Sacto 9-1-1

Galt police arrest Sacramento officer for alleged domestic violence

2009-11-21T00:05:54Z

A Sacramento police officer was arrested in Galt this morning on suspicion of felony domestic violence, according to authorities.

Bryan David Weinrich, a 23-year-old patrol officer who works downtown, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail at 11 a.m. and has since been released, according to jail booking records. He was booked on suspicion of domestic violence, brandishing a firearm, kidnapping and false imprisonment - all felonies.

Galt police have not yet released details of the arrest.

Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong confirmed that Weinrich is an officer with that department and said he has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case.

"We take the allegations seriously and we'll be conducting a concurrent internal investigation," Leong said.

That internal investigation will determine what, if any, administrative policies were broken while also monitoring the Galt Police Department's criminal investigation, Leong said. He said it's too early to say what would happen to Weinrich if he were found guilty of the allegations against him.

Booking records indicate Weinrich is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Weinrich is the son of decorated police Sgt. Steve Weinrich, who is still with the department. The elder Weinrich was shot in the thigh in 1999 as he and other officers tried to arrest a parolee wanted in connection with a 35-day crime spree that included two murders.

That parolee, David Scott Daniels, was taken into custody and eventually was convicted of the two murders and the attempted murder of Weinrich, whose badge was cut by a bullet. In 2001, Daniels was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Update: Elderly man found, doing well

2009-11-20T21:52:04Z

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police officials report that an elderly man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease has been located and is doing well.

Antonio Garcia, 79, who was last seen at 4:30 p.m. Thursday raking leaves in his front yard of his North Sacramento home, was found Friday, officials said.

Del Paso Heights apartment damaged by fire

2009-11-20T20:04:10Z

From Kim Minugh:

Fire damaged a Del Paso Heights apartment Thursday evening, according to authorities.

No residents of the North Avenue complex were injured in the 5 p.m. blaze, said Sacramento fire Capt. Jim Doucette. One firefighter, however, might have suffered a fractured arm when he fell while battling the fire.

Firefighters arrived at the complex to find a downstairs unit engulfed in flames that were threatening the upstairs apartment, Doucette said. Crews extinguished the fire within minutes.

Doucette said the fire mostly was kept to the kitchen. Investigators believe the fire might have started by the stove and oven, Doucette said.

The lone occupant of the apartment was offered housing assistance from the American Red Cross, Doucette said.

Robber makes off with cash, lottery tickets in Woodland

2009-11-20T16:53:50Z

By Bill LIndelof

A robber in Woodland made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and scratch-off lottery tickets this morning.

Woodland police said that a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a mask held up the clerk at the AM/PM at 313 Main St. at about 3:30 a.m.

After the stick-up, instead of calling 911, the clerk called the store owner, delaying police response. Police eventually learned that the robber pointed a black, semi-automatic handgun at the clerk.

The clerk filled a plastic bag with a cash and another bag with the lottery tickets. The robber fled the store on foot.

Police officers who work with homeless people lauded at graduation

2009-11-20T03:19:36Z

From Kim Minugh:

Paul Sousa found himself Thursday night where he never thought he'd be: Sober, out of prison, telling a group of people about his "transformed" life - and thanking two police officers for their service.

Had anyone ever told the once-rebellious man with a "hatred" for authority that he'd do such a thing, he said, he would've told them, "You are high."

But on Thursday night, Sousa, who was celebrating his graduation from the Bishop Francis Quinn Cottages program, credited Sacramento police officers Mark Zoulas and Michael Cooper for being among the people who "saved me from myself."

Then the convicted felon with a new life handed a certificate to the two officers and embraced them.

Cooper and Zoulas (pictured left and right, respectively, in a 2007 Bee file photo), known by many as "Batman and Robin," were recognized at the graduation for their longtime work with Sacramento's homeless community. They were chosen to be award recipients by people graduating from the Quinn Cottages program, which helps once-homeless individuals find work, stable housing and sobriety, said Robert Tobin, president and chief executive officer of the umbrella Cottage Housing organization.

"Your compassionate professionalism brings a sense of safety, justice and civility to the streets of Sacramento and those living on them," reads a certificate given to the veteran officers.

The officers, in turn, lauded the program's graduates.

"You've become an example to us of what every human being can become," Zoulas told the crowd. "We need to double our efforts to find more housing and more programs" for the homeless, he said.

His longtime partner until recently, Cooper, said the recognition was an honor.

"If we've done anything to help people who come here ... then our careers have been successful," he said.

Zoulas is a 28-year veteran of the force and began working in the downtown area in January 2000. Cooper, a 19-year veteran, began working with Zoulas in 2003 but recently returned to patrol. While a team, the pair focused their efforts on the homeless community, separating what they refer to as "the sheep from the wolves" and working closely with advocacy groups.

The team has earned much praise from community groups over the years, and Zoulas said the recognition reminds them that their work can, and does, make a difference.

"It helps you take your job much more seriously, and try a little harder," he said. "It really does blow your mind to see how many people you've impacted."

Rockin PD: DNA match leads to arrest in suspected sexual assault

2009-11-20T02:01:43Z

From Hudson Sangree:

Rocklin police announced Thursday that a DNA match had led to an arrest in an alleged sexual assault that occurred nearly two years ago.

A news release provided these details:

On Jan. 1, 2008, officers responded in the early morning hours to a report of a sexual assault in the 5400 block of Quane Road.

The alleged victim, 27, was a man who had come to a party there on New Years Eve and decided to spend the night. He said he was fast asleep, when a man woke him up while sexually assaulting him.

The suspect had also been at the party and lived in the neighborhood, police said.

Detectives obtained DNA samples from both men, but the samples weren't processed until earlier this month.

A match led to the arrest of Ladd Douglass Wildenen (top left photo), 41, for suspicion of sexual assault and oral copulation, both felonies.

He was booked into the Placer County Jail, with bail set at $150,000.

Narcotics team: Meth lab discovered in Davis; three arrested

2009-11-20T01:21:17Z

From Hudson Sangree:

Authorities announced Thursday they had discovered a methamphetamine laboratory and made three arrests at an apartment complex in north Davis.

According to a news release, the operation began as an investigation of a parolee selling drugs by the Yolo Narcotics Enforcement Team, a multi-agency task force.

About 6 p.m. Wednesday, officers arrested Brandon Lee Whitmore, 34, of Davis, as he tried to flee in his vehicle.

Officers searching Whitmore's apartment on Alvarado Avenue found loaded guns and a meth lab, according to the release. Teams were called in to safely remove it, and the apartment was deemed uninhabitable.

They arrested two other suspects: Carrissa Nicolay, 28, of West Sacramento and Carrissa Dawson, 24, of Woodland, the release said.

Sacramento driver faces prison for killing motorcyclist

2009-11-20T00:57:23Z

From Andy Furillo

A motorist who crashed into a motorcycle rider and left him dying in the street last year is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18 in Sacramento Superior Court.

William Lyons, 56, is facing a term of 12 years and eight months for felony hit and run, misdemeanor manslaughter and driving with a suspended license.

Lyons pleaded out to the charges last week in connection with the Aug. 25, 2008, death of Mike Winnett.

A popular blues harmonica player and recovering drug addict who had devoted his life to helping others get clean, Winnett, 46, was killed when Lyons - a long time offender with several previous felony convictions - ran a stop sign on Aug. 24, 2008, and hit Winnett's motorcycle at Madison Avenue and Lincoln Oaks Drive.

Pair get life in 2006 Sacramento robbery/murder

2009-11-20T00:47:44Z

From Andy Furillo

Two convicted Sacramento murderers have been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

Curtis Level Chapman, 21, and Richard Antonio Hundley, 20, received the terms from Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette on Monday for the Nov. 26, 2006, robbery and shooting death of David Joshua Barreda Jr., 33.

Marlette sentenced Chapman to an additional 25-to-life term for use of a firearm.

According to prosecutors, Barreda, a Vallejo resident, was robbed and killed at a house in unincorporated south Sacramento where the defendants had been staying. Barreda went to the house to visit a woman he had met on the Internet, his father said.

A third defendant in the case, Tammy Renee Turney, 49, is scheduled for trial on Jan. 21.

Letterman pokes fun at Mystery Cop from Sacramento

2009-11-19T23:00:34Z

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

From Kim Minugh

The Sacramento Police Department got a little national exposure Wednesday night as late-night talk show host David Letterman poked some fun at an (obviously off-duty) officer sitting in his audience.

Well, at least we think it's Sac PD that got the attention. The officer has yet to be identified, and will here on out be referred to as the Mystery Cop.

Letterman began the running joke early in his monologue, as he laughed about a clear curtain on his set that appears to have little function. He said the guy who sold show officials the curtain must have been a real scam artist, and quipped, "Thank God we've got the police looking into it!" as a cameraman panned to a smiling man in the audience.

A few minutes later, Letterman threw in a random reference to the officer, saying "This next item will make you wish you were a cop in Sacramento," prompting laughter from the audience. He went on to talk about scientists who have found evidence of heart disease in 3,000-year-old mummies.

The camera panned to Mystery Cop - who at this point appeared good-natured but a tad embarrassed. House band leader Paul Shaffer rubbed it in, exclaiming "There he is!"

Come forward, Mystery Cop! We'd love to hear about your experience.

Letterman's monologue can be viewed below.

Sacramento PD: Robbery suspect tries to set clerk on fire

2009-11-19T22:05:26Z

From Kim Minugh

Sacramento police arrested a 39-year-old parolee-at-large Wednesday night after he allegedly tried to light a north Sacramento convenience store clerk on fire during a robbery.

Richard Guy Hamilton was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail early this morning on suspicion of assault and robbery as well as violating the terms of his parole, according to booking records. He is ineligible for bail.

About 7:40 p.m., a suspect entered a store on the 3600 block of Marysville Boulevard and squirted lighter fluid on the clerk, threatening to light him on fire if he didn't hand over cash, said police Sgt. Norm Leong.

The suspect then grabbed a lighter from the front counter and tried to ignite the soaked clerk, but was unsuccessful - the lighter needed to be filled with lighter fluid, Leong said. He ran out of the store, without any cash in hand, after another customer scared him off, the sergeant said.

The suspect fled in a waiting vehicle, and witnesses were able to provide police with a partial license plate number and a description of the suspect. Just before 4 a.m., officers spotted a car and driver matching those descriptions in the area of Marysville and Los Robles boulevards, Leong said.

The driver of that car was detained, but ruled out as a suspect. He told officers he had borrowed the car from a parolee-at-large named Richard Hamilton, who was at a nearby home and also matched the description of the assault suspect, Leong said.

Officers located and arrested Hamilton. In a lineup, witnesses positively identified Hamilton as the assailant, Leong said.

Woodland PD: Juvenile tries to shoot cops with arrows

2009-11-19T21:58:53Z

Bee Staff

A juvenile threw a knife and tried to fire arrows at Woodland police officers and then challenged police to shoot him before he was subdued without injury, according to a Woodland PD news release.

The release gave this account:

At about 11:51 p.m. on Wednesday, police received a call from the mother of a 15-year-old male, who allegedly was intoxicated, out of control, and vandalizing their Eaton Court residence.

A second caller told police that the suspect, whose name is being withheld due to his age, was now breaking windows at the residence. According to the mother, who left the home and was at a neighbor's house, there was nobody else in the residence with the suspect.

Police arrived to find the suspect still in his home, throwing and breaking items, including windows, and yelling and screaming.

Police noticed drops of blood near the entryway of the home and fire and ambulance personnel were staged near the area as a precautionary measure.

Police made repeated attempts to communicate with the suspect, who threw a knife toward the broken-out front window and toward officers. The suspect then armed himself with a bow and arrow, which caused police to quickly retreat to positions of cover.

The suspect twice attempted to fire arrows from the bow but the arrows did not make it out of the house.

The suspect did not respond to police efforts to communicate with him.

At about 12:42 am, the suspect walked out of his home with his hands in the air, but still acting "very aggressive" toward police. The suspect yelled, "Shoot me," several times to police while walking directly toward one of the officers who was giving the suspect commands to get on the ground.

The officer yelled several more times for the suspect to get on the ground but the suspect ignored the commands and continued to advance on the officer, yelling and screaming at him. The officer fired his TASER stun gun, which immediately brought the suspect to the ground.

The suspect was handcuffed and then placed in a WRAP device, which helped to immobilize the suspect's body during transport in a police vehicle. The suspect was transported to the Woodland Memorial Hospital for a pre-booking medical clearance, and then transported to the Yolo County Juvenile Hall, where he was booked on several felony charges.

The only injuries sustained by the suspect were those caused by himself when he broke out the windows of the home, police said. No officers were injured during the incident.

Ask Sacto911: Sacramento PD lists daily crime reports online

2009-11-19T19:53:05Z

Q: Does the Sacramento Police Web site provide a timely listing of all crime reports? I would like to know the specific location (or at least the street name) of the recent rash residential burglaries reported in my neighborhood. - Boogieman, Sacramento

A: You can find daily reports from Sacramento police officers at this site (this is not every call for service but it is the closest to what you want. The freshest information is about 24 hours old):

http://www.sacpd.org/dailyactivity/

The Bee, television and radio stations and other media use these reports as a tip service to find interesting stories.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

Yolo DA: Man who killed couple in Davis denied parole

2009-11-19T18:53:31Z

Bee Staff

A man who chased his ex-girlfriend into her Davis apartment, shot and killed her friend and then shot her several times through the heart in 1980 lost his bid for parole this week, according to Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig.

Daniel Wehner was denied parole by the full panel of eleven commissioners of the Board of Parole Hearings, Reisig said in a news release.

Wehner was 26 when he killed Robin Ehlman, 20, and her friend John Manville. In 2006, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger overturned a decision to parole Wehner, saying the details of the "terrifying incident" indicate Wehner is too dangerous to be released from prison, The Bee reported.

Wehner had been stalking Ehlman and physically abused her during their relationship, causing her to lose consciousness after choking her on at least one occasion, Reisig said.

On June 19, 1981, Wehner was sentenced to 27 years to life for the murders, Reisig said.

A court appointed psychiatrist interviewed Wehner's family prior to the sentencing hearing, Reisig said.

Family members described him as "irresponsible," having an "explosive temper," and "violent." "He had a winning personality and charmed older people but had not an ounce of sincerity." Wehner's family described Robin as "soft and gentle," Reisig said.

Reisig gave this account of the events leading up to the decision to not parole Wehner:

At a Sept. 10 parole hearing, the two commissioners were unable to agree on whether or not to give Wehner a parole date. This split decision resulted in a hearing this week before the full panel.

A heavy hitter lineup spoke against Wehner's release at the hearing.

Those included two of John Manville's sisters; Robin Ehlman's father, younger sister and niece; Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven; Davis Police Chief Landy Black; and District Attorney Investigator John Updergraff who was a Davis police officer on his first week on the job at the time of the murders.

Police Chief Black said that Wehner's "release will do nothing but raise the fears of citizens seeking the solace of peace, order, and justice in their communities and will only degrade their sense that justice prevails."

Investigator Updergraff recalled these murders as being the most gruesome he has seen in over 30 years of law enforcement. When he arrived at the apartment, Manville was not yet dead. The man's dying sounds left an indelible impression on him, he said.

Robin Ehlman's younger sister Tracy Haynes told the commissioners: "It is too late to save my sister Robin or John even though we desperately tried. Now it is about protecting my own children and society. You have no idea the type of individual you are dealing with but I do. Please don't let us down again. Let's learn from our mistakes the first time around and keep the rest of my family, especially my children, and the rest of society safe from Mr. Wehner."

Reisig said that "We will continue to do everything we can to support the Ehlman and Manville families."

Wehner will be eligible for parole consideration again in three years, Reisig said.

Ask Sacto911: Angry son sent to prison in Natomas slaying

2009-11-19T17:22:46Z

Q: What happened to the suspects in the September or October 1993 shooting or stabbing death of by a man that was set up by the son of the victim's girlfriend? - Bob, Sacramento

A: On Sept. 25, 1993, Apolinar Martinez, 28, was stabbed eight or nine times and shot once in the head after assailants jumped him, gagged him and bound him with duct tape when he entered his Natomas apartment, The Bee reported.

Martinez's attackers included his girlfriend's son, who was angry because he believed Martinez had beaten her, police said.

However, the girlfriend had not filed police complaints against Martinez in the past, records showed.

The girlfriend's son, Marcos Gonzalez, then 21, was convicted of murder and given a 15-years-to-life sentence on Feb. 24, 1995, Sacramento Superior Court records show.

Jesus Orona, then 18, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison on June 12, 1997, court records show.

Francisco Orona, then 19, pleaded no contest to a murder charge and was sentenced to 15-years-to-life in prison on Sept. 6, 1996, court records show.

The Bee did not report the relationship, if any, between the Orona suspects.

A 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old youth boy also were arrested in the case. The Bee could not find any records indicating that those two were ever charged in the case.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.