CRIMEVOICE

Thugs visiting Huntington Beach arrested after attack

Mahoney — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:59:24 +0000

HUNTINGTON BEACH — An exchange of words between one man and a gang of four that included a woman resulted in a St. Patrick’s night assault, a police pursuit and ultimately four arrests.

Brandon Espinoza, 19, of Montebello; Aaron Salinas, 19, of Whittier; Viana Arevalo, 20, of Whittier; and a juvenile male whose name was not released were all taken into custody following the incident which began to unfold about 6:45 p.m. on Pacific Coast Highway at 7th Street.

According to a police report, the 25-year old victim was crossing Pacific Coast Highway and, as he reached the north side of the street, was confronted by the four subjects as they drove by in a silver Infinity. A verbal clash ensued, the Infinity coming to a stop and the four occupants emerging to attack the lone pedestrian.

During the physical altercation that followed, the victim was stabbed several times and some of his possessions were stolen. The four suspects then got back into the Infinity and took off westbound.

Huntington Beach police were able to identify and locate the vehicle a few miles north as it continued down Pacific Coast Highway past Bolsa Chica State Beach. Attempts by officers to pull the car over initially failed as the suspects made an effort to escape, turning northbound up Warner Avenue.

The pursuit was short-lived, however, as the driver soon pulled over and the four suspects were taken into custody.

Espinoza faces charges of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon; Salinas was arrested for suspicion of robbery and evading; and Arelalo suspicion of robbery. Any charges against the male juvenile were unavailable and the investigation is ongoing.

Despite reports that he had been stabbed and suffered other lacerations, the victim declined any medical treatment at the scene.

Dinuba man pleads guilty to mistaken identity manslaughter

Warmerdam — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:15:35 +0000

VISALIA — A Dinuba man will be sentenced to 25 years in a state prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter for a 2007 drive-by that resulted in one death.

Jaime Torres, 28, entered his plea on Monday, in the Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia. Included in the plea were three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of great bodily injury due to a second victim suffering from permanent paralysis.

The incident occurred on Aug. 19, 2007 when the Dinuba Police Department received two calls of shots being fired on East Nebraska Avenue. Upon arrival, Dinuba detectives found a vehicle with four occupants, two of whom had been shot, according to the police department. Jesus Gomez Guerra, 21, was found dead, and the driver of the vehicle was airlifted to University Medical Center in Fresno for his injuries. He suffered from permanent paralysis to his lower extremities as a result of the shooting. The other two passengers were not hurt.

The shots came from another car driven by Samuel Martinez, 28, of Dinuba, according to the police department. Torres was the passenger and suspected shooter.

“The motives were gang-related, but the victims were not in any kind of gangs,” said Dinuba police Sgt. Able Iriarte.

It appeared to be a case of mistaken identity, in which the victims were thought to be rival gang members.

Dinuba detectives received a break in the case when a tip led them to a residence in Fresno where Torres was hiding. Although Torres fled the scene with another subject, the detectives were able to apprehend both men with the help of Fresno County M.A.G.E.C team members.

Being able to catch the suspects involved in a drive-by shooting is not always an easy thing. Many go unsolved.

“According to our detectives, very little (get solved),” said Elizabeth Villalobos, community relations specialist with the Dinuba Police Department. “This is because of lack of information, no witnesses, people not willing to come forward.”

Torres will receive his sentence of 25 years in a California state prison on May 17. Martinez had taken a plea in early 2008 for his role in the shooting and received a lesser sentence in a state prison.

Sgt. Iriarte said that it was a very good feeling to see this case come to completion, even though he would have liked to see a stronger sentence handed down.

“At this time, it’s better for (Torres) not to be running free and continuing his crime spree,” Iriarte said.

Canine units draw out accused batterer

R.L. McCullough — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:12:50 +0000

SANTA PAULA — Police responded to a call for help from a female on West Telegraph Road at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, and discovered a female showing signs of a physical assault.

Upon questioning, the victim named her boyfriend, Jose Villalvazo, 29, as the perpetrator of physical violence upon her, accompanied by threats with a firearm.

Police searched the neighborhood, and discovered Villalvazo hiding in an alleyway nearby. When contacted by officers, Vellalvazo fled on foot, hiding inside of a boat parked in a residential driveway. He was pursued on foot, and invited to step outside of the boat for questioning by the officers. When he refused their invitation, canine units were summoned.

Using skills known only to German shepherds, the police dogs managed to convince Villalvazo that it would be better to follow them out of the boat and onto the ground for handcuffing.

Villalvazo was booked on charges of domestic battery, making criminal threats, and resisting a peace officer.

Officer released from hospital following fiery motorcycle crash

LorenzoReyna — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:51:43 +0000

FRESNO — A Fresno motorcycle officer, who was severely burned in a crash that occurred last Thursday, was released from the hospital Tuesday and is home recovering, according to a Fresno police spokesman.

The officer, 42-year-old Michael Roberts, was released from Community Regional Medical Center after being treated for second and third degree burns.

Roberts’ motorcycle crashed into a car near Fruit and Bullard avenues in northwest Fresno back on March 11. The motorcycle burst into flames and the officer caught fire. Roberts had to receive a week of treatment due to burns on one side of his body. He also suffered fractured ribs and a bruised lung in the crash.

According to Fresno police spokesman Jeff Cardinale, Roberts is expected to undergo several follow-up surgeries. Cardinale also said Roberts is expected to be off duty for an extended period of time to continue with the healing process.

In a news release issued by the Fresno Police Department, Chief Jerry Dyer offered his thanks to the public for their well wishes toward Roberts and his family during the recovery process.

Roberts is a 12-year veteran of the Fresno Police force.

Armed suspect, K9 officer shot in home invasion

Raheem Hosseini — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:07:23 +0000

SACRAMENTO —Police are investigating a home invasion that resulted Monday in an armed suspect being shot and killed by officers.

Around 8:35 p.m. Monday, police responded to the 2000 block of O’Neil Way regarding a home invasion in progress. The victim was able to call 911 and left the phone line open as the armed suspect tied up the victims and began to search through the residence. The victims were later identified as a 17-year- old female and a 5-year-old Asian male.

Upon arrival, officers detained a 23-year-old Asian male as he was walking away from the area. The subject was later found to be associated with the home invasion.

A sergeant and four officers took position in front of the house. To prevent the suspect from fleeing, one officer and his K9 partner “Bandit” covered the back of the house. The officer and Bandit observed the suspect come out into the backyard. The suspect and the officer exchanged gunfire, which resulted in Bandit being shot in the chest. The suspect retreated back into the house and then ran out through the front door still armed with a handgun. The suspect failed to follow officers’ commands to drop the weapon and was shot by fours officers positioned at the front of the house.

The victims were found tied up but uninjured inside the residence. Bandit was taken to an area hospital where he was last said to be in stable condition.

Detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene. Based on the preliminary investigation, it is believed the suspect, an Asian male in his 30s, came to the door and used a ruse to gain entry to the house. During the crime, it appeared the suspect was communicating with a second accomplice by cell phone. Detectives believe the second accomplice was the male who was detained by officers in the area. It is believed that the suspects are from out of town. It is unknown at this time why the suspects were in Sacramento and why they chose the victim’s residence as their target.

Per department policy, the five officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave. Their tenure with the department extends from one to 11 years.

The Sacramento Police Department is working on this investigation in conjunction with the city’s Office of Public Safety Accountability and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

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

Fairfield couple convicted of racially-motivated assault

Raheem Hosseini — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:35:45 +0000

SACRAMENTO — A Fairfield couple was convicted by a federal jury last week in connection with a racially-motivated assault.

The victim and his wife, an Indian-American couple, were at El Dorado Beach in South Lake Tahoe in July 2007 when Joseph and Georgia Silva confronted and attacked them in what the jury determined was a bias-motivated assault.

The evidence at the four-day trial showed that, on the evening of July 14, 2007, Georgia Silva, 52, verbally confronted the Indian-American couple with racial and ethnic slurs. When one of the victims attempted to call the police, Georgia Silva assaulted the victim, knocking him to the ground.

Joseph Silva, 56, then struck the victim and kicked him in the head. As a result of this attack, the victim suffered fractures to his facial bones and other bodily injury and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

Witnesses to the incident testified that Georgia Silva used derogatory language toward another man of Asian descent, unrelated to the victim, and spat at the man.

On March 11, the jury acquitted the Silvas of a second assault count related to the victim’s wife, who claimed Georgia Silva struck her with a sandal during the assault on her husband.

“Bias-motivated acts of violence will not be tolerated by the people of the United States,” said Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. “As this prosecution demonstrates, the Justice Department is committed to vigorously prosecuting the federal laws prohibiting violent acts motivated by hatred of minorities.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

Fugitive couple tracked from central coast to Nevada

R.L. McCullough — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:03:06 +0000

SANTA BARBARA — While a local man lies in a Cottage Hospital bed recovering from a single .45 caliber gunshot wound to the head, Santa Barbara detectives followed more than 100 leads and tips that took them to the driveway of a house in Pahrump, Nev.

Jack Mills, 52, was taken into custody Wednesday at the family home of his wife, Rebecca Lee Mills, 50, who was also arrested and booked into the Nye County Correctional Facility. He is charged with attempted murder on a bail of $1 million; his wife is charged with accessory to murder with a bail of $500,000.

According to Santa Barbara Police Department spokesman Lt. Paul McCaffrey, Det. Michael Clayton led the investigation that began on the morning of March 1, following reports of gunfire on a quiet Santa Barbara residential street. Witnesses reported seeing an older black Volvo in the neighborhood that morning, remarking that the vehicle seemed “out of place.”

An appeal to the public for any information regarding the vehicle or individuals connected to the shooting was rewarded with reports of a black Volvo being observed in a Goleta convenience store parking lot just a day before the shooting took place. Surveillance and security video from that site revealed images of the black Volvo and its occupants, Jack Mills and Rebecca Mills. Those images were shown to the shooting victim and his wife — who herself had been an assault victim at the crime scene — and they identified the Mills couple as their assailants.

Those images were broadcast to state police agencies, which led to an identification of the suspects by Lompoc police officers familiar with Jack Mills and his prior criminal background. Once the vehicle was traced to Mills, authorities researched his family and social contacts, which eventually led local Santa Barbara officers, in conjunction with Nevada authorities and U.S. Marshals, right to Mills in his in-laws’ driveway, sitting in the front seat of the black Volvo.

Santa Barbara police Chief Cam Sanchez, at a press conference held on the Figueroa Street station steps, lauded his detectives, promising violent offenders in the area that they will always be hunted down, wherever they may run.

Green Bay Packer suspected of drunk driving

staffreport — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:24:00 +0000

GRASS VALLEY — Green Bay Packers’ tight end Spencer Havner is facing possible drunk driving charges after he broke a shoulder blade when he crashed his motorcycle in his hometown of Grass Valley early Saturday.

The California Highway Patrol said the 27-year-old Havner was not wearing a helmet when his motorcycle veered out of control at the end of a cul-de-sac about 2:45 a.m. Saturday.

The accident occurred in his hometown of Grass Valley, about 55 miles north of Sacramento. Besides the shoulder injury, the CHP said Havner had cuts to his head and left arm, as well as multiple bruises. Havner’s agent, Mark Humenik, said the injuries were relatively minor.

Havner was arrested at the hospital, where officers said he was found to be under the influence.

Senior duped into phone scam

Damschroder — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:08:12 +0000

LOS OSOS — An elderly man from Los Osos was duped out of $2,400 in a telephone-fraud scam by a man who claimed he was the victim’s grandson.

The fake relative was arrested in Canada for driving under the influence and being involved in a traffic collision, according to San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s officials.

A second male, who claimed he was a public defender, also spoke to the victim during the same March 4 phone call and asked for $2,400 in bail money for the so-called grandson, said sheriff’s spokesman Rob Bryn.

The victim wired the money and the scammers called back the next day requesting another $2,400 to cover additional charges. This time, though, the victim did not fall for the scam.

“He figured it out,” Bryn said.

Bryn said it was likely the scammers did not research the victim to learn he had a grandson, but rather called people until they found someone whom their scam fit.

“If someone didn’t have a grandson, they just ignore it,” Bryn said of the increasingly common scheme.

“The relative/friend/co-worker in jail scam has been active for the last year and is a variation of phone and internet scams nationwide,” Bryn said. “If you receive a call of this nature, do not respond to the caller, but secure a call back name and number while you check with the person or a relative to determine if the call is legitimate.”

Homicide detectives called in on attack

leebrown — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:00:09 +0000

SAN BERNARDINO — An assault at a convenience store left one man on life support.

Homicide detectives were contacted Monday to investigate the assualt suspecting that the 63-year-old vcitim would die.

Nathan Macon, who was attacked around 6 p.m. Thursday March 11 as he entered a convenience store in west San Bernardino, remains on life support. Family members reportedly told police that he is not expected to survive the attack.

“The prognosis (for Macon’s recovery) is very, very poor,” said Sgt. Dave Dillon.

Reports said Macon was holding the door open for some customers when words were exchanged. Dillon said two suspects began punching Macon, knocking him to the ground.

The assault continued, with the suspects punching and kicking Macon while he was down, Dillon said. Reports say the suspects, who are still being sought, fled in a gray car.

The site of the attack was Jimmy’s Food, located at Base Line Street and Medical Center Drive.

Dillon said it appears Macon did nothing to provoke the attack. A motive for the argument and fight is still not clear. Reports say that witnesses have not provided many details except forvague suspect descriptions.

San Bernardino authorities say those with information should contact Det. Glen Carr at (909) 384-5628.