Suspect had Warrant and Burglary Tools

San Francisco – According to a Bayview station press release, at approximately 7:20 am on Tuesday March 3^rd, a bicyclist zipped past a stop sign at the intersection of Mariposa and Texas Streets, and nearly struck a patrol car.

The officers on patrol noticed the rider matched the description of a suspect who had been spotted peering into vehicles. Previous station press releases have described this behavior as consistent with break-ins, which are common in San Francisco.

Officers approached the suspect and checked his identification. A records check revealed an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Officers also made contact with two witnesses, who positively identified forty-one year old Wesley Johnson as the man casing the vehicles. Officers searched Johnson and found that he was in possession of common burglary tools. He was arrested for possession of those tools along with the arrest warrant.

A records check found that Johnson had just been arrested in January on an outstanding warrant and for assault with a deadly weapon. He had also been charged with theft in September of last year, and in April of 2010, he was arrested for possession of stolen property.

While the year-end crime stats for 2014 released on February 20^th by SFPD state that overall property crimes were down nearly 5.27%, the month of January 2014 saw 1225 auto burglaries alone, according to a statement issued by Captain Bob Moser of Mission station last March. Captain Moser also stated that all auto burglaries have the same thing in common, something of value is left inside the car.  As of this report, a request to SFPD for monthly statistics for auto break-ins for 2015 had not yet been provided.

San Francisco, February 25^th – According to a department press release, neighbors in the Diamond Heights area had become aggravated by a disturbance coming from what sounded like a party occurring inside an older model Mercedes parked in their street. They called police to report the disturbance.

When officers Lucia And Hackard arrived at 75 Topaz Way, they approached the vehicle and discovered six occupants, five men and one woman, sitting inside with the windows rolled all the way up. It was determined that the vehicle was also filled with marijuana smoke.  Another car, parked directly in front of the Mercedes, had zero occupants but the windows down and the radio turned to a loud volume.

Upon questioning the occupants, one individual admitted to selling marijuana. Officers searched nineteen-year-old Cristian Remollo of Richmond, and found a small digital scale as well as bags of marijuana packaged for sale. Underneath the front seat, officers found a .22 caliber pistol, also attributed to Remollo, which turned out to be reported stolen four years ago in Folsom.

Remollo was arrested on possession of marijuana for sale, concealed weapon, and other charges related to his past as a juvenile felon and ward of the court.

A Madera County resident was arrested last Thursday after leading Chowchilla police on a chase in his vehicle.

Jesus Munoz, image from Facebook.

Jesus Munoz, a 25-year-old dairy worker residing in Chowchilla, was brought in on charges of recklessly evading a police officer, driving while his privileges were suspended or revoked, destroying evidence, and possession of a controlled substance. He was finally pulled over on North Chowchilla Blvd, the road that runs parallel to Highway 99 and the railroad tracks.

According to the Chowchilla Police, Munoz was in possession of amphetamines, but not under the influence when he was arrested. It is not clear whether he was in possession for sales, or personal use of the stimulants.

Munoz had been arrested on January 28 on a bench warrant, when he and Travis Brooks, of Oklahoma, were pulled over at about 1 am. on South Chowchilla Blvd. near Prosperity. Brooks was charged with driving on a suspended license.

Munoz’ warrant was related to his arrest on October 19 for possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia. He was picked up at a home on Orange Avenue near the Chowchilla High School at 2:30 in the morning. His residence of record, however, is a home about a half mile away, on Hoover Avenue.

Munoz was booked into the Madera County Department of Corrections on charges of possession of a controlled substance, destroying evidence, driving with a suspended license, and evading a peace officer with wanton disregard for safety. Bail was set at $19,000.

Santa Barbara County – One might reasonably refer to anyone who lures underage girls into his home on the pretext of enjoying a period of social engagement as a “creep” and not get much argument from the majority of civil society.

Clearly, there are creeps among us…and then there is Matthew Zigan, a 33-year old Orcutt resident and contractor working out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, who allegedly invited underage teen girls to his condominium residence near the corner of Princeton Avenue and Rice Road, and provided them with alcohol and controlled substances as a prelude to his sexual conduct with them.

According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, Zigan is “a software analyst” working for the Federal Government at the west coast’s premier missle launch facility. Hoover did not specify the nature or extent of the investigation leading up to Zigan’s February 27th arrest, but she did publish and broadcast a public outreach for any additional information anyone may have on the activities of Zigan or about any “additional witnesses or victims” of his putative activities.

When he was contacted at his residence by SBSD Sexual Crimes Unit Detectives, Zigan was taken into custody without incident and promptly transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on charges of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Upon his booking, his bail was set at $50,000, which he subsequently posted.

Zigan is now out on bail and back at his residence, where one might assume the party is over.

Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking

Read more

KCOY: Orcutt man arrested for sex with minor

TAFT — A 34-year old Ford City resident riding a stolen motorcycle was arrested late last month, for drug possession and a theft that occurred back in January of this year.

Bobby Sherrell, Jr. was booked into the Kern County Jail for possession of methamphetamine and possession for sale, transportation of methamphetamine, and for possession of illicit drug paraphernalia.

He was also booked for grand theft and possession of stolen property, relating to the theft of $2,000 worth of fencing materials stolen from a residence in the 1000 block of North Lincoln Street in Taft back on January 17.

According to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, detectives suspected Sherrell of stealing the fencing after they located the stolen fencing at his home on Tyler Street. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

However, Sherrell managed to evade capture until February 25, when at around 8:30 a.m. a deputy saw a man pushing a motorcycle across Cedar Street into the alley of Tyler Street in Ford City, where he started the bike and tried to ride away. However, the deputy initiated a traffic stop near Date and Tyler Street, and identified the rider as Sherrell, who immediately was taken into custody. The location was a block and a half from his home.

During a search of Sherell’s person, deputies said they found around eight grams of suspected methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana, 11 hypodermic syringes, digital scales, and clear plastic baggies, and added the drug charges to his grand theft and stolen property charges.

Read more:

Taft Midway Driller: Deputies want man for grand theft, arrest him on drug

Kern Golden Empire: Man arrested in Taft for meth and theft

SANTA CLARA COUNTY – A 32-year-old Oakland man was charged Wednesday Feb 25, with the human trafficking of a teenage girl. During the investigation by Sunnyvale Police, the victim had said Simmons had picked her up from a bible study class. It was then that he had taken the teen to the Sunnyvale Vagabond Inn motel, exploiting her as a sex worker.

Patrick Leo Simmons booking photo

Prosecutes have charged Patrick Leo Simmons with human trafficking, and he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the felony charge, with five misdemeanor related charges. He is currently being held on $1 million bail.

“Teenagers who run away from home are in danger of becoming victims of sexual exploitation. These pimps are predators,” prosecutor Carlos Vega said. “The Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Task Force was instrumental in securing the rescue of the victim and the arrest of the defendant.”

Earlier this week, agents from the Human Trafficking Task Force got a tip from the San Jose Police Department that the victim – who was identified as a runaway – was being advertised for sex on Backpage.com – a website frequently used to post ads for prostitution.

According to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office, “Agents arranged for a ‘date’ with the victim and recovered her from the hotel room.” When agents arrived they found the suspect standing nearby the victim’s motel room. He was arrested on Monday, February 23 once he was identified by the agents. When Simmons was searched by officers, it was found that he had $6,510 in cash and a key to the victim’s hotel room.

Ventura County – A report on the morning of February 27th to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department of a suspected burglary by an elderly alleged victim led to the arrest of Keagon Alexander Sims later that same day.

According to VCSD spokesman Sgt. Pete O’Sullivan, sometime during the night of February 26th, Sims entered the victim’s home through an unlocked window “that had been purposely left unsecured.” Investigation into the circumstances surrounding the unlocked window determined that the victim had hired a carpet cleaner on the morning prior to the theft of a flat screen television and three rifles from the home…and that Sims was that cleaner.

The victim informed detectives that he’d hired Sims over Facebook, but that when Sims arrived at the residence to perform the work, he was concerned that Sims may not have been as professional as he had represented himself, in that “his equipment appeared to be rented from a grocery store.” With that information in hand, O’Sullivan reported that subsequent investigation into Sims indicated that he was on probation for identity theft, whereupon a summary probation search of his Oxnard residence was performed. In the course of that probation search, Sims was found to be in possession of the flat screen TV and the three rifles reported as stolen.

Sims was transported to Ventura County Jail and booked on charges of residential burglary and elder abuse, with his bail set at $60,000.

Read more:

Sespe Sun: Hot prowl burglary suspect arrested

EdHat: Hot prowl burglary suspect arrested

BAKERSFIELD — An 18-year-old Bakersfield man was arrested on Wednesday morning after a two-year serial tagging spree. Uriel Valdez was booked into the Kern County Jail for 10 counts of felony vandalism.

According to the Bakersfield Police Department, Valdez’s arrest concluded a year-long investigation into 448 graffiti offenses throughout the city of Bakersfield, which occurred between September 18, 2012 and March 2, 2015.

Investigators from the BPD’s Graffiti Habitual Offender Suppression Team had identified Valdez as the tagger behind the graffiti, which has been estimated to have cost the taxpayers of Bakersfield more than $53,000 to remove.

On March 4, at around 11:30 a.m. officers served a search warrant at a residence where Valdez was purportedly living, in the 3800 block of McCourry Street in Bakersfield, where he was taken into custody without incident.

Read more:

KERO: BPD: Man arrested for 448 graffiti offenses

INGLEWOOD, CA—Some folks drive you crazy, some folks are driven crazy and some folks drive right into crazy.

Latona Lanette Simpson, 28, was apprehended on Sunday, March 1 at approximately 12:40 a.m. by Inglewood police officers. She was picked up at the corner of East Manchester Boulevard and East Spruce Avenue—just two blocks from the famed Fabulous Forum and the Inglewood Park Cemetery. The section of roadway on which she was arrested is a curved commercial area just two blocks east of the Inglewood PD.

The Compton resident was charged with a number of driving and drug violations: taking a controlled substance into a jail or prison (4573PC), possession of a controlled narcotic substance (11350HS), driving with a suspended license (14601.1AVC), failure to stop at a red light (21453(A)VC), driving at unsafe speeds (22350VC) and reckless driving at high speeds (23103(A)VC).

Bail for the woman, who police records reveal is a laborer, totaled $40,470. The single largest amount was $25,000 for taking drugs into jail; the smallest amount was $70 for driving at unsafe speeds.

Santa Barbara County – Nobody likes getting a ticket, much less a moving violation of any kind. But when a driver spots those flashing red “gumballs” in the rearview mirror, the most sensible thing to do—and the one well-publicized by both the CHP and local law enforcement agencies throughout the state—is to simply pull over to the right-hand curb as soon as it’s safe to do so, come to a complete stop, turn off the vehicle’s ignition, roll down one or more windows, and keep your hands on the steering wheel while you wait to meet a new badge-wearing friend.

It appears, however, that some drivers never get that message and do everything possible to endanger themselves, members of the driving public at large, and any law enforcement personnel endeavoring to enforce motor vehicle laws. Based upon the events occurring on the night of March 4th in the City of Orcutt, it would appear that Kenneth Baker, a 50-year old resident of that city, is one of those poorly-informed motorists.

The midnight hour was only 30 minutes away when, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, SBSD patrol unit deputies spotted a pickup truck driven by Baker as it perfectly executed a perfectly illegal U-turn. Duty-bound, the deputies initiated a standard traffic stop on the pickup truck, but it suddenly accelerated down a series of residential streets, blowing through a trio of stop signs as it “reached speeds of 55 miles per hour,” Hoover reported.

Not apparently as familiar with the layout of streets in the area as he might have wished, Baker than turned into a cul-de-sac, leaving him nowhere to go…other than right out of the truck itself, whereupon he attempted to flee on foot.

But, as not many 50-year olds can keep up with the running speed of the county’s finest, Baker soon found himself staring down the gun barrels of the deputy’s handguns, and the chase was over.

Baker was transported to Santa Maria Jail where he was booked on charged of felony evading, being an unlicensed driver (which may have contributed to the illegal U-turn in the first place), and displaying false registration tabs on his license plate. What would have been a simple blot on a DMV record ended with Baker having his bail set at $75,000.

Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking

Read more:

KCOY: Santa Maria man arrested after police pursuit

EdHat: SM resident arrested following pursuit

TAFT — A pair wandering the streets of Taft were arrested in late February after deputies found drugs and a homemade explosive device in their possession.

Barry Montgomery, a 33-year old Ford City resident, and 21-year-old Bakersfield resident Shanea Harrison were booked into the Taft City Jail for possession of an explosive device on a public street, possession of an explosive device in a residence, possession of methamphetamine, possession of an opiate and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

According to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began when a deputy spotted the pair walking down Grevillea Street in Taft in the morning of February 21. Montgomery, who was carrying two rifles at the time, was also found to be packing two machetes when deputies stopped and searched him.

The most explosive house on Buchanan Street.

Meanwhile, Harrison, who was also detained, was found to be in possession of a homemade pipe bomb and cigarette lighter, which deputies said they discovered hidden in one of her pants pockets. They said that Harrison also had 20 codeine pills and two hypodermic syringes inside the backpack she was carrying.

Additional drugs and explosive devices were discovered later that day at Montgomery’s home, just around the corner from Grevillea at 613 Buchanan Street, including a grenade, approximately .3 grams of methamphetamine and a meth pipe.

Read more:

Bakersfield News: Taft couple arrested for pipe bomb, narcotics

Kern Golden Empire: Taft couple arrested with explosives

Three suspects are in custody after leading police on a high-speed chase from Antioch to Walnut Creek, and crashing into another vehicle on southbound Interstate 680 on Thursday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The chase, which reached speeds of more than 100 mph, began when Antioch police responded to a report of a residential burglary from a woman who came home and found three men in her residence shortly before 10 a.m., police said. She ran out of the home and called police, who quickly located the suspect’s vehicle, a stolen Nissan Maxima.

Police followed the suspects onto Highway 4, with the vehicle dangerously weaving in-and-out of traffic and driving on the right-hand shoulder, before turning south on Highway 242, police said.

The vehicle then turned south on Interstate 680 and slammed into a sedan just north of Treat Boulevard. Three males quickly jumped out of the car and fled, according to police.

One suspect was apprehended near the car, while the other two suspects managed to make it to a BevMo store at 2940 N. Main Street before being apprehended. One was arrested inside the store while the other was seized in the parking lot.

The driver of the other car was injured in the collision.

According to police, the items stolen from the home were an iPod and a laptop. They have not yet released the names of the suspects.

The Belfields – Tony and Kim – image Facebook

Antioch’s first homicide of 2015 resulted in the arrests of three suspects after their vehicle crashed into a home, following a brief pursuit on Monday night, according to Antioch police.

Shortly after 11 p.m. an officer on routine patrol in the area of Hudson Court heard a gunshot, and then observed a vehicle driving away from the area with no lights on, police said. The officer tried to pull the car over, but it sped away and led police on a short chase before crashing into the garage of a house in the 1700 block of Mahogany Way, police said. Nobody in the home was injured.

Back at the scene, police discovered the body of Christopher Monico, 21, of San Francisco.

Richard “Rikki” Ludlow and his Aunt, Kimberly Saunders (Facebook)

Arrested were Tony Belfield, 33, and Kimberly Saunders, 36, both from Antioch, and Richard Ludlow, 18, from Daly City. According to police, the victim and the three suspects were all known to each other.

Though their relationships were not detailed by investigators, from information posted on Saunders’ Facebook page, she is married to Tony Belfield. Richard “Rikki” Ludlow is her nephew, and was friends or associated with the victim, Christopher Monico. (Monico had posted a photo of himself with what appears to be Ludlow – see below.)

A photo of what appears to be Richard Ludlow with victim Christopher Monico (Facebook)

All three are being held on suspicion of murder. In addition, Belfield is being held on suspicion of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony and on a no-bail parole warrant, Saunders and Ludlow were held on suspicion of being an accessory to murder, and Ludlow was also held for felony evading.

21-year-old Mariya Alexis Loera, along with 30-year-old Tam Tranh Tran are facing charges from a Jan 27 arrest, in which Loera is accused of using up to ten different names and social security numbers to commit fraud under PC 530.5 (c)(3) – identity theft. Both suspects are from Stockton, according to arrest reports.

The manager of the River Terrace Apartments, located at 730 Agnew Road in Santa Clara, had called to report a possible fraud incident in which a male and female entered his office and offered cash to rent an apartment. Police contacted the person named on the driver’s license shown by the suspect, which the manager had copied before telling the suspects they didn’t accept cash.

The male suspect had used the identity of one of the victims, using his stolen driver’s license and credit card. However, the manager quickly suspected fraud and after saying they did not accept cash, the conversation ended, but the two had left a copy of the personable identifiable information of the victim and a rental application.

SCPD officers contacted the owner of the driver’s license, and soon realized that the owner’s personal information had been stolen and was now being used by the couple.

The Santa Clara Police department reported finding the vehicle the couple had been driving, and initiated a traffic stop. However, during the initial contact by officers it appeared that both suspects were under the influence of methamphetamine, and were arrested under H&S 11550. Loera was also arrested for driving under the influence, and a search of the vehicle revealed drug paraphernalia, along with driver’s licenses and social security cards from more than ten victims. When Tan was asked if he had anything illegal in the care he said, “No, just a pipe.” But the driver’s license and credit card under the victim’s name was found in his right pants pocket.

Tran was booked for being under the influence of drugs and illegal possession of stolen ID and credit cards of numerous victims. During transport, Tran told the officer, “I don’t want my girl to get in trouble for any of this.” He said, “All of this is my fault.”

Loera had been arrested by Stockton Police in November for being under the influence. She was held, and released when sober.

None of the victims knew how Tran had gained their information. Tran, however admitted to staying at several hotels within the Santa Clara County area for the past several weeks. He had in his possession a card scanner and special equipment to make the fake credit cards. A check from one of the victims was reported stolen to police some time back in December. When asked about how he had gotten the information about the victims, Tran would only say, “I don’t know.” Investigators were unable to get any further information from Tran.

The next court date has been scheduled for March 19, 2015 in Dept 33 at 1:30 PM in the San Jose Hall of Justice.

On March 6^th, Roseville Police detectives arrested a man suspected of committing an assault on a female jogger back in February, according to the Roseville Police Department. On February 25^th, a woman jogging on a bike trail near the Highland Reserve neighborhood in Roseville reported she was knocked to the ground from behind by a man she did to know. The victim was able to fight the suspect off, and he ran away in the direction of Washington Boulevard.

The entrance to the bike trail. Behind the park is a large area of undeveloped land.

Roseville Police, along with officers from Sacramento’s K-9 Unit and a California Highway Patrol helicopter, conducted a search of the area but were unable to locate the suspect at that time. After conducting an extensive investigation, Roseville Police detectives arrested Kenneth Eugene Redick, age 23, at his Oak Hollow apartment in northeast Sacramento, in the Foothill Farms area. He reported his occupation as paper boy. He was taken to Placer County Jail where he was booked on false imprisonment and suspicion of assault with intent to commit rape. Bail was set at $100,000.

Roseville Police credit the victim for immediately reporting the assault, which aided in the investigation. It is unclear whether the suspect has been involved in any similar incidents in the past. Roseville police are asking anyone who may have been a victim of a similar assault in Roseville to contact the dispatch center at 916-774-5000 Ext 1. If the assault took place outside of the Roseville area, police ask you please contact your local law enforcement agency.

The San Luis Obispo Police Department have a man in custody who allegedly attempted to commit a sexual offense with a minor.

According to SLOPD, a citizen informant called them on Tuesday to inform them of a disturbing photograph and message the citizen had found on Craigslist. Investigators say the picture depicted a self-photograph of the man’s genitalia. The post also included an explicit message soliciting young girls for sexual acts. The citizen informant had advised detectives where on Craigslist this ad could be located.

SLOPD detectives found the Craigslist ad and were able to identify the subject who posted it. He was identified as 55-year-old Robert George Roe Jr.

Police also discovered Roe is a registered sex offender. Roe is required to register as a sex offender any time he relocates for a conviction of molesting a child under 18 years of age in Arizona in 1987.

Investigators used a SLOPD detective who posed as a 16-year-old female to make a cell-phone contact with Roe.

Police say Roe was very sexually graphic in his exchanges with the undercover detective, and he made it clear he wanted to have sex with her. Roe offered the use of his van or to purchase a hotel room where they could meet for sexual acts. The undercover detective agreed to meet with Roe at a local hotel on Wednesday.

On Wednesday shortly after 2 p.m., SLOPD detectives found Roe at the agreed upon hotel. He had rented a room to have sex with who he believed was a 16-year-old female, and was nude inside the hotel room at the time of his arrest.

Police obtained a search warrant for Roe’s hotel room, where numerous items of evidence related to this crime were located. Roe’s van was found in a motel parking lot in the 300 block of Stimson, in Pismo Beach later in the afternoon. A search warrant was also obtained for the van. Roe was arrested for felony intent to engage in sex with a minor.

Read More:

The Tribune: Man charged after allegedly trying to find girls for sex

KSBY: Transient posted graphic picture online

HIGHLAND – A self-employed music teacher from Redlands was arrested for possession of child pornography on Tuesday after an investigation that began in September 2013.

Michael Freeland, 52, who was released from custody after posting bail one day later, has a court appearance scheduled for next week, according to law enforcement officials.

Detectives from a special detail, Crimes Against Children, were dispatched to Freeland’s residence just before 4 p.m. on March 3 after receiving reports of his activities. The reporting party, according to Detective Jennifer Burkhart, “provided multiple electronic devices that she believed contained child pornography …”

Burkhart and Sgt. Dana Foster, members of the special detail, conducted an investigation and discovered that Freeland, who responded to the original complaint on Sept. 26, 2013 at a residence in the 7000 block of Bobcat Lane, in Highland, was the owner of the electronic devices.

Burkhart said that a Hi-Tech Detail discovered the images on Freeland’s equipment. The lengthy forensic investigation of the devices was concluded, leading to a further interview with Freeland. After being subject to interview at Sheriff’s headquarters on Tuesday, Freeland was taken into custody. Booked into the Central Detention Center, his bail was set at $25,000.

Reports stated that Freeland, who posted bail and was released at 4:25 p.m. on March 4, is a self-employed music teacher in Redlands, but did not say if he taught children. He apparently is co-founder of a business called Music Lessons Central. Original reports were made by a woman who was living with Freeland, said Cindy Bachman, a spokesperson with San Bernardino County Sheriff’s.

Read More:

KESQ: Music instructor arrested with child pornography

CBSLA: Redlands music instructor arrested for child porn

The Paso Robles Police are searching for a man who allegedly exposed himself to some students on Tuesday morning.

According to PRPD, two 10-year old students reported to police that a man exposed himself to them while they were walking to school. The report came in around 8:35 a.m. The students told police they had been walking along Lana Street, near Francis Street at approximately 8 a.m. when the incident occurred. The students said they saw a white Honda car pull alongside them and told police the driver was a Hispanic male adult.

The students told police the suspect briefly stopped the vehicle and exposed his genitals to them. The suspect then drove toward Melody Drive and out of their sight. Police say the students were unharmed and had no further contact with the suspect.

According to PRPD, the students immediately reported the incident to school staff who then notified the police. PRPD is working in conjunction with the Paso Robles Public School District to increase patrols in neighborhoods near local schools.

SAN BERNARDINO – Police are still sorting out a mass shooting that occurred late Tuesday night, arresting one suspect on Wednesday while a third victim died from gunshot wounds.

Rival gangs clashed, said police, at the Stingers Night Club and at a nearby gas station, gunfire erupting at a spot where an estimated 150 to 200 people were leaving the club when the shooting took place. “This event is tragic and disturbing,” said Sgt. Carl Williams, who reported the total of eight killings in the city so far in 2015. That changed to nine when Teron Reed, 33, died from injuries suffered in the shooting.

Earlier, Petetrial Michael Scott and Jerry Jamale Jackson both died at the scene where the shooting took place. Another man remains in critical condition, according to reports. Vincent Malone, 30, of San Bernardino was arrested after an around the clock investigation, said Williams. He was reported to have shot Reed. There are, however, other suspects. Said Williams: “We are asking the community to help identify the suspects of this crime. When the shooting took place, there were 150-200 people exiting … many of which were witnesses to the shootings.”

Williams said police are investigating a white, four-door sedan that had been present at both shooting sites. “It is unclear if the vehicle was occupied by suspects or victims,” he said. Officers had been dispatched to the club in reference to various disturbances that had been reported.

Witnesses told police that suspects were gang members, and were denied access to the bar because they were possible rivals of subjects that were already inside. “When denied entry,” said Williams, “these subjects continued to loiter in the parking lot” – and the police were called. When officers arrived, asking the subjects to leave, “they complied with the officer’s request,” said Williams.

At closing time, club security began requesting bar patrons to leave. As the crowd moved to the parking lot, “security realized the uncooperative subjects from earlier had returned.” Police were summoned again at 1:36 a.m., requesting extra patrol. As officers were en route, reports of gunfire came at 1:47 a.m., both at Stingers and at the nearby ARCO AM/PM market.

There were seven reported victims between the two shooting scenes, including the two earlier reported deaths and, ultimately, Reed, who died at 5:05 a.m. on March 5. Malone, the suspect in Reed’s death, was being held at San Bernardino County Jail.

Read More:

SBSUN: SB nightclub shooting

Press Enterprise: Man killed at Stinger’s

WILLITS – Two men living in the forest southeast of Willits, in the hills east of Highway 101 and north of Redwood Valley in inland Mendocino County, were arrested last week for running a large scale marijuana operation out of the house.

The property was located further up Bear Canyon Road in the woods outside of Willits.

According to the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office, deputies associated with the county’s Marijuana Eradication Team, agents from the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force, and Sheriff’s patrol deputies served a search warrant at 4775 Bear Canyon Road for the house and property on Tuesday, March 3. Despite the remote location, in an area where illegal growers often cultivate marijuana in the wilderness, the team found a large scale growing operation that was set up inside the house.

They located 489 marijuana plants and 110 pounds of processed marijuana packaged for sale. Also on site was a scale and other tools for marijuana cultivation, along with $3,000 cash.

Jacob Allen Kiesel, 34, and John Clayton Quincy Rardon, 35, were both arrested at the location, and charged with possession of marijuana for sale, and cultivation of marijuana. Jacob Kiesel appears to be the brother of Riley Kiesel, who was arrested last month in the town of Mendocino on charges of marijuana cultivation and outstanding warrants.