Authorities are investigating an incident Sunday in which someone set fire to a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice that was attached to a Carmichael Islamic center that federal prosecutors have moved to seize.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District spokesman Christian Pebbles said the fire may have been set by someone who was walking down the street. Or the incident may be "more significant," given the surrounding circumstances, he said.

Investigators are continuing their work but have little evidence so far, he said.

Pebbles said he didn't know what was in the burnt letter but knew it was from the Justice Department.

The Qoba Foundation Islamic Center, on Marconi Avenue, is one of eight properties nationwide, including several other mosques, that the government is moving to seize.

Federal prosecutors allege that the New York-based Alavi Foundation, which owns the center and the other properties, is a front for the Iranian government and for years has funneled money to Iran from its financial holdings in the United States.

Members of Qoba told The Bee this week they know little about the Alavi Foundation, and the house of worship is merely a tenant.

A 31-year-old Sacramento woman is suspected of drowning her 3-year-old daughter early today, Sacramento Police spokesman Konrad von Schoech said.

The mother, Anul Ram, was booked into the county jail on a murder count.

Police said they received a call at 1:19 a.m. today from a father asking for a welfare check on his two children, a son, 7 years old, and the daughter, 3 years old. Both had been picked up from his home by their mother, his estranged wife.

At 1:50 a.m., the father called back and said he believed his wife may have killed their daughter.

When police arrived at the mother's apartment on the 7300 block of Greenhaven Drive, they found the child, who was unresponsive. An officer began CPR until medical personnel arrived. She was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The boy was was unharmed, police said.

Investigators said early today they have no motive

The body of a 35-year-old man was found on the front lawn of a residence in the 4000 block of 32nd Street in Oak Park late Saturday, about 10 minutes after police had been alerted to shots fired in the area.

The man, whose identity was withheld pending notification of family members, had multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sacramento Police Department's Homicide Unit and Crime Scene Investigations Unit are investigating the circumstances that led to the man's murder, police said. Detectives said a loud party was in the same area as the shots fired at 11: 15 p.m. but it was not immediately known if the party was related in the shooting.

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

A North Highlands man was arrested today in connection with two arsons at the same location 36 hours apart.

William Ashton (see photo), 36, was being held late Saturday at the Sacramento County jail in lieu of $330,000 bail after being charged with two felony counts of arson.

Capt. Christian Pebbles, spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, said Ashton was arrested at 5:05 p.m. in connection with two arsons at 3430 Freedom Park Drive.

An 18-year-old woman is in Sacramento County Jail and a man is being sought following an early-morning carjacking.

Sgt Tim Curran, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman, said a security guard at the Safeway store at Elk Grove Florin and Calvine roads reported the incident at 12:51 a.m.

A security guard told deputies that he saw and a man and woman approach a van. Inside the van were a 52-year-old man and his 5-year-old son who were waiting for someone who was inside the Safeway.

The guard said the male suspect assaulted the man in the van, forced him out of the vehicle, and then drove off in the van, apparently unaware that the child was inside.

When the carjacker noticed the child, he abandoned the van about 100 yards from the store and is believed to have left the area in a dark blue Honda.

Curran said the child was not harmed. The father complained of chest pains and was taken to a hospital, but he has been released.

Using a partial license plate number, deputies traced the vehicle the woman was in to the 7600 block of Center Parkway. There they arrested Mariah Cornelius (left).

Curran said she was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of carjacking, kidnapping during the course of a carjacking and felony child endangerment.

A search continues for the male suspect.

Those who face arrest because they fail to complete their work project sentences are being offered a second chance in an amnesty program that Sacramento County Sheriff's officials said are designed to keep the scofflaws out of jail during the holiday season.

"The program has been developed for those who want to return to work project to finish their court-ordered commitment instead of risking the possibility of spending the holidays in jail, away from their families," department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said in a news release.

The amnesty period runs from Monday to Dec. 18.

Work project offenders are to report to the Work Project office between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at 700 N. Fifth St., Sacramento during the amnesty period.

Eligible individuals may have their application fee waived or make payment arrangements.

Those who fail to take advantage of the program are subjected to immediate arrest and incarceration.

For more information about the program, call (916) 874-1402, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Sacramento County authorities on Friday arrested two men suspected of robbing a bank in the Gold River area.

The first suspect, Jason Brown, 27, was arrested after a citizen waved down a Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy who was driving through a shopping center about 11:50 a.m., authorities said. The citizen told the deputy that a bank at 11200 Gold Express Drive was being robbed.

As the deputy approached the bank, she saw one of the suspects leave the bank and get into an awaiting car. A pursuit ensued and ended at a dead end on Buckeye Hill Court. Brown was arrested there while the other suspect, Timothy Morris, 38, fled, authorities said.

Agencies, including the Rancho Cordova Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and the Sacramento Police Department, which provided helicopter assistance, joined the search for Morris, authorities said.

At about 12:10 p.m., a sheriff's deputy and his canine partner tracked Morris to a home in the 11300 block of Tunnel Hill Way in Gold River. Authorities said Morris had entered the home and threatened the owner, but did not harm the person. When he spotted deputies, Morris attempted to flee, authorities said, but was taken in custody outside the home.

Investigators recovered money and other items of evidence taken in the bank robbery. The men face possible charges of robbery, burglary and false imprisonment, authorities said.

The Yolo County Animal Control Services is asking for the public's help in finding a dog that bit a man before the victim has to undergo rabies treatment.

The 48-year-old victim was bitten by a dog while walking near the restroom at the Broderick Boat Ramp in West Sacramento at about 10:30 a.m. Nov. 7, according to a news release.

The dog that bit him is described as a large adult German shepherd/pit-bull mix, with a black body and tan snout. The dog is likely female, was wearing a collar with an attached (possibly green) leash, and is possibly named either Roxy or Jasmine.

The dogs' owners, a man and a woman, left the scene shortly after the victim was bit without giving information about themselves, the release states.

The man is described as being white, about 40 to 45 years of age, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, average build and weight, and unshaven. He was wearing blue jeans, a green T-shirt, a cap and had a bicycle with him.

The woman is described as white, about 40 years old, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, average build and weight, shoulder-length blond hair, and is possibly named Melissa.

The couple also had another dog with them which is described as a large adult black Labrador retriever, solid black in color, likely female, and wearing a collar with an attached (possibly green) leash. This dog was also possibly named either Roxy or Jasmine.

The couple may be homeless and living near the Broderick Boat Ramp.

Anyone who has information about the incident, the dogs or the couple are asked to contact Yolo County Environmental Health, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (530) 666-8646 or (916) 375-6475, or at Yolo County Animal Control Services 24-hour number, (530) 668-5287.

Callers can remain anonymous.

A: Valdez, now 32, was paroled from an 18-year prison sentence he received on Oct. 13, 1995 after pleading guilty to counts of voluntary manslaughter, court records show.

Valdez, who was 16 when he shot and killed two men as they sat in their car, was eligible for parole at age 25, The Bee reported.

Valdez was convicted for the 1993 slayings of Christopher Dominguez, 19, and Christopher Jiminez, 24.

Valdez claimed the men were about to run him over in the 3700 block of 21st Avenue off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and that he fired in self-defense. The prosecution said the shootings resulted from an argument over a girl.

Jail records show Valdez is being held without bail on suspicion of evading a police officer and driving in a reckless manner. He also is being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon with the likelihood of causing great bodily harm.

The Bee could not determine the details of the case against Valdez.

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Sacramento police have booked a 48-year-old transient woman on suspicion of murder after the man she allegedly shot at a bus stop last year died last month, according to authorities.

Audrey Anne Jackson, photo, already was in custody for the Sept. 22, 2008 shooting of 54-year-old Francisco Salvador Perez in downtown. She was charged with attempted murder last fall, but now faces a murder charge after Perez died Oct. 27 at the age of 55.

Doctors said Perez, who had cerebral palsy when he was shot, succumbed to complications from his original gunshot wounds.

Jackson is expected to be in court Monday.

Police allege that Jackson shot Perez after he refused to give her money as he waited at a bus stop.

In a jailhouse interview with The Bee last fall, Jackson said she "didn't want to kill him," but that she felt threatened by him. However, her explanation of that threat did not match police and witness accounts of the altercation.

A kitchen fire led to the discovery of what were described as "uninhabitable" living conditions for a young boy in a Sacramento home, according to authorities.

Firefighters responding to a fire on the 7900 block of La Riviera Drive about 6 p.m. Thursday found a dirty home cluttered with clothes, food and garbage, according to a Sacramento police report. One toilet wasn't working, and marijuana was found in several places accessible to a 21-month-old boy living there, the report states.

The boy and his mother were home at the time of the fire. She told firefighters that she forgot about food on the stove, causing a small fire, according to the report.

Firefighters called police, who arrested the mother, 24-year-old Sarah Krtil (photo below left), and the boy's father, 32-year-old Chris Guerrero (photo below right), on suspicion of felony child endangerment, said police Sgt. Norm Leong.

Guerrero was not at home at the time of the fire, but was contacted at work and arrested because of the condition of the home, according to police. Child Protective Services also were notified.

Jail booking records indicate the couple has been released from custody.

A woman, who claimed disability payments for a work-related back injury, will be going to jail after she was caught on camera doing a variety of tasks, including lifting items, according to Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully.

Diane Lynn Hunter was sentenced to five years formal probation and six months in the Sacramento County jail after pleading guilty to felony charges of workers' compensation fraud, insurance fraud and attempted perjury, Scully said in a news release.

Hunter also was ordered to repay the insurance company $29,225, Scully said.

Here's the chain of events leading to Hunter's guilty plea as laid out by Scully:

In May of 2007, the defendant, who worked as a Wal-Mart cashier, and claimed to have hurt her lower back while lifting a heavy object as a cashier at a Walmart store.

After filing a claim for workers' compensation benefits, Hunter failed to inform her doctors about a previous motor vehicle accident and previous surgeries.

She was also videotaped on numerous occasions shopping, walking, sitting and lifting items for several hours at a time without signs of injury.

Hunter's sentence "is justice served with repayment to the insurance company for the administration and investigation expenses of the fraudulent case and county jail time for the offender," said Supervising Deputy DA Kelly Lynn Mulcahy.

Mulcahy also praised the work DA Investigator Cristina Tanghetti on the case.

The Citrus Heights Police department will cast a stronger net for DUI drivers, thanks to a $214,276 federal-state grant.

"This grant will enable us to increase our DUI enforcement efforts and improve roadway safety in our community," said Citrus Heights Police Chief Chris Boyd.

The increased traffic enforcement will include DUI and driver's license checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols, according to a news release.

More than 100 cadets from the California Highway Patrol Academy will be donate time to do various tasks Saturday at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California, and to the Sacramento Habitat for Humanity

At the hospital, cadets will hang outdoor holiday lights, refinish play structure, clean drains, paint and spruce up outdoor areas, the release states.

At Habitat for Humanity projects in three locations in Sacramento, cadets will back fill retaining walls and drainage, pour concrete slabs, dig trenches and re-grade streets, among other chores.

A: Luis V. Rodriguez Jr., now 54, is serving a life sentence with no parole after being convicted in 1981 for the 1978 murders of California Highway Patrol officers William "Mike" Freeman, 35, and Roy P. Blecher, 50, after he was stopped on Interstate 80.

His companion, Margaret Klaess, served two years in prison for aiding and abetting Rodriguez and later testified against him.

Rodriguez's seven-month trial turned into a 16-year ordeal, including a number of appeals based on the claim that juror misconduct and a judge's pressuring of the jury deprived him of a fair trial, The Bee reported.

His only success, however, was getting his death sentence reduced to life without parole.

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