The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is using the power of music during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

This Friday afternoon, Assistant District Attorney James Gibbons-Shapiro and Yale Professor Daphne Brooks will be lecturing on “Domestic Violence and Popular Music: Hey Joe, where are you goin’ with that gun in your hand?”

According to Santa Clara County District Attorney’s James Gibbons-Shapiro, “Our pop music history reflects a mixed message about domestic violence. We say to young men that you should never hit a woman. Yet we seem to also say that it’s acceptable to hurt her if she cheats or leaves you,” Gibbons-Shapiro said. “If we are going to reject violence in relationships, then we have to find a way to appreciate our blues, rock and roll, country, and hip hop history – and then label their often empathetic attitude toward abuse as the history of the way we used to think.”

Media are invited to attend the Domestic Violence conference presentation, at 2:20 p.m. Friday at the Marriott Hotel, 2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara. The prosecutor and the professor are sharing a STOP DV Spotify playlist that includes 15 songs, by artists from Bessie Smith to Babyface.

Santa Clara County Law Enforcement Agencies, in conjunction with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, agree to respond to acts of domestic violence as crimes. Victims of domestic violence will be treated with respect and dignity and will be given all available assistance by law enforcement personnel responding to an incident of domestic violence.

According to the Family Violence Division of the SCCDA’s Office, “Domestic violence crimes involve a defendant (perpetrator) and a victim who know each other and often have children together. Victims are often reluctant to follow through in these cases because of fear, a misplaced sense of loyalty to the perpetrator or a host of other reasons”.

The Office is also distributing a poster created by Chris Magdaleno, a San Jose high school student, to raise awareness about teen dating violence. Copies of the poster are available.

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PETALUMA – The Petaluma Police Department (PPD) has issued an advisory to the public about a recent flurry of phone scams. In the last few days the PPD took reports for a variety of telephone based con jobs.

The scams involve the supposed collection of late bill payments to PG&E and county property taxes. Another con purported to be connected to the collection of winnings for Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.

In each case victims were instructed to pay by purchasing debit type cards that can be found at 7-Elevens or other convenience type stores. The cards are also know as “green” or “vanilla” cards for which victims can load up to $500 per card. A unique card number is obtained, which unaware victims had then provided to the suspect(s) over the telephone. One victim had sent a total of $3,600 for her supposed late property taxes.

The sweepstakes scammers told the victim(s) that they had won a prize, but that it had went to Mexico and that they would have to pay a fee of $1500 to ensure that they would collect the winnings of $600,000. Although one victim had suspected the scam, and told the suspect that they were going to call police, the suspect convinced the victim that they would also call the police. The suspect called the victim back saying that they had spoken with the police department and that everything was fine. The victim then went ahead and sent the $1,500. The suspects then attempted to get another $36,000 from the victims.

The PPD advises that the primary targets of these scams are elderly citizens. If you suspect any scam, don’t send money. Call the police department number in the phone book, and not one provided by a suspicious caller.

Officers with a task force comprising multiple local agencies raided and searched a trailer in the Royal Oak trailer park in South Davis on September 24.

Officers from the Yolo Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Davis Police Department’s Special Assignments and Focused Enforcement) SAFE team, as well as the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department, the Woodland Police Department, the West Sacramento Police Department, the Yolo County Probation Department, the Yolo County Bomb Squad, the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Corrections Special Service Unit all participated in the massive operation.

Items seized in the raid on the Davis home.

The search warrants executed at 8:15 am the morning of Wednesday, September 24 as well as subsequent arrests were the fruits of a four month investigation.

Police recovered 168 marijuana plants, 3 lbs. of marijuana, and a concentrated cannabis laboratory. A related search warrant carried out in Sacramento netted 1.5 lbs. of methamphetamine. Officers also recovered several firearms, ammunition and tools used to manufacture assault weapons at trailers in Royal Oak.

After the raid, one trailer was declared uninhabitable and condemned. Two children were placed into protective custody.

Suspects arrested during this operation were Kenneth Moriarty, 27, a Davis resident; Erik Bryon Scott, 28, a Davis resident; Amanda Tibbs, 26, a Davis resident; and Rudy Garcia Gonzalez, 23, a Davis resident. Moriarty and Gonzalez both have a residence in the trailer park or immediate area.

Ventura - There are few crime events more terrifying to its victims than a home invasion, wherein the occupants of a home are awakened in the dead of night by the sound of someone unknown in the next room.

According to the media report filed by the Ventura Police Department, that is exactly what took place at approximately 3:00 a.m. on September 28th when occupants of a house in the 6000 block of Ventura’s Woodland Street awakened to the sound of a dreaded “bump in the night”. They promptly called 911 Emergency, and the Ventura Police Department Command Center responded with alacrity, immediately dispatching officers to the scene.

Upon arrival, officers observed what the official report described as “a possible suspect exiting the side yard of the residence carrying property.” Officers then, mindful of the threat such a burglary attempt poses to the safety of sleeping occupants, ascertained that all members of the household were accounted for and were unharmed. At that time, the house was “cleared”, the officers verifying that there were no other suspects lurking inside the home.

The lone suspect was soon identified as Pedro Gomez, a 38-year old resident of nearby Oxnard who claimed to be “a former acquaintance” of Minerva Huante, the 41-year old homeowner of the house he had entered via an unlocked window.

Huante was contacted by phone to ascertain whether or not Gomez had permission to enter the home for the purposes of removing personal property. Her response to the negative, Gomez was arrested, and was found to be in possession of numerous stolen items taken from the residence as well as assorted narcotics paraphernalia.

All of the purloined possessions were returned to their rightful owner and Gomez was transported to Ventura County Jail where he was booked on charges of felony burglary and possession of narcotic paraphernalia.

Read More:

CBSLA: Oxnard man accused of robbing home

VCSTAR: Oxnard man arrested for Ventura burglary

RIALTO – A bank robbery suspect, wanted in connection with another theft, was chased down on a high speed pursuit by law enforcement officers before he crashed just off the 215-freeway Thursday afternoon, a scene caught on live Southern California television.

Stephen Richard Bartlett, 53, was later identified as the “Hills Bandit,” who is the chief suspect in several Southern California bank robberies.

The pursuit began in Santa Fe Springs, about an hour west of the crash site, covering four counties. The crash, which was caught on live television, concluded when the rented flat-bed truck he was driving landed on its side.

Bartlett climbed out of the truck, his hands raised, as armed officers surrounded him, cautiously taking him into custody. They were seen approaching the truck with their firearms drawn.

Along the way, Bartlett led chasing law enforcement authorities for about 90 minutes. Whittier police initiated the chase when a commercial steel business in Santa Fe Springs was alerted about an alleged fraud. Reports said that Bartlett drove away from the business with $12,000 in steel in the back of the truck. Police attempted to stop the truck, but Bartlett decided to flee.

The pursuit took place through Santa Fe Springs, neighboring Whittier and La Habra, then into Brea, then through Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles and, finally, San Bernardino counties.

During the pursuit, police said Bartlett threw a gun, later identified as a replica, out of the truck. He used the 57, 60, 15 and 215 freeways with live aerial coverage showcasing multiple agencies chasing.

Bartlett, who is wanted for a string of bank robberies in Orange County and also in Santa Barbara, was wanted on suspicion of grand theft auto. During the pursuit, Bartlett led officers through city surface streets, at one point entering the freeway in the wrong direction. He also pulled a U-turn in the middle lanes on the freeway.

At one point, Bartlett stopped the truck on the freeway, got out of the truck, attempted to jump a fence, but got back into the truck before officers could close in.

Eventually, Riverside police took control of the chase, according to eventual reports. When the truck approached the State St. exit on the westbound side, Bartlett sped recklessly across four lanes, appearing to lose control.

The pursuit ended when the truck ventured off the side of the 210 freeway, down an embankment and coming to a stop along the border between San Bernardino and Rialto. As the truck wheeled down the embankment, it struck a wall, going airborne before landing on its side.

At first, Bartlett apparently did not suffer any injuries, but he was treated for minor injuries at hospital located near the crash site. Whittier police booked him on charges of felony theft, felony evading, felony vehicle embezzlement, numerous warrants on bank robbery charges and two hit-and-run collisions.

Read More:

Orange County Register: ‘Hills Bandit’ suspect arrested

Crime Scene Blog: Serial Bank robbery suspect arrested after chase

KTAL: Driver in lengthy pursuit ID’d as bank robber

Generally a string of small business robberies is referred to as a “spree.” But the prosecutor in the case of Salvador Jimenez, 47, of Woodland, raised the rhetorical ante in stating, “This man was a scourge to local businesses.” After a jury convicted Jimenez, Deputy District Attorney Jay Linden went on to praise the Woodland Police Department for investigating several downtown Woodland robberies and bringing Jimenez to justice.

Razz Frozen Yogurt was the first of the 6 robberies Jimenez was charged with.

The scourge began when Jimenez walked up to the counter inside the Razz Frozen Yogurt Shop at 353 West Main Street in downtown Woodland on July 7 and demanded money from the cashier. She did not comply quickly enough. Jimenez threatened her and stated he had a gun and was ready to pull it on her. The cashier handed over a little more than $100 and Jimenez left without further incident.

On July 10, Jimenez barged into Sally Beauty Supply at 1374 East Main Street right when employees were closing the store. Jimenez informed them that he had a gun concealed and would show them how serious he was concerning his demands that they quickly hand over cash if they ignored him. The money in the register amounted to a little more than $200 with which Jimenez walked out of Sally Beauty Supply.

On July 16, utilizing a similar modus operandi, Jimenez heisted $150 from the Papa Murphy’s Pizza in Purity Plaza near West Street. Two days later he failed in his attempt to rob Jack-in-the-Box at 1200 East Main Street. He went through his act of having a gun and so on, but the cashier simply walked away from the register when he demanded the money in it.

Jimboy’s Tacos is the final location he was convicted of robbing.

However, on July 19, things went according to Jimenez’s plans again; he robbed Jimboy’s Tacos Restaurant at 85 West Court Street–near the Yolo County Courthouse in downtown Woodland–and walked away with nearly $300. All told, Jimenez netted about $650 for the robberies.

He now faces, with two strikes against him for previous robbery convictions, 125 years to life prison. Formal sentencing will take place on October 27 in the Yolo County Courthouse.

Read More:

CrimeVoice: Suspect Arrested for Woodland Robbery Spree

On Tuesday morning, police shut down an illegal chop shop in Oakland and arrested two men on charges of auto theft, running an illegal chop shop and probation violation, according to a news release from the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division.

The home of the Avalos brothers was turned into a chop shop. This image from Google maps shows several vehicles out front.

At approximately 8:00 a.m., the Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Task Force, made up of members from the California Highway Patrol, the Alameda Sheriff’s Department, the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County Probation Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, conducted a probation search of an Oakland residence, assisted by CHP officers from the Golden Gate Division Foreign Export Auto Recovery (FEAR) team. During the search, the task force found evidence of an illegal chop shop being run out of the residence. Officers recovered five stolen VIN switched vehicles, along with tools and other evidence, and promptly shut down the shop. Two male Oakland residents were arrested:

Santos Avalos Jr., 25, was arrested for violation of probation, four felony counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, one felony count of owning or operating a chop shop and four felony counts of switching a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). His bail has been set at $110,000.

Juan Avalos, 20, was arrested for violation of probation, one felony count of auto theft, one felony count of possession of a stolen vehicle and one felony count of switching a VIN. His bail has been set at $20,000.

Both suspects were booked into the Alameda County Sheriff’s North County Jail. Both are scheduled to appear at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland this morning.

Santa Barbara - As if the UCSB administration didn’t have enough problems dealing with the recent public relations fallout following the April Deltopia Riots and the May 23, 2014 “Isla Vista Killings” shooting rampage, now one of the nation’s only universities to rank well on both the “Best Party Schools” and the “Top Research Universities” lists is faced with the fact of the alleged criminal behavior of one of its tenured faculty.

Kevin Falvey, 56, an associate professor in the UCSB Department of Philosophy with a PhD from the University of Minnesota with special areas of academic focus that include Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Language, appears to have lost his philosophical point of view in the early evening of September 26th, while enjoying the prerequisites of residing in University-managed faculty housing. According to the report filed by University of California Police Department spokesman Sgt. Rob Romero, “a female victim reported a domestic disturbance” taking place at Falvey’s North Campus Faculty Housing Complex.

Romero further indicated that UCPD had received a report earlier in the day from one of Falvey’s neighbors that an episode of vandalism had taken place. That report was followed by “another call later that afternoon reporting loud yelling and thuds emanating from the Falvey residence, accompanied by a request for police to check the welfare of the residents.”

Upon arrival at Falvey’s apartment, the unnamed female within indicated that while she had not suffered any physical injury, she was being held against her will. That’s all a law enforcement officer has to hear, and Falvey was taken into custody, transported to Santa Barbara County Jail and booked on charges of felony false imprisonment.

Photo: Courtesy www.ucsb.edu

Read more:

Noozhawk: UCSB professor arrested on false imprisonment charges

Daily Nexus: UCSB faculty member arrested

BAKERSFIELD — A step-father accused of conspiring to murder his adopted son earlier this year, was arrested on Wednesday.

George Dean was booked into the Kern County Jail on charges of murder, conspiracy and oral copulation According to the Bakersfield Police Department, Dean was taken into custody at around 3 p.m. on Oct. 1, at the police department.

The murder and conspiracy charges are related to the fatal shooting of Dean’s adopted son Jonathan Dean, which occurred on August 10, 2014, in the 7700 block of Silver Dollar Way in Bakersfield.

Dean was found dead at the scene inside his car, a victim of an alleged “hit” ordered by his step-father. Police said the oral copulation charge Dean is facing is related to a sexual relationship he had with one of the two juvenile co-conspirators in the murder, who were apprehended by police back on Aug. 12.

Gabriel Rodriguez, 16, Timothy Lynn Hill, 17, and Eric Gonzalez, 22, have already been charged with murder.

Read more:

CrimeVoice: Third Suspect in Bakersfield Homicide Arrested

Bakersfield Now: Man accused in murder conspiracy

FRESNO COUNTY – Authorities believe that four teenagers are responsible for the bludgeoning deaths of 920 chickens with a golf club at a Foster Farms facility in Fresno County last week.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office arrested 18-year-old Gabriel Quintero on Wednesday near Lemoore, along with three underage suspects who have not been named. They are a 17-year-old boy from Lemoore, a 15-year-old boy from Caruthers, and another 17-year-old boy from Caruthers.

The four teens were placed in custody and face charges of animal cruelty and burglary.

The incident happened in the 3600 block of West Swanson Avenue in Caruthers on Sept. 20. Workers at the facility called authorities after discovering nearly 1,000 dead chickens.

The Foster Farms chicken facility on Swanson in Fresno.

Deputies responding to the scene determined that the suspects had pulled back a portion of a wall and entered one of the chicken sheds. They then “used a golf club and another similar type instrument to slaughter the birds,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Foster Farms offered a reward for information leading to the suspects responsible for killing the 920 chickens, which were worth an estimated value of $5,000. After information regarding the investigation was put out to local media, several calls came in to the Sheriff’s Office, Ag Task Force and Crime Stoppers.

One tip identified the suspects as three male juveniles who lived at a residence located in the 3500 block of W. Wlkhorn Ave. Around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, detectives went to the address where they contacted two of the juveniles. They found evidence linking the juveniles to the crime and both boys were taken into custody.

Information from the residence led detectives to identifying the other two suspects, one of whom had been identified in the original tip. At approximately 7 p.m., deputies and detectives arrived at a residence near Road 25 and Fremont near Lemoore, where they located and arrested the third juvenile.

Shortly before 9 p.m., Quintero was arrested after detectives tracked him to an apartment located in the 1500 block of N. Millbrook Ave. in Fresno.

Read More:

KABC: Foster Farms chicken massacre

NBC Bay area: 4 teens arrested after hundreds of chickens killed

FORT BRAGG – MENDOCINO COUNTY – October has been named Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and was designated so by the US Congress in 1989. And in an unfortunate coincidence, the National Football League has increased awareness in dramatic fashion, with arrests of Baltimore’s Ray Rice and San Francisco’s Ray McDonald putting a spotlight on the issue for all America to see. But the real problem is the day to day incidents that occur in homes across the country. And of course domestic violence is not only husband on wife assault or abuse, it often involves couples in a dating relationship, or in a broken relationship.

As September drew to a close, the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of a man who assaulted a woman he was described to be in a dating relationship with. Deputies responded to a call last Sunday morning, about 6:55 am, to a woman reporting she had been attacked by her boyfriend, 45-year-old Randy Dean Gibney. When they took her statement, she showed injuries to her neck and face, and said they were the result of him attacking her during an argument at his home on Babcock Way.

Babcock Lane in Fort Bragg.

Gibney has a past of violence. Records show he was arrested in 2006 on charges of battery, vandalism, and driving with a license suspended for a past DUI. He was charged in January 2012 of assault with a deadly weapon, and in December of 2013, for battery on a spouse or co-habitant. (Since records of victims of abuse are sealed, it is not clear if that victim and this latest one are the same person.)

Deputies responded to the location on Babcock Lane, in rural Fort Bragg, inland along Highway 20. Gibney was arrested without further incident, and charged with committing corporal injury to a spouse or co-habitant, along with outstanding warrants, probation violations, and a failure to appear in court charge. He was booked at the Mendocino County Jail with $25,000.00 bail.

FORT BRAGG – If you follow these pages, you may remember a story last week about Bret Counterman, a young man from Ukiah who was caught very early Monday morning, September 29, after parking his car in a Mendocino Village neighborhood. The Sheriff’s department was concerned with recent home and auto burglaries, including gas siphoned from several vehicles. When patrolling the area late Sunday night, they spotted a car, partially hidden, but with false registration tags. When the 21-year-old man later drove off in that car, he was pulled over, and found to have a siphoning hose, fuel can, and what turned out to be some recently stolen property.

He was arrested, and detectives identified property from at least 10 burglaries in his possession. But apparently there was more that he didn’t have with him.

Reidy was found in the 18000 block of Highway 1 in Fort Bragg, near the Botanical Gardens.

Last Thursday, October 2, according to a Sheriff’s press release, deputies in Fort Bragg noticed a car parked on Highway 1, in the area near the famous Fort Bragg Botanical Gardens. They pulled over and spoke to the woman in the car, who agreed to allow them to search the vehicle. She was in possession of a number of stolen items, which were later found to be connected with some of the burglaries Counterman was accused of.

Laura Diane Reidy, 48, who lives with Counterman in Mendocino, in the wooded area along Comptche-Ukiah Road inland from Mendocino Bay, was arrested and booked on charges of possession of stolen property. Her bail was set at $15,000. Records show what is likely the same Laura Reidy was arrested in 2006 in San Leandro on charges of burglary, possession of burglar’s tools, and trespassing. She was again arrested in 2009 on petty theft, theft, and possession of a controlled substance. Perhaps she was serving as Counterman’s mentor in the business of burglary.

Read More:

CrimeVoice: Young man from Ukiah caught in late night Mendocino burglary

A 76-year-old San Luis Obispo grandmother was scammed earlier this month. According to SLOPD, the SLO resident was a victim of what is called the “Grandparent Scam”.

The victim said she received a call from a male suspect who claimed to be her son. The suspect told the victim he was in legal trouble and needed money sent to a lawyer. During the call, another suspect joined the conversation claiming to be the lawyer. The supposed lawyer advised the victim how to purchase “Money Pak” or “Green Dot” pre-loaded credit/money cards.

Once the victim purchased the cards, she was asked to provide the account information of the cards to the suspect pretending to be the lawyer. According to SLOPD, the suspects immediately converted the card information to cash before the crime was discovered. The victim was taken for $8,000.

It is unknown how the suspect was able to pass for the victim’s son. SLOPD is still investigating the crime.

SAN BERNARDINO – A suspect in the murder of a 34-year-old man on Friday appeared in court on Monday, charged with a fatal stabbing.

Damien Gnotta was discovered by police when they arrived shortly after 8 a.m. at a makeshift trailer park. Reports said that Gnotta was involved in argument with Fredrick Sheppard, 49, a San Bernardino resident.

Police arrived at the trailer park on the 700 block of East Orange Show Road, discovering Gnotta in critical condition. He was taken to nearly Loma Linda University Medical Center, but was pronounced dead – one day after his 34th birthday. He died from multiple stab wounds to his upper torso, according to police.

Investigators tried vainly to search for the suspect’s murder weapon. Police spokesman Gary Robertson said, “Detectives were combing through the property searching for the weapon … filled with garbage, used tires, travel trailers, motor homes and mobile homes that people live in, making the search difficult.”

One witness told police the argument was over a wooden pallet, but in a press release, police said the altercation that took place was over a woman. The woman was not identified by police, who did not specify if she was at the scene.

Police said that Gnotta and Sheppard knew each other, both likely having lived at the same trailer park. The park is also known as a spot where marijuana is grown for medical purposes, said police, adding growth was not considered a factor in the stabbing. Transients are also allowed to frequent the grounds, said police, which are located in an industrial area.

Sheppard was not being offered bail, having been transferred from Central Detention Center in San Bernardino to the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. The murder was San Bernardino’s 39th in 2014.

Read More:

Press Enterprise: Argument leads to fatal stabbing

SB SUN: San Bernardino stabbing is city’s 39th homicide

SAN BERNARDINO – San Bernardino Police shot and killed a combative suspect last week after receiving reports of a disturbance at a motel.

Carl Blossomgame, 48, of Hesperia, attracted attention early Friday morning when he made verbal threats and attempted to force entry into a room at the Economy Inn on the 600 block of West 6th St. Police were called at 1:55 a.m., the first officer arriving attempting to contact Blossomgame after receiving a description of the suspect from a 911 call.

On Monday, police said Blossomgame, a black male, had been uncooperative and resistant to the officer’s verbal commands.When the suspect began fighting the officer, said Sgt. Gary Robertson, “he eventually took off running through the parking lot after being struck with a taser by the officer.” Other officers responded to assist, re-contacting the suspect on 6th St. The goal was to arrest him, said Robertson.

Blossomgame, according to reports, resisted the officers again and confronted them physically. During the physical altercation, said Robertson, “the suspect continued to resist.” Blossomgame attempted to gain control of one of the officers’ guns. Robertson said, “The officer was able to retain the weapon.” But the suspect continued struggling with the officers, eventually gaining physical control of a taser.

Robertson said, “The suspect’s actions led officers to believe that their lives were in danger, which resulted in the officers using lethal force to stop the suspect’s aggressions.” Blossomgame was struck by gunfire and died at the scene, said Robertson. It was not known if the man was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Two officers received minor injuries during the struggle, but did not require medical treatment. The area near the Economy Motel was around the corner from several businesses and a public school.

Read More:

Press Enterprise: Officers shoot, kill break-in suspect

SB SUN: San Bernardino police fatally shoot suspect

LITTLE RIVER, MENDOCINO COUNTY – October has been designated, not only Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Domestic Violence Awareness Month as well. A recent case in coastal Mendocino County serves as a perfect illustration that domestic violence is not always a man beating his wife – it can take the form of any two people in a close, or even casual relationship when an argument turns violent.

Early Sunday evening, October 5, Sheriff’s deputies were summoned to a home in Little River out on the peninsula overlooking Van Damme Beach. Little River is a small town of less the 200 people along Highway 1 just two miles south of the town of Mendocino, and features boutique inns, bed & breakfasts, and the Van Damme State Park. It is on the scenic rocky coastline Mendocino County is famous for.

Elaine Rita Matthews, Mendocino County booking photo.

According to a Sheriff’s press release, deputies arrived at the home and found a 65-year-old man suffering from a knife wound in his chest. The wound was not bleeding, as the knife had not broken his skin, but left a red mark. Deputies learned that he and Elaine Rita Matthews, 72, who lived together there, but were not married, had been in an argument. She reportedly slapped him, and poked him in the chest with a knife, leaving the red mark.

Deputies arrested Matthews on charges of felony domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon. She was booked at the Mendocino County Jail, with bail set at $30,000.

Elaine Matthews was notable in the community for her work in preserving an historical building in Mendocino. In 2008, she and Jim Meacham were honored by the Mendocino Historical Review Board for their work on the Denslow-Hayden House and guest cottage in Ukiah Street, a building dating back to 1875, according to the Mendocino Beacon.

TEMECULA – On Friday, a joint task force arrested two suspects regarding a two-week-old murder.

On the morning of Monday September 22, Temecula Police Department dispatch received calls regarding gunfire from the residents of Portafino Apartments. Officers from the Temecula Police arrived at the apartment complex in the 29900 block of Rancho California Road and discovered a male victim. The man, later identified as Justin Triplett, 24, was a resident of the complex and lying in his doorway. He had suffered gunshot wounds. Triplett was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Valley News, the victim was known as “Trip” to his friends, was an aspiring rapper, and some friends had noted that he may have been engaged with the wrong crowd recently. The community rallied though and raised $6,750 for the young man’s funeral expenses.

The Central Homicide Unit began an investigation of the murder. Working with U.S. Marshal’s Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, investigators were able to identify and locate a suspect. On Friday, October 3, the Riverside County Sheriff’s SWAT Team, working with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s SWAT Team, served two search warrants in conjunction with the murder at two different residences. One of the warrants was served in the 29000 block of Stonewood Road, Temecula and the second warrant was served in the 1400 block of North Sepulveda Avenue in San Bernardino.

The warrants netted two arrests.  Eligha Everett, 22, of Temecula, was arrested and booked for homicide. Additionally, Leah Nolan, 22, of Temecula, was arrested and booked for aiding and harboring a criminal.

The authorities are still investigating the crime and request that community members with information contact Detective Gorlicki of the Temecula Police Department at (951) 696-3000, or Investigator Dickey of the Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777.

Read More:

CBSLA: Temecula suspects arrested in murder 

Press Enterprise: Suspects arrested in fatal apartment shooting

A native of Afghanistan, 41, now a naturalized American citizen, was sentenced September 25 to two years in federal prison.

Lida Amin had bribed an Air Force official in charge of procurement contracts at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. She intended to collude with the official to fake low-bid contracts by means of dummy corporations. The conspiracy, according to Federal prosecutors, began in 2013 with negotiations for goods to be supplied to Travis Air Force Base.

The planeload of bogus goods consisting of medical clothing and bed linens arrived at Travis without incident. Their value was pegged at a few dollars less than $250,000, which was the maximum Amin’s corporation had been awarded under the contract negotiated six months previously. However, upon being washed for the first time, the clothing, which had been manufactured in India, “fell apart,” according to a Fairfield Daily Republic report. In other words, $250,000 worth of medical clothing was turned into “a pile of useless rags with the dyes running and drawstrings fraying,” federal prosecutors informed U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller.

The bribed official, Jeron S. Rochon, had originally met Amin in Budapest, Hungary in 2012 to plan their conspiracy. They had, prosecutors said, spoken about how Rochon would award Amin a series of contracts. In return, Amin would pay Rochon with 20 to 30 Rolex watches worth $10,000 apiece. This payment method, leaving no paper or electronic trail, would allow the conspirators to avoid being traced through banking systems. Thus, Amin thought she had stymied any potential investigators.

Unfortunately for her, little did Amin know that investigators had uncovered her plot. Federal agents had already caught Rochon. He agreed to be part of a sting to snare Amin; he secretly recorded their conversations in Prague. According to investigators who listened in, Amin “jumped at the chance” to work the bogus medical clothing scam with Rochon; she had previously bribed him over military contracts in her native Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008.

At the sentencing hearing before Judge Mueller, Lida Amin began to cry. She admitted she had committed “unhonorable acts.” Mueller did modify the three and a half year sentence in federal prison that prosecutors had recommended.

Read More:

Daily Republic: Feds: Woman bribed AF official for contracts

The Redding Police Department recently announced two DUI collisions that resulted in injuries, property damage, and had the potential for fatal injuries that thankfully did not happen. Three of the people involved required hospitalization.

Children bike riding on Martian Way in a Google Maps image. Bearquiver crashed into a home on this street.

The first collision they reported happened last Saturday night, October 4, at around 9 pm. Dakota Bearquiver, a 21-year-old Redding man was driving a 2000 Dodge Stratus through a southeast Redding neighborhood near Alta Mesa and Galaxy Way. He was alone in the car, and witnesses reported that he was driving recklessly. As he turned down Martian Way, he apparently lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the front wall of a house. Several people immediately contacted police to report the crash.

Officers responding to the scene found Bearquiver near the car suffering from minor injuries. Both the car and house sustained moderate damage, and no one else was injured, inside or outside the house. The young man, however, was found to have been under the influence of alcohol, and was arrested at the scene for DUI and, and released to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. He was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt, but was saved from more serious injury by the deployment of the car’s airbags. The Shasta County District attorney will be reviewing his case for prosecution. Dakota Bearquiver had been in trouble before – records show arrests in 2012 for both trespassing and being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Haley Walund was arrested for DUI after the collision. (Facebook)

The next day, on Monday October 5, reports came in that a head-on collision had occurred on Eastside Road in southwest Redding at about 5:30 in the afternoon. A car going northbound towards Bonnyview Road drifted across the double yellow line and into oncoming traffic. The 2002 Acura sedan, driven by 37-year-old Haley Walund of Redding, collided with a 2001 Chrysler sedan, driven by a 78-year-old man, identified as John O’Neill, also of Redding. There were no other passengers in the 2 vehicles.

Fortunately for both drivers, they were wearing seatbelts and airbags were deployed on impact. Both, however, required treatment for their injuries and were taken to Mercy Medical Center. Walund, however, also showed signs of alcohol intoxication, and was arrested for driving under the influence, causing injury. Like Bearquiver, she was released to the care of the hospital, and the case was turned over to the Shasta DA for review and prosecution. Eastside road, which runs next to the railroad tracks parallel with Market Street, was closed for an hour for investigation and clean-up.

Tom Beaver (Facebook)

Officers from the Roseville Police Department recently made some drug related arrests in the area, according to an official weekly crime report.

On Tuesday, September 30 at 9:18 pm, officers reportedly checked on suspected drug activity in an apartment complex parking lot in the 2500 block of Hayden Parkway. The officers conducted a probation search and arrested two people. Thomas Lee Beaver, 55, and Teresa Enriquez Martinez, 52, who both reside at a unit in the Siena apartments, were reportedly arrested on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine and other related charges, including conspiracy, destroying evidence, and resisting arrest.

Beaver has a long arrest record. He was picked up in February for attempted auto theft and possession of burglar’s tools. Last November he was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and an illegal “dirk or dagger” and failure to appear in court. 2011 and 2012 saw at least five other arrests on drug related charges.

The Nowakowski Brothers in a Facebook photo captioned “Thugs forr liffe”

On Sunday, October 5 at 5:15 pm, officers reportedly responded to a report of two men acting suspicious, and crouching behind a wall with a lighter in the 600 block of Shasta Oaks Circle. The small neighborhood is adjacent to Ferris Spanger Elementary School, which is just over the wall behind the homes on Shasta Oaks.

The brothers were found in the Shasta Oaks Circle neighborhood (right) near Ferris Spanger School (left).

Officers reportedly made contact with the two men and arrested them. Matthew Nowakowski, 22, and Alexander Nowakowski, 25 — both of Roseville — were reportedly arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotics and drug paraphernalia. The pair were arrested together before, in March of 2013, for possession of concentrated cannabis and controlled substances.

A recent Facebook post by Alex Nowakowski, on September 29, reads “First bonus check In my entire life and I’m f***in loving it! !! Love my new job”.  The pair must have been released yesterday, as Matt posted “Freedom never smelled soo good”.