SANTA CLARA COUNTY – A construction company owner and project manager were sentenced on Friday to 2 years in prison by the Honorable William J. Monahan for causing the 2012 cave-in death of a laborer in Milpitas.

After a two and a half month trial, a jury convicted 53-year-old CEO Richard Liu and 37-year-old project manager Dan Luo of U.S.-Sino Investment Inc. with involuntary manslaughter of a construction worker Raul Zapata Mercado, who had been working with the company for only two weeks before the tragic accident.

Family photo of Raul Zapata Mercado

“The death of Raul Zapata was no accident. This was a homicide in the workplace,” prosecutor Bud Porter said. “Justice has been served today because these defendants are criminally responsible for the death of another human being.”

The 39-year-old man was working on the hillside project, where a home was being built by the general contractor U.S.-Sino Investment Inc. of Fremont. The site collapsed and he was buried under a 12-foot high dirt wall that they had been digging in the area. He died before he could be removed from the dirt pile. However, this terrible accident could have been prevented if the management had stopped work as requested by a city building inspector who warned of the danger.

On January 25, 2012, after a recent downpour, a city building inspector gave a “Stop Work” notice to the project manager because of the danger of a cave-in of the unsupported dirt walls. but the work did not stop. Three days later, Zapata was crushed to death when several thousand pounds of dirt and rock fell on him.

After waiting three years the family can be awarded some form of justice for the loss of their father and husband. Zapata Mercado is survived by his wife and three children.

SAN BERNARDINO – More victims are being sought in an identity theft ring that was busted on July 7. Four people were arrested after San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies uncovered the identity theft operation, in which more than 100 victims are feared to have been hacked.

Deputies searched a San Bernardino hotel room on Tuesday, July 7, where they discovered stolen property, along with check-washing equipment and drugs.

Daniel Leivas, 50, of Blythe, California, Robbie Steven Lee Gurule, 26, a San Bernardino area transient, Angela Gutierrez, 24, of Highland, and Alexandria Starr Leon, 23, of Yucaipa were taken into custody on various charges.

All were charged with identity theft, possession of fraudulent checks and possession of drugs, according to authorities. Originally, deputies were investigating a burglary that took place at Quaid Harley-Davidson in Loma Linda. Gurule was identified as a suspect, questioned by deputies and was caught in several misstatements, said authorities.

SB police released this photo of Gurule earlier this year

Deputies said Gurule had lied about his identity and was later found to be in possession of burglary tools. Eventually Gurule led deputies to an undisclosed San Bernardino hotel room on East Hospitality Lane where he was staying with Gutierrez, his girlfriend. When deputies searched the hotel room, they discovered several stolen checks, stolen mail items and the identity theft materials.

Since July 7, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Bachman, deputies have been contacting victims by using contact information from the stolen mail and checks. Police (909-387-3545) are still seeking victims.

Alexandria Leon is in custody on drug charges and is scheduled to appear in Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court on Aug. 12. Gurule, who is due for an August 26 court appearance in San Bernardino Superior Court, faces embezzlement charges along with extortion and identity theft allegations. He’s being held on a combined $375,000 bail for all charges, according to court records. He had been released on warrant for similar charges in Riverside County. No additional information was available for either Gutierrez or Leivas.

NOVATO – On Tuesday August 4th, the Novato Police Department (NPD) issued an updated Community Bulletin about an incident on the 300 block of Silvio Lane.

Just before 2 am on Monday August 3rd, Hollis Emily Puccinelli had called the NPD and reported that she believed her mother, Judith Dunaway, had abused her 3-½ year old son. An NPD officer attempted to obtain more information from Puccinelli over the phone but she was very uncooperative.

Concerned for Puccinelli’s welfare and that of her child, the Vallejo Police Department was asked to respond to Puccinelli’s residence, but she had left the home prior to the officers’ arrival.

Victim Judy Dunaway, image from Facebook.

Sometime between 5 am and 5:30 am, Puccinelli had made contact with Dunaway at her Silvio Lane residence. An altercation ensued and Puccinelli fled the residence. Shortly before 6 am, NPD received a call from an extended family member who was concerned for Dunaway’s safety.

The NPD conducted a welfare check at her residence. Officers arrived shortly thereafter and found blood on an exterior door and then made entry. Dunaway was found on the living room floor with significant injuries. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

Dunaway appeared to be a victim of homicide. Subsequent investigation indicated that Puccinelli might have been responsible for her death. Her vehicle information was broadcast to Bay Area counties. San Francisco Police Department officers located Puccinelli inside her vehicle with an apparent self-inflicted neck wound in the vicinity of 45th Avenue and Wawona Street. She was transported to a local hospital where she was also pronounced dead.

Hollis Puccinelli was later found fatally wounded at this San Francisco intersection.

Forensic examinations were performed on the bodies of both Dunaway and Puccinelli as the final causes of death are under investigation and will be determined by the coroner’s offices.

Available arrest records show that Hollis Puccinelli has an extensive history of drug, theft, and sometimes weapons offenses. Her most recent arrest was in September of 2013 when she was booked for exhibiting a deadly weapon. Earlier records going back to 2008 show at least six prior arrests for possession controlled substances, paraphernalia, stolen property, drugs without a prescripiton, and in one incident a switch-blade knife. In April of 2009, she and another suspect, Tahirah Sephia Preston, were accused of running an extensive identity theft ring out of San Rafael.

Read More: Marin Independent Journal (2009) – Marin women charged in huge email theft, fraud case

Sacramento Sheriff detectives arrested a local man over the weekend for a fatal shooting last week in North Highlands.

Brian Sholl, 22, was taken into custody and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for murder.

On Wednesday, July 29 at approximately 11:30 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to a call at a residence on the 6800 block of Harlequin Way in Foothill Farms regarding a shooting. They found a 25-year-old male been shot several times in his upper torso. The victim, later identified as Brian Haywood, was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation by sheriff’s detectives led to the identification of Sholl as the person responsible for this incident. Detectives believe Sholl and the victim were in a verbal altercation that escalated, when Sholl took out a firearm and shot Haywood.

An image of Haywood and several friends was posted on his GoFundMe page.

Officers canvassed the neighborhood, but were unable to get any information about a motive behind the shooting. Anyone with any further information about the shooting is asked to call the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department at (916) 874-5115.

 Sholl is currently being held without bail. He was scheduled to appear in court yesterday.

Friends of the victim, Brian Haywood, have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help with his family with the funeral expense. $260 has been raised through the site so far, and other fund raising efforts are underway as well.

Armed Suspect Slipped Through Police Perimeter

SALINAS—a 31-year-old man is just thankful for being alive today after he made a bad decision to meet two women that he befriended on an on-line sex site. The victim went to a hotel room thinking he was going to have fun with the two women, but instead was robbed at gunpoint by a male suspect who had been hiding.

At about 9:23 in the morning on Tuesday, the victim was cruising the internet looking for sex when he came across an online prostitution site. He eventually arranged to meet two women at the Travel Inn Hotel on John Street in Salinas. When he entered the room he was met by the two females, and everything was looking good for a fun time. Then, to his astonishment, a man entered the room carrying a shotgun.

The man pointed the shotgun at the victim, and with the help of the two females, proceeded to rob him of his car keys, phone and wallet. The victim was able to escape with his life, but watched the male suspect drive off in his car.

The victim was lucky that he was able to flag down a passing motorist, who helped him by following the suspect to Chestnut Street. They witnessed the suspect unload some of the victim’s property and walk toward a house on Chestnut.

A suspect was followed to these houses, but slipped away before he was caught.

They called police, and when they arrived they quickly set up perimeter around the property. The property contained four residences, a large main house and three smaller dwellings. Not sure which building the suspect entered, police ordered everyone out of their residences.

Some residents exited their homes, while others delayed or refused to comply with the order. But eventually officers were able to get everyone out of their homes. Once they did, officers checked all four houses for the suspect.

The suspect was not found in any of the residences and it appears that he had jumped a rear fence onto Maple Street before the perimeter was set up. One witness stated that the suspect had discarded a sweatshirt on the property, which was recovered by police.

The perimeter search was fruitful – while they did not catch the suspect they were looking for, they did arrest a 44-year-old man on an unrelated felony charge.

The original suspect in this incident his described as an Hispanic male in his late 20’s-30’s, over six-feet-tall with a bald head. The two women who had lured the man there were not found either, and remain wanted as well.

PALM DESERT – In the last few days, Indio drunk drivers have wreaked havoc and menaced others on the road in two separate collisions.

The first crash occurred on Sunday night. Officers from the Palm Desert Police Department arrived at the intersection of Portola Avenue and Quicksilver Street, responding to a single vehicle traffic collision. The vehicle at the scene was a white Hummer H3, which had been traveling southbound on Portola Avenue.

The driver had swerved right and onto the sidewalk, where he sideswiped a large tree. The vehicle then continued traveling southbound on Portola Avenue where the driver plowed through a half dozen construction cones, striking a portable construction sign as it passed. Ultimately, the Hummer became disabled at the intersection of Portola Avenue and Rancho Road.

Moises Orozco, age 54 from Indio, was identified as the driver and arrested. Orozco reportedly remained injured, but was transported to hospital as a precaution. Later he was booked into Riverside County Jail in the city of Indio for driving while under the influence.

On Monday night, another incident occurred nearby in Indian Wells. Police responded to Hovley Lane East and Casbah Way, at the Oasis Country Club and gold course, in reference to a single-vehicle traffic collision. A grey Ford Focus, which had been traveling eastbound on Hovley Lane East approaching the intersection with Casbah Way, veered to the left, over the raised median and into oncoming traffic. The driver fled the vehicle on foot, and when police arrived they found her a short distance away.

Jasmin Harper, age 25 from Indio, was identified as the driver, and though she appeared uninjured, she was transported to the hospital for observation. Harper was later booked into Riverside County Jail in the city of Indio for driving while under the influence.

SANTA ROSA – The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) had two interesting arrests early Wednesday August 5th. According to two Community Bulletins issued by the department, the first of the two unusual apprehensions occurred before 8:30 am when deputies were dispatched to the Graton Resort Casino. Casino personnel provided the license plate number of a silver Toyota Camry that was in the lot with two subjects asleep inside. A records check revealed that the car had just been stolen out of Rohnert Park on Tuesday.

SCSO deputies responded along with a Rohnert Park Public Safety officer and arrested both suspects. They were identified as Armando Lopez, a 29-year-old transient from Santa Rosa and 21-year-old Filemon Vazquez-Montoya, also a transient from Santa Rosa.

Chelsey Westover in two Utah booking photos

Lopez was charged with possession of stolen property possession of burglary tools, and an outstanding traffic warrant. Montoya was charged with possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and an outstanding methamphetamine warrant. The officers found several vehicle keys and items related to vehicle thefts. Both were booked into the Sonoma County Jail. The bail was set at $5,000 for Lopez and $12,500 for Vazquez-Montoya.

The second interesting arrest occurred about 2 hours later, just before 10:30 am, when SCSO deputies on duty at the Sonoma County Hall of Justice responded to a vehicle crash that occurred on nearby Highway 101. Witnesses told deputies that a woman had fled the scene of the accident on foot and was seen jumping a fence and running towards the courthouse.

Westover didn’t have far to go to be booked when she was arrested.

A deputy located her and pursued her on foot, catching up to her near Paulin Drive. She was identified as Chelsey Coleen Westover, a 24-year-old woman from Provo Utah, but living currently in Vallejo. A records check revealed that she had an outstanding no-bail drug arrest warrant out of Utah, along with trespassing and shoplifting warrants. She was arrested on the warrants but a subsequent search of her person by a female deputy revealed that she was carrying ¾ of an ounce of suspected methamphetamine in her underwear.

Westover was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for the outstanding warrant, possession of methamphetamine and evading arrest.

Santa Barbara County – William Carroll, a 48-year-old Santa Paula resident, is undoubtedly the kind of guy who, once he gets his mind focused in a certain direction, stays focused on the task before him. Just like some people enjoy “binge-watching” their favorite TV shows on Netflix, Carroll seemed to have trouble disengaging from his midnight-to-dawn crime spree in the City of Goleta in the early hours of July 6th.

It took the coordinated investigatory efforts of Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department detectives, deputies of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, and Santa Paula Police Department patrol officers to unravel the events of July 6th, which SBSD Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover revealed to the media on July 29th. Hoover detailed evidence leading to the investigators’ conclusion that “Carroll was dropped off in the City of Goleta…and set out to steal property out of unlocked vehicles,” a task at which he was apparently highly proficient. “He stole items out of seven unlocked vehicles,” Hoover reported, and when he found “an unlocked vehicle with the keys left inside,” Carroll summarily drove the car to his Santa Paula home.

It was pursuant to a routine traffic stop on July 16th when Santa Paula officers identified Carroll’s vehicle as having been reported as stolen, and discovered more than two thousand dollars in property stolen during Carroll’s big night in Goleta. It was at that point that Carroll was taken into custody, and transported to Ventura County Jail where he was booked on charges of auto theft and grand theft. Because his alleged crimes were committed in Santa Barbara County, he has since been transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he faces indictment and prosecution by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney.

Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking

26-year-old Jimmy Miranda Jr. was arrested on Saturday, August 1, for more than 12 misdemeanor and felony counts. Miranda had failed to obey officers at a light rail station, where it was suspected that he had been riding the train and didn’t pay for his ticket. When removed from the train, he then threatened officers with a gun. He then began to run after he brandished the gun at SJPD officers, firing several shots at them.

The officers gave chase, firing several rounds back at the suspect, but missed him as Miranda ducked into a parking garage and attempted to carjack a vehicle. He failed getting the first one, but he soon succeeded in carjacking another vehicle from a couple. No one was hurt, but the victims were badly shaken by the incident.

Miranda entered the parking garage on foot and carjacked a vehicle.

While trying to exit the parking garage, Miranda drove towards responding officers and tried to ram into them with the vehicle he had just carjacked. Miranda missed the officers and drove out of the garage, leading SJPD Patrol Officers and California Highway Patrol Officers on a high speed chase through the streets of San Jose, and then along Highway 87, where he exited onto Alameda Street in South San Jose.

Miranda continued to drive erratically through the streets when he crashed into a couple near Branham Lane and Almaden Expressway in South San Jose. The couple in the vehicle suffered moderate injuries from the crash, and so did Miranda. He was detained and taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for his injuries sustained during the crash.

Miranda is now being held on a 2.5 million dollar bail, and is facing his third strike, which could place him in prison for more than 20 years once convicted.

Miranda is facing four counts of attempted homicide under PC 664/187, carjacking under PC 215, carrying an illegal firearm under PC 25850 (A), resisting arrest under PC 148(A), and possession of burglary tools under PC 466. Miranda is also facing charges for HS 11550(A), being under the influence of a controlled substance, VC 10851(A), theft of a vehicle, VC 20001(A), hit and run that resulted in injury, and VC 2800.2(A), driving in willful disregard for the safety of others.

Ventura County – One would think that an individual still under the jurisprudential control of a term of probation would behave in a manner to avoid any further pejorative contact with members of the law enforcement community. That would certainly be a rational approach to the conduct of one’s affairs pursuant to any period of incarceration. But based upon the events of July 30th, Nicholas Wagemann, a 36-year old resident of Oxnard who was at the time a client of the Ventura County Probation Department, rational behavior can be a challenging lifestyle.

Eric Walker

According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Dan Hawes, it was on that date that the City of Thousand Oaks Police Department Special Enforcement Unit learned that Wagemann, “on active probation” was residing at a local motel and “was possibly a suspect in multiple thefts and/or burglaries” that had occurred in nearby Newbury Park a day earlier.

Nichole Hammer

With that information in hand, the Special Enforcement Unit arrived at Wagemann’s motel room and—as per the terms of his probation—conducted a probation search that unearthed “numerous credit cards and personal checks that did not belong to any of the subjects in the room.” Those individuals “in the room” included Eric Walker, 29, Nichole Hammer, 29—both from Camarillo—and Taylor May, a 23-year old resident of Oxnard.

Taylor May

May and Hammer were quickly determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance, while Walker’s vehicle was searched and discovered to contain additional credit cards, checks, “and a multitude of other items that had been stolen the previous morning.”

Wagemann and Walker were taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail where they were booked on charges of burglary, grand theft, possession of burglary tools, and being under the influence of a controlled substance, with their bail set at $80,000 and $60,000 respectively. For their part, May and Hammer were arrested and booked for being under the influence of a controlled substance, and were released on their own recognizance pending a future court appearance.

SAN FRANCISCO — A woman was arrested in connection with the shooting death of a high-school student who was found dead at a park earlier this year, San Francisco police said Wednesday.

42-year-old Silvia Lorena Montoya of San Francisco was arrested for the murder of Jonathan Sauceda Caballero, an 18-year-old Balboa High School Student.

On May 31, at roughly 6:45 a.m., police responded to reports of gunshots and a wounded man at McLaren Park, which is located between the Excelsior District and Visitacion Valley in the southeast side of the city.

Officers found Caballero unconscious and bleeding from a gunshot wound, and lying on a walking trail just off John F. Shelley Drive. Despite attempts by paramedics to revive Caballero, the young man was pronounced dead at the scene.

After a two month investigation, police developed probable cause to arrest Montoya. They did not specify a connection between Montoya and Caballero, nor did they offer a possible motive. But this arrest was not the first time Montoya was booked in recent days.

Victim Jonathan Caballero – image from Facebook

Records show that Silvia Montoya, along with Franklin Mendoza, an 18-year-old transient out of Oakland, and Jose Benitez, a 19-year-old San Francisco resident, were arrested on Tuesday, June 23. The three were picked up by officers from the Taraval Station in a residential neighborhood at Brighton and Grafton Streets, near the City College of San Francisco. They were arrested just after 5 pm, and charged with second degree burglary and criminal conspiracy.

They were booked that day, just over three weeks after Caballero’s death, and just over a month prior to Montoya’s arrest for his murder. It is not known if there was any connection, or if her booking helped identify her as the suspect in Caballero’s death, but it is clear that Montoya spent a lot of time with teenage young men.

Montoya is now being held at the San Francisco county jail on $10 million bail, awaiting her first appearance in court.

CrimeVoice staff contributed to this report

FRESNO – The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office has identified a man they believe could have information regarding the death of a 20-year-old woman last week.

On July 30, workers discovered the body of Megan Troen in the California Aqueduct, near Nees Ave and Interstate 5 in the Firebaugh area. The sheriff’s office identified Kaleo Schreiner, 21, of Tracy, as a person of interest in the case.

Schreiner and Troen, who have been acquaintances for several years, left Troen’s house in Tracy together on July 20, according to the sheriff’s office.

“The two were supposed to be gone a short time, but neither returned to the home in Tracy. The next day, Troen’s family members filed a missing person’s report with law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said.

Troen had a diminished mental capacity and functioned at a lower level than a normal person her age, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities have not revealed how she was killed, but have identified her death as a homicide.

Schreiner is described as 6 feet and 300 pounds. He has several tattoos, including a rifle above his right eyebrow, the letters “LV” on his right cheek, and a microphone on his neck. He may be driving a 2001 black Lexus IS 300 with license number 6SLZ045.

Anyone who sees Schreiner should not approach him, as he may be armed, but should instead call law enforcement immediately, the sheriff’s office said.

Troen is the victim of Fresno County’s seventh homicide of the year.

Ventura – As if traveling on public mass transit systems in Southern California wasn’t arduous enough, the events transpiring in broad daylight at a Metropolitan Transit District bus stop at noon on August 2nd were enough to drive the price of Uber stock even higher.

According to Ventura Police Department’s Watch Commander report to the media, it was on a bus stop bench on the 200 block of North Ventura Avenue, in front of the city’s J.C.Penney store, that 19-year-old Ventura resident Tyler White approached a female “and asked her what time it was.” According to the victim’s statement to police, White then sat on the bench beside her.

As traffic cruised past the bus stop, several minutes later “White stood back up, at which time he had his pants down and was intentionally exposing himself.” One can only image the shock of the woman, who quickly made a decision to not only take another mode of transportation and immediately walk away from White, but to promptly call the police to report what had just happened.

Officers responding to the scene found White loitering in proximity to the bus stop, whereupon they initiated contact with him. With the assistance of the uniformed police, the victim was brought back to the scene, where she did not hesitate to identify White as the instigator of the crime. White was then taken into custody and finally provided with a bus ride of his own…to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of indecent exposure.

Due to the proliferation of such incidents in the downtown Ventura area in recent weeks, members of the public who may have any information about any prior similar activities of White are urged to call the Ventura Police Department at 805-339-4441.

Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking

Ventura – Proving once again that while the wheels of justice may at times turn slowly, they do indeed turn, Jose Morales, a 55-year-old Ventura resident was arrested on August 4th, charged with child sexual abuse that is alleged to have occurred in December 2014.

According to the Ventura Police Department’s Watch Commander media report, it was on December 7, 2014 when a six year-old boy hailed a passing black-and-white patrol car and informed the officer at the wheel that Morales, known to him as “Don Pepe” drove past the boy’s front yard where he was playing and “took him into another residence where the assault occurred.” A law enforcement investigation into the child’s allegations quickly ensued that led to the identification of Morales as the prime suspect in the case.

After forensic collection of evidence and eight months of “extensive laboratory testing,” and processing of all evidence in hand, it was determined that the victim’s statement now had empirical validation, and a warrant was issued for Morales’ arrest.

Ventura Police Detectives made contact with Morales on a downtown Ventura street on August 4th and took him into custody without incident. He was then transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of oral copulation of a child under 10, and kidnapping for the purpose of sexual assault. Because of the potential for further victims of Morales, the Ventura Police Department is soliciting any information from members of the public with any information germane to this ongoing investigation, who should contact VPD Detective Edwards at (805)339-4328.

Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking

SACRAMENTO—Following two days of deliberation, a Sacramento jury has found Grigoriy Bukhantsov fit to stand trial for the 2012 murders of his sister-in-law and her two small children. If convicted, Bukhantsov, 22, could face the death penalty or life without parole.

On October 23, 2012, Alina Bukhantsov, 23, and her two children Emmanuela, 3, and Avenir, 2, were fatally stabbed by the accused at their duplex home in Rancho Cordova. Bukhantsov’s brother Denis discovered their bodies of his wife and children. His six-month-old son was found unharmed at the crime scene.

“We’ve done all we can,” said co-counsel Hayes Gable outside the courtroom. “The jury has reached a verdict and we have to live with it.”

Gable and Jan Karowsky argued that their client’s mental state was a “major medical disorder brought on by psychosis,” that rendered the triple-murder suspect incapable of assisting them in his defense. Karowsky and Gable brought in witnesses to testify of Bukhantsov’s rants, outbursts and physical violence against his family and others in the years prior to the killings.

Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Donell Slivka agreed that Bukhantsov suffered from mental illness, but argued that he faked and exaggerated symptoms of mental illness in jail.

One psychiatrist also said that the accused showed a “sophistication not normal for defendants with mental health issues.”

Bukhantsov remains in Sacramento County Jail where he has been held since his 2012 arrest. Future hearings in the case have not yet been set.

A burglary suspect was quickly apprehended in Roseville, thanks in part to a police dog.

According to Roseville Police, on Monday, August 3^rd at about 10 p.m., several residents noticed a man they were unfamiliar with walking around their neighborhood, and acting oddly. The man was acting strange enough that the residents, which included women and children, ran into their homes on the 200 block of High Street. About an hour later, Roseville police were dispatched to the same block after a man was spotted at a resident’s home trying to open their back door.

When Roseville police responded, the man fled the scene and started running through backyards. Officers surrounded the area in search of the suspect. After a brief search, Police K-9 Iggy and his handler were able to locate the man hiding in a backyard between a fence and a shed. With a little persuasion from K-9 Iggy, the suspect was apprehended.

The man was identified as 39-year-old Tizok Francisco Moncivaiz. Officers determined that Moncivaiz had violated terms of his parole prior to the incident on August 3^rd and was considered a parolee at large.

Roseville Police K9 Iggy was of great help in apprehending Moncivaiz

According to available arrest records, Moncivaiz was charged in 2005, while he was already an ex-convict, with failing to register as a sex offender while living in Rohnert Park, in Sonoma County. He was also charged with a parole violation and was subject to the provisions of the three strikes law. He was arrested for another parole violation in 2008, and after re-locating to Santa Rosa in 2012, was charged again with failing to register as a sex offender in his new location. He was also arrested for possession of an illegal switchblade knife. He showed up in Roseville records in 2012, and was charged with a parole violation in August 2013. He was seen in November of 2013, suspected of breaking into cars on Nugget Court, and arrested then for loitering and prowling.

Moncivaiz, who has no permanent address, was transported to Placer County Jail and charged with parole violations, attempted burglary and other related charges. He is being held without bail.

The arrest of Moncivaiz is an example of the importance of police dogs. The area where the suspect ran through was dark and provided several hiding areas, including sheds and shrubbery. If officers did not have the assistance of a police dog, it might have taken them much more time to search safely for the suspect, if they found him at all.

Victim Was Asked If He Was A Gang Member

The Watsonville Police Department is still looking for three men who beat and robbed a man in an alley between Jefferson Street and Lincoln Street in July.

On Sunday, July 26 at around 10:19 pm, officers with the Watsonville Police Department were dispatched to the Watsonville Community Hospital after personnel had called to report that the victim of a robbery had just arrived there. When officers arrived they were contacted by hospital officials, who escorted them to the victim.

Through a field interview with the victim, officers discovered that he had been followed into the Waters Alley between Jefferson Street and Lincoln Street by three unknown suspects. When one of the suspects asked the victim “where he was from.”

The victim replied that he was not a gang member, but the suspects proceeded to attack the man with a baseball bat. They managed to get the victim’s cash from his pocket during the attack before leaving the scene.

The victim remembers that one of his attackers was an Hispanic male adult, about 5-foot-7, and had on a red hat and a black hooded sweatshirt. The victim did not recall what the other two suspects were wearing at the time of the attack.

The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries during the assault. The Watsonville Police Department is investigating this incident as being gang related, and the three suspects are still outstanding at this time. The Watsonville police are asking that if anyone has information about this incident to please call the Watsonville Police Department at 831-471-1151.

An unusual arrest was made in Madera last Friday, July 31, that involved a former education employee.

According to the official media report released by the Madera Department of Corrections, Mark Steven Vanalen, 56, was apprehended and booked for burglary, obstructing or intimidating a business or its customers, and malicious mischief or vandalism with over $5,000 in damages. He was arrested by Madera Police and booked at just past noon.

Vanalen reported his occupation as a “retired teacher” though it is not clear where he taught, or why he retired early.

This was not his first arrest this year either – Madera Police arrested him on April 7 for battery. He was taken into custody at the Madera Community hospital. Vanalen lives in a home in central Madera, near Thomas Jefferson Middle School and John Adams Elementary. His home is also just a few blocks from the Madera Superior Court, where he will have another opportunity to tell his side of the story.

Bail was set at $40,000 pending his latest court appearance.

Ventura – The only difference between the events taking place on the afternoon of August 4th on the downtown streets of Ventura—just a stone’s throw from thousands of vacationers enjoying a warm summer day at the city’s famed Surfrider Beach—and the fantastic action of the latest installment of the feature film franchise “Fast and the Furious” is that the latter is pure fiction, replete with high-speed vehicles careening wildly through an urban landscape, while the former turned into a deadly game of “catch me if you can” as cops did their best to arrest a wanted suspect without endangering the very real lives of those in proximity to the action.

It all began when the Ventura Police Department Street Crimes Unit learned that Robert Reeves, a 38-year old local resident wanted on a felony arrest warrant, was living nearby on the outskirts of the city’s downtown commercial district. Pursuant to that information, VPD officers and detectives conducted surveillance of the location where Reeves was suspected to be in hiding. When, according to the Ventura Police Department Watch Commander media report, a vehicle driven by Donald Reyes, 47, arrived at the location and Reeves entered the car as a passenger, a traffic stop was initiated.

Reyes, however, was apparently having none of it and accelerated away “at a high rate of speed” through busy downtown streets. A brief pursuit immediately ensued, but was quickly terminated “due to the reckless manner” in which Reyes was driving. While law enforcement maintained visual contact with the suspect vehicle, air units and VPD K-9 units established a perimeter around the area.

Ten minutes later local residents reported via 911 Emergency dispatch the presence of “a suspicious male running through yards,” which brought officers to the scene, where they quickly found Reyes attempting to hide from view. Reyes’ abandoned vehicle was soon located, where indications were that Reeves had fled on foot into a Paloma Drive residence. With detectives, officers, and K-9 units quickly flooding the area, Reeves and a third man, Rocky Mattley, 28, were soon located “hiding in a converted garage” and in possession of a pair of handguns.

All three were arrested and transported to Ventura County Jail, where Reyes was booked on charges of felony evading and an outstanding felony warrant, Reeves was booked on the outstanding felony warrant and resisting arrest, and Mattley was booked for resisting arrest. All three have “additional charges pending” pursuant to the illegal possession of firearms.

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RANCHO CUCAMONGA – A county deputy sheriff, suspected of having consensual sex with an inmate, was taken into custody himself on Thursday afternoon.

Armando John Espinoza, 45, who was hired as a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy in 2006, was being held at the West Valley Detention Center after being arrested for the single count.

Allegations surfaced on Tuesday when the sheriff’s department received information of possible sexual misconduct, that had occurred while Espinoza was on duty, with a female out-of-custody work release inmate

In a prepared release, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said, “This criminal conduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Upon learning of the allegations, investigators quickly began an internal criminal investigation, identifying Espinoza as a suspect. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of both the criminal and administrative investigations. The victim’s name was not released; nor was any information disclosed about the victim’s criminal background.

The Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights, a law that protects the privacy of those involved in personnel actions said the sheriff’s department, “does not allow the department to release details of the department’s internal investigation into this matter.”

Espinoza, who was released from custody early Friday morning, is facing one count of sexual contact with a consenting inmate, actions that are deemed illegal. According to jail records, his bail was set at $50,000.