicide detectives responded to the scene to investigate any potential links to Saturday night's fatal shooting on Maccan Court, von Schoech said.

In that home-invasion robbery, two black men wearing hooded sweatshirts forced their way into the home of 24-year-old Michael Thames and shot him, according to police. He later died at a local hospital.

A woman and a 5-year-old also home at the time were not injured.

Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward.

For an earlier story, click here.

From Bill Lindelof:

A two-day Internet predator sweep by the FBI, state and local law enforcement led to the arrest of 28 people for a variety of crimes, including child sexual exploitation.

Code named "Operation Traps," the effort by officers from Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, El Dorado and Placer counties targeted suspected child predators and pornographers, the FBI said.

The effort was part of a the FBI's "Innocent Images National Initiative" to reduce sexual exploitation and abuse of children associated with the Internet.

About 150 officers participated in the operation, conducting 169 searches and seizing 30 computers. Also seized were digital cameras, cell phones, external hard drives, thumb drives, compact discs, DVDs and floppy disks.

More arrests are likely once the evidence is reviewed, the FBI said.

Among people contacted were suspects in ongoing sex crime investigations, sex crime parolees and registered sex offenders. Authorities also contacted suspected traders of child pornography identified "through the use of advanced undercover techniques," an FBI news release states.

From Bill Lindelof:

A missing Galt teenager who had recently been depressed and expressed thoughts of suicide has been found, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department reported today.

Domingo Flores, 15, is in good health and has been reunited with his family today, a department news release states.

Flores had last been seen by his father Wednesday morning when he was dropped off at Liberty Ranch High School in Galt. Flores did not attend school that day, school administrators said.

The California Department of Corrections and the Woodland Police Department are seeking Matthew Brian Martin (left photo) on a felony arrest warrant for suspicion of two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and parole violation, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

In a news release, authorities provided these details:

At 1:10 a.m. Sept. 20, Martin, along with several other Latino adult men, were involved in a fight in the parking lot of the AM/PM store at 450 County Road 102 in Woodland.

Martin was identified as assaulting two customers leaving the store and taking the customer's merchandise during the attack. One of the combatants with Martin stabbed one of the customers in the face while the others punched the customers in or near their car and took their merchandise.

The Woodland Police Department is also asking the public for help in identifying an unknown female involved in the incident. She is described as a white adult with a thin build, brown/blond hair and a tattoo on her right shoulder. She was wearing a pink tank top and bleached jeans during the incident.

According to authorities, Martin is described as age 27, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds with brown hair and eyes. He is missing his left arm just below the elbow and has numerous tattoos on his neck, arms, chest and back. He was last known to live in the 300 block of North College Street in Woodland.

Martin is a Norteno gang member and should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities report.

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

From Chelsea Phua:

Placer County Sheriff's detectives arrested three people involved in what they call a major burglary ring in the area, according to a department news release.

The bust Thursday at an Antelope home yielded up to 1,000 pieces of allegedly stolen property that authorities said filled two trucks.

Detectives said the items were taken from at least four counties.

Authorities arrested Ruslan Zhurko (top left photo), 26, Igor Ogorodnikov (center photo), 37, and Roman Lukovsky (right photo), 23, and booked them into the Placer County Jail on multiple charges involving vehicle burglary, trafficking and identity theft.

The investigation into the ring started last month when Folsom police officers informed two Placer County Sheriff detectives, Dan Blair and Ryan West, that they found property stolen from Placer County during the arrest of Vadim Zhurko, 29, Ruslan's brother.

Detectives said they discovered that the Antelope home on Lone Ridge Court was used as a "fencing operation," where thieves hid the items they stole.

Authorities are asking anyone who has been a victim of a vehicle burglary to view the recovered property from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Placer County Sheriff's Department, 2929 Richardson Drive, Auburn.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police are investigating whether today's home-invasion robbery in Meadowview is linked to Saturday night's homicide just a quarter-mile away, according to authorities.

About 2:30 p.m. today, two black men, one of them armed, forced their way into a home on Esterel Way, said Officer Konrad von Schoech, police spokesman.

Two adults and two teens were home at the time, and at least one adult was tied up during the robbery, Von Schoech said.

Nobody was hurt. Police are still trying to identify what, if anything, was taken.

The suspects fled the home and have not been located, von Schoech said. One was described as being in his 20s.

Homicide detectives responded to the scene to investigate any potential links to Saturday night's fatal shooting on Maccan Court, von Schoech said. In that home-invasion robbery, two black men wearing hooded sweatshirts forced their way into the home of 24-year-old Michael Thames and shot him, according to police. He later died at a local hospital.

A woman and a 5-year-old also home at the time were not injured.

Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward.

From Kim Minugh

Persistence did not pay off for this alleged criminal.

On Wednesday, Rocklin police arrested 21-year-old Brandon Lee Welsh of Rocklin for allegedly trying to pass a forged prescription for OxyContin - for the second time that day, according to a police news release.

Welsh reportedly first went to the Bel Air Market pharmacy on Sunset Boulevard. He handed over what later proved to be a forged prescription, but left after a suspicious pharmacist peppered him with questions, the release states.

Police allege that about an hour and a half later, Welsh went to the nearby Safeway pharmacy and gave the pharmacist another forged prescription, according to the release. But he didn't get there before the Bel Air pharmacist had a chance to call police and surrounding pharmacies with a description of the man, the release states.

Thanks to that description, the Safeway employee recognized Welsh and called police. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary, passing an altered prescription and forgery, according to the release. Police say he is being held on $17,500 bail.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives are warning the public about a new variation of the classic "pigeon drop" scam that recently cost a 72-year-old woman $10,000 and a lot of grief.

The victim was shopping at a Wal-Mart store in Rancho Cordova in September when she was approached by a woman who said she had found an envelope full of diamonds while working at a local hotel, sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran said. The woman said she needed to sell the diamonds to pay for her mother's cancer treatment.

The scammer stopped another man walking by -- who was part of the caper -- and asked him for help, Curran said. The man suggested that he take the diamonds inside the Wal-Mart and ask a jeweler there to appraise the diamonds, Curran said.

The man went into the store and then returned to the women, saying the diamonds were worth $20,000 to $30,000, Curran said. The victim then purchased two of the supposed diamonds for $10,000. When she took them to a jeweler, she found out they were crystals, Curran said.

The sheriff's department described the female suspect as Hispanic, in her 40s, 5-foot, 3-inches tall and weighing 125 pounds. She was wearing pink pants, a short-sleeve shirt with multi-colored "drops" on it, a fisherman-type hat and sunglasses with shiny white frames. She had dark hair and carried a long black handbag with multiple gold accents.

The male suspect is described as a white or possibly Hispanic man and in his 20s. He is roughly 5-foot-4, weighs 160 pounds, has a tan complexion and black hair. He was wearing a tan polo shirt and blue jeans.

Curran outlined the standard formula of a pigeon-drop scheme:

* A stranger, or strangers, gain the victim's confidence with a believable story.

* The stranger asks for the victim's help or promises the victim money or goods.

* Then that person asks the victim to show "good faith" by producing cash in advance for the promised money or goods.

Curran encouraged people victimized by such scams, or who have been approached by people who seem to be carrying out such a scam, to report it to law enforcement. He wrote in a news release: "Don't feel foolish or stupid. Reporting is vital. Very few frauds are reported, which leaves the con artists free to rob other people of their money and trust."

Anyone with information about the Wal-Mart incident is asked to call sheriff's elder abuse detectives at (916) 874-5070 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or text in a tip to 274637. Enter the word "SACTIP" followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Bill Lindelof:

Federal and El Dorado County law enforcement officials announced today the arrest of three people suspected of being connected to a steroid manufacturing ring.

The 10-month undercover investigation resulted in the arrest of Jason Glavin (far left), 37, of El Dorado Hills, and Erin O'Neil (middle left), 40, and his wife, Amy O'Neil (left), 32, both of Fair Oaks.

The investigation also resulted in closure of a suspected steroid lab in Elverta and seizure of 500 vials and 1,850 capsules of anabolic steroids.

"In terms of underground steroid labs, this was a huge seizure for this area," said Gordon Taylor, federal Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge.

The investigation began in January when an undercover officer allegedly bought two vials of steroids from Glavin in an El Dorado Hills parking lot. Between February and September, the undercover officer allegedly bought steroids from Glavin multiple times at a Citrus Heights grocery store parking lot.

Authorities said that on those occasions Glavin drove to the residence of Amy and and Erin O'Neil before and after the purchases. According to a search warrant affidavit, Glavin's supplier received raw product, manufactured the steroid and labeled it for distribution.

The case ended Wednesday when authorities said Glavin was arrested, suspected of delivering 100 vials of anabolic steroids to an undercover officer in a Citrus Heights parking lot.

Later, authorities searched Glavin's residence, the O'Neil's residence and the location of the alleged lab.

Bee Staff

Two men are in the Sacramento County jail today on suspicion of an assortment of felonies after a vehicle and foot chase through a north county residential area, according to jail records and a California Highway Patrol spokesman.

The events began when California Highway Patrol undercover unit allegedly spotted the pair driving an allegedly stolen vehicle, a CHP spokesman said. Officer in the unmarked unit directed a marked patrol car to the vehicle, but the driver tried to evade officer, the spokesman said.

The chase ran from Frizell Avenue to Carl Sandburg and Oak Hollow drives, where the two suspects jumped out and fled on foot, the spokesman said.

CHP officer assisted by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department deputies found one suspect hiding in a residence he had broken into and the other suspect in a backyard, the spokesman said.

No one was injured in the chase or arrests, he said.

In jail on $500,000 bail was Justin John Dobrowski, 28, on suspicion of four felonies and a misdemeanor.

Also in jail on $250,000 bail was Terry Luke Smith, 18, on suspicion of two felonies and two misdemeanors.

From Andy Furillo

Jurors began deliberations today to decide whether a Philadelphia-based broadcasting company and its Sacramento subsidiary should be held liable for the death of Jennifer Lea Strange in a radio station's water-drinking contest nearly three years ago.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd A. Phillips instructed the seven-man, five-woman panel on the law in the case and sent jurors into deliberations just before 11 a.m.

Strange, 28, died of acute water intoxication on Jan. 12, 2007, after participating in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest put on by radio station KDND "The End" 107.9.

Her husband and three children filed a wrongful death suit in the case against the station's owner, Entercom Communications Corp., and its subsidiary, Entercom Sacramento LLC.

Plaintiffs have asked the jury for economic and non-economic damages in a range of $34 million to $44.3 million.

The company has claimed that it should not be held liable for Strange's death, but its lawyer told the jury that if it does find the Entercom defendants responsible, the award should only be $4.5 million.

Bee Staff

The Placer County District Attorney's Office warned that it and a state contractor licensing board will conduct a sting in cooperation targeting unlicensed contractors who offer or submit bids to repair or rebuild homes or structures for victims of the recent 49er Fire.

It is against state law for any person to do contracting work totaling more than $500 in labor and materials without having a valid contractor's license, unless that person has been granted an exemption, the District Attorney's Office stated.

Sixty-three homes were destroyed during the Aug. 30 fire that spread through nearly 350 acres in North Auburn, off Highway 49.

Because the 49 Fire was proclaimed a state of emergency by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, any violation by an unlicensed contractor for repair work could be prosecuted as a felony, according to a news release from the DA's Office.

Assistant District Attorney Scott Owens said his office will unlicensed contractors "who prey upon the unwary."

The Placer County District Attorney's Office will partner with the Contractors State Licensing Board, which is planning to conduct sweep and sting operations in the Auburn area where homes were destroyed or damaged, the release states.

"We have posted signs throughout the burn area warning the homeowners about unlicensed contractors," said Steve Sands, the state board's registrar. "If our investigators see people doing work, we will talk to them and find out if they are properly licensed. If they are not legitimate, they could be cited or arrested."

Those caught contracting without a license in a declared disaster area could face fines up to $10,000 or imprisonment for up to three years, the release states.

The state board warned residents and businesses operators not to hire the first contractor who comes along.

"Take your time and protect yourself against con artists who will take your money and run - or (against) incompetent contractors who will perform shoddy work," Sands said. "Hire only licensed contractors and check their qualifications with the board."

Licensed contractors are required to carry workers' compensation and bonds to protect home or business owners if something goes wrong, Sands said.

Contractors working on a job - from debris removal to rebuilding - totaling $500 or more for labor and materials must be licensed by the CSLB, the release states.

To become licensed, a contractor must pass a licensing examination, verify at least four years of journey-level experience and carry a license bond. As of July 1, 2005, all new licensed contractors have also had to pass a criminal background check, the release states.

The state board offered these tips when dealing with a building contractor.

- Hire only licensed contractors and asking to see the license.

- Verify the contractor's license by checking online and by not rushing into hiring the first contractor who submits a bid.

- Do not pay more than 10 percent down or $1,000, whichever is less, and to not pay cash or let the payments get ahead of the work.

- Always get three bids, check references and then get a written contract.

- Contact the state board if they have a complaint against a contractor.

More information is available at the state board's Web site at www.cslb.ca.gov or by calling the CSLB at (800) 321-2752.

Bee Staff

Some crime reports out of Sacramento County last week sounded like accounts from Baghdad - blood trails but no signs of the victims.

The reports released this week gave these accounts:

On Oct. 11 at about 5: 20 a.m. in the 2700 block of Woodberry Way, deputies responded to the report of a fight in a parking lot. Witnesses said one male juvenile shot at another male juvenile.

Deputies found a .22 caliber shell casing and blood. They also arrested a suspect. What they didn't find was the victim.

The 17-year-old suspect was booked into juvenile hall.

On the same date at about 10:45 p.m. in the 10000 block of Coloma Road, unknown suspects knocked on a door and shot at the person who answered. A bullet grazed the victim's head.

The suspects fled. The victim took himself to a hospital but left before deputies arrived.

Deputies were given scant details on the suspects.

From Contra Costa Times, Bee Staff

A former Citrus Heights resident defending himself against charges that he killed his sister and brother-in-law in their El Cerrito home argued Wednesday that the couple's 20-year-old son was better off without his parents.

"The parents were raising their kids wrong and I think since the parents were eliminated, Eric has cleaned up his life," defendant Edward Wycoff told Judge John Kennedy as he argued against the prosecutor's objection to questions about his nephew's personal life unrelated to the 2006 killings.

Wycoff, 40, could face the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder in the Jan. 31, 2006, deaths of his sister Julie Rogers, 47, and brother-in-law Paul Rogers, 48. Wycoff, a former truck driver, has confessed to the killings and asserts they were justified. In his opening statement Tuesday, Wycoff said he believes the couple were out to destroy him because they didn't invite him to spend the holidays with their family after his father died in 2005.

Wycoff, a former Citrus Heights resident, was arrested Feb. 2, 2006, at a Roseville hospital after staff called police about a man seeking treatment "with suspicious wounds," The Bee reported.

Prosecutor Mark Peterson, pointing to greed as a primary motivation, said Wycoff planned the killings as far back as August 2005 because his sister, as executor of their father's estate, wanted to sell the Citrus Heights home where Wycoff was living.

"Didn't you think it was strange that after my dad died that everyone was invited over for Christmas but me?" Wycoff asked Eric Rogers, the couple's middle child and one of two who were home when their parents were fatally stabbed and beaten.

"I wasn't aware of that," said Eric Rogers, who was 17 at the time of the killings. "I wasn't there for Christmas either."

Eric Rogers said he awoke to sounds of a fight in the hallway of his family's home on Rifle Range Road and saw his parents under attack by someone he thought was a burglar. He ran into his 12-year-old sister Laurel's room and called 911.

Once the house grew quiet, they went to their parent's bedroom when they saw their father face down in an "enormous pool of blood," a large knife in his back.

His sister was holding a towel around the knife to stop the bleeding when she told him the attacker was their Uncle Ted. Paul Rogers told his son he loved him before police swept in.

"I stroked his hair and I said, 'I love you, too, Papa,'" Eric Rogers said.

Hours later, at the El Cerrito police station, the children were told both parents had died.

"How's your life been since all this has happened?" Wycoff asked.

"Incredibly difficult," Eric Rogers said.

Bee Staff

A 38-year-old Roseville man who was convicted of a third felony strike by a jury was sentenced today by a Placer County judge to 181 years to life in state prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Daniel Phillip Ragan was unable to persuade Superior Court Judge Charles Wachob to dismiss previous strikes and to grant him probation or a lesser prison sentence, according to a news release from the DA's office.

A jury found Ragan guilty on August 11 of 13 charges that included a variety of drug counts and the illegal possession of weapons.

In denying Ragan's request for leniency, Wachob, who also imposed fines and restitution of more than $10,000, noted the defendant's lengthy criminal history and his ongoing recidivism, the release sates.

"The sentence for this defendant is a just one," said Placer County Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Macumber. "Mr. Ragan is definitely the kind of recidivist offender for whom the three-strike law was created. Society needs to be protected against him for as long as possible."

The jury convicted Ragan on eight felony counts, each of which carried a potential maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison, the release states.

The jury also found that two special allegations that Ragan committed a felony while out on bail were true, and the defendant admitted that he had two prior strikes and had served two prior prison terms, the release states.

His previous prison sentences were for voluntary manslaughter with use of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm and attempted car burglary, the release states.

Ragan's more recent troubles began on Aug. 1, 2007, when he was arrested for possession of drugs.

Later that month while out on bail, Ragan was rearrested after law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant and found drugs and weapons in his home.

After meeting bail again, Ragan was arrested during a traffic stop on Sept. 14, 2007. Officers said he was driving under the influence of drugs and that drugs were found in the vehicle. On his belt, Ragan was wearing brass knuckles, which are an illegal weapon, Macumber said.

The jury deliberated three days in a two-week trial before returning the guilty verdicts on charges that included possession and transportation of drugs, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of metal knuckles and maintaining a place where drugs were being used, the release states.

After falling victim to a thief in San Francisco last weekend, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson jokingly promised S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom that the same wouldn't happen to him here. If he wants to keep his word, Johnson might not want to take Newsom to these spots.

http://www.sacbee.com/1098/story/2250739.html

From Kim Minugh:

A man was found dead this morning in Roseville's Dry Creek, and his death is being investigated as a potential drowning, authorities say.

Roseville firefighters arrived at the creek, adjacent to the Darling Way bridge, shortly after 10 a.m. and found an adult man floating in the water, said fire spokesman Dennis Mathisen.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Roseville police remain at the creek investigating the death, Mathisen said.

Mathisen said there are no obvious signs of trauma on the man's body and that it appears he likely drowned in the creek.

He estimated that the creek is running at about four feet in that area -- higher than usual because of the recent storm, but still "well within safe ranges," Mathisen said.

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From Andy Furillo

The lawyer for Entercom Communication Corp. and its Sacramento subsidiary said today that Jennifer Lea Strange's death was not foreseeable in a radio station water-drinking contest and that his clients should not be held liable.

But defense attorney Donald W. Carlson told the seven-man, five-woman jury that if they do find either Philadelphia-based Entercom or Entercom Sacramento LLC at fault, that it should award Strange's survivors only $2.7 million in damages for the loss of her love and companionship and $1.819,643 for the loss of her past and present economic support, for a total award of a little over $4.5 million.

The two plaintiffs' attorneys on behalf of Jennifer Strange's husband and three children asked for an award of between an estimated $34 million and $44.3 million.

"I know each and every one of you will do the right thing," Carlson told the jury at the conclusion of his closing argument.

Plaintiffs' lawyer Roger A. Dreyer followed Carlson with a rebuttal argument urging the jury to find the defendants responsible for Strange's death and to not let any possible antipathy it might have for attorneys in general to influence its decision.

He flashed a picture of Jennifer Strange on the courthouse screen with her family, then had her image removed to depict the loss that her family has had to endure.

"If the numbers on the losses are significant," Dreyer said, recounting his figuring from Tuesday's session on the non-economic damages he said are due to the plaintiffs, "it's because of who she was, not some greedy lawyers... or what others would have you believe."

Earlier, in his closing argument in Sacramento Superior Court., Carlson admitted today that top officials in Entercom Sacramento LLC made "serious, tragic mistakes," but that they shouldn't necessarily make Entercom Communications Corp. liable for Strange's death.

The Philadelphia-based parent corporation and its Sacramento subsidiary are defendants in a wrongful death trial brought by survivors of Strange, who died on Jan. 12, 2007, in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest put on by Entercom-owned KDND "The End" 107.9. The contest promised the Nintendo video game for whoever could drink the most water without urinating.

Carlson told the jury that "knowing what we know now, listening to the broadcasts, some of the comments by the disc jockeys, it sounds horrible." But even though the station's "Morning Rave" DJs joked on the air about the possibility of somebody dying in the contest, Carlson said "the truth is that no one understood the harm at that time."

The attorney blamed KDND station manager Steve Weed and promotions director Robin Pechota for allowing the contest to go forward, in violation of what he said were clear and reasonable guidelines laid down by the corporation's legal team in Boston.

The company barred any such event, Carlson said, that could put a participant in danger or were of themselves in bad taste. Moreover, Carlson said, any contest that was anything other than a simple, low-budget call-in type situation needed to first be approved by Entercom's attorneys, and neither Weed nor Pechota attempted to do that.

"It wasn't as if these people were right off the street," Carlson said, noting that Weed had 40 years in the business and 30 years in management and that Pechota had a 20-year career of her own. "Both of them had experience, and both of them made serious, tragic mistakes."

As for the contest that killed Strange, Pechota "didn't send it in" to the legal team for approval, Carlson said. "I don't know why."

Still, Carlson said, the transgressions of Weed and Pechota shouldn't make Philadelphia-based Entercom liable for Strange's death.

He said the instructions that will be read to the jury by Judge Lloyd A. Phillips following the conclusion of the closing arguments will spell out that the parent company isn't by definition responsible if its Sacramento subsidiary is held liable.

He said the Entercom Communications Corp. and Entercom Sacramento have to be viewed separately by the jury. The instructions, he said, say that the parent company isn't liable for the negligence of the subsidiary by reason of its ownership or control.

The corporation, he said, was not involved in either the approval or the performance of the contest.

Before Carlson began his arguments, the second plaintiffs' attorney in the case, Harvey R. Levine, who is representing Jennifer Strange's oldest son, Keegan Sims, asked the jury to award the 13-year-old boy $7.5 million to $9 million in non-economic damages for his loss of love, companionship and support.

"Jennifer Strange loved this little boy," Levine told the jury, displaying a picture on the courtroom's video screen of a younger Keegan looking up at his mother on her wedding day to Billy Strange. "She loved him with all her heart and soul. And this is a tragic death because it could have been prevented so easily."

Levine's request followed Tuesday's closing argument where plaintiffs' attorney Roger A. Dreyer asked the jury for $24.6 million to $33.4 million in non-economic damages for Billy Strange and the two children he had with Jennifer Strange.

From Bill Lindelof:

Two men suspected of identifying themselves as police and then stealing marijuana have been arrested in Nevada County.

The Nevada County Sheriff's Department said about 4 a.m. Saturday they responded to a home on Keenan Way between Lake of the Pines and Grass Valley near Highway 49 to investigate a reported home invasion robbery.

Deputies said Tuesday that three men knocked on the front door of the residence and said they were law enforcement officers. The suspects then entered the home, took marijuana and hit a resident of the home on the head with a blunt object.

Detectives later arrested two of the three men suspected in the robbery, Christopher Lee Brooks, 26, and Robert Madsen, 30, at a home in the 100 block of King Court in Grass Valley. They are suspected of robbery, burglary, assault and false imprisonment.

Detectives are still looking for a third suspect.

Bee Staff

Some Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies could be excused if they thought last week that they had signed up for professional wrestling rather than law enforcement.

Crime reports released this week gave these accounts:

On Oct. 10 at about 3:30 a.m. in the 5100 block of Sitton Way, deputies responded to a fight call and found a female suspect walking away from the scene who refused several times to heed commands to stop. The suspect was caught and handcuffed, but then slipped her hands out of the restraints and proceeded to fight deputies.

She refused numerous requests to stop fighting, but when she tried to bite deputies, the Taser came out and the fighting stopped. A methamphetamine "pill" was found in her pocket, according to the summary.

Booked into jail was Azurneisha Riley, 19. Jail records show Riley still in jail on suspicion of battery against officers, resisting officers, drug possession and a failure to obey a commitment order. She is being held without bail.

On that same date at about 11:50 p.m. near Artesia Road and Elywn Avenue, deputies responding to a call of a prowler found a suspect sitting in a parked vehicle. The suspect failed to produce identification and when deputies tried to search him for weapons, he resisted.

Deputies had to use control holds to get the suspect into handcuffs and into a patrol car. He continued to refuse to identify himself, but deputies were able to establish he was Andres Ortiz, 24, the crime summary states.

Ortiz was booked into jail on suspicion of resisting arrest, the summary states.

On Oct. 6 at about 2 a.m. in the 8800 block of Liscarney Way, a deputy on patrol stopped a vehicle after the deputy observed it driving with no headlights on. A check showed the vehicle as stolen and a search found property stolen from another vehicle only hours earlier, the report states.

But when the vehicle's two occupants were placed in a patrol car, one of the suspects kicked out a window in an escape attempt and had to be subdued.

Arrested were Jeremiah Harvey, 19, and an unidentified 16-year-old juvenile, the report states. Harvey also was being held on a no-bail felony warrant from Shasta County, jail records show.

Bee Staff

The Rocklin Police Department and the Coalition for Placer Youth are hosting an open Town Hall to help parents fight drug use among children.

The forum, "What Kids Think Parents Should Know About Drugs and Alcohol," will be 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Rocklin Sunset Center, 2650 Sunset Blvd., Rocklin, according to a news release.

This forum is designed to educate parents about drug trends and to empower them to take an active role in identification, prevention, and intervention, the release states.

The event is open to the public.

The featured presenters include Rocklin Police Chief Mark Siemens, Jeff Cameron supervisor of the State Justice Department Drug Task Force, Rocklin Police School Resource Officer Chris Osborne, Emergency Room Physician Robert Royer and several youth panelists, the release states.

Questions and discussion topics will include:

- How prevalent is illegal drug use in Rocklin?

- What's being done about this problem?

- Is teenage prescription drug use on the rise?

- Where are teens getting the drugs?

- How can parents detect the signs, symptoms, and behaviors of drug/alcohol use?

- Should parents drug-test their children?

- What are some preventative measures parents can take?

- Where can people obtain assistance and substance abuse treatment?

Attendees will be able to ask questions, purchase drug test kits, talk with Rocklin Police Department School Resource Officers, and meet with representatives of organizations that provide drug-related information, counseling and treatment, the release states.

For more information, contact Michael Nottoli at Michael.Nottoli@rocklin.ca.us or call (916) 625-5416.

From Kim Minugh:

A local music teacher was arrested last week for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old boy four years ago, and Sacramento County sheriff's detectives say they are concerned there might be other victims who have not yet come forward.

James Charles Jordan (left photo), a 53-year-old Sacramento resident, was arrested Oct. 8 and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on a warrant alleging six counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Detectives based the warrant on Jordan's alleged abuse of a 13-year-old boy on multiple occasions at the Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Carmichael four years ago, Curran said. Jordan knew the boy through his work as the church's minister of music, a role that involved orchestrating music for services and working with the choir, Curran said.

The boy, now 17, recently came forward with the allegations, Curran said.

In addition to his work at that church, Jordan also is active in local theater productions and gives private piano and organ lessons, Curran said. Because of Jordan's frequent and close interaction with children, detectives believe there is a "high probability" there are other victims, Curran said.

Anyone who suspects Jordan might have had inappropriate contact with their child is asked to call sheriff's child abuse detectives at (916) 874-8002.

Jordan remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail. He is being held in lieu of $300,000 bail, according to jail booking records. He is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 20.

From Kim Minugh

The Woodland Police Department launched a new online crime-reporting system today that allows residents to report minor crimes via the Internet.

The program allows residents to file reports in the following instances, according to a news release:

- Theft (stolen property)
- Vehicle burglary (stolen equipment or belongings from a vehicle)
- Anonymous witness forms (reporting suspicious people or activity, safety hazards, animal abuse, noise violations or traffic/parking issues)
- Harassing or threatening phone calls
- Vehicle hit and run
- Identity theft
- Lost or missing property
- Vandalism (including graffiti)
- Vehicle tampering (keying, broken windows or attempts to remove parts)

According to the release, online reports can be filed if:

- A crime happened in the city limits of Woodland and not on a freeway or a freeway ramp (those areas are the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol)
- The suspect is unknown or cannot be described
- The value of the loss or damage is less than $2,500
- The incident is not an emergency

Reports filed online will be monitored and tracked by Woodland patrol officers, the release states.

To file a report online, visit www.woodlandpolice.org and click on "Online Crime Reporting." Nonemergency criminal activity that does not fit the above criteria should be reported to the Woodland police communications center at (530) 666-2411, which is available 24 hours a day.

From Kim Minugh

Sacramento police today released a sketch of one of the two men who men allegedly forced their way into a home on Maccan Court, near John Still Drive, and shot 24-year-old Michael Thames.

The men are described as black men in their late teens to early twenties and wearing dark "hoodies."

Thames died at a local hospital. A woman and young child who were home at the time of the home invasion were not injured in the incident.

Police say they are still unsure of the motive and the investigation continues.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text 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.

From Andy Furillo

One of the plaintiff's lawyers in the wrongful death lawsuit over a radio station's fatal water drinking contest today asked jurors to award his clients between $24.62 million and $34.45 million for the loss of the love, comfort and support of Jennifer Lea Strange.

"Understand the value of a mother," attorney Roger A. Dreyer told the Sacramento Superior Court jury. "Understand and appreciate the value of a mother, a lover, a companion and a best friend."

Dreyer made his request on behalf of Jennifer Strange's husband, Billy Strange, 30, and their two children, Ryland, 6, and Jorie, 3.

The 28-year-old woman died on Jan. 12, 2007, of acute water intoxication as a result of her participation in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest put on by radio station KDND "The End" 107.9. The contest promised the popular video game to the whomever could drink the most water without urinating.

Strange went home and died after the contest.

Dreyer also asked the jurors to award his clients as well as Jennifer Strange's older son, Keegan Sims, another $1,888,135 in economic damages as a result of past and present financial support and household services they could have expected to receive.

Keegan Sims' attorney, Harvey R. Levine, is scheduled to present his closing arguments to the jury on Wednesday on the non-economic damages he thinks that should be awarded to the 13-year-old boy.

Defense attorney Donald W. Carlson, who is representing plaintiffs Entercom Sacramento LLC and its parent company, Entercom Communications Corp., also is scheduled to present his closing argument Wednesday.

Dreyer, in his closing arguments today, told the jury today that the evidence is "overwhelming" that two defendants remaining in the case were responsible for the woman's death nearly three years ago.

"You get to decide what the standards are in this community, how radio station personnel are going to operate ... and how a company like Entercom is going to train its personnel," Dreyer said in the beginning of his closing arguments in the trial that is nearing its conclusion in Sacramento Superior Court.

Dreyer said that if the employees of Entercom Sacramento's "Morning Rave" program on KDND were negligent on the day of the fatal contest, and if they were acting in the scope of their employment, then the corporate defendants also are responsible and that they should be held liable for Jennifer Strange's death.

"We believe the evidence demonstrates in overwhelming fashion that these two defendants were responsible," Dreyer said of Philadelphia-based Entercom and its Sacramento subsidiary. He said it was up to Entercom "to make sure people don't do dangerous contests. This isn't something we made up. These are their rules."

Strange finished second in the contest.

Entercom, Dreyer said, failed to properly train its employees from the executives at the managerial level to the on-air talent behind the microphones in the studios. Dreyer said the training failure led to "a complete breakdown" from the written policies and procedures Entercom had developed to prohibit contests that were illegal, dangerous or in bad taste.

"That's' why we're here," Dreyer told the jury.

The attorney only got about an hour into his argument before the lunch break. The proceedings were held up by two hours this morning when one of the jurors got stuck in the traffic jam caused by the storm-driven closure of Interstate 5.

At the outset of his presentation, Dreyer showed the jury pictures of Jennifer Strange and her family and told the panel that "the focus of this case is Jennifer." He recounted several witnesses' testimony about the woman's love and energy she had for her family. But he said he did not want the jury to base its decision on sympathy.

"We're not here for pity," Dreyer said. "We're here for justice."

Below is an earlier version of this story:

One of the lawyers for Jennifer Lea Strange's survivors told a jury today that the evidence is overwhelming that broadcasting giant Entercom Communications Corp. and its subsidiary Entercom Sacramento LLC were responsible for the woman's death in a radio station's water drinking contest nearly three years ago.

"You get to decide what the standards are in this community, how radio station personnel are going to operate ... and how a company like Entercom is going to train its personnel," plaintiffs attorney Roger A. Dreyer said in the beginning of his closing arguments in the wrongful death trial that is nearing its conclusion in Sacramento Superior Court.

Dreyer, who is representing Strange's widower and their two children, said that if the employees of Entercom Sacramento's "Morning Rave" program on the KDND's "The End" 107.9 were negligent on the day of the fatal contest, and if they were acting in the scope of their employment, then the corporate defendants also are responsible and should be held liable for the 28-year-old woman's death.

"We believe the evidence demonstrates in overwhelming fashion that these two defendants were responsible," Dreyer said of Philadelphia-based Entercom and its Sacramento subsidiary. He said it was up to Entercom "to make sure people don't do dangerous contests. This isn't something we made up. These are their rules."

Strange finished second in the Jan. 12, 2007, "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest in which participants were asked to drink as much water as they could without urinating, with the winner getting one of the popular video games that were hard to get at that time.

Entercom, Dreyer said, failed to properly train its employees from the executives at the managerial level to the on-air talent behind the microphones in the studios. Dreyer said the training failure led to "a complete breakdown" from the written policies and procedures Entercom had developed to prohibit contests that were illegal, dangerous or in bad taste.

"That's' why we're here," Dreyer told the jury.

The attorney only got about an hour into his argument before the lunch break. The proceedings were held up by two hours this morning when one of the jurors got stuck in a traffic jam caused by the storm-driven closure of Interstate 5.

Dreyer is expected to conclude his argument this afternoon. The attorney for Strange's older son and his father will then give his argument, followed by the defense's presentation, after which the plaintiffs lawyers will put on rebuttal arguments.

At the outset of his presentation, Dreyer showed the jury pictures of Jennifer Strange and her family and told the panel that "the focus of this case is Jennifer." He recounted witness testimony about the woman's love and energy for her family. But he said he did not want the jury to base its decision on sympathy.

"We're not here for pity," Dreyer said. "We're here for justice."

From Kim Minugh

Roseville police arrested a 24-year-old man Monday on suspicion of pimping and pandering, according to authorities.

Eugene Lamar Corbett also was booked into the Placer County Main Jail for numerous outstanding warrants, said Roseville police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

About 12:30 a.m. Monday, a Roseville police officer pulled over Corbett on Fiddyment Road, near Pleasant Grove Boulevard, for vehicle equipment violations, Gunther said.

Two young adult women were in the car with Corbett, Gunther said, and a search of the car revealed evidence of prostitution activity. Corbett also had a large amount of cash in his pocket, Gunther said.

Corbett was arrested and booked on one count each of pimping, pandering, and driving with a suspended license, according to jail booking records. He also was booked on 11 outstanding Sacramento County warrants for driving without a license and evading transit fare, records show.

Corbett is being held in lieu of $40,329 in bail.

The two female passengers were not arrested, Gunther said.

By Loretta Kalb

Somebody drove a pickup truck into the duck pond at William Land Park early today -- and authorities haven't determined why.

Sacramento Police officers found a white 1989 Toyota pickup truck half submerged in the pond at the north end of the park, near 14th Avenue and 18th Street on this morning

Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said apparently no one - and no ducks - were injured in the mishap.

"There was no driver around," Leong said. "We don't know when the car ended up there. And there was no indication that any people - or ducks or animals - were hurt."

From Robert Lewis

A 24-year-old man was fatally shot in an apparent home invasion and robbery in South Sacramento on Saturday night.

At around 8:20 p.m. Sacramento police received a call from the victim's girlfriend saying that two men broke in and shot her boyfriend.

He was unconscious but breathing and she was attempting CPR, police said. He died at the hospital, police said. The woman and a 5-year-old girl in the house were not harmed.

Police did not releasing other details of the slaying or identity of the victim.

The incident happened at Maccan Court near the intersection of Meadowview.

Detectives said descriptions of the suspects are sketchy. They were described as black males ages 18 to 20 and wearing black "hoodies."

Investigators did not have a motive.

A handful of concerned residents gathered outside police lines.

One 35-year-old man who refused to give his name said he was shocked at the shooting.

"This neighborhood is not bad at all," he said. "You don't see anything like this going on."

From Robert Lewis

A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed walking down the street Saturday afternoon in the North Highland neighborhood of unincorporated Sacramento County.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call at 11:36 a.m. regarding shots fired on the 4300 block of Greenholme Drive. When deputies arrived on the scene they found an unidentified 16-year-old male down on the sidewalk with at least one gunshot wound to his upper body.

Paramedics arrived but there was nothing they could do to save the victim, a sheriff's spokesman said. They pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

Witnesses said the victim was walking when a car pulled alongside him and fired multiple shots. The victim was hit and fell to the ground while the vehicle -- a four-door, silver or gold Ford Crown Victoria with tinted windows -- sped off, turning on Hillsdale Boulevard. The driver was described as a light-skinned black man in his late 40s. He was bald, clean-shaven and wearing dark clothes.

The coroner's office said it will release the victim's name once his family has been notified.

Investigators do not know the motive for the slaying.

Anyone with information should call Homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP; or send a text message tip by texting 274637 and then enter SACTIP followed by the information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

By Maggie Creamer

Lodi News-Sentinel

Sitting in the Stockton office of one of his attorneys, Lodi resident Michael Patrick O'Riley's hands still trembled as he clenched a Kleenex while talking about spending the last 35 days in jail.

"I'm 60 years old, never spent one night in jail. It was just a pure nightmare. And I knew the truth. I knew the facts. I knew I wasn't guilty. It was an ordeal that will stay with me forever," he said.

O'Riley was arrested Sept. 3 after his 44-year-old wife called police, and then tried to climb in the window of an arriving patrol car, according to police. She accused him of threatening and sexually abusing her. They were married in China in 2005.

A grand jury declined to indict O'Riley on any of the charges, and on Thursday morning, the district attorney's office dismissed the charges.

His attorney, Jeffrey Silvia, said in his 25 years of working in San Joaquin County, he only knew of one other instance where a grand jury did not indict.

O'Riley is soft-spoken, and on Friday, he looked exhausted and his eyes often looked down with a sad expression while recounting the past month. He said that during his time in jail he focused on reading a Bible.

"It wasn't even day by day anymore, not even hour by hour," O'Riley said. "I lived minute by minute in there and prayed almost every hour on the hour in there for the truth to come out, and that's all I was hoping for."

Because he had seen it in a movie, O'Riley took his Bible and closed his eyes while praying and dropped his finger in the book. It landed on Daniel 6, the story of Daniel in the lions den.

"That gave me a sign that everything in the end, when the truth comes out, that I'd be free. I didn't know the day or the hour or how long it would take, but I was hoping sooner than later," O'Riley said, tearing up.

One of the unanswered questions O'Riley has is why his wife called 911 on Sept. 3. He said the couple was not arguing and from what he understands, she called 911 and left the phone off the hook.

"What would cause her? I'm still asking this question after all this time in jail and having that much time to think, what reason, what would cause her to react this way?" he said.

His entire life has been torn apart, he said.

"I basically lost my marriage, could have lost my business and lost my career at Sacramento Sheriff's County Department, and lose my freedom, lose my life. What happened here? Why did this happen?"

The couple had been having marital problems, O'Riley said, and he had been staying at a hotel or with relatives before the incident.

"When you have an emotional person, you can't sometimes reason with them, so what you have to do is take yourself out of that situation," he said.

Before Sept. 3, the Lodi Police Department had been called to the home 10 times. O'Riley said at least four of the times he called 911 because of his wife's health problems. He said he also called them several times to keep the peace and went to the police station three times to get a police escort to check on his wife.

"It was no secret that I was the one calling; she wasn't the one calling," he said.

He got the escorts because he did not want a confrontation, but he wanted to make sure his wife had enough money and food, he said.

"There was so many sporadic things happening, I didn't want to go there by myself," he said.

When he was arrested at his home on Sept. 3, police took nine guns and $23,580 in cash from his vehicle.

His home is located in a business section of town, and he said it also functioned as his business, Monterey Peninsula Institute for Defense. He is a firearms instructor who attended an FBI Firearms Instructor School in 1975, he said. He has run the business at the location since 1997 and obtained a business permit from the city, O'Riley said.

He had the guns and the money in the vehicle because he said he planned on moving his business to a relative's house until things settled down at home.

Officer Heather Metcalf responded to the call and said the woman was very emotional and distraught. After speaking with the woman, she believed the woman had a reason to call police.

She had no comment on the indictment, but hopes the situation doesn't happen again.

"I want everyone to stay safe. That's the main priority," Metcalf said.

When police arrived, his wife said he threatened to kill her and had abused her for almost two years since she moved from China to the United States. She said he wouldn't let her have a job.

O'Riley said he has no idea what his wife was talking about.

"I cannot say that more emphatically -- none of it was true. None of it. I mean, not even a little bit."

O'Riley said he met his wife in 2004 on the Internet through some friends who had married other Chinese women.

He went to China two times to meet her before marrying her on the third trip in 2005. He visited her one more time before she moved to the U.S. in 2007.

He worked hard to make sure she assimilated into American culture and did not feel isolated, he said.

Some of his friends are Chinese, so she could talk with them in Mandarin, he said. She had a cell phone, house phone, a computer and often went shopping in Downtown Lodi.

He bought her phone cards, so she could talk with her family weekly. He also carried a Mandarin dictionary and picked up a few phrases like, "I love you."

He took her to a doctor who speaks Mandarin, went to a grocery store with Mandarin-speaking employees who became the couple's friends, and went to China Palace to eat out.

"I was just trying to be a good husband and make sure she had the comfort of seeing and hearing Mandarin people," he said.

He worked with her on English by spending three hours at night on Monday through Thursday for two semesters at English adult classes at Lodi High School.

She then attended Delta College classes Monday through Friday, and he often went with her to the English as a Second Language Learning Center.

He helped her get her green card, Social Security card and a driver's license.

He still does not know what her mindset was when she was speaking with police.

"I just don't know. There's been issues in her past, that may have been part of this, medical issues, but I just don't know. I'm just speculating like everyone else. I don't know everything," he said.

He wonders if part of the experience was caused by culture barriers.

"The culture is extremely different, and the language is extremely different," he said.

He said she often didn't understand colloquialisms, and he often took time to explain what he meant when he would say phrases.

For example, when she would pick up words quickly, he would say, "You're a pretty smart cookie." He said she would think silently before saying, "I'm not a cookie, I'm a girl."

In jail, he was isolated, lost 27 pounds and only had a Bible to keep him busy.

"Just imagine a normal, regular person, your dad, your uncle, your brother going into a situation like this," he said. "It is almost unbelievable. It was like I was living an out-of-body experience."

When he was released at 9 p.m. Thursday, he called his three older children from his previous marriage, other family and friends. He also received phone calls and words of support from law enforcement people he has met through his work.

He stayed with family Thursday night. The first thing he wanted to do was shower, and stayed in until the hot water ran out.

O'Riley is focused on retaining his job with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, where he has worked for 18 years as a civil correctional counselor at Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove.

"I hope to be going back there," he said. "I have much better insight now and will do my job much more empatheticly."

He is currently on paid administrative leave while the department conducts an investigation.

His other attorney, Roger Moore, said they have not yet considered whether O'Riley will file a lawsuit over the ordeal because he is still recovering from his stay in jail.

"I'm more interested in picking up the pieces and moving on," O'Riley said.

He has a 21-year-old daughter and a 22-year-old son in college, so he hopes to help them with their education. He also has a 30-year-old daughter.

He wants to go back to his home, but he is waiting to make sure his wife is not there. He has had family check on the house and throw out old food, and they said she was not staying there.

He has no plans of contacting her in the near future because he does not want to cause another situation.

"It's out of my hands. Only God can say what's going to happen with this relationship," he said.

Maggie Creamer can be reached at:
maggiec@lodinews.com

Bee Staff

A motorcycle driver has died from injuries he suffered in a Sept. 25 accident on Business Interstate 80, the California Highway Patrol said today.

Christopher Wells, 54, of Sacramento died Wednesday, the CHP said in a news release.

Wells was riding his black Harley Davidson Road King on I-80 from Fulton Avenue at approximately 60 mph, the release states. Wells had just entered the freeway from Fulton Avenue and began to change lanes when another vehicle changing lanes caused him to abruptly apply his cycle's brakes, lose control and crash.

Wells was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, the CHP said.

Bee Staff

An old con game called "bait and switch" has resurfaced in Sacramento, the Sacramento Police Department warns, claiming at least four victims in the past weeks.

The victims lost "thousands of dollars" to the scam operators, according to a Police Department news release.

Here is how the Police Department outlined the typical operation of this scam:

Usually, a victim is approached in the parking lot of a shopping center, post office or financial institution by a black male who says he is from Africa and claims to be lost.

The suspect will give the victim a telephone number to call where a supposed attorney will ask the victim to give "his client" a ride and provides directions.

Once the victim agrees, the suspect relays a story that he has a large amount of money from an inheritance or something similar, and that he cannot take the money back to his country because the government will take it or kill him.

The suspect then indicates he would rather donate the money to a church or charity. When the victim buys into the story, he will take the suspect to a pre-designated location where they will encounter a "stranger" who engages them in conversation.

The stranger is part of the scam and a conspirator to the crime. The suspect will tell his story again and the "stranger" offers to help. The suspect asks the "stranger" if he could donate the money for him and that as a reward, he can keep some of it for himself.

The suspect will ask the "stranger" if he is trustworthy and that he would have to prove that he doesn't intend to keep all of the money for himself. To prove it, the suspect asks the "stranger" to go to his bank and withdraw money from his account (to show that he has his own money and that he would not be tempted to keep all of the money for himself).

The suspect then gets the victim to drive both he and the "stranger" to the bank so that he can withdraw money. The "stranger" supposedly goes into the bank and withdraws a large sum of money, comes back to the car and shows it to the suspect.

The suspect makes the same proposition to the victim. The victim usually agrees to withdraw money from his own account as a symbol of trust.

The suspect will take the victim's money and the "stranger's" money and cover it with a "prayer cloth." The suspect will pray and bless the money at which time he also switches the victim's money with the "stranger's" money.

The suspect will keep the money covered with the "prayer cloth" and usually says that the "stranger" agreed to drive him the rest of the way. Once the suspects leave, the victim discovers that his money was switched with the "stranger's" money (usually pieces of newspaper cut to the size of bills).

The Sacramento Police Department asks anyone with information pertaining to this crime to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information.

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Bee Staff

A 19-year-old Sacramento man was sentenced today to 16 months in prison for binding and then killing a cat with an explosive device on July 28, according to a news release from the Sacramento District Attorney's office.

Hui-Biao Yang (see photo) was sentenced by the Judge Judy Herscher after pleading guilty to the felony charge of torturing and killing an animal in South Sacramento, the release states.

Yang bound the legs of the cat, placed it under a traffic cone and inserted an ignited explosive device into the cone in the 6200 block of 63rd Street. Yang was then seen laughing as he observed the mangled remains of the cat, the release states.

Witnesses who saw this brutal crime were initially fearful to talk to authorities, but Sacramento Police Department officers and reporters from Fox40 News were later able to locate and obtain statements from witnesses, the release states.

From Tony Bizjak and Bill Lindelof:

Three of four suspected jewelry thieves were apprehended Friday morning after allegedly accosting and stabbing a jewelry distributor at his car in a parking lot near Fair Oaks Boulevard and Munroe Street.

The four were in a car spotted by a California Highway Patrol officer as it sped eastbound on Fair Oaks minutes after the reported 10 a.m. robbery.

Sacramento Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said the foursome pulled into a car wash and fled. Officers immediately arrested two women. A male suspect was arrested an hour later in the nearby American River Parkway. All three were identified by witnesses, Curran said. The search for a fourth suspect was called off later. The stolen property was recovered, Curran said.

Curran said authorities believe the trio gave officers false names after their arrest. The suspects' fingerprints will be checked, Curran said, and compared with a national fingerprint database to confirm their identities. They will be charged with robbery, conspiracy, and assault with a deadly weapon, Curran said.

Curran said two men approached a 66-year-old jewelry distributor who was removing items from his trunk to visit a jewelry business. The victim fought, and was stabbed in the chest. The victim was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

For student safety, Sierra Oaks School near Fair Oaks Boulevard and Watt Avenue was put in lockdown briefly Friday.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Sacramento man has pleaded no contest to rape, assault and car theft in Placer Superior Court.

Shirfraz Ali, 24, faces a prison sentence of seven years, eight months in state prison for raping a female acquaintance. He entered his plea Wednesday.

Placer County prosecutors said the woman drove Ali to Auburn to conduct business on May 29 but he sexually attacked her and choked her on a rural road.

The woman escaped by jumping from her car and flagging down a passing vehicle, a news release states. Ali then drove away in the woman's car, Deputy District Attorney Jeff Wood said.

From Bill Lindelof

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of assault for striking a bicyclist Wednesday on the American River bike trail.

Police arrested Philip Roberts (see photo), 24, who investigators said is homeless.

The 36-year-old Sacramento bicyclist was riding on the bike trail about 9:30 a.m. near Northgate Boulevard-Del Paso Boulevard when he was confronted by a man who cursed at him.

As he was passing the man, the bicyclist was hit on the head with an object, possibly a small stick, and punched.

The bicyclist was nearly knocked from his bike but recovered and kept riding. The bicyclist was wearing a helmet and was not injured.

Officers checked the area and found the suspect near Colfax Street and Redwood Avenue in North Sacramento.

Bee Staff

A 61-year-old man who molested two girls while living at the home of a Roseville couple was sent to state prison Wednesday for 13 years and four months by a Placer County judge, according to a news release.

Raymond Earl Hyatt (see photo), who pleaded guilty last month to three counts of child molestation and one charge of possessing child pornography, was given the sentence by Superior Court Judge J. Richard Couzens, who also imposed fines and restitution of $1,300, according to the release from the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Hyatt showed no emotion as the mother of the two girls, who were 7 and 8 when they were molested, tearfully read a statement to the court to say how much emotional damage the defendant had caused her family, the release states.

The woman said her children have been so upset that they have trouble doing their schoolwork and that her husband has been unable to find work because of his depression, the release states.

"Everyone is having nightmares in our family," she told the court.

While calling Hyatt's crimes "evil and ugly," the woman told the defendant that she hopes he can pursue a life for God while in prison, the release states.

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Wood said the molestation of the girls occurred from March 2008 until April 2009 when Hyatt was living with the family.

Bee Staff

Gang detectives with the Woodland Police Department are seeking two suspects, one of whom is missing an arm below the elbow, in a Sept. 20 robbery/assault at a gas station. They have arrested three other suspects in the crime, according to Police Department news release.

Arrested were Jose Rivas, 22; Arturo Vega, 23, and Michael Santiago, 25, all of Woodland, the release states.

They are being held in Yolo Count jail on suspicion of robbery and mayhem with a gang enhancement, the release states. They are being held on $1 million bail each, the release states.

The three are suspects in the robbery and assault that occurred at the Arco Gas Station, 450 County Road 102 in Woodland.

Investigators are looking for two more suspects.

One suspect is Matthew Martin (photo left), 27, the release states. He is described as missing his left arm just below the elbow. He is a light skinned Hispanic male with brown hair, brown eyes, 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 230 pounds. He has multiple tattoos around his neck, arms, chest, back and legs, the release states.

Martin is also a parolee wanted by the State Corrections and Rehabilitation Department, the release states.

The other suspect is described as a white female adult, thin build with brown/blond hair, and a tattoo on her right shoulder. During the incident she was seen wearing a pink tank top and bleached jeans (see photo below).

An earlier Police Department news release said the victim, a Davis resident, went to the gas station with a friend to buy beer. After the beer was purchased they were attacked by a number of Hispanic males.

One of the attackers cut the victim's face with a knife. During the attack they stole the victim's recently purchased beer, the release states.

The victim was taken to Sutter Davis Hospital and was treated for his wounds.

Anyone with information regarding this crime or the wanted suspects should call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 661-7880.

From Andy Furillo

A Sacramento jury convicted Jimmy Navarro of murder on Wednesday for the gang-related shooting death of Adrian Hutchins two years ago in Max Baer Park.

Navarro, 27, is scheduled for a Nov. 13 sentencing in front of Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny.

According to testimony at Navarro's trial, he was riding as a passenger in a new Mercedes that he had just purchased when he and his driver came across a group of party-goers outside a house near the park around 1:15 a.m. on May 7, 2007.

After somebody at the party shouted something at Navarro's car, he told his driver to turn around, witnesses said. Hutchins, 21, then approached Navarro's car and exchanged epithets with the defendant, who pulled out a handgun and shot him to death, according to the evidence at trial.

Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department wrote a successful grant application that will bring more than $460,000 for security improvements in the Sacramento City Unified and Robla school districts.

The $463,699 grant required a law enforcement agency to apply although the funds are being used for the purchase of cameras, lighting and door hardware at eight schools in the districts, a police spokesman said.

The grant is provided through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, according to a Police Department news release.

"We are in tough economic times and are grateful that we have received several grants to help make our schools and community safer," Police Chief Rick Braziel said.

The Secure Our School Grant funding requires the school districts to match the funds being provided, the release states.

The Sacramento Unified School District will receive $221,182. The funding will be used to increase security at Luther Burbank and Hiram Johnson high schools, the release states.

"We are grateful for the partnership we've forged with the Sacramento Police Department and their assistance," said Superintendent Jonathan Raymond.

The Robla School District will receive $242,517. The money will be used to increase security at the Robla Preschool and the Bell Avenue, Glenwood, Main Avenue, Robla, and Taylor Street elementary schools, the release states.

From Bill Lindelof:

Duct tape can re-attach a rear view mirror, fix a vacuum cleaner hose and remove lint from clothes. Some people claim it can do almost anything.

But it also has nefarious applications. Criminals have taped shut victims' mouths and bound them as tightly as with any rope.

It's the dark side of duct tape that interests UC Davis forensic scientists who received a $150,000 grant to study the fabric-reinforced vinyl adhesive/fastener/reinforcer. The researchers are trying to establish ways to tie duct tape used in crimes to the criminals who used it.

Fred Tulleners, director of UCD's graduate program in forensic science, said he can't list all the crimes such as robberies and sexual assaults that involved the use of duct tape. But Tulleners, a retired state crime lab manager, noted that suspects bound with duct tape and killed three armored car guards in Vallejo during a 1991 robbery attempt.

That grim example provides researchers with motivation.

Forensic scientists has several time-consuming ways to trace duct tape used in crimes, including: tracing the specific tape's manufacturer; matching fiber patterns; determining composition of the tape's adhesive layer; matching tear patterns.

The UCD study is meant to improve the certainty of matches, connections that theoretically could be as valuable as ballistics information, he said.

But if a piece from the crime scene and the duct tape roll later found in a suspect's car or home can be matched, that connection could theoretically be as good as a bullet match, Tulleners said.

"But you have to know for certain when you line up the tear it is a unique match," he said. "There has been very a limited amount of statistics in that area of study."

Two of Tulleners' students have conducted a promising study that shows how matches can be made with certainty. In that study, the students matched 100 pieces of torn duct tape representing those left at the scene of a crime and 100 other samples from which they were torn.

Both students were able to match the pieces without error, despite Tulleners having put "ringer" pieces in the batch that didn't match any of the torn pieces.

"They were 100 percent correct," he said. "That is significant. They viewed it under a microscope."

With the grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Tulleners wants to expand on that outcome with more tape samples and more students helping with the research.

"We want to try to get more statistics by involving more tape samples and more students to show that with even more samples we get a zero percent error rate and no false matches -- proving that persons properly trained can do this," he said.

The university also received grants of $1.4 million to develop a bullet-matching database and $700,000 to study impressions left on cartridge cases by firearms.

From Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento police on Wednesday arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of trying to kill his live-in girlfriend.

Joe McCoy was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of attempted murder, torture with intent to cause cruel or extreme pain, corporal injury on a cohabitant and penetration with a foreign object by force or fear.

A Sept. 17 incident report on the Sacramento Police Department's Web site states the victim showed up at Mercy San Juan Hospital, reporting that she had been attacked on the west side of Watt Avenue at the American River bike trail. The report said the victim was in her 40s and suffered serious injuries.

Sgt. Norm Leong said the victim suffered "life-long" injuries as a result of the attack.

Leong said domestic violence victims often do not report their injuries initially or misrepresent how they were hurt when they go to the hospital.

Investigators later determined that the victim's boyfriend, McCoy, had assaulted her, Leong said.

Police said McCoy was arrested at about 5 p.m. at a motel near Stockton Boulevard and Mack Road.

From Chelsea Phua:

The Sacramento Fire Department will be unveiling a portrait of its first search and rescue dog, Ana, who passed away last November of cancer.

The portrait was done by Nikki Solone, a Sacramento artist renowned for her custom portraits of pets.

The unveiling ceremony is scheduled at 4 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Public Safety Center on Freeport Boulevard.

Ana (at left in a 2007 Bee file photo), who joined the department in 1997, was the department's first search and rescue dog and one of the first in the nation that piloted the Search Dog Foundation program. Ana had worked with her trainer, Sacramento Fire Capt. Rick Lee, at the site of the World Trade Center after Sept. 11, 2001, in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina and at three building collapses in Sacramento.

Ana had been featured on National Geographic, Animal Planet and CNN.

The portrait will be displayed at the Public Safety Center.

From Hudson Sangree

Mercy San Juan Medical Center is asking for help in identifying a "John Doe" male patient brought by ambulance to the emergency department Sunday.

He was the victim of a vehicle-vs.-bicycle accident off Fair Oaks Boulevard, the hospital said in a statement.

The patient is male, in his late 30s or early 40s, approximately 5-feet-6-inches tall and 130 pounds.

He may be of Laotian, Hmong or Filipino descent. His hair is black with some gray. There are no tattoos or identifying marks.

Anyone with information should contact the security department at Mercy San Juan: (916) 537-5025.

From Hudson Sangree

A couple of dead deer could buy two Sacramento men up to the three years in prison each in a poaching case.

Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig today announced the Oct. 1 convictions of Andrew Thao and Ernest Lytell for deer poaching and other crimes.

The crimes occurred in November 2007, when the men led Yolo County Sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase to West Sacramento, according to a statement by the prosecutor's office.

When the truck was finally stopped, the occupants fled, the statement said. Deputies found two large buck deer in the back along with rifles, ammunition and a spotlight.

Three out of four suspects were quickly caught. One was a juvenile; a fourth remains at large, prosecutors said.

Jurors convicted Thao and Lytell of fish-and-game violations, resisting arrest and other crimes, according to Reisig's office.

They each face a maximum of three years in prison when they are sentenced later this month.

"Crimes against wildlife are taken seriously in Yolo County," Clinton Parish, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, said in the statement. "This is a matter of public safety as well as protecting our environment."

From Hudson Sangree:

Sacramento police say a panhandler was arrested today after allegedly punching the manager of a Florin Road gas station who had insisted he leave the premises.

Police spokesman Konrad von Schoech said the incident occurred about 9 a.m. at a Valero gas station in the 2400 block of Florin Road.

The suspect, Vincent Laday Duvall, photo, was aggressively asking customers for money, von Schoech said.

One woman was scared to return to her car, and a station manager offered to accompany her, von Schoech said.

When Duvall approached the woman, the manager told him to leave, he said.

Duvall refused and allegedly punched the 42-year-old manager several times, injuring him, von Schoech said.

Two sheriff's security officers were at a county office nearby and responded to the scene. They arrested Duvall, and he was booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of battery and making threats.

He also faces outstanding warrants for evading fares on Regional Transit. He is being held in lieu of $42,000 bail.

"You never know how desperate these people are and what lengths they'll go to," von Schoech said.

Anyone who feels threatened in a similar situation should call police, he said.

Bee Staff

Fingerprinting for children, K-9 demonstrations and police and fire equipment displays will be part of a free safety fair Sunday put on by Sacramento CERT and the Sacramento Police and Fire Departments, according to a news release.

The fair will be at the Public Safety Center, 5770 Freeport Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event will include fingerprinting for children, equipment displays, fire extinguisher demonstration, DUI simulation goggles, Sparky the fire dog, CERT trailer, Police K-9 demonstrations, safety presentations, crime prevention information, first aid demonstration, blood pressure checks and a bounce house, the release states.

Sacramento CERT (community emergency response team) is a volunteer emergency response program that is part of the Citizen Corps program.

Bee Staff

The UC Davis program in forensic science has been awarded three grants - including one to develop a bullet-matching database - totaling more than $2.2 million by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The grants: $1.4 million over three years to develop a bullet-matching database; $700,000 over two years for studying the impressions left on cartridge cases by firearms; and $150,000 over two years to establish whether torn pieces of duct-tape can be reliably matched, according to a UCD news release.

The broad aim of all three grants is to develop methods to associate probabilities with forensic evidence, said David Howitt, professor of chemical engineering and materials science at UC Davis. He is co-principal investigator on the two firearms-related grants with staff researcher Karen Cebra and Fred Tulleners, director of the campus's graduate program in forensic science, the release states.

"Based on the extent of similarities, is the likelihood of a match one in a hundred, one in a thousand, one in a million?" Howitt said.

In a report published earlier this year, the National Academies of Science called for more research to establish the scientific basis of forensic methods and develop ways to measure the uncertainty in forensic conclusions, the release states.

The UC Davis program aims to meet that need, Tulleners said.

In the largest grant, the researchers will develop a database of 10,000 bullets from Northern California crime labs, the release states. They will use a technique called confocal microscopy to study the surface features of bullets, and identify key characteristics that can be used to compare bullets in a statistically accurate way, the release states.

Comparing photographs of bullets can be misleading because of differences in how the pictures are taken, Howitt said. And digital images contain so much data that the files become very large, requiring more powerful computers and causing statistical problems, the release states.

Instead, the UC Davis team plans to identify key elements that describe a bullet and that can then be entered in a database and compared with the "signature" of another bullet, the release states.

"It's much easier to make comparisons if you know what you're looking for," Howitt said.

The $700,000 grant will look at the impressions left on cartridge cases by the breech face of a gun, the release states. Although guns are mass-produced items, Tulleners said that differences in the finishing process mean that they expect to find variations in the marks left by breech faces of different guns, even when the same parts were manufactured consecutively under the same controlled conditions.

In the third grant, Tulleners and Jerome Braun, senior statistician in the Department of Statistics, will look at whether torn pieces of duct tape can be matched reliably, the release states.

Duct tape is often used to bind kidnap or murder victims, and remnants of tape can be recovered from crime scenes. At present, duct tape comparison is purely subjective, the release states.

"We want to provide some statistics that prove a duct tape tear is unique," Tulleners said.

The graduate program in forensic science offers a research-oriented Master of Science degree taught by an interdisciplinary group of UC Davis faculty and outside experts, the release states.

The program provides a thorough training in the latest scientific techniques and forensic methods, equipping graduates to work in forensic science laboratories. It is the only graduate degree program of its kind in the state and currently has an enrollment of about 85 students, the release states.

From Andy Furillo

The former medical director of the Sacramento County jail system is unlikely to do any time behind bars as a result of his no-contest plea last week to writing unauthorized OxyContin prescriptions, according to a prosecutor's memo.

Dr. Peter Dietrich's plea Friday in Sacramento County Superior Court included a guarantee that he would not serve any state prison time, and the memo by Deputy District Attorney Dean Archibald strongly indicated that the physician will not have to serve the 365 days in county jail that is facing as a result of his negotiated agreement.

"If the court was so inclined as to sentence the defendant to community service, as opposed to incarceration, the People - in view of Dr. Dietrich's service to society in the past, his on-going efforts to rehabilitate himself, his current participation in the development of programs that will benefit the community at large as well as other medical providers, along with his recognized potential for future good works - would submit on the issue," said Archibald's Aug. 6 memo contained in Dietrich's court file.

Dietrich, who enrolled in a drug treatment program less than two weeks after his Jan. 14 arrest, is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 6 by Judge Gary E. Ransom.

State Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement agents arrested the 52-year-old Dietrich after finding that he had been writing an unusually high number of prescriptions for OxyContin, a powerful, highly-addictive pain killer. BNE agents suspected that Dietrich had been writing the illegal prescriptions for himself.

At the time, Dietrich had been in charge of medical operations at the downtown jail and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center for a year and a half. Before that, he had been the medical director in charge of university health services at UC Berkeley for 14 years.

Under the plea deal, Dietrich will likely be placed on probation for four years. Archibald's memo also said he would be required to complete a Proposition 36 drug treatment program.

Although Dietrich's license has been suspended by the California Medical Board, Archibald's memo said that the DA's office has discussed with the state Department of Justice the effect of the plea on his ability to regain his ability to practice medicine again.

Archibald said in the memo that "it is our understanding that the felony convictions on the charges that comprise the offer will not, of themselves, preclude Dr. Dietrich from regaining his privilege to practice medicine." The memo also said that if Dietrich complies with all Department of Justice and Medical Board requirements and receives the proper recommendations for reinstatement, the DA's office would not object.

Neither Archibald nor Dietrich's attorney, Clyde Blackmon, were available for comment earlier today.

From Bill Lindelof:

About 120 inmates were involved in a fight at old Folsom State Prison this morning, battling each other with fists and food trays.

Prison officials say eight inmates were hurt. in the fight that began in a dining room about 7:30 a.m. The injuries mostly were bumps and bruises and were not life threatening.

Some of the injured inmates were transported to UC Davis Medical Center. No prison employees were injured.

The melee was brought under control in 15 minutes, said corrections spokeswoman Michelle Kane. Pepper spray and gas grenades were used to quell the fighting.

After the inmates were brought under control, the dining room was cleared and the prisoners were brought out to the main yard. Inmates who were not injured are now back in their cells.

An investigation into what prompted the fighting has begun.

"As to what sparked it, we have no idea," said Kane.

From Bill Lindelof:

California's top cop for state parks is retiring after a long career that began with litter patrol and latrine cleanup.

Lynn Rhodes, the California State Parks' Law Enforcement Chief, will retire at the end of the year from a job in which she commanded more than 600 rangers.

Her association with the department began in 1977 when she was hired as a state park maintenance assistant, picking up litter and cleaning restrooms in the parks and beaches of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

Shortly, the department says, she was hired as a ranger, who in those days worked without radio communication.

To compensate and create a record of incidents while patrolling during the graveyard shift, she carried a cassette tape recorder, dictating accounts her encounters and providing a record useful in follow-up investigation.

In 1988, Rhodes became a supervising ranger and developed one of the first formal law enforcement investigative units in the state parks system, a department news release states. She later became the first state parks ranger to attend the FBI National Academy, the department says.

In 1998, she was promoted to chief ranger of the largest district in the department in Southern California, an area that includes Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Two years later, she was named superintendent of the Monterey district where she now lives.

In 2003, she accepted a job that included overseeing facility maintenance, law enforcement and telecommunications -- what she called "a three-person job and is actually now done by three different people."

In 2008, she became chief of the department's law enforcement division, heading an overhaul of the internal affairs and criminal investigations section. As part of that overhaul, she succeeded in securing new firearms for rangers, the Smith and Wesson M&P .40-caliber semi-automatic.

From Hudson Sangree:

A 36-year-old Sacramento man was arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography, the Sacramento Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.

Gevel Luchell Woods (left photo) was arrested by detectives with the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said Sgt. Tim Curran in a news release.

The release provides these details:

In December 2008, detectives received information that Woods was in possession of DVDs containing child pornography.

A search warrant was served at Woods' home and his computer and DVDs were seized. Videos of minors engaged in sexual conduct were also found.

An arrest warrant was issued and Woods was taken into custody in the 3700 block of Branch Center Road.

He was booked in to the Sacramento County Main Jail and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court.

Bee Staff

Last week Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies arrested two adults in separate for allegedly sexually assaulting minors after luring them via electronic means, according to crime reports released today.

Here's how the reports described the events:

At about 2 a.m. Friday in the 5800 block of Georgia Drive, a 28-year-old man was arrested after he was caught in the bedroom a 16-year-old girl, who had invited him to crawl through her window, a sheriff's spokesman said.

Investigators determined that Syad Javed had met the girl by sending a text message to her phone when she was 15. He later committed sexual acts on her, the report states.

Javed was booked into jail on suspicion of one count of a lewd act on a child, a report states.

On Friday, investigators arrested Gary Gwin, 22, on suspicion of having sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl who he met in an Internet chat room, a report states.

Gwin allegedly later sexually assaulted the victim in his vehicle.

Gwin remains in jail on $450,000 bail, facing three possible felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.

From Andy Furillo

Defense and plaintiff attorneys rested their cases today in the wrongful death trial over a woman who died of drinking too much water nearly three years ago in a radio station's water-drinking contest.

Defense attorney Donald W. Carlson, who is representing the Entercom Communications Corp. and its Sacramento subsidiary concluded his case after calling just four witnesses - a forensic pathologist, an engineer at the radio station where the contest was held and two people who participated in the event.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd A. Phillips told the jury that closing arguments will take place next Tuesday.

The second-place finisher in the Jan. 12, 2007, contest, Jennifer Lea Strange, 28, died of water intoxication about five hours after she left radio station KDND "The End" 107.9. The "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest promised the popular video game to whoever could drink the most water without vomiting or going to the bathroom.

Plaintiffs' attorney Roger A. Dreyer finished his case earlier today by calling his final two witnesses - Jennifer Strange's two young children. Her son, Ryland, 6, and daughter Jorie, 3, did not mention their mother in their testimony, with Dreyer only asking them about things such as school and their favorite playmates.

Carlson began his defense today by putting on a pathologist who testified that she had never heard of anybody before ever dying of acute water intoxication.

Dr. Stephany Fiore of the Sacramento County Coroner's office conducted the autopsy on Jennifer Strange.

Fiore said she had conducted 2,300 autopsies in her five-year career prior to performing the post-mortem on Strange's body but that she "had never done a case involving acute water intoxication."

She testified in the Sacramento Superior Court trial that she had done cases where death resulted from hyponatremia, a condition that results from a water-salt imbalance that leads to swelling of the body's cells and ultimately its brain. Strange died from complications resulting from hyponatremia. But Fiore testified that hyponatremia can result from "quite a few other things" besides water intoxication, which is what led to the radio contestant's death.

Defense attorneys have argued in court papers that Strange's water-intoxication hyponatremia was not foreseeable and that defendants Entercom Communications Corp. of Philadelphia and its Entercom Sacramento LLC subsidiary, which operated KDND, should not be held liable.

Fiore testified that she did a literature search and found 18 such water intoxication deaths going back about 30 years. Fifteen of them involved schizophrenics. Marathon runners and military recruits accounted for the other three.

On cross-examination, Fiore said that there could have been additional hyponatremia deaths that did not require coroner's autopsies. She also testified that while she is only aware of the 18 deaths, that "acute water intoxication in certain populations is well known and well recognized."

During his cross-examination of Fiore, Dreyer made reference to the criminal investigation that the Sacramento County sheriff's department launched into Strange's death. No charges were filed in the case. But the reference to the investigation today prompted Carlson to ask the judge to declare a mistrial on grounds that Dreyer had prejudiced the jury.

Phillips denied Carlson's motion.

Contestant Ron Mendoza testified that he had known of a previous incident where a Chico State student had died of water intoxication in a college hazing incident. But he said "I didn't draw any similarities" between the college case and the KDND contest because "what I knew about Chico, it was against his will, versus a voluntary participation."

Mendoza said it was his understanding that he could drop out of the contest at any time. He said he dropped out a little more than two hours into the contest when "it looked like there were other contestants more determined to win the prize that I was."

Another contestant called by the defense, Aram Dermenjian, testified that he was the first contestant to drop out.

"We were told the first person to leave would get to go on the air, so I took advantage of that opportunity," Dermenjian said. He also testified that he began to get concerned when the contest upped the amount of water everybody had to drink, "only because I didn't know what that could do."

Dermenjian testified that he assumed the other people in the contest "would know their own limits."

From Bill Lindelof:

A new south Sacramento Wal-Mart will be allowed to sell liquor, despite its location in a high-crime area already populated by an abundance of stores that trade in booze.

Approval was unanimously granted by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors after the store agreed to several concessions. Approval of the application was initially opposed by Sheriff John McGinness, who sent a letter in May to the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control strongly protesting any possible permission for Wal-Mart to sell distilled spirits, beer and wine.

A county report states that there is an "over-concentrated" number of liquor licenses in the area, and the sheriff noted that there were 217 reports taken from February to May this year within the mile radius of the new store at 6051 Florin Road.

Of those reports, 26 were "crimes against persons-weapons" and nine were alcohol- or narcotics-related. However, the sheriff's department removed its objection when Wal-Mart made certain pledges to limit sales.

"They have agreed to two major concessions," said sheriff's department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

The store, which closes at midnight, agreed that sales of liquor will end at 10 p.m. and the store will not sell individual beers from packs. The store also agreed not to sell refrigerated alcoholic beverages.

In September, the application to sell booze found opposition and support from members of the South Sacramento Community Planning Advisory Council, which recommended approval in a 3-2 vote. Some council members said too many retail alcohol outlets already exist in the area.

Others said they viewed alcohol sales at a supermarket such as Wal-Mart to be different than booze sold at a convenience market, the county report states.

County staff recommended approval, saying alcohol sales is a small part of Wal-Mart's overall sales.

The new Wal-Mart store in June replaced an older, smaller store in the Southgate Shopping Plaza. The closed store did not have an active liquor license, the county said.

County approval was required by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board before a liquor license could be issued.

From Bill Lindelof:

A teen talking in the early morning hours on a cell phone and a working smoke detector allowed a family of 10 to escape from a house fire today.

The fire was reported at 2 a.m. at a house on the 2100 block of Matson Drive in Meadowview.

"Smoke detectors alerted a 16-year-old girl," said Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Jim Doucette. "Apparently, she was awake talking on her cell phone. She was able to alert her family and they escaped safely."

Seven children and three adults who lived at the home were not injured but the house suffered significant damage, he said.

"We are crediting the working smoke detectors saving the day," said Doucette.

From Bill Lindelof:

The third arson in a week occurred early this morning in Sacramento, but fire officials said there is no way yet to know if the last two fires are connected.

The most recent fire occurred when an incendiary device was tossed through a window at Ramona's restaurant, 2251 Northgate Boulevard, in the Gardenland neighborhood. The fire caused minor damage, a Sacramento fire official said.

The first arson occurred Friday when a makeshift bomb was thrown through a window of a vacant home on San Diego Way in Oak Park. A suspect was arrested in that fire and remains in jail.

On Sunday, firefighters were called to a home on the same block where an arsonist set several fires at a home.

The fire in Gardenland and the last Oak Park fire could be related or the work of copycats, fire officials said. The Oak Park fires are nine miles south of the Gardenland blaze.

From Andy Furillo:

An inmate who escaped from the California Correctional Center near Susanville was taken back into custody today near the Lassen County prison, state officials said.

Donald Silks, 66, who had been imprisoned last year on a conviction in Sonoma County for being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm, was re-arrested at 10:55 a.m. near the city of Susanville, corrections officials said in a press release.

State corrections agents and local law enforcement officers nabbed Silks without incident. The inmate was still wearing his prison-issued clothing.

Silks escaped from the medium-security prison around 9 a.m. on Saturday.

From Andy Furillo and Loretta Kalb:

Sacramento police today identified the suspect in a homicide that was discovered Friday night in South Natomas.

Robert Neal-Anderson, 23, was arrested shortly before noon today in connection with the death of David Maxey, 60, whose body was found at 11:21 p.m. in his apartment in the 2600 block of Stonecreek Drive, police spokesman Konran von Schoech said in a press release.

Neal-Anderson was taken into custody in the same apartment complex where Maxey had lived, police said.

The police press release said that the victim and the suspect knew each other. Authorities have not released any details on the motive in the suspected homicide or the manner of Maxey's death.

From Loretta Kalb:

Sacramento Fire Department firefighters responded to a suspected arson fire in a vacant Oak Park home at 6:30 a.m. today and said they found evidence of numerous intentionally set fires.

The home on the 3200 block of San Diego Way is only three homes from a similar arson case discovered on Friday.

There were no injuries, Capt. Jim Doucette said, and the fire was quickly extinguished.

On Friday, Sacramento Police arrested 23-year-old Chan Saechao in connection with a makeshift firebomb tossed through the window of the nearby home on the 3200 bock of San Diego Way. That device had quit burning by the time firefighters arrived.

Doucette said Saechao remained in jail at the time of this morning's fire. But authorities are examining whether there is a link between the two cases.

Anyone who has information is encouraged to call the Sacramento Fire Department Arson Tip Line at (916) 808-8732 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

Bee Staff

The father of a murder victim was arrested Saturday for vandalizing the home, outside of which his son was shot to death on Sept. 27, and a nearby car, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Alan Virdee (see photo), 46, was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of vandalism, said Sgt. Tim Curran, sheriff's spokesman. Virdee is being held on $100,000 bail

Some time during the early morning hours Saturday the home in the 6900 block of 8th Avenue in Rio Linda was vandalized, Curran said. A window in the home was broken out and the windows of a car parked in the driveway were smashed, Curran said.

The home is where a party was held Sept. 27 and the same party 18-year-old William Virdee was driving away from when he was shot and killed by an unknown suspect, Curran said.

The owners of the home called the Sheriff's Department to report the vandalism. Through the course of their investigation, Sheriff's detectives were able to identify Virdee, William Virdee's father, as the person responsible for the vandalism, Curran said.

From Cathy Locke

The Guardian Angels have announced that they will patrol a section of Watt Avenue near Interstate 80 tonight in an effort to combat prostitution in the area.

The Watt Avenue area has seen an increase in prostitution and drug paraphernalia in front of motels and along streets in the neighborhood, according to a news release from the Guardian Angels' Sacramento chapter. With cuts in Sacramento Sheriff's Department staffing, organization leaders said they want to provide "eyes and ears" to help deter such behavior.

The group will patrol the area from 5 to 9 p.m.

From Cathy Locke

Sacramento police are investigating the slaying of a 60-year-old man who was found in his South Natomas apartment late Friday night.

Officers were called to a disturbance in the 2600 block of Stonecreek Drive at 11:21 p.m. and found the man inside his apartment. He had suffered visible trauma, and Sacramento Fire Department personnel declared him dead at the scene, according to a Sacramento Police Department news release.

Homicide and crime scene investigators were summoned. Because of the continuing investigation, police announced they would not release further details in the homicide case at this time.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or to text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or to text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Kim Minugh

A 34-year-old man was arrested late Thursday night in connection with the 2004 death of a woman in south Sacramento, according to authorities.

Christopher Brian Rogers was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail early Friday morning on one count of murder, according to booking records. He is accused of killing Juanita Rosetta Johnson on November 25, 2004, said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Coroner's records show Johnson, 44, was fatally shot in the head. She was shot on the sidewalk on 40th street, near 44th Avenue, before crawling to a nearby house, where she died, Curran said.

Detectives connected Rogers to the homicide through DNA evidence, Curran said.

Physical evidence collected at the scene after Johnson died did not lead to any matches. But earlier this year, Rogers' DNA was collected when he was arrested in connection with another case and entered into a master database, Curran said. In July, detectives were notified that his DNA matched the profile associated with Johnson's case.

Cold case detectives were assigned to the case, and they obtained the arrest warrant Thursday, Curran said. Rogers was arrested late that night.

Rogers is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

From Ed Fletcher and Kim Minugh:

Authorities believe alcohol and drugs may have contributed to a fatal crash Friday that left three women dead.

Just before 2 p.m., a woman driving a Honda CR-V westbound on Interstate 80 near Antelope Road glanced in her rearview mirror and noticed a car swiftly approaching.

The woman was unsuccessful in attempting to speed up to avoid the fast approaching 1987 Honda Accord, and the Accord clipped the left rear of her CR-V, according to the California Highway Patrol.

That sent the Accord careening from the outermost lane to the innermost lane and back before it left the roadway and struck a tree. Michael Neal, 51, of Sacramento was driving the Accord, CHP officials said.

Two female passengers in the back seat of the Accord were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names have not been released. A woman in the Accord passenger seat was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where she later died, Sacramento County coroner's officials report.

Neal is suspected of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, said Officer Lizz Dutton, CHP spokeswoman. He was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with broken ribs and pelvic injuries, she said.

The CR-V's two occupants did not suffer any visible injuries but complained of pain, she said. All six people involved in the collision were wearing seat belts, Dutton said.

From Kim Minugh

The family of 18-year-old William Virdee, who was shot to death in Rio Linda last weekend, announced a $5,000 reward this morning for anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the young man's shooters.

Coupled with $1,000 being offered by the Crime Alert organization, the total reward for information is up to $6,000, according to officials.

Virdee, a Rio Linda High graduate, was fatally shot in his car as he was leaving a home on the 900 block of Eighth Avenue in Rio Linda early Sunday morning, according to Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives. He was leaving a home where a family had hosted a small gathering that grew out of control, detectives said.

Only a few people have come forward as witnesses, according to detectives. They suspect there are many more people who might have information but who have not spoken to detectives.

Carla Virdee, William's mother, offered a tearful plea this morning for those people to come forward and assist detectives in solving her son's murder.

"A young man was unjustly murdered six days ago," she said, surrounded by friends and family members wiping away tears. "We need your help."

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or sheriff's homicide detectives Robert Tracy at (916) 874-8480 or Scott Swisher at (916) 874-5963. Callers can remain anonymous.

From Bill Lindelof:

Acting on a tip, sheriff's deputies in Nevada County discovered 4,000 marijuana plants in a rural location northeast of Lake Wildwood.

The large garden found Thursday off Starduster Drive near Bitney Springs Road had plants from 2 to 7 feet tall. The plants were irrigated with drip lines.

Officials with the Nevada County Sheriff's Narcotic's Task Force say they believe the people tending the garden had abandoned the plants within the past few weeks. Deputies found three campsites where food, clothing, cooking gear and tools were abandoned.

The garden was about 200 yards from a residence. Deputies said the owners of the property were not aware of the plants.

From Bill Lindelof:

Michael P. Leary, a former Elk Grove City Councilman (left) and Sacramento County Sheriff's Department veteran was arrested this morning in a case involving real estate fraud.

Leary, who has been with the department for 27 years and attained the rank of lieutenant, was booked in Sacramento County Jail today on suspicion of grand theft, forgery and making false documents. Leary, 49, has since been released on bail.

Leary, who lost a council re-election bid last year, has been placed on paid administrative leave from the sheriff's department.

From Bill Lindelof:

A 16-year-old boy tried has been convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl earlier this year in Woodland.

Alejandro Alfonso Sanchez was tried as an adult and convicted by a Yolo Superior Court jury of rape, kidnap and assault.

A news release from the Yolo County District Attorney's Office states that Sanchez will be sentenced Oct. 30 by Judge Thomas L. Warriner. He could be sentenced to up to 15 years in state prison.

Prosecutors said Sanchez knew the victim and threatened to rape her on Jan. 24. When she did not cooperate, he choked her.

Testimony revealed that the girl remembers waking up naked in the back seat of Sanchez's ca. She then put her clothes on and jumped from the moving vehicle, later being helped by a passer-by who took her home.

She suffered several injuries, including a broken ankle.

From Ed Fletcher:

A 23-year-old Oak Park man was arrested Friday on suspicion of attempting to burn down a vacant neighboring home with a Molotov cocktail.

Chan Saechao is accused of tossing the makeshift firebomb through the window of a home in the 3200 block of San Diego Way at 4 a.m. Friday. The incendiary device had quit burning by the time firefighters arrived.

Witnesses said they saw a man running from the scene dressed in camouflage clothing. Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said their description led them to Saechao. A search of his home in the 4500 block of Ninth Avenue revealed Molotov cocktail-making materials, Leong said.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking Jeffrey C. Nhiayi (left photo) on a no-bail felony warrant for suspicion of attempted murder, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Nhiayi is described as age 25, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 220 pounds with black hair, brown eyes and a scar on his left knee, officials said.

He was last known to live in the 8400 block of Sierra Sunset Drive in south Sacramento.

Anyone with information about Nhiayi 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.

Bee Staff

A task force dedicated to bringing down major criminals in the Sacramento area is targeting two robbers of a bank in Sacramento this week.

The Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force consisting of FBI Agents and Sacramento County Sheriffs Robbery Detectives, has dubbed the men the "Easy Rider Robbers" based upon the men's description, and their motorcycle's faint resemblance to those in the 1969 movie, "Easy Rider."

On Wednesday at approximately 2:30 p.m., a thin white male, see photo, entered the River City Bank on Howe Avenue and passed a teller a note demanding money, according to a news release from the task force. The robber stuffed the cash into a beige leather pouch, similar to a toiletry bag, and made his escape with the aid of an accomplice on the back of a black, 1970s-style motorcycle, the release states.

The robber is described as a white male, in his 40s, about 6 feet tall, weight 180 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He had tattoos on his forearms.

At the robbery, he was wearing a dark-colored shirt with a skull and scrolls with lettering on the front, white baseball cap, and blue jeans.

The robber's accomplice was a very tan, white male, about 5 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was wearing large black sunglasses, a three-quarters shell black helmet, maroon short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information regarding this robbery is asked to contact the FBI in Sacramento at (916) 481-9110, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Kim Minugh

Elk Grove police announced today that detectives have identified a second victim in a molestation case against a 38-year-old man arrested last month.

Bradley Dayley, 38, of Elk Grove was arrested Sept. 23 on suspicion of molesting a 12-year-old relative of his, according to Elk Grove police.

In the course of that investigation, police served a search warrant at his home and found video and pornographic evidence of his alleged molestation of the relative, police said. Those images had been distributed over the Internet, according to police.

Detectives later identified an 18-year-old woman who they allege was a victim of his when she was 16 years old, Elk Grove police said today in a news release. That woman is not a relative of Dayley's, police said. She allegedly suffered abuse over a two-year period, police said.

According to the release, Dayley now stands accused of the following crimes: 13 counts of lewd of lascivious acts with a child under 14; eight counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a victim more than three years younger; and one count of oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child 10 or younger.

Dayley is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail.

From Bill Lindelof

A Connecticut man suspected on numerous scams that authorities said bilked elderly out of at least $500,000 has pleaded no contest in a California court to one felony count and faces up to three years in prison.

George Stanley, 29, of Moosup, Conn., entered a plea Tuesday in Tulare County Superior Court to one count of grand theft by false pretenses, according to a news release from the contractors state license board. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28.

Criminal cases are also pending against him in Butte, Imperial, San Joaquin, Ventura and Yuba counties on charges that include elder abuse, grand theft, fraud, using another person's contractor license and contracting without a license, the release states.

Contractors State License Board investigators said Stanley and his extended family schemed to defraud home and business owners by stating they had leftover asphalt from another paving job and that they could resurface their driveways or fill potholes for at a "good deal."

The deal ended up costing more than the quoted price and the asphalt work often fell apart shortly after it was completed, investigators said.

Stanley was arrested in Butte County in June, along with cousins Kevin Snow, 22, and George Snow, 19, both of Salisbury Mass, the release states. Authorities confiscated $500,000 in paving equipment.

While all three were out on bail, they are suspected of scamming and drugging an elderly man in East Brandywine Township, Pa., the release states.

The Snows turned themselves in to authorities and then posted bail, while Stanley has requested a hearing because he denies being in Pennsylvania at the time of the scam, the release states.

"These scam artists appear to have no regard for the laws of the state," said Steve Sands, registrar for the state licensing board.

The release offered this tips on how to avoid being scammed:

- Be cautious about so-called good deals, especially when "leftover" materials are to be used.

- Ask to see the contractor's pocket license card and photo identification.

- Verify a contractor's license at www.cslb.ca.gov, www.CheckTheLicenseFirst.com or call (800) 321-2752.

- Don't rush into repairs.

- Don't pay a down payment more than 10 percent or $1,000, which is less.

- Don't pay cash.

- Get at least three bids, check references and get a written contract.

From Kim Minugh

A Sacramento County sheriff's deputy suffered minor injuries this morning after rolling his patrol car in the south area, according to authorities.

The deputy, a 10-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, suffered a cut after hitting his head in the accident and was transported to a local hospital, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

Shortly after 10 a.m., the deputy was responding "Code 3" - with lights and sirens activated - to a report of a burglary call in the 8100 block of Devon Park Court when he swerved to avoid a car that was not yielding, Curran said.

The deputy lost control of his patrol car and it rolled in the area of Elk Grove Florin Road and Tiogawoods Drive, Curran said. No other cars were involved.

The car the deputy was trying to avoid was described as a blue Toyota Prius. The driver apparently stopped after the accident, but at some point left the scene, said Officer Michael Bradley of the California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the accident.

Bradley said detectives would like to speak with that driver as part of their investigation.

State law requires that drivers yield to emergency vehicles that have lights and sirens activated. Drivers are expected to move to the right curb, clear of any intersection, and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed, according to the Vehicle Code.

Anyone with information about the accident or the identity of the Prius' driver is asked to call the CHP at (916) 681-2300 or (916) 861-1300.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento County coroner's deputies today identified the man whose body was found in a Florin Road parking lot as Dominic D. Campos, 21, of Sacramento.

An employee reporting to work discovered Campos' body about 7 a.m. Wednesday in a parking lot between Jiffy Lube and Church's Chicken on the 2900 block of Florin Road, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

The employee called 911, and paramedics responded, finding the man dead at the scene, Leong said.

Campos had suffered trauma to his upper body "consistent with a homicide," Leong said. Detectives say they suspect Campos was killed late Tuesday night, after the nearby businesses had closed, or early Wednesday morning.

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

From Bill Lindelof:

A weekend sweep by the Sacramento County Probation Department resulted in the arrest of three drunk-driving offenders on probation.

Probation officers meet with offenders weekly to make sure they attend court-ordered counseling. If they are not in compliance, probationers are arrested for violating terms of their probation.

Officers attempted to serve 40 warrants. In all, 11 were successfully served.

The sweep was part of a program that targets motorists with several DUI convictions. The program, funded by a California Office of Traffic Safety grant, includes intense supervision of offenders on probation.

"This is the second of several sweeps that have occurred on a weekend," said Bill Hepworth, supervising probation officer for the department's DUI enforcement.

"We're focusing on chronic offenders."

From Bill Lindelof:

An ongoing undercover operation by the Yolo County District Attorney's Office has resulted in two more store clerks being cited for selling tobacco to minors.

The operation over the weekend was conducted using minors as decoys. The young people, supervised by peace officers, entered stores and tried to buy cigarettes.

On Saturday evening three teen decoys entered the Road Trip Cafe in Capay and one of them asked to buy a pack of cigarettes. The clerk asked for identification and then sold the cigarettes to the teen despite the ID showing that the minor did not turn 18 until September 2010, a DA's office news release states.

Later that evening, decoys entered a Safeway in South Davis. At a customer-service desk one of the youths obtained a pack of cigarettes and was told to pay for them at a cash register.

The 16-year-old was allowed to buy the cigarettes at a register, and the clerk never asked for identification, the DA's office said.

"Despite our offer to give employers free copies of the DMV pamphlets on how to check identification, we are still seeing the same mistakes being made," said Daniel J. Stroski with the district attorney's office.

The clerks were issued citations and ordered to appear in Yolo Superior Court Nov. 4. If the clerks are found guilty they could receive a fine up to $200 and the stores may be prevented from selling tobacco for up to 30 days.