From Stan Oklobdzija:

On TV, there's always a clue at the scene of the crime that breaks the case. There's a strand of hair, a book of matches or a name whispered to a detective on the edge of the police tape.

In real life, like on Wednesday night in Del Paso Heights, sometimes all that's left is a set of bloody clothes and a block full of people who don't want to talk.

After a shooting on Roanoke Avenue left a young man clinging to life, Sgt. Lai Lai Bui and a team of patrol officers from the Sacramento Police Department canvassed the neighborhood for anyone who might have seen the shooter or shooters. She didn't have much luck.

"No one wants to say what happened," she said.

One man, who lived just up the block, explained why. The man initially gave his name to The Bee, but as the interview progressed, asked to not be named.

"I've got to live here," he said. "People who'd do something like that - they'd do anything."

According to authorities, here's what took place Sept. 24: Sims and two other suspects forcibly entered the elderly victim's residence as she responded to a knock at the front door. Sims grabbed the victim by the wrist and forced her to the couch while the other unknown female suspects, a female Hispanic adult and a white female adult, went through the rooms of the house. The suspects were seen removing property from the house. Sims was positively identified by the victim.

Sims is described as 21 years old, 5-foot-10, weighing 165 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair.

Anyone with information about the suspects 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.

A UC Berkeley student who was killed outside an Oak Park barbershop will be honored today with a "memorial certificate" in lieu of a degree in recognition of the young man's academic accomplishments.

Rodrigo "Rod" Rodriguez Jr. (right photo), 21, was killed in Sept. 16, 2007, outside the barbershop where he worked as an apprentice barber while on break from UC Berkeley, which he attended on a prestigious Buck scholarship.

Police say the killers were targeting someone else for whom they mistook Rodriguez. One man has been arrested in connection with the homicide.

University of California regents will honor Rodriguez today in a ceremony on campus at UC Berkeley's School of Business. His parents will be present.

H. Faye Lawson, student advocate of Student Services at the Haas School of Business, said Rodriguez was a dynamic student who left an indelible memory of his strength and optimism with people he met.

"His legacy as a student and as a young man compelled this recognition of his work toward a Berkeley degree," Lawson said in a statement.

In addition to the recognition from the regents, his parents will receive an award from the University of Rochester. Rodriguez earned the Rochester award in 2002 when he was a student enrolled in the Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Liberal Arts (MESL) Honors Academy at the former Sacramento High School. He never received the actual award and certificate.

The award recognizes academic and extracurricular achievement, according to Jean Crowder, MESL director.

A man arrested three years ago by Roseville Police for having unlawful sex with a minor has been convicted in Memphis, Tenn., on nine counts of crimes against children.

Daniel Scott Ogden (left photo), 37, of Tennessee was suspected in 2005 of developing a relationship with a Roseville girl over the Internet over a six-month period. He then traveled to California to meet her.

The girl's parents alerted Roseville police, who then arrested Ogden. He remained in Placer County Jail until Feb. 27, 2006.

At that time he was turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for prosecution on nine counts related to enticement of a minor for the purpose of having sex, production or possession of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and conspiracy.

He was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in Memphis and on Oct. 6 the jury returned its verdict. He will be sentenced in 30 days, pending an appeal.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is looking for the killer or killers of a man in his mid- to late 20's who was found dead today near a trash bin behind a strip mall on the 7100 block of Walerga Road, sheriff's officials said.

The body was found at about 1 p.m., said Sgt. Tim Curran, Sheriff's spokesman. Sheriff's investigators are unsure about the cause of death, Curran said.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office is working to identify the man and determine what killed him, Curran said.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities are looking for help in identifying a man whose body was found off of Lower Sacramento Road south of Galt last month.

Public works crews found the body Sept. 26 cleaning up along the road near Dry Creek. The man, who was the victim of a homicide, had been there from three to six months, said Deputy Les Garcia, spokesman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department.

The sheriff's department released photos and descriptions of clothing that the man was wearing in hopes of finding out who he was.

"We're running out of leads and want the public's help," Garcia said.

The man was between 30 to 55 years of age. His race, hair, and eye color are unknown because of the body's condition.

He wore a dark-colored Western-style shirt with horses across the front with a size-36 leather belt through the loops of a beige or tan pants. The leather buckle had the letters MACL on it, Garcia said.

Garcia said the man's boxers had fishing lures on them and he had on size 7 black and white Nike Air Jordans (top left photo).

His pockets had two key rings (above right photo), one which had flat soccer ball emblem with the words "Western Union" on them. A house or door key and a handcuff key were on that ring, authorities said.

There were three nickels in his pocket. Two plain yellow rings were on his left ring finger. A dark-colored zippered hooded sweatshirt was found next to the man's body, Garcia said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's investigations unit at (209) 468-4425 or the Lodi Area Crime Stoppers at (209) 333-6771.

Sacramento County Sheriff's detectives Wednesday arrested the former president of a state workers union on suspicion of eight counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor.

Jaime E. Feliciano (left photo), 49, worked at the state Insurance Department as a research program specialist until his Sept. 10 resignation, according to Darrel Ng, Insurance Department spokesman.

Feliciano resigned from his position as president of SEIU Local 1000 Labor Council 784 from a letter he wrote from the Sacramento County jail, according to Jim Herron Zamora, spokesman for the SEIU Local 1000.

The union represents employees at various state agencies, including the Department of Insurance, Department of General Services, the California Highway Patrol and Department of Social Services.

Feliciano has been in jail since his Sept. 9 arrest on suspicion of child pornography and violating his probation as a sex offender.

He was convicted in 1993 of a lewd or lascivious act with a child under the age of 14 years old, which is felony, according to court records.

The September arrest came after authorities received a tip from Reno police that Feliciano had inappropriate contact with a juvenile there.

That tip was followed up by the high-tech crime task force, which is led by the sheriff's department. A compliance check of Feliciano's home found thousands of pornographic images of children on the his computer, according to a press release from the sheriff's department.

Video of an unidentified child being molested was found on the computer. Task force investigators spent hundreds of hours completing a forensic examination of Feliciano's computer and were able to identify the child, who is now 9, according to the sheriff's department.

The child and the child's mother were located and interviewed, leading to the eight counts that Feliciano were booked on Thursday.

Feliciano, who is ineligible for bail, is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges at 1:30 p.m. Friday, according to jail booking records.

Detectives believe that there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information to call the Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115.

Highly regarded Folsom police sergeant John Landahl is the only Folsom police officer under scrutiny in an investigation involving the theft of used cooking oil from the Sacramento Rendering Company, Folsom officials said Thursday.

Landahl was arrested by Folsom police on Sept. 30 and released with order to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of violating California Vehicle Code Sections 2474 and 2470 involving the theft and transportation of inedible cooking grease.

Folsom officials decided to release information about the charges against Landahl Wednesday after getting media inquiries.

Because he was accused of a misdemeanor, Landahl was not jailed. He is scheduled to go to court on Oct. 17. Landahl has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, said Officer Michelle Beattie, police department spokeswoman.

The value of the oil Landahl is suspected of stealing is estimated at about $350. In their release, Folsom officials noted that it can be used to make bio-diesel fuel but they provided no further information about what Landahl may have been doing with the stuff.

Landahl is a 22-year veteran of the Folsom Police Department. He has participated as an award-winning member of the department's special weapons and tactics team and he is considered one of the most accurate police marksmen in the United States.

According to Bee file reports, Landahl and his partner, Jon Kracher, took second place in the Sniper Craft 2006 Pacific Challenge, a three-day competition held in San Diego.

In the news release issued Wednesday, Folsom officials stated that the alleged cooking oil theft occurred in March but was not reported to the police department until June. Landahl turned himself in to police investigators on Sept. 30.

Sacramento police need help in identifying three men who robbed a Washington Mutual Bank on Wednesday.

At 3:16 p.m., three masked men, one with a handgun (right photo), entered the bank at 1950 Arden Way and ordered employees to lay on the ground. Two robbers jumped over the bank counter and took an undisclosed amount of money, according to a press release.

The three robbers left in a waiting car. All three were described as African American men, according to police.

The armed robber was described being 5-feet-8 inches tall, 160 pounds with short black hair. He wore a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

The second man was between 5-8 and 5-10. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt with a grey horizontal-striped shirt underneath, blue jeans, and white shoes.

The last robber wore a black hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or (800) 222-7463. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Roseville police are urging people to lock their cars and not leave valuables behind after a recent string of vehicle break-ins.

Over the past two weeks, burglars hit 28 vehicles parked at motels, shopping centers and residential neighborhoods, targeting portable GPS navigation units, according to police spokesperson Dee Dee Gunther.

Most of the burglaries occurred during the night. In about half of the incidents, thieves smashed a window and took property left inside, including purses, wallets, tools, briefcases, stereos, garage remote controls and cameras.

In some cases, vehicles were left unlocked or the windows were partially open.

Vehicles should be locked with all the windows rolled up, and valuable items should not be left inside, particularly purses and wallets that have credit cards and personal identification. If possible, vehicles should be parked in locked garages overnight.

Any suspicious activity should be reported to police immediately.

According to authorities, here's what transpired at 11:35 a.m. Sept. 12: The suspect boarded the RT bus at 29th and R streets. the victim was seated on the bus using her I-phone when the suspect walked past her and grabbed an I-phone out of her hand.

The victim jumped out of her seat, the suspect punched her in the face and fled out the back door of the bus with the phone.

The suspect is described as in his mid to late 20's, 6-feet tall, weighing 220 pounds with black hair worn in short dreadlocks, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, white T-shirt and blue jeans.

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

Mayor Heather Fargo said recently that crime might increase now that the economy is heading south. But even as the economic situation worsened this summer, robberies in Sacramento continued to drop, according to the Bee's regular analysis of crime data.

The Valley Hi community in south Sacramento saw the biggest decline in robberies from summer 2007 to summer 2008. Nineteen robberies occurred in the community during June, July and August, down from 34 robberies in the same period last year. Robberies also dropped in the surrounding communities of Meadowview and Parkway.

Land Park, the Pocket, the area around Executive Airport and parts of North Sacramento also benefited from the trend.

A few places, though, did see robberies increase – most famously, North Natomas saw a rash of home invasion robberies that scared a lot of residents in the fledgling community.

Oak Park, east Sacramento and midtown also saw slight increases in robberies from summer 2007 to summer 2008.

For a view of crime in your area, see sacbee.com/crimemapper

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Sacramento police are searching for the shooter in an attack in Del Paso Heights that sent a man to the hospital in critical condition Wednesday night.

The shooting, on the 1000 block of Roanoke Avenue, occurred about 9 p.m., said Sgt. Lai Lai Bui. The victim, whose identity was not immediately available, was a man in his 20s, Bui said.

Police don't have an exact description of the suspect or suspects, Bui said, because potential witnesses were uncooperative.

The shooting last night was the second the Sacramento Police dealt with on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the department responded to a shooting on the 7400 block of Hainesport Way about 4:40 p.m. that injured several people, according to a police spokesman.

That shooting wounded two or three people, said police spokesman Sgt. Matt Young. None of their injuries appeared to be life threatening, he said.

An exact description of the attackers was also unavailable, he said.