A man is in custody after San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies discovered he had attempted to kill his own father.

According to the SLO Sheriff’s Office, they received a report last Tuesday of multiple shots fired in the 1600 block of 14th Street in Los Osos. When deputies arrived, they contacted the male victim, who reported multiple gunshots had been fired through a front window where he was sleeping. The victim was not hurt in the incident.

With the assistance of the SLO Police Department, sheriff’s detectives were able to determine the suspect in this case was the victim’s son, 23-year-old Turner Lee Newman of San Luis Obispo.

The Atascadero Police Department located the suspect approximately four hours later in his vehicle parked in a parking lot on the corner of Santa Ysabel Avenue and Parriza Court in Atascadero.

The weapon used in the incident, a semi-automatic handgun, was recovered in the suspect’s vehicle. Newman was questioned and later arrested for attempted murder and shooting into an occupied residence. Newman is currently in SLO County Jail with no bail.

Arroyo Grande – Cole Martin Stacy, a 32-year-old husband and the father of young children, either has a short fuse or a very low tolerance for marital disagreement, as evidenced by his July 28th arrest on six felony charges ranging from spousal abuse to possession of stolen property.

It was just after 7:00 a.m. on the 28th when Arroyo Grande Police officers responded to the Stacy residence pursuant to a 911 Emergency call reporting violent goings-on in the home. According to Arroyo Grande Police Department spokesman Cmdr. Kevin McBride, when officers arrived on the scene they discovered Stacy sitting inside a car parked in the home’s driveway. When Stacy saw the approaching uniforms, “he quickly walked behind the residence,” McBride reported to the media.

The reporting witness, none other than Stacy’s wife, had apparently “suffered unspecified minor injuries in the incident, but declined medical treatment.” Minor as those injuries may have been, according to Stacy’s wife, they had been inflicted during an assault by her husband which occurred in the middle of a “verbal argument in front of their young children,” and which provided officers with probable cause to search the residence for any evidence of a crime.

That inspection of the residence led officers to the discovery of a loaded firearm and another stolen rifle, both items prohibited by the terms of Stacy’s parole pursuant to prior felony convictions.

Stacy was taken into custody and transported to San Luis Obispo County Jail, where he was formally booked on charges of spousal abuse, child endangerment, possession of a loaded firearm in public, being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of ammunition and possessing stolen property, with his bail set at $100,000.

Photo: Courtesy San Luis Obispo County Jail Booking

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a series of cell phone thefts and is looking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect in a month-long crime spree that has totaled $7,000 in losses.

The thefts took place at retailers throughout San Diego County from June 16 to July 17. In all cases reported so far, the suspect entered cell phone retail stores and stole phones from display counters, sometimes cutting the security cords that anchored phones to the counters. The list of six incidents includes the theft of five phones at a Verizon store on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. in San Diego., the theft of two iPhone cell phones at an AT&T Store in Solana Beach, and the theft of an iPhone 6-Plus at a T-Mobile store in Poway.

Another surveillance photo of suspect in action

The suspect is described as a white male between 20 and 35 years old who is about 6-feet tall and weighs between 170 and 180 pounds. In two cases, the suspect was wearing a red baseball hat, a red shirt, and black shorts. In one of the thefts, the suspect was driving a red 2012 Toyota Corolla.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information can call the San Diego Sheriff’s Department Poway substation at 858-513-2800 or the Crime Stoppers tip line 888-580-8477.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY – In the last two weeks, authorities have busted two more marijuana grow operations in a series of shutdowns.

After discovering an illegal marijuana farm from the air, authorities began an investigation. The cultivation site was positioned in a natural wash located in the foothills off State Highway 60, entering into the Badlands, east of Moreno Valley. Riverside Sheriff’s deputies began seeking the perpetrators in the area. On Wednesday, August 5, a search warrant was served, and the expansive property was deemed abandoned.

According to a press release, a total of 5,534 mature marijuana plants were seized and eradicated from the property. The plants averaged 8-12 feet in height, and were said to be concealed within the natural vegetation in the wash.

The Department reported that the rugged terrain, in addition to the monster-sized marijuana plants, ultimately required the assistance of the Sheriff’s Department’s helicopter to hoist the plants out of the foothills for eradication. Currently, there are no arrests or suspects identified in this case.

Previous to this bust, on July 29, deputies assigned to the Jurupa Valley Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team, along with Jurupa Valley Code Enforcement discovered suspicious activity during a compliance check.

On the 1700 block of Container Circle in Jurupa Valley, a search warrant was obtained for a business found to be non-compliant. According to the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, 52-year-old Toby Shultz was arrested for illegal marijuana cultivation. Shultz was booked at Robert Presley Detention Center.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department states that they will continue to investigate all reports of marijuana cultivation and eradicate those determined to be operating illegally. Community members with helpful information are encouraged to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Marijuana Enforcement Team at (951) 955-1720.

Santa Barbara County – On July 24th, 64-year-old Marilyn Pharis was assaulted inside her own home while she was sound asleep. Victor Aureliano Martinez, a 29-year-old undocumented citizen of Mexico on probation for no less than four prior convictions, engaged in what was described by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover as “a violent struggle and sexual assault,” which ultimately sent her to Marian Medical Center with “severe injuries.”

Because Pharis—a satellite tracker working at Vandenberg Air Force Base—fought off Martinez with enough vigor to damage his face to the point that he could later be easily identified by detectives, he was arrested that afternoon—after breaking into yet another residence–and charged with attempted murder, sexual assault, and residential burglary.

Jose Villagomez

Then, some eight days later, on August 1st, Pharis suffered a coronary embolism while still recovering from her injuries and died in spite of the heroic efforts of the hospital medical teams caring for her.

It was four days after the attack upon Pharis, on July 28th, that Jose Villagomez was contacted by law enforcement and arrested on “unrelated charges.” While sitting in Santa Barbara County Jail, on August 4th, Villagomez was the identified as a cohort of Martinez and booked on suspicion of sexual assault and attempted murder. Now that Pharis has died while under medical care for her injuries, the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Office review of the case may carry significant weight in the determination of the District Attorney’s Office, which indicated that they “could file murder charges against the men.”

Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking

SKY FOREST – No suspects were taken into custody, but a joint operation to shut down a marijuana cultivation site in the San Bernardino National Forest took place on Thursday.

Members of the Drug Enforcement Team and the United States Forest Service, conducting a joint operation, discovered 4,389 marijuana plants, camping equipment and large amounts of trash as evidence that several suspects were living within the site, caring for the crops.

“It caused irreversible damage to the forest,” according to a release that announced the joint operation of Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, known as CAMP.

Part of the damage included diverting water intended for natural resources to irrigate the marijuana plants that had been cut away through natural brush along the mountainside.

The suspected growers used commercial irrigation tubing, or pipe, to re-route the water from streams and creeks. “Based on the size of the marijuana garden found,” according to officials, “it is estimated that thousands of gallons of water each day was being diverted into the grow site.”

The discovery was made near Switzer Park in a spot known as Gilley Canyon. It was located in “extremely rugged terrain” approximately one mile south of State Highway 18, near Sky Forest.

The 8 a.m. discovery included finding plants that were producing bud, ranging in height from two to five feet. “The suspects were in the process of harvesting the marijuana,” later dried, processed and packaged for removal from the grow site, according to officials.

The ultimate destination for the marijuana crop was unknown, said officials, “but most likely would have been sold illegally.” Officials said damage to the forest areas result from such cultivation sites. Fertilizer, pesticides and animal repellents used by growers contaminate natural streams and creeks, “ultimately contaminating ground water and food for wildlife.”

Investigators removed two large cargo nets filled with supplies and trash from the site.

The Paso Robles Police arrested a local man for child abuse.

According to investigators at PRPD, they were contacted by a social worker on Wednesday at around 7:17 p.m. from San Luis Obispo County Child Welfare Services regarding a child who was being treated for significant injuries at a hospital in the Central Valley town of Madera.

Investigators stated the initial report indicated the two-year-old female child had initially been treated at Twin Cities Community Hospital on Tuesday night before being transferred to the hospital in Madera due to the extent of her injuries.

PRPD detectives responded to Madera and learned that the victim had multiple fractures and other injuries that were inconsistent with the description of events reported by the child’s mother and her live-in boyfriend.

The boyfriend was identified as 27-year-old Paso Robles resident Francisco Javier Chavez. Because of the results of the investigation, Chavez was arrested for felony child abuse. Chavez was transported back to the PRPD and later booked into the SLO County Jail.

PETALUMA – According to a Petaluma Police Department (PPD) Advisory, officers investigated an attempted armed robbery in the parking lot of a Bank of America at the Plaza North Shopping Center in the 100 block of North McDowell Boulevard on Wednesday, August 5th.

Shortly after 3 pm, a white male suspect had approached a car in the parking lot occupied by a woman and her daughter, who had just returned to their car from the ATM. The suspect demanded money and displayed a firearm. The victim fled the scene in her vehicle and the suspect fled on foot.

The Bank of America on North McDowell where the attempted robbery took place.

The suspect was last seen running to a white sedan parked in the area of Raley’s supermarket. He fled in the vehicle on North McDowell Blvd. He was described as a white male, 20 to 30 years of age and wearing dark clothing.

A second community bulletin issued Friday, August 7th indicated that the suspect had been identified. PPD detectives were conducting a follow up on the incident and located a similar license plate number provided by a witness at the scene. The license plate was linked to a white Chevrolet sedan, and 20-year-old Dylan Burr of Santa Rosa was listed as the registered owner. A search of local databases by the detectives found that Rohnert Park Public Safety Officers had towed the vehicle after Burr had been arrested on Wednesday, August 5th for DUI.

PPD detectives contacted the tow company in possession of the car and asked them to check the rear of the car for possible damage. The tow company advised that there was a piece of copper wire holding the trunk down which also matched a description provided by one of the witnesses.

Victims identified Burr in a photo lineup and independently confirmed Burr as the suspect in the attempted robbery. Burr was still in custody at the Sonoma County Jail when he was arrested for the additional charges of attempted robbery by PPD detectives. His bail for this case was set at $100,000.

Meanwhile, the Santa Rosa police have also identified Burr as the suspect, along with 20-year-old Nathan Lal, of armed robbery of both the Rohnert Park and Windsor Walmart Pharmacies, demanding prescription drugs. The pair then proceeded to rob a Walgreen’s drug store in Santa Rosa at Mission and Highway 12. Not satisfied with their first effort, they returned to the same Walgreen’s several hours later. In all four incidents, one of them either displayed a handgun tucked into his waistband, or said they had a gun.

An investigation by Santa Rosa police detectives, along with detectives from the Sonoma Sheriff’s Department and Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, worked on several leads in the case, and served search warrants at Burr’s home on Wicket Avenue and Lal’s residence on Hopper Avenue, both in Santa Rosa. They found evidence of the robberies at both locations. Lal was arrested on Thursday, and Burr, again already in custody, had those charges added as well.

Burr is also the prime suspect in an armed robbery at the Cash Advance Store on Commerce Blvd. in Santa Rosa, where he is accused of displaying a gun and demanding cash from the clerk at the location. Anyone who has any information about these robberies, or about Burr and Lal to share is encouraged to contact the Santa Rosa Police Violent Crimes Investigation Team at 707-543-3590.

CrimeVoice Staff contributed to this story

A Chowchilla man was arrested by Madera Police on Friday, July 31, after evading them in his vehicle after a domestic violence incident.

According to an official media report from the Madera County Department of Corrections, Michael Amos Heffington, 26, was booked at 5 pm Friday on charges of felony inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or co-habitant and violation of parole, along with misdemeanor resisting arrest and evading an officer while in a vehicle. Heffington, who lives in Chowchilla, reportedly works for the Fresno Dairy.

Heffington, also known as Michael Troy Heffington, made the news in 2007 when he was 18-years-old. He was in a fight with Joseph Hawkins, and stabbed the man, who died of his wounds. Heffington was found in Hanford the next day and arrested by Kings County Sheriff’s deputies. He had been tracked to a residence on Home Avenue, according to the Hanford Sentinel, where he was caught while trying to run away.

The specific outcome of that arrest could not be found, but records show that Heffington was on parole when arrested in May of 2014 when he was charged with possession and transportation of a controlled substance, and driving on a suspended license. Then on June 4 he and a friend, 27-year-old Angel Hernandez, were arrested on South Seventh Street in Chowchilla for possession of a controlled substance. Heffington was also charged again for driving on a suspended license, and committing a felony while out on bail.

In October of 2014 he was again charged for driving on a suspended license when he was pulled over for a burned out license plate lamp. On January 8 of this year he was caught in possession of drug paraphernalia, and charged with interfering with an officer and violating parole. A warrant had been issued for him in February, likely for missing a court date, and he was arrested by Chowchilla Police for evading police, resisting arrest, and the outstanding warrant.

His most recent arrest on domestic violence and resisting and evading police would have resulted in bail of $31,000, but due to his parole violation, he was held without bail in the Madera County Jail pending his court date, and potential return to prison.

CrimeVoice staff contributed to this story

In the world of finance, not every President and CEO is good for the company. In fact there are a number of fraud cases that appear before a magistrate that detail how an officer has committed multiple counts of fraud or illegal transfer of funds, victimizing the company, it’s clients, or both.

According to the San Jose Federal Court an indictment was handed down against Misako Yamaguchi on Thursday, August 6. Yamaguchi was the President and CEO of Scientific Lab Equipment, also known as Yamato Scientific America, located in Santa Clara. Yamato Scientific is known for its sale and manufacturing of electric bicycles.

She is facing one felony count of Mail Fraud under 18 USC §1341. Yamaguchi is also being charged under 18 USC §981(a)(1)(C), which begins a civil procedure in order to try and recover goods, money, and/or products taken during the committed crime. Yamaguchi is also being prosecuted under 28 USC 2461(C), forfeiture, in which a known amount of assets which had been stolen and or taken without permission, is recouped and returned to the owner as much as possible to make the victim whole.

Yamaguchi worked with her son Y.T., who ran a similar company owned by the two of them called Green Bike Lab. During an agreement with Yamato Scientific, electric bikes could be sold to buyers at a discount from 15% – 25%. The reduced price was given to help entice a higher sale increase for Yamato Scientific America. However, having her own business, Yamaguchi had a phone line specifically set up to refer all sales to Green Bike Lab, and Yamaguchi discounted the sale by 40%, specifically setting up the account to pay directly to Green Bike Lab.

It was found that during Feb of 2013 – April of 2014 Yamaguchi had fraudulently charged Yamato Scientific America hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to court records, “Yamaguchi was told to sell bikes for Yamato Scientific America only.”

It is believed that she fraudulently paid herself by mailing a check to Green Bike Lab, and by sending a check for $23,230.81 to her personal account as a purchaser Sierra Photo Express. The company found that she was stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods, while falsifying a 40% debate given under false pretenses.

Ventura County – Using a firearm in broad daylight to forcibly rob a victim is either a sign of considerable bravado, recklessness, or desperation; pulling a gun on someone reasonably implies that the perpetrator simply wants to quash any possible resistance to his thieving behavior.

Given that, the events of January 23, 2015 transpiring in the park-like setting of Ventura County’s Rancho Conejo Playfields, as described by Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Billy Hutton, are striking in the nature of the victims involved. According to Hutton, Deangelo Antwan Bynum, a 29-year-old resident of Port Hueneme, perpetrated an armed robbery against six juvenile victims who were gathered in the park at midday and “pointed a gun at them and demanded their property.”

Bynum allegedly fled the scene with “an undisclosed amount of money,” and remained unidentified for several months, during which detectives relentlessly pursued viable leads. Over those months, pursuant to multiple victim statements and descriptions of the suspect, investigators “developed a lead in the investigation which led them to the suspect Deangelo Bynum.” All leads pointed to an individual attached to the Ventura County Naval Base, which prompted Ventura County Sheriff’s Department investigators to contact the regional Naval Criminal Investigative Service (the same law enforcement organization dramatized in the eponymous television series “NCIS”).

As a result of that collaborative effort, on July 29th the Thousand Oaks Police Special Enforcement Unit made contact with Bynum at the Navy base where he was found in possession of a firearm and took him into custody. He was then transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of 2nd Degree Armed Robbery and remains held without bail.

Photo: courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking

The Paso Robles Police arrested a man for stealing a vehicle on Thursday, July 30. According to PRPD, they had received a report of a stolen vehicle around 12:40 p.m.

The vehicle reported stolen was a 1969 General Motors pickup truck, allegedly stolen from a parking lot along the 2800 block of Riverside Ave. The victim reported he had parked the truck in the lot around 9:30 a.m. that morning.

When the victim returned a few hours later, the truck was gone. At approximately 3 p.m., the PRPD received a call from a family member of the victim, who reported that he saw the stolen truck traveling east on Union Road in rural Paso Robles.

PRPD officers responded to the area and located the truck. The officers conducted a traffic stop along the 1700 block of Moon Valley Road. The driver of the vehicle pulled over, but abandoned the truck and attempted to run from the officers. The officers were able to catch and detain the suspect without further incident.

Police arrested suspect, Daryl David Blair, 31, of San Miguel. While investing Blair, officers located drug paraphernalia on his person. Blair was booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail for stealing the vehicle and for possessing drug paraphernalia.

SACRAMENTO—Six people have been sentenced on felony fraud charges for their roles in a major cell phone scam against Verizon, totaling more than half a million dollars.

The scam—which occurred in May 2013—included at least three Verizon Wireless employees. Detectives discovered they had accessed consumer account information to identify customers with high-end cellphones, and filed insurance claims for than 1,300 damaged or stolen phones. Replacement phones were reportedly shipped to three conspirators at their homes or hotels. However, detectives discerned that there was no indication that consumer identities or personal account information were stolen or used by suspects.

Louis Lovett, 31; Aleta Pinkney, 33; Nicholas Brown, 27; Antonio Miller, 26; Anthony Stanford, 26; and Adi Qalivutu, 23, were arrested by California Department of Insurance detectives and Los Angeles Police Department officers in May 2013. All were recently sentenced to varying prison and probation terms.

Antonio Miller, Anthony Stanford, and Adi Qalivutu

Lovett—the mastermind behind the scheme—was ordered to repay the entire fraud loss amount of approximately $635,000 to Asurion, the mobile protection insurance company that was defrauded. The others have also been held for ensuring the restitution is paid.

All six pleaded no contest to multiple felony counts of insurance fraud. Lovett was sentenced to a six-year jail term, plus four years’ probation, while co-conspirators Pinkney, Miller, Stanford and Qalivutu received one-year sentences. Brown, the sixth co-conspirator, was arrested in Southern California and sentenced to a two-year jail term.

APPLE VALLEY – One day after a 23-year-old Apple Valley man was shot and killed, and another man was wounded, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a suspect.

One day after Thursday night’s shooting, deputies arrested Arieon Shoulders, 23 of Victorville, on suspicion of killing Julian Kilgore. Charges are also expected to be filed against Shoulders for shooting Richard Fenton, 21, also of Apple Valley. Fenton is expected to survive.

The victims – Julian Kilgore died of his wounds, but Richard Fenton is expected to survive. Images – Facebook

Deputies from the Apple Valley Sheriff’s station were summoned to the 21000 block of Nisqually Road at 9:25 on Thursday in response to shots being fired. When they arrived, they found Kilgore and Fenton both suffering from gunshot wounds.

Despite life-saving efforts after he was transported to nearby St. Mary Medical Center, Kilgore died from his gunshot wounds at 10:35 p.m., according to the county coroner.

Fenton, who was taken to another hospital’s trauma center, is expected to survive his wounds, said authorities. The shooting could be drug related, according to reports by investigators Detective Adam Salsberry and Sgt. Robert Warrick, adding there is ongoing investigation into the shooting. Authorities have not disclosed any further possible motives for the shootings. Arrest records show that the victim Julian Kilgore has been arrested three times since December 2013 for public intoxication and DUI.

The Nisqually Road complex where the shooting took place consists of three separate houses, all located on one lot. Surveillance cameras are located in the area, according to reports, which likely aided deputies in locating the shooting suspect.

Witnesses told authorities that a car was seen leaving the area shortly after the shots were heard. Shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday, Shoulders was tracked down by investigators at 14200 Armagosa Road in Victorville, arrested and charged with murder. County jail records show that Shoulders, who was booked into the Adelanto Detention Center, is ineligible for bail.

A court date is scheduled for Tuesday at Victorville Superior Court. Apple Valley and Victorville are neighboring communities in the high desert section of San Bernardino County. Nisqually Road is located just north of Bear Valley Road, a main thoroughfare through Apple Valley and Hesperia.

The past few weeks have been stressful ones for California Firefighters in the Lake, Yolo, and Colusa County areas, as they have been battling the “Rocky Fire”, where 70,000 acres have burned, and over 100 homes and other structures have been destroyed. Residents have been evacuated, over 1400 firefighters from all over that state have been battling the blaze, and Governor Brown has declared a state of emergency. And just as this fire is nearly completely contained, a new fire has arisen, dubbed the “Jerusalem Fire” after the Jerusalem Valley area in south Lake County, between Middletown and Lower Lake.

While resources have shifted to try to gain control of this 5,000 acre blaze, which has now grown to 12,000 acres overnight, area residents have again been told to evacuate from areas at risk. One man, however, had greater concerns. He wanted to save his precious marijuana crop.

Juan Ramos Silva Lake County booking photo

As the Jerusalem fire was initially growing to 3000 acres, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were conducting mandatory evacuations of the residents in the Jerusalem Grade and Jerusalem Valley area. According to Steve Brooks of the Sheriff’s Department, they noticed a new blaze had ignited near them at the 15000 block of Spruce Grove Road. They approached the area, and found a home at the origin with a large marijuana grow on the property, within 50 feet of the house. Witnesses at the scene told the deputies that the fire had been deliberately set by the property owner, 49-year-old Juan Ramos Silva.

As evacuations proceeded, the deputies also located Silva, who admitted to setting the fire, claiming that he was trying to prevent the larger fire from getting to his home. He explained that he himself was once a professional firefighter back in Mexico years ago, and knew how to create a controlled burn to protect an area from the larger fire. The deputies did notice that the burned area Silva had created was going to be more effective in protecting the marijuana plants than his home.

Silva was forcibly evacuated, and taken to the County’s Hill Road Correctional Facility at the north side of Clear Lake, which is not currently in a fire danger zone, and booked him for arson to a structure or forest. Once the Jerusalem Valley area is safe, Sheriff’s narcotics agents will no doubt do at least as much damage to Silva’s crop that the fire would have done.

The Milpitas Police Department is reporting the captured image of a suspect during a brazen daytime burglary last Tuesday, August 4. Video surveillance shows the suspect right before he forces himself into the residence located near Paseo Refugio at Santa Rita Drive in Milpitas. According to the Milpitas Police Department’s Sergeant Jared Hernandez, “The suspect knocked at the front door while holding a pink bakery box.”

Once the suspect determined that there was no one home at the residence, he forced his way in. He entered the rear of the home and tried to pry his way in through the sliding glass door. Hernandez said, “The suspect then used a rock to shatter the glass of a sliding door and entered the residence.” Once inside, the suspect was able to steal cash and jewelry.

The suspect’s car was also seen in video surveillance.

During the break-in, interior and exterior cameras were able to capture the suspect’s actions. Images of the man and his vehicle were clearly visible during both his entry and exit of the residence. The Milpitas Police Department is asking that if anyone recognizes the suspect or vehicle to please call the Milpitas Police Department at 408-586-2400. An online tip form is also provided on their website.

The suspect has been described as an Hispanic male, between the ages of 21-30. He stands approximately 5’-08” to 6’-00” tall with a medium build, and short black hair. The suspect was last seen wearing a light blue long sleeve shirt with a light color name tag on the front, light blue jeans, along with white with black shoes.

The San Luis Obispo Police department now have four suspects in custody, accused of human trafficking of a teenage girl.

According to SLOPD, officers responded to a call last Tuesday, August 4 at around 1:25 p.m., to a hotel on the 1800 block of Monterey Street in an attempt to locate a possible missing female juvenile from Manteca.

SLOPD had received a call from the Manteca Police Department to report that a 15-year-old girl was being held against her will inside a room at the hotel. Manteca Police also stated the female may also be a victim of human trafficking, and that there may be armed suspects in the room with her.

When officers arrived at the hotel suite, they located the teenage victim inside one of the rooms. Police say she was alone and terrified because of the situation. Police transported her to the police department, where she received the necessary attention by qualified professionals. She was later re-united with her family.

Fabio Bettencourt Silveira

SLOPD detectives learned the victim had been traveling with a 16-year-old male suspect, also from Manteca. It is believed she had been forced into acts of prostitution by the teenage boy in other cities north of San Luis Obispo prior to arriving there. After arriving in San Luis Obispo, possibly around July 25th, the victim continued to be forced into acts of prostitution throughout the County.

The suspects who were also involved in exploiting the victim were Brianna Day Morales, 20, and Fabio Bettencourt Silveira, 20, both of Chico, as well as the 16-year-old boy from Manteca. Morales was seen in a vehicle and taken into custody, while the teen boy and Silveira were caught near the hotel.

The 16-year-old male juvenile, whose identity was withheld, was booked into San Luis Obispo Juvenile Services Center on charges of human trafficking, abduction for purposes of prostitution, false imprisonment and criminal conspiracy.

Elijah Joel Wolfson

Morales was booked into County Jail for human trafficking, abduction for purposes of prostitution, false imprisonment, criminal conspiracy and child endangerment. Her bail was set at $100,000.

Silveira was booked into SLO County Jail for human trafficking , and criminal conspiracy. His bail was set at $70,000.

As this story went to press, a fourth suspect was arrested. 19-year-old Elijah Joel Wolfson of Manteca was also charged with the human trafficking of the 15-year-old girl.  He had also been previously arrested in July (failure to appear in court) and May (assault) of this year and in July of 2014 (burglary)

FRESNO – Police arrested a man and seized several guns in a large-scale operation intended to find people who have been involved in violent crimes and were currently armed.

The Fresno Police Department’s Gun Crime Unit and the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC) conducted 16 probation searches throughout Fresno. During a search in the area of Jensen and Walnut avenues, plainclothes officers saw Davonte Kendricks, a Muhammad Family gang member out on bail for a felony charge and on felony probation for property crimes in San Joaquin County.

Kendricks saw police approaching and walked into a nearby residence, but came outside not long later, authorities said. When officers searched the residence, they found a loaded 9 mm pistol hidden in the couch. Kendricks told officers that he had gone inside the house and hidden the gun when he saw the patrol units approaching. Kendricks claimed the gun was for protection from rival gang members, police said.

He was arrested and booked into Fresno County Jail on firearm-related charges.

A search warrant served at a home near Tulare and Peach avenues resulted in the seizure of two rifles and a shotgun, all stores improperly under children’s beds, according to police.

FRESNO – The Sheriff’s Office has identified the man they believe is responsible for a domestic violence incident with his ex-girlfriend, and who may also be connected to the shooting of a Good Samaritan.

Deputies identified Eli Vidal Guiba, 21, as the suspect involved in an incident that took place on Aug. 5 around 11:30 p.m. near the Arco Gas station in Tarpey Village. On that day, two men in a white Lexus pulled up next to two women standing by the store. One of the men got out of the car and began to kick and punch one of the women, a 19-year-old who was later determined to be Guiba’s ex-girlfriend, the sheriff’s office said.

A 53-year-old homeless man who stays in the area intervened by pepper spraying the suspect and then running away, authorities said. One of the suspects tracked down the homeless man and fired several rounds at the man, hitting him in the arm, authorities said.

“The homeless man grabbed his registered handgun and returned fire, sending multiple rounds toward the suspect. It’s unknown if the suspect was hit. The suspect then drove away,” according to a sheriff’s office spokesperson.

Eli Guiba – Image: Facebook

Not long afterwards, a Fresno police motorcycle officer saw the suspects’ white Lexus on Hwy. 41 reaching speeds of up to 100 mph, but lost sight of the car, which was later found unoccupied at Diamond and Divisadera with several bullet holes in it, according to the sheriff’s office.

Eli Guiba has been arrested at least twice before, according to available records. On May of last year he was charged with pc 266J – procuring a child for lewd or lascivious acts. Further details of that incident were not avaliable. He was also arrested in April of this year of an outstanding warrant for a DUI charge.

Anyone with information about where Guiba might be is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP.

SACRAMENTO—A Sacramento man who was arrested in April on lewd acts with a child under 14 and other child molestation charges is facing new charges as he sits in Sacramento County Jail.

Records show Michael John Leonard had been arrested on Sunday, April 26 at 3:20 in the afternoon. He was picked up in midtown Sacramento at the Old Soul at The Weatherstone coffee shop on 21st street, about 10 miles from his residence in North Highlands. He was booked for the employment of a minor in the sale or distribution of obscene matter, and attempted child molestation.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s detectives said Leonard, 45, had extensive access to young children and teens in the Sacramento area by frequenting skating rinks, dance studios, water parks and gymnastic facilities.

This past weekend, another person came forward and said they had been molested by Leonard. Sacramento County Sheriff Spokesman Lisa Bowman said three victims have been identified so far. Detectives added an additional charge of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.

“That’s real scary, anything could happen,” said Keairra Golston, who lives a couple of doors down from Leonard’s last known address. “Nobody’s kid is safe. That’s real sad. That’s real disgusting to me.”

According to Sacramento Superior Court online records, Leonard has a history of prior convictions of assault and molestation of children, and is a registered sex offender. More than a decade ago, he was accused of manufacturing and distributing child pornography. Leonard had posted an ad on an Internet classified website looking for assistance with creating a video, which would reportedly involve minor children and result in the production of child pornography. His attorney at the time, Richard Hamlin, characterized Leonard as an artist who took photographs of children so he could draw them as nymphs and fairies. Those charges were eventually dropped.

His next court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday, August 11. His bail remains set at $4.6 million

Anyone who suspects Leonard of having had inappropriate contact with a child is asked to contact detectives or leave an anonymous tip at www.sacsheriff.com.