Sacto 9-1-1

From Bill Lindelof

A Canadian truck driver faces up to a year in Placer County jail after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of manslaughter without gross negligence.

Lakhwinder Sidhu of Ontario, Canada, entered his plea in the death of Miguel Ramos, 42, of Bakersfield, who died April 11, 2008 on eastbound Interstate 80 near the Newcastle exit. Ramos had pulled off the roadway because of vehicle trouble when Sidhu's big rig drifted to the shoulder and struck him.

Sidhu faces a sentence that could range from probation to one year in jail. He is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 6, according to a district attorney's office press release.

From Bill Lindelof

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department will resume searching today for an experienced hiker who apparently is lost in the Sierra.

A search for Matthew Kinney, 26, of Placerville, began Saturday morning when searchers on foot began looking for him. The night before, the sheriff's department got word that Kinney was overdue from a hike that would have taken him from Loon Lake to Horsetail Falls near Twin Bridges.

"He is an experienced back-country individual," said Lt. Bryan Golmitz, spokesman for the department. "He had supplies and equipment that would sustain him out there. I'm not sure if he had the food supplies to sustain him this amount of time."

Since he was reported missing, search teams have hiked mountain trails and aircraft from the California Highway Patrol have assisted from the air. A big effort to find Kinney again today is planned, Golmitz said.

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

From Bill Lindelof

Daily activity logs indicate that Sacramento police were kept busy since Friday and over the weekend with a variety of stops, accidents and arrests. A sampling of activity:

Friday, Ninth and P streets -- A Vespa driver was thrown several feet when her scooter was hit by a pickup. The scooter was pinned under the Toyota Tundra truck.

The Vespa rider was reported in critical but stable condition.

-- Saturday, Ahambra Boulevard near H Streets --Two teens were at a Del Taco fastfood restaurant in the early morning hours when they were approached and asked for money. Both said they spent all their money on food.

A couple of hours later, as they walked on Alhambra Boulevard, a car pulled up and two men jumped out, one of them the earlier panhandler. The men demanded they give them everything of value and then pushed the teens to the ground.

The suspects left with "items from the victims" and the teens suffered minor injuires.

-- Friday, Center Parkway and Cosumnes River Boulevard -- Two officers stopped a driver for playing music too loud and having false registration tags. The officers grew suspicious because the 24-year-old driver was very nervous - and he had a digital scale on his lap.

During a search of the vehicle, officers found pills, "cocaine base" and marijuana.

-- Saturday, Dixieanne Avenue and Empress Street -- Two officers trying to speak with teens had to give chase on foot. One officer tackled one teen who was found with a loaded 9mm handgun and cocaine. The officers caught the second teen.

-- Saturday, 600 block of Plaza Avenue --Two officers conducting a welfare check in North Sacramento found a 53-year-old man armed with a metal pole. He resisted arrest and tried to grab one officer's handgun.

Officers eventually were able to take him into custody for trying to disarm an officer.

-- Saturday, Truxel Road and Waterwheel Drive -- Officer arrested a suspect after a traffic stop. The suspect had 28 small bags of marijuana and a scale.

From Cathy Locke

A search of the Putah Creek Road area west of Interstate 505 yielded no sign of a missing Winters woman.

The Winters Police Department called in outside agencies to assist in the search for Leticia Barrales Ramos, who disappeared in April and is presumed dead. Her husband, Felipe Cruz Hernandez, was arrested as a suspect in the case more than a week ago.

The department received information that Hernandez was seen at Putah Creek Road next to Putah Creek the day after Ramos disappeared.

Six cadaver dogs and their handlers were involved in the search Friday, which took approximately four hours, according to a police department news release.

The department's dispatch center said they were not aware of any new searches today.

Anyone with information that could help locate Ramos is asked to call the Winters Police Department at (530) 795-4561.

From Chelsea Phua

A 21-year-old man was arrested this week for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old El Dorado Hills girl, according to El Dorado County Sheriff's officials.

Kurt Gohagan (photo) was employed as a counselor at a teen center in El Dorado Hills, where the girl often went after school, Sgt. Jim Byers said.

They met in November and investigators determined the relationship was ongoing for several months, Byers said.

The girl's parents, who have never met Gohagan, found out about the relationship from their daughter on June 2, and reported the matter to authorities the same day, Byers said.

Gohagan was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old. Byers said Gohagan has posted bail.

From Chelsea Phua

Talk about a domestic fight.

A Pollock Pines woman hit her husband with a broom, fly swatter, phone book, fork and frying pan - yes, a frying pan - according to an El Dorado County Sheriff's department report.

Janis Williams, 61, was arrested on a charge of inflicting corporal injury on her 66-year-old husband on May 28. She was released June 1, a department spokesman said.

The report said Williams struck her husband while intoxicated and he had visible injuries.

From Bill Lindelof:

Shasta County Sheriff's deputies faced a potentially dangerous situation when they arrested two men for suspicion of growing marijuana, according to a press release.

When members of the Shasta County Marijuana Eradication team found 569 marijuana plants Wednesday on property in the "Small Farms" area, they also recovered assault rifles and a sawed-off shotgun. Deputies said there were also three pit bulls on the property.

Tanen Joe Munoz, 22, and Russell Andrew Judson, 21, were arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and being armed during the commission of a felony.

From Cathy Locke

Sacramento police are investigating a shooting that occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. Sunday in the 3700 block of 18th Avenue.

Sgt. Norm Leong said that police received a call from an individual who reported hearing gunshots, and that a victim arrived at UC Davis Medical Center with critical injuries believed caused by gunshot wounds.

No further information about the victim was available this morning.

From Kim Minugh

West Sacramento police say they have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with last night's shootout that left one man dead and five people injured.

Michael Wayne Moniz Jr. of West Sacramento was arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder, according to a news release issued by the West Sacramento Police Department.

His alleged role in Wednesday night's shooting on Cummins Way remains unclear.

The news release also states that Adrian Villanueva, described by police Wednesday night as a "person of interest," has been interviewed and is not a suspect in the case. His older brother, 32-year-old Joe Villanueva, was killed in the exchange of gunfire on the 1100 block of Cummins Way.

The shooting broke out about 6 p.m. when two men armed with handguns approached a house and began shooting, said West Sacramento police Lt. Tod Sockman.

People inside the house came outside and returned fire with a shotgun, Sockman said.

Joe Villanueva collapsed in the street. The other alleged attacker was shot in the head and is expected to survive, Sockman said.

Also injured in the shootout, in which more than 15 shots were exchanged, was one of the Cummins Way home occupants and two elderly bystanders, Sockman said.

All three are expected to recover, he said. A fifth victim took himself to an area hospital following the shooting and was said to have non-life-threatening injuries.

By Bill Lindelof and Kim Minugh

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives have arrested the 21-year-old brother of the man killed by a store owner during a burglary this morning, according to authorities.

Sergio Antonio Arauza, 21, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on one count of burglary and one count of violating probation, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran. Detectives detained him earlier today, but initially were unclear whether he was involved in the burglary of Marconi Coin and Currency store in the 4900 block of Marconi Avenue.

Now they allege Arauza was carrying out the burglary alongside his brother, Curran said. The coroner's office identified the dead man as 24-year-old Vincent Paul Arauza.

The store owner has not been arrested. The district attorney will determine if any charges are filed against him, based on results of the sheriff's investigation, Curran said.

Curran said detectives are looking into whether the Arauza brothers were responsible for at least three other burglaries along the Folsom Boulevard corridor.

Today's incident began about 4:15 a.m. while the shop owner was inside his store, which had been the target of a break-in April 29, Curran said. This time, the owner called the sheriff's department to report two men in their mid-20s, wearing black ski masks, trying to enter his store.

Curran said that as the owner spoke on the phone, the person taking the call heard several gunshots.

"Then the business owner said one subject was down in the parking lot," Curran said.

Deputies arrived to find the elder Arauza's body in the parking lot. Fire department emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Other deputies in the area saw a man - later identified as Sergio Arauza - near Marconi and Eastern avenues and detained him.

He is being held at the jail in lieu of $100,500 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police arrested a 16-year-old boy this weekend for allegedly having two loaded handguns in his car - a discovery made after the boy had blown several stop signs and crashed into several cars, according to a police report.

Just before midnight Friday, an officer saw a car speed through several stop signs in the area of 21st Avenue and 73rd Street, according to the report. The officer estimated the car was going 80 miles per hour, and turned on his lights and sirens to pursue the car.

The officer temporarily lost sight of the vehicle - until it had crashed into five cars in the area of Toronto Way and 79th Street, in the Colonial Village neighborhood, the report states. The officer located a 16-year-old boy walking away from the car, and found two loaded handguns inside the vehicle, according to the report.

The boy was booked into juvenile hall on two weapons-related charges and one charge related to his driver's license, the report states.

By Bill Lindelof

Redding police have obtained an arrest warrant charging a state prison inmate with a 20-year-old homicide.

Police said Brian Harper, 39, of Redding, an inmate at Corcoran State Prison in Kings County, is linked through DNA evidence with the killing of Judith Hasselstrom, whose body was found Aug. 7, 1988 in the city's Caldwell Park.

Hasselstrom's body, clad only in underwear, was found under what police said was bamboo. Officers found blood and fingerprints on the bamboo but had no luck finding a match.

An autopsy revealed that Hasselstrom had been strangled.

Police said a break in the case occurred when Harper was arrested and found guilty of robbing a Redding bank Nov. 7, 2007. Sentenced to state prison, his fingerprints and DNA samples were entered into a file system that led to his arrest on the cold case.

Redding police said Harper initially denied knowing about the Hasselstrom killing. However, according to a press release, he admitted to the crime when confronted with DNA and fingerprint evidence.

From Bill Lindelof

A Yuba City truck driver has been arrested on suspicion of threatening to blow himself up at the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Asghar Ali Gorsi, 39, was booked into Sutter County Jail on suspicion of making terrorist threats.

CHP investigators said that Gorsi received a notice from the DMV telling him that his license was being suspended because of several recent violations. Gorsi, a commercial truck driver, had incurred the violations while driving big rigs.

In a call to the DMV in Sacramento on Friday, Gorsi allegedly became enraged over the suspension. Gorsi stated that he was going to go to the Yuba City DMV office and blow himself up on Monday, according to a press release.

The CHP began an investigation. In a telephone call, officers agreed with Gorsi to meet on Saturday but he failed to show.

That began surveillance of Gorsi until Monday when he drove to the Yuba-Sutter CHP office, where he was arrested. The CHP said Gorsi admitted to making the threat to blow himself up.

From Chelsea Phua

Sacramento police say they arrested a 49-year-old Natomas man on suspicion of attempted murder of his tenant.

Sgt. Norm Leong said Stephen Phelps, who has been renting his Meadowview house to a woman in her 20s for a month, struck her in the head with a hammer shortly before 9:15 p.m. Friday.

She was hospitalized in stable condition on Friday night, Leong said.

For unknown reasons, Phelps went to the house in the 7300 block of Amherst Street to shut off the power, Leong said. When the tenant came out, she saw Phelps at the side of the house turning off the power. Leong said the landlord attacked her when she confronted him.

Phelps was arrested without incident at his home in the 5000 block of Archcrest Way and booked into Sacramento County jail early Saturday morning.

From Chelsea Phua

A Sacramento Police Department gang unit sergeant was hurt in a crash in south Sacramento Friday night, police said.

He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said. A passenger with the sergeant was not injured.

The sergeant was exiting northbound Interstate 5 on Florin Road just before midnight when the accident happened.

A Honda Accord, driven by a man in his 20s, was westbound on Florin Road and about to take the ramp onto northbound Interstate 5 when for unknown reasons, the driver lost control and crashed in the unmarked patrol car, Leong said.

The driver was not taken to the hospital.

No alcohol was involved, Leong said.

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From Chelsea Phua

A Sacramento man died Friday night after being stabbed in a fight outside a convenience store in the College/Glen area, police said.

Authorities have not released the man's identity, but said he was involved in a melee that broke out slightly before 7:45 p.m. in the parking lot of Express Stop Liquors on Julliard Drive.

Sgt. Norm Leong said there were several men on each side of the fight, but it is unclear exactly how many were involved. By the time officers arrived, the men had left.

Moments later, police were informed that three men who had been stabbed walked into UC Davis Medical Center about 8 p.m. to seek treatment.

One of them, a man in his 20s who was stabbed in his upper body, later died from his injuries. The other two are expected to survive, Leong said.

Investigators have not yet determined what let to the fight, Leong said. Witnesses were providing conflicting descriptions of suspects, he said.

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

Location of Fight

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By Niesha Lofing

A 29-year-old woman is being held in Placer County jail after allegedly carjacking a man and threatening to stab him with an HIV-infected needle in a hospital parking lot.

A 74-year-old Carmichael man had driven a friend to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Roseville about 1 a.m. Sunday and had just gotten out of the car when he was approached by a woman who demanded his keys, said Roseville police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

"The suspect threatened to stab him with an HIV-infected needle if he did not comply," she said.

No needle was seen.

The victim's passenger got out of the car and the woman drove away in the victim's gray 2006 Mazda sedan.

The two victims went inside and reported the incident to Kaiser staff, who called Roseville police. Kaiser security followed the woman in the stolen vehicle and gave the communications center updates on the car's location and direction of travel, Gunther said.

Officers caught up with the car as it turned into a residential neighborhood in Granite Bay.

At one point the woman, who was driving recklessly, drove onto a dead-end street and officers tried to block her in, but she drove between two patrol cars to get out and narrowly missed hitting them, Gunther said.

The woman fled, but officers again trapped the car in the 9800 block of Wesbourne Way.

After a brief struggle with the woman, officers arrested Amber Arlene Page, who has no permanent address, on suspicion of carjacking, robbery, making terrorist threats, assault with a deadly weapon, recklessly evading an officer, resisting arrest, vehicle theft, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Page is being held on $75,000 bail in Placer County Jail in Auburn.

By Niesha Lofing

Fundraiser will help buy protective vests for Placer K-9s

A local non-profit organization is holding a fundraiser to replace aging protective ballistic vests for Placer County law enforcement canines.

The Foothills K-9 Association is selling raffle tickets and hosting an event Sunday in hopes of raising enough money to replace vests for 15 canines working for the Placer County Sheriff's Department and the Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln police departments, an association news release states.

The ballistic vests last about five years.

Tickets are for sale this week at Animal Nutrition Center. The fundraiser will culminate Sunday with an event featuring prize drawings, K-9 demonstrations and a pet supply expo.

Prizes include a two-night stay at the Resort at Squaw Creek, a cedar dog house, dog beds, dinners for four at local restaurants, and dog food for a year for 12 winners.

The drawings will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Animal Nutrition Center, 1805 Cirby Way, Suite 10, Roseville.

The event will be held in the store and parking lot. Canine handlers and their canine partners will hold narcotics detection and patrol demonstrations, and people will be able to meet and pet the dogs, the release states.

For more information, call the association at (916) 747-7806.

By Niesha Lofing

A Lincoln teen is facing assault charges after he allegedly beat a man nearly unconscious in a Lincoln park.

Lincoln police were called at 2:30 p.m. Friday to Markham Ravine Park on a report of an assault, a police news release states.

Officers found an 18-year-old man who was semi-unconscious and had head injuries from being punched several times.

The man was taken to a local hospital by ambulance and treated.

Officers interviewed witnesses and identified the alleged assailant as a 17-year-old boy. The teen and the victim knew one another, the release states.

The teen was arrested a few hours later on suspicion of felony assault with great bodily injury and was booked into Placer County Juvenile Hall.

His name is not being released because of his age.

By Bill Lindelof

Redding police have arrested three people in the apparent bludgeoning of a man who lived in a canyon.

The body of Timothy Alcorn, 47, was found near a wooded trail behind the old Masonic Lodge off Lake Boulevard and Masonic Avenue. An autopsy Tuesday showed that he had died from being hit on the head.

Late Thursday night, police said they arrested Albert Curtis Sanchez, 18, of Redding on suspicion of robbery, kidnapping and murder. Two male minors were also arrested on suspicion of homicide and taken to Shasta County Juvenile Hall.

Police said that on Saturday a witness saw Alcorn leaving the parking lot of a Redding convenience market covered in blood.

The witness said that Alcorn related that he had been assaulted. On Sunday police searched a day camp in a Redding-area canyon near where blood and Alcorn's jacket had been found.

Investigators searched again Monday and Alcorn's body was eventually found by a citizen.

By Bill Lindelof

Redding police say that when the federal government erroneously sent freshly paroled Fred Royal a check for $26,000 he wasted no time in spending the windfall.

"He went out and bought a $5,000 car and a big-screen TV," police Sgt. Bruce Bonner said today.

Police were able to put a hold on a little more than half of the $26,000 that was still in the bank. Detectives were going to seize that money today to be returned to the government.

Royal, 63, was released from state prison on March 24 and took up residence in a local motel. About that time he was sent a government disability check in the amount of $26,000, although the check should have been for less than $1,000.

He made statements to acquaintances that he knew the check was in error, Redding police said. Still, he spent thousands.

"He paid $5,000 cash for a used car and then went on a spending spree, buying clothing, food, refrigerator and TV," said Bonner.

Bonner said that Royal had been in prison for child molestation. He has been booked into Shasta County Jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property and violation of parole.

He was located by authorities leaving Walmart in Redding.

By Bill Lindelof and Kim Minugh

A Sacramento police officer remains in the hospital this afternoon after he was knocked unconscious this morning during a search for two carjacking suspects in south Sacramento.

Detectives remain in the area of Franklin Boulevard and Mack Road, trying to figure out how the officer ended up laid out on the ground unconscious.

He has regained consciousness and is expected to recover, but remains in the hospital, said police Sgt. Norm Leong.

It remains unclear whether the officer was hurt by the suspects or was knocked out as a result of a fall during a chase.

About 6:30 a.m., an officer spotted a car in the south area wanted in connection with an earlier carjacking. The officer chased the car until the vehicle crashed near Shining Star Drive and Mafic Court, said police Officer Konrad Von Schoech.

The driver and the passenger fled, hopping fences with officers in pursuit. Officers assumed that at least one of the suspects was armed because a gun had been used during the carjacking, police said.

Officers surrounded the area, and detectives remain on scene. No arrests have been made.

Sheriff's Department finds missing girls

From Bill Lindelof:

The Sacramento Sheriff's Department reports that two teenage girls who they believed might have been headed to Los Angeles with teenage boys have been found in Arden Arcade.

Autumn Marie Clark, 13, and her friend, Olive Lee Ann Gray, 14, were found at 11:25 a.m. by detectives in the area of Auburn Boulevard and Watt Avenue. One of the teen-age boys they were believed to be with when they disappeared was also found in the area.

He was to be questioned by detectives to determine if any crime had been committed. The girls were to be re-united with their parents.

Until found, the teen girls were last seen at Gray's home on Jeanine Drive near Elkhorn Boulevard and Interstate 80 on Sunday. When Gray's mother returned from work that evening the two girls were gone.

The girls were classified as "at risk" because of their age and because they have never before been reported missing

By Bill Lindelof

A woman described by prosecutors as a Canadian drifter has entered a no contest plea to felony arson and vandalism in a Woodland house fire two years ago, according to the Yolo County District Attorney's office.

Claudine Fleury, 38, took up residence in a garage of the vacant house on Pershing Avenue in 2007. Asked to leave by a real estate agent, she returned and tried to burn the house down several times before she was arrested, according to the district attorney.

One of the fires destroyed the garage. Fleury was later arrested at the Wayfarer Homeless Shelter in Woodland.

At the time of her arrest she gave a false name to a detective, her true name not being discovered until months later, authorities say. Fluery entered her plea last Thursday and faces time in state prison.

By Niesha Lofing

A Sacramento woman is facing burglary and other charges after allegedly breaking into a Woodland home Sunday.

A Woodland resident was awakened at 4:41 a.m. by noise in her home and found two people in her living room, Woodland police Sgt. Dan Letamendi stated in a news release.

The woman yelled for her husband and one of the burglars fled through the garage door, while the other person tried to leave through a locked sliding glass door.

The subject fought the homeowner and tried to use a metal flashlight as a weapon in an attempt to escape, he said.

The subject was detained without injury to the homeowner until police arrived.

Officers arrested Lisa Ann Tejeda, 18, on suspicion of residential burglary, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and an identification hold. She is being held on $50,000 bail in Yolo County Jail.

Police used K-9 units and a California Highway Patrol helicopter, but could not locate the other subject.

A vehicle that Tejeda had a key to at the time of her arrest was towed and will be processed as evidence, Letamendi said.

About three hours after the alleged burglary, officers were called to a home in the 900 block of Farnham Drive.

Officers found a piece of property bearing the earlier victim's name inside a car parked nearby. Officers believe the two cases may be related, he said.

During the later burglary, the homeowner saw three people, two of whom were in the backyard, peering inside his windows, Letamendi said.

From Niesha Lofing:

Police are investigating a series of early morning commercial burglaries in Citrus Heights.

Four food businesses have been burglarized in the past few days in the city, the most recent of which occurred this morning, Citrus Heights police Lt. Gina Anderson said.

The Little Caesars Pizza and Starbucks coffee in the 7000 block of Auburn Boulevard were burglarized about 4:53 a.m. today.

Neither of the businesses, which are in the same shopping center, were open at the time.

A few days ago, the Chipotle Mexican Grill at 5851 Sunrise Boulevard and Valencia's Carneceria Taqueria at 8040 Greenback Lane were burglarized, Anderson said.

"It looks like (the suspects) were going for cash registers, but they haven't been successful at this point," she said.

No property was taken from any of the four businesses.

The suspects forced entry to break into the eateries.

Anderson said investigators are looking into the possibility that the burglaries are linked.

From Niesha Lofing:

Two men are facing criminal charges after allegedly breaking into a landscape supply business and running from police.

A Roseville police officer was patrolling at 1:44 a.m. Wednesday in the 800 block of Galleria Boulevard when he heard an alarm, police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther wrote in an e-mail.

He drove toward the landscape supply business and saw a red Ford Ranger pickup coming out of the parking lot. The truck didn't have its lights on, she said.

The officer turned to try to stop the truck, but it sped onto westbound Interstate 80, exiting at Antelope Road, where it hit a guardrail and stopped, Gunther said.

The driver and passenger ran, but were found nearby and arrested. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's helicopter assisted in the search.

Jose Alfredo Beltran Velarde, 38, of Modesto, is being held on $20,000 bail in Placer County Jail in Auburn on suspicion of recklessly evading an officer, burglary and conspiracy.

Jose Delarosa, 27, of Turlock, is being held on $10,000 bail in jail on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy.

Officers found that the men allegedly had forced their way into the landscape supply business, Horizon. Property was moved around, but the manager said nothing was missing, Gunther said.

From Niesha Lofing

A Sacramento sheriff's deputy killed in the line of duty last year will be among award recipients honored by the sheriff today.

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness will present 41 medals at the 2009 Awards Luncheon, including a Purple Heart for Deputy Larry Canfield (left photo), a sheriff's news release states.

Canfield was killed Nov. 12 when his motorcycle crashed with another vehicle while he was conducting traffic patrols in Rancho Cordova.

Canfield's wife, Michelle Canfield, will accept the award in her husband's honor, the release states.

The Purple Heart is awarded for serious bodily injuries received in the line of duty.

The other awards will include two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and 36 Life Saving medals.

The department's awards for employees of the year and managers of the year also will be issued.

The awards ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel at 550 Leisure Lane, Sacramento.

From Kim Minugh:

California Highway Patrol authorities are looking for a driver who might have been a witness to the Feb. 16 collision that killed Angelique Mayo.

Mayo, a 38-year-old Fair Oaks mother of five, was parked at the entrance of the Rollingwood Commons apartment complex at 9160 Madison Ave., waiting for traffic to clear, when a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban hit her car, according to the CHP. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, which occurred about 7:15 p.m.

The driver of the Suburban, 45-year-old Christopher Sandbach of Orangevale, was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and felony driving under the influence, according to authorities.

Investigators from the CHP are now looking for the driver of a green Honda who might have been in the area, according to a news release. A witness observed Sandbach's vehicle swerve around a green Honda on eastbound Madison Avenue shortly before he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into Mayo's car, according to the release.

The CHP is asking the driver of that Honda - or a similar car - to come forward and make a statement. That driver, or anyone else who observed Sandbach's vehicle on Madison Avenue about the time of the accident, is asked to call the CHP at (916) 338-6710.

From Niesha Lofing:

Authorities are looking for a man (photo below) who robbed a Cameron Park bank this morning.

The man entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 3291 Coach Lane at 9:20 a.m. and verbally demanded money, said El Dorado County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Bryan Golmitz.

The man did not brandish a weapon or mention a weapon during the robbery.

He got away with "an undisclosed amount of cash," Golmitz said.

The man left the bank on foot.

Sheriff's deputies are working with the FBI to identify and locate the robber, who is described as white, in his 30s, last seen wearing a camouflage jacket and gray baseball cap.

By Sandy Louey

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department is investigating the death of a Linda woman who was found on fire in her kitchen and died there.

Authorities were called out just before 8 p.m. Saturday about the incident. The woman was in her 40s, said Melanie Oakes, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. The victim's name is not being released until the autopsy confirms her identity and her family is notified, she said.

Oakes said neighbors tried to put out the fire.

By Sandy Louey

The Shasta County Sheriff's Department arrested a 51-year-old man who allegedly deliberately sent his pit bull after deputies.

Jason Gregory was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing an officer Saturday, according to a news release from the sheriff's department.

Deputies were at a home on Lassen View Lane to serve a felony arrest warrant on Gregory on Saturday morning. Gregory opened the door to his trailer and released a pit bull that charged aggressively at a deputy, the sheriff's department said.

The deputy used a Taser to subdue the dog.

By Sandy Louey

Galt police are looking for a man who robbed a Quik Stop Market at gunpoint.

Around 6:22 p.m. Thursday, a 911 call came in about a robbery at the market at 602 Fourth St. The suspect was seen fleeing the store west on F Street, according to a news release from the Galt Police Department.

Witnesses described the robber as a man with a thin build, from 5 feet 3 to 5 feet 6 inches tall. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt, a black hat and a black mask covering his face, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (209) 366-7000.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police on Friday arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of killing his mother's boyfriend, according to authorities.

The victim, 42-year-old Gerardo Valdez (photo bottom left), was reported missing by family members Nov. 20, according to Sacramento police. A decomposed body discovered in Butte County on Friday is believed to be that of Valdez; however, police are awaiting verification through forensics, said police Sgt. Norm Leong.

Later that day, police arrested Rueben Larez (photo bottom right) as he was leaving a north Sacramento home, Leong said.

Valdez had been dating Larez's mother on and off for about four years, according to interviews documented in a search warrant affidavit filed by police with the Sacramento County Superior Court.

In January, police searched the home of Larez's mother on Costa Brase Court, where Valdez was last seen, according to the search warrant affidavit. Police recovered several items, including paperwork, from that residence and dug up the backyard, but found no body.

Larez and Larez's mother told police that Valdez and Larez had physically fought in April 2008, but Larez told investigators the two had gotten along fine since then, according to the search warrant affidavit. He told detectives he did not know Larez's whereabouts.

On Friday, Leong said detectives suspect Larez killed Valdez "as a result of his dislike for him."

Leong said information obtained by detectives led them to a rural area of Butte County, where they found what they say is Valdez's body.

From Niesha Lofing

Law enforcement officers in Yolo County arrested three people during a drunken driving saturation patrol effort on Super Bowl Sunday.

Thirteen officers from several law enforcement agencies in the county conducted the DUI patrols, working for paid overtime funded through the state Office of Traffic Safety, a Davis police news release states.

Of the 79 vehicles stopped, 13 field sobriety tests were administered. Officers arrested three people on suspicion of drunken driving, suspended one license, issued 27 citations for various violations and impounded one vehicle for 30 days, the release states.

From the Contra Costa Times:

A regional team of law enforcement specialists that helped crack high-profile Bay Area crimes by digging into cell phones and computer hard drives shut its doors last week, another victim of severe budget cuts that threaten similar teams across the state.

The Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force, which included agencies from Contra Costa, Solano and 11 other counties north to the Oregon border, was among five teams statewide that lost more than 40 percent of their funding in a freeze on public safety grants that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered this month. No new funding was projected for next fiscal year.

The Sacramento-area task force helped in the Laci Peterson probe, said Marin District Attorney Ed Berberian, who oversaw the task force that closed Friday.

The high-tech task forces are scrambling for new funding to save the $12 million-a-year program. Deputy Attorney General Robert Morgester, who helped found the Sacramento-area task force in 1995, said the state does not have its own computer forensics laboratory for cases ranging from identity theft to gang killings to child exploitation.

"If you don't have an officer that understands how to investigate it or recover information off a suspect's computer," he said, "you don't have a case."

Click here to read the full Times story.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Woodland man is facing child endangerment and assault charges after allegedly kicking a teenager in the face.

The 15-year-old boy was sitting on a curb in a parking lot on West Main Street about 10:10 p.m. Sunday talking to Troy Parrish, 45, of Woodland, when Parrish allegedly kicked him in the face, Woodland police Corp. Jack Schubert said.

Parrish was wearing heavy construction-type boots during the alleged assault, he said.

"We have no idea why he did it," Schubert said. "He didn't even know him."

Officers found the boy with a bloody mouth and nose and swollen face. He was taken to a local hospital and later released.

"He's doing all right," Schubert said.

Parrish has been arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon.

He is being held on $50,000 bail in Yolo County Jail, according to jail staff.

Woodland police are asking that anyone with information call officers at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers may remain anonymous.

From Andy Furillo

A Sacramento judge today ordered a man to stand trial in the deaths of a neighbor woman and her 3-year-old son who were hacked to death with a meat cleaver four years ago.

Lalesh Kumar, 35, could face the death penalty if convicted of murdering Virginia Pulido, 33, and her little boy, Ramiro.

Kumar was bound over for trial by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard following a brief preliminary hearing.

Only one witness testified at the hearing. Sacramento police Det. Thomas Patrick Higgins recounted the statements of the two patrol officers who responded to the June 11, 2005, attack on Pulido and her son in the 2900 block of South Meadows Place, near Florin Road and 29th Street.

Higgins said the officers, Paul Fong and Kristine Rich, found the two victims bloodied in an apartment unit while a man later identified as Kumar jumped out a window and fled on foot.

The officers chased Kumar down in the apartment complex and shot, Tasered and beat the suspect with police batons after he came at them with the meat cleaver and refused to give it up once he was subdued.

Higgins testified that Kumar had implored the officers to "kill me."

Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet did not put on any evidence that offered a motive to the slaying. But in hearsay testimony that the judge struck from the record, Higgins said that a man told officers that the Pulido family "was making too much noise" and had been "disturbing" Kumar's parents in the apartment building.

Kumar had been placed on mental health holds prior to the homicides, according to police accounts in the days after the deaths of the Pulidos.

From The Los Angeles Times:

Los Angeles police have arrested a suspected leader of a small but sophisticated crew of burglars who allegedly broke into the homes of executives, celebrities and sports stars, stealing millions of dollars worth of cash and property, law enforcement sources said Tuesday.

Dubbed the "Hillside Burglars" by police, the bandits are suspected of committing more than 150 break-ins over the last several years, targeting some of Los Angeles' wealthiest neighborhoods, and taking items worth more than $10 million.

Click here for the full Times' story.

From Sandy Louey

Elk Grove police are looking for people interested in attending its citizens academy.

The 15-week program is designed to educate participants about patrol and investigation procedures, dispatch and forensics.

Classes will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, starting Feb. 25, at the Police Department, 8400 Laguna Palms Way.

The free program is open to anyone who lives or works in Elk Grove. The 15 to 20 participants must be older than 18 and have no felony convictions. A background check will be conducted on all applicants.

Applications can be found at www.elkgrovepd.org. For additional information, contact Sgt. Audrey Haug at (916) 478-8073 or by e-mail at ahaug@elkgrovepd.org.

From David Richie

A recent car theft victim got a surprise on New Year's Eve when he looked in the rear-view mirror and spotted his stolen car right behind him on Greenback Lane.

The incident occurred about 9:15 a.m. Thursday. The resident followed his 1992 Honda Civic across Rainbow Bridge but temporarily lost sight of it. He then found it parked outside WalMart on Riley Street in Folsom.

Folsom police set up surveillance of the car and watched as a man they identified as James William Brannen, 43, of Citrus Heights, returned to the Civic and drove away. They stopped the car and took Brannen into custody. A search revealed that he was carrying several "shaved keys" commonly used for vehicle theft, officals said.

A records check revealed that Brannen had just been released from Duel Vocational Institute, Tracy, on Dec. 27.

Brannen remains in Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of suspicion of vehicle theft, receiving stolen property and parole violation.

From Dave Richie

A burglary at a check-cashing business and attempted break-ins at a bank and motorcycle shop along the Highway 50 corridor kept at least a half dozen El Dorado County sheriff's deputies busy during the long New Year's weekend.

In all three cases, the only reported losses involved property damage.

Deputies responded to a burglary alarm about 3:30 a.m. Saturday at Advance America, 3964 Missouri Flat Road, Diamond Springs. They found a shattered glass door and evidence that someone had gained entry to the business. The culprits tried unsuccessfully to open or pry loose a safe anchored to the floor in a back room, according to an incident report.

The same night deputies responded to another alarm caused when a rock was tossed through the front window at T-Bonez, 4020 Durock Road, Shingle Springs.

And about a half dozen deputies performed a security check Friday night when a rock was thrown through a window near the ATM at Wachovia Bank, 4095 Cameron Park Drive. A bank manager had arrived to check on the damage about 8:30 p.m. She told deputies she could not be sure that no one was inside.

From Sandy Louey

Woodland police are investigating the armed robbery of a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store.

The robbery took place at 8:48 p.m. Friday at 375 W. Main St. A man with a handgun came in and demanded money at the register. Money was taken and he fled, according to a police press release.

The suspect was described as a light-skinned Latino man about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 185 pounds. He had flat-top black hair and brown eyes. He wore a black-gray plaid sweater and blue jeans, police said.

No one was injured.

Anyone with information is asked to call (530) 661-7800.

From Sandy Louey

Woodland police are seeking suspects in a bank robbery that occurred about 5:44 p.m. Friday at the Bank of America, 50 West Main St.

Two men wearing dark clothing and hoods covering their faces entered the bank with pistols, according to a police press release.

Police said the robbers held about 15 employees and customers while they took an undisclosed amount of money from the bank.

They left in a white, four-door station wagon with a black luggage rack. The car was driven by an African American woman with dark hair who wore a black hat, police said.

No one was injured.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (530) 661-7800.

From Sandy Louey

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified a man who was fatally shot in Rancho Cordova as 30-year-old Timothy Brodie of Sacramento.

On Friday night, deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Laurelhurst Drive after residents called 911 reporting the sound of gunfire.

Deputies found Brodie's body in the parking lot.

From Bee Staff

Law enforcement officials in southern Placer County will be on extra alert this weekend for motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Officers from Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln will be on the lookout beginning Friday night and continuing into Saturday. Beefed up efforts will also be in place Dec. 27, according to a press release issued Monday.

The stepped-up enforcement is being funded with a grant from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

From Bee Staff

SACRAMENTO -- The victim of an early morning shooting today has died from his gunshot wounds, according to Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

Police received a call at 2:23 a.m. that a man in his 30s was shot in the street during a dispute in the 4000 block of 35th Street, Leong said. The victim, identified as Augusta James, 32, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where he died later in the morning.

Leong said it appears that James got into an argument with two men. The argument escalated, and one of the suspects shot James multiple times, Leong said.

Police are looking for two men in connection with the shooting. One is described as an African American male, 5-foot-9, in his late 20s with a shaved head and weighing about 130 pounds. There is no description for the second man.

Leong said police are investigating the shooting.

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

From Niesha Lofing:

A Davis man convicted of murdering his infant son in 1994 will spend four more years in prison, a parole board has decided.

The state Board of Parole Hearings' commissioners denied Manuel Bermudez's request for parole at a hearing Wednesday at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo.

Bermudez was convicted of murder and child abuse in November 1994 for the beating death of his 14-month-old son, according to a news release by the office of Yolo County District Attorney Jeff W. Reisig.

The baby had been severely abused, with injuries from head to toe, including some that were weeks old and others a few hours old, court records and officials said. At least two fatal wounds were observed.

"The emergency room doctor reported that the offense was the worst case of child abuse he had seen in 17 years of practice," the release states.

Child Protective Services removed two of the child's siblings from the home.

Bermudez's parents appealed to the parole board for their son's release, but parole was denied because of the crime's severity, Bermudez's "callous indifference to human suffering," his lack of remorse and failure to address issues that may have preceded the crime, the release states.

"There is no greater a victim than a helpless infant who looks to his parents for protection," District Attorney Reisig said in a written statement.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Eighteen people, including a Richmond parks and recreation employee, were arrested today in connection with a crackdown on a violent street gang in the city, authorities said.

Kaisha Hill, 29, who works as a juvenile group counselor with the parks department, was found at a home in the 400 block of Eighth Street with a kilo of cocaine and three guns, one of which was a MAC-11 automatic weapon, investigators said.

Hill is an associate of a Richmond gang called Deep C or Deep Central, authorities said as they announced arrests wrapping up a yearlong investigation.

Some 200 state and local law-enforcement officials conducted raids in two waves, serving 43 arrest warrants in Richmond - predominantly in the city's crime-plagued Iron Triangle neighborhood - as well as elsewhere in Contra Costa County and Alameda, Marin and Sacramento counties.

The 18 people in custody were arrested on suspicion of a variety of crimes, including murder, assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at a vehicle and drug possession. About two dozen suspects are outstanding.

Investigators seized more than two pounds of cocaine, a pound of marijuana, $17,000 in cash and eight guns, including a fully automatic weapon, said Sara Simpson, a special agent in charge with the state Department of Justice's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.

Members or associates of the gang have been linked to more than half the city's 47 homicides and 350 shootings last year, authorities said. The gang has about 100 members and associates and engages in drug trafficking, robbery, assault and prostitution-related activities, said state drug agent Michael Mattson.

Click here for the complete Chronicle story.

From Andy Furillo:

Prosecutors today tacked another weapons charge on a former Sacrament sheriff's deputy who has been named as a "principal" in the shooting death of a California correctional officer.

The deputy, Chu Vue, 43, had initially been accused of possession of an unregistered assault weapon. The additional charge is that he actually converted the gun into something other than its manufacturers' design.

Conviction on the new charge would result in a sentence of four, six or eight years. The original charge carried a range of 16 months, two years or three years.

"We had an expert examine the weapon and his opinion was that it had been converted," Deputy District Attorney Robert Clancey said.

Vue has been named as a "principal" in the investigation into the Oct. 15 slaying of correctional officer Steve Lo in the garage of his Sacramento home, according to an investigator's search warrant affidavit filed in Sacramento Superior Court.

It was during the service of the search warrant that investigators found the unregistered .223 caliber assault weapon, court documents said.

Vue, who is free on $500,000 bail, has since been fired from the sheriff's department.

From Andy Furillo:

A Sacramento gang member received a 40-to-life sentence today in the shooting death two years ago of an Elk Grove man who was about to go into the Navy.

Manuel Jose Cervin stared straight ahead when Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet imposed the term for what he characterized as the defendant's "act of cowardice" in the Dec. 22, 2006, murder of 21-year-old Marc Grimes in the driveway of his home.

Cervin, 25, was the driver in a car filled with Norteno gang members that got in a confrontation with Grimes at 11:45 p.m. the night of the shooting. Grimes had just gotten home after a night out with his girlfriend when a minor traffic dispute with Cervin escalated into the killing.

During the confrontation, Cervin rolled down his driver's side window while a passenger shot from inside the car and killed Grimes. The shooter has not been arrested.

Three friends and relatives of Grimes read written, tearful statements to Cervin during the sentencing, expressing their pain and sense of loss in the death of a friend, brother and son.

Grimes' mother, Jody Lawson, told Cervin he could have continued to drive away from the scene of the confrontation but instead backed his vehicle toward the victim to continue the argument in the seconds before the shooting.

"You could have let it go," the tearful Lawson told Cervin.

Police and prosecutors said Cervin's gang affiliation would not allow it.

"You should come up for parole," Lawson continued, "when Marc returns to his family on this earth."

From Niesha Lofing

A Rocklin police officer's attentiveness recently led to the arrest of a teen suspected of tagging property with graffiti throughout the city for the past eight months.

Officer Neil Costa spotted three 18-year-olds at 2 a.m. Oct. 17, walking near Sunset and Whitney boulevards. He stopped the teens and, considering their actions suspicious, took down their names and other information, Lt. Lon Milka said.

One of the men had a can of spray paint in his coat, Milka said.

That night, Costa found freshly tagged private and public property. Over the next few days, he linked the teen carrying the spray paint to nine different graffiti crimes that occurred since February, Milka said.

Trevor Diehl of Rocklin was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and conspiracy. He has been released from Placer County Jail on a promise to appear in Placer County Superior Court in November, Milka said.

The investigation of the other two men is ongoing.

"Catching one of these guys is great," Milka said in a written statement. "There are so many times when we don't, but in this case an alert officer made all the difference."

From Andy Furillo

A convicted double murderer got a double life sentence today, and he still must face additional charges that he murdered his cellmate last month at Sacramento's downtown jail.

Jose Guadalupe Barrera-Rodrigu, 22, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kevin J. McCormick to life in prison with no possibility of parole and to an additional 15-to-life term for the January 2007 bludgeon killings of his one-time girlfriend, Kelly Ann Johnson, 19, and her mother, Sharon Ann Johnson, 49.

While awaiting sentencing on those convictions, Barrera-Rodrigu killed Demario Lavell Patterson, 22, on Sept. 12 in the jail cell they shared, according to a criminal complaint that has since been filed against him.

Patterson had been convicted of methamphetamine possession, misdemeanor battery and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was awaiting placement into a Proposition 36 drug treatment program at the time of his death.

A nationwide search is on for two brothers of a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy linked in court documents to last week's killing of a correctional officer. Read this breaking news story.

Although Los Angeles city officials say crime is down considerably, a growing number of people in the city's west side have come to believe that they are in the midst of a mini-crime wave, especially with the recent series of home invasion robberies targeting elderly women, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"The more people you have out on the streets, the more eyes you have watching," said David Holtzman, public safety chairman of the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. "Public safety is not just crime statistics, it's also a feeling."

Here's the LAT story.

From Denny Walsh:

Charges in Sacramento federal court against a man accused of making a series of menacing telephone calls were dismissed Monday because he was declared incompetent. The man has a long history of making threats against prominent people.

Scott R. Hudson, who has a long history of mental illness and threats of violence, was charged with warning he would use fire or explosives and directing threatening calls to a Minnesota university, a synagogue in Orange County, a rabbi in suburban New York, a Jewish museum in Philadelphia and two New York City hotels.

The 54-year-old Hudson was arrested by FBI agents in December 2006 at a Chico motel where he was living, and he has since been held without bail.

On a motion Monday by the prosecutor, U. S. District Judge William B. Shubb ordered the charges dismissed and Hudson released.

"It appears there is little likelihood that he will attain the capacity to proceed in the foreseeable future," Assistant U. S. Attorney Philip Ferrari said in a status report filed Friday. "The government simply cannot prosecute Mr. Hudson on the pending charges at this point in time."

In May, U. S. Bureau of Prisons psychiatrists found Hudson incompetent and recommended forced medication. However, given his medical history and the amount of time he had already spent in custody, Ferrari decided involuntary medication was not justified and Shubb said he would not order it.

Based at least in part on a more recent report from a local psychiatrist, Shubb found last week that Hudson's release "would not create a substantial risk of bodily injury to another person or serious damage to the property of another."

In a 2001 prosecution in Sacramento federal court, Hudson pleaded guilty to making a series of telephone calls to various businesses in Arizona threatening harm to Randy Johnson, then a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team.

Specifically, Hudson stated he would shoot Johnson in the head and would cut off his testicles.

He was first sentenced to 16 months in prison, but a violation of his supervised release drew a second sentence of 18 months.

During the course of that earlier prosecution, Hudson was twice referred by Shubb to a federal medical facility in Rochester, Minn., for evaluation and treatment of his mental illness.

Court records show Hudson was first investigated by the FBI in 1996 in connection with threats made against U. S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. During that investigation, it was discovered that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police also was investigating him in connection with threatening calls received in Canada.

As early as the mid-1970s, Hudson was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Southern California for allegedly "being dangerous with a gun in his possession," according to court records.

He later lived with his mother, who is now deceased, in the Butte County town of Paradise.

The metal theft spree in cemeteries continues. Yesterday, it was reported that seven metal urns were stolen from a Union City mausoleum. Today, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that in Colma, a town of 2.2 square miles and 16 cemeteries, thieves have stolen bronze vases, brass gates and other metal paraphernalia.

Scrap-metal thieves have hit the town's resting places 12 times in the last three months alone, prompting an emergency meeting Tuesday among police and all of the cemetery operators in town.

Here's the Chronicle's story.

Sad story from Riverside County: A couple recovered their sport utility vehicle they reported stolen while visiting Riverside National Cemetery , but it was too late to save Rebel, their prized 16-year-old wolf-malamute mix who was unable to walk because of hip dysplasia.

According to the Riverside Press Enterprise, Mary Michael and her husband, Craig, visited the cemetery Saturday while Rebel stayed in the car. The Michaels left the engine running and the air conditioning on for her comfort. They were less than 20 feet from the car, Craig Michael said, when he realized it was moving.

The vehicle was recovered Sunday but Rebel was found dead.

Here's the Press Enterprise story.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies are using portable fingerprint scanners to identify suspects in the field.

Here are details from the Victorville Daily Press.

Over the last six months, there has been an epidemic of cactus thefts in Palm Desert, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Officials say they have lost nearly $20,000 worth of the plants. The main target is the golden barrel, which, depending on its size, can fetch anywhere from $100 to $800 each.

"Once or twice a year we encounter people with shovels and pickup trucks trying to steal cactus," said Gail Sevrens, a park spokeswoman for the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. "You can see the cumulative impact of 60 years of this kind of thing along some park roads where all of a sudden there are no barrel cactus."

Here's the complete Times story.

Over the past 2 1/2 years in Southern California, three people have been killed after trying to stop graffiti vandals in the act. A fourth died after being shot while watching a confrontation between crews in a park, the Associated Press reports.

"We have seen a marked increase in these graffiti-tagging gangs taking to weapons and fighting to protect their walls, their territory, their name," said Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Robert Rifkin.

Here's the full AP story.

From David Richie:

Folsom police arrested Michael Patrick Woulfe, 39, of Rancho Cordova, Sunday night on suspicion of using stolen purchase orders to obtain almost $14,000 worth of gas over the past three months.

Woulfe was booked on suspicion of burglary, as well as suspicion of altering the purchase orders and forging signatures. The police investigation revealed that Woulfe may have been involved in up to 80 illegal transactions, officials said.

Gary Hamner, owner and president of the Peoples Automotive Group in the Folsom Auto Mall, described Woulfe as a former employee who was around long enough to figure out what managers thought was a "bullet-proof system."

"He broke into our store and stole a purchase order book," Hamner said. "He went into the middle of the book and pulled out about 100 purchase orders."

Investigators believe that Woulfe also knew the names of the people authorized to sign those purchase orders and forged their signatures.

He would line up vehicles four and five in a row to get gas at several local service stations. The scheme started unraveling when a dealership manager noticed one of those lineups and asked the gas station attendant what was going on. Investigators eventually caught Woulfe on videotape from a gas station surveillance camera, Hamner said.

Jail records indicate that Woulfe had a warrant from Sacramento Regional Transit for not paying his light rail fare and he also was wanted by Sacramento police for blowing off a jaywalking ticket.

Six Bay Area women who allegedly used stolen credit card information to buy more than $1 million of merchandise from malls along Interstate 80 between Sacramento and San Francisco have been arrested by a team of high-tech crime investigators.

Task force officials say the women are part of an identity theft and credit card fraud ring with international ties. They have identified more than 400 victim account holders in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia.

"They were just on a crime wave," says Capt. Jim Cooper, a member of the Sacramento County Sheriff's office and commander of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force. The task force - comprised of 33 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies - has been investigating the ring since January.

The six women, between the ages of 21 and 37, all have connections to the city of Richmond. Combined, they face more than 180 charges of identity theft and fraud. Three have pleaded guilty and are facing four to eight years in prison. The other three are awaiting trial.

The ring is still under investigation. Officials believe it has a dozen more members.

-- Andrea V. Brambila

A 74-year-old woman drover her car through the front window of a Norwalk convenience store Sunday evening -- and then tried to buy a six-pack of Budweiser, Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials report.

The car plowed about halfway through the store but nobody was injured, authorities report. Rice got out of the car, walked over to the cooler and pulled out a six-pack of Budweiser beer, said the store owner, who gave only his last name, Awada, to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Here's the Press-Telegram's story.

A Sonoma County judge has ordered the owners of a Santa Rosa motel that became a hub for prostitution to pay more than $500,000 to the city, and local officials plan to seek more, the Associated Press reports.

In a scathing 16-page ruling last week, Judge Mark Tansil said the owners of the Llano Motel ran "fleabag" motel that was a "hooker haven."

Here's the Santa Rosa Press Democrat story.

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

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

Here's the San Francisco Chronicle story.

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

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

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

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

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

From the LA Times:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's the rest of the Associated Press story:

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

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

Here's the Santa Rosa Press Democrat story

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

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

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

Here's the Stockton Record story

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

Read the Santa Rosa Press Democrat story

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

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

A prank known as "swatting" -- making phony 911 calls that send SWAT teams on bogus responses -- is a serious matter, especially for a Lake Forest (Orange County) family. A computer hacker was sentenced to three years in prison for placing such a call. A dispatched SWAT team ended up storming the family's home at gunpoint.

Here's the story from the Orange County Register

Once a Los Angeles Dodgers favorite, Mike Piazza apparently wasn't loved in Orange County.

A man who hit Piazza with a water bottle thrown from the stands at Angel Stadium last year was sentenced to 30 days in jail, authorities said. Piazza, then playing for the Oakland A's, was plunked in the on-deck cirlcle.

Here's the Associated Press story

A judge, trying to make a stern point, ordered a San Luis Obispo serial burglar to serve 927-plus years in prison.

Read the story from The Triubne in San Luis Obispo.

Owners of $180,000 Mercedes Benzes, beware. Thieves targeted -- and torched -- the prized ride of San Diego Chargers' linebacker Shawne Merriman last week.

Details from The San Diego Union-Tribune