Crime Beat

KNIFE-WIELDING ROBBERY SUSPECT SOUGHT IN LAKESIDE

 

By Miriam Raftery

May 4, 2014 (Lakeside)--The San Diego Sheriff's Department Santee Station is asking for the public's help in providing any information that would lead to the arrest of a suspect who threatened a man with a knife and robbed him in Lakeside.

On Saturday, May 3rd, at 9:22 p.m. the suspect approached the victim who was riding his bike home from a meeting in the unincorporated area of El Cajon on Los Coches Road near Interstate 8. The suspect ran up to the victim and brandished a knife with a 4-6 inch blade and demanded cash. The suspect left the area on foot northbound towards Lakeside.


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ELDER ABUSE THEFT CASE: SUSPECT SOUGHT IN LEMON GROVE

 

April 30, 2014 (Lemon Grove) - The San Diego County Sheriff's Department's Elder Abuse Unit and Crime Stoppers want your help in identifying and finding two men wanted on suspicion of scamming an elderly man out of $10,000.


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FBI SWAT TEAM ARRESTS FUGITIVE IN SPRING VALLEY

55 Charged in Massive Crackdown on West Coast Crips Street Gang and Others

 

April 29, 2014 (Spring Valley)--FBI Special Agent in Charge, Daphne Hearn, has announced the arrest of Terrence Mack Carter, age 30, on Tuesday, April 29, 2014.  Carter was taken into custody by members of the San Diego FBI SWAT Team at approximately 3:00 p.m. today in the vicinity of the 9000 block of Kenwood Drive, Spring Valley, California. He was arrested after members of the San Diego FBI SWAT Team made entry into the apartment Carter was hiding in.

 


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CUSTODY AWARDED TO ALLEDGEDLY ABUSIVE PARENTS

 

Proposed “Damon’s Law” seeks to protect abused children in California

By Jordan Schaffner

April 11, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)—Shockingly, parents accused of molesting and abusing their children have been awarded custody – including some cases in San Diego and East County.

One case, regarding a 16 year old boy, Damon Moelter, was first  heard at the El Cajon courthouse, where Damon accused his father,  Eric Moelter of sexually abusing him since he was 6 years old.   Although his father was never convicted, Damon’s experience has prompted legislation in Sacramento aimed at protecting other children in similar situations.


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AMBER ALERT: TODDLER ABDUCTED

 

Update: This missing child has been found.

 

April 28, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - The California Highway Patrol has issued a statewide Amber Alert for three year old Tanya Ruiz. She is a Hispanic female, three feet tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown shirt with flowers and blue jean shorts and sandals. She was abducted from the Fresno area last night at 7:45 p.m.


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MAN FOUND DEAD IN SAN CARLOS MAY BE HIT AND RUN VICTIM

 

April 25, 2014 (San Carlos) – Police believe that 52-year-old Jackie Clinton Jackson, Jr. may be a victim of a hit-and-run accident.  Jackson was found by a passerby unresponsive in the street between parked vehicles in the 8000 block of Beaver Lake Drive in San Diego’s San Carlos neighborhood on April 24.


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TWO YOUNG PEOPLE KILLED IN LAKESIDE CRASH; DRIVER CHARGED WITH MURDER

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 25, 2014 (Lakeside) – San Diego residents Carlos Kristopher Vargas and Monica Yvette Lupercio, each 20 years old , died of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident April 19 on westbound Interstate 8  near the Lake Jennings exit in Lakeside.  Vargas and Lupercio  were passengers in the backseat, both wearing seatbelts when the vehicle drifted into the median. 

The driver , Mario Alberto Carranza, had a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit. Because of a prior DUI on his record, Carranza has been charged with murder. He pled not guilty and his hearing is set for May 1st.


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MASSIVE CRIMINAL GANG SWEEP NABS DOZENS, INCLUDING EAST COUNTY DEFENDANTS

 

Charges include execution-style murders, racketeering, gun-running and drug smuggling involving El Cajon High School students

East County News Service

April 25, 2014 (San Diego)—U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy today unsealed a complaint revealing charges filed against 35 people, including many alleged members and associates of the West Coast Crips criminal street gang.  The defendants, include many from East County.  They face charges of participating in three drug- and gun-related conspiracies, including one that alleges a racketeering enterprise with execution-style murders, a takeover-style robbery, high-speed chases, witness intimidation and other acts of violence.


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HOT PROWL BURGLARY IN COLLEGE AREA

 

April 23, 2014 (San Diego) – Campus police at San Diego State University have sent an alert warning students about a hot prowl burglary that occurred around 3:50 a.m. this morning.  A female victim awakened to find an unknown man burglarizing her apartment.


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LA MESA POLICE ARREST SDPD OFFICER FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST HIS WIFE

 

 

April 23, 2014 (La Mesa) – San Diego Police Officer Gilbert Anthony Lorenzo has been arrested by La Mesa Police yesterday for felony domestic violence against his wife. La Mesa Police Chief Matt Nicholas said that the victim did not require medical attention.

Officer Lorenzo, who has worked for SDPD for seven years, was released on $50,000 bail and has been suspended from duty, SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman said.


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SAN DIEGO POLICE SEEK MASKED MAN IN BLACK VEHICLE WHO KIDNAPPED & SEXUALLY ASSAULTED GIRL, 12

 

Update: Police have concluded that this incident was a hoax; the girl has admitted she was not abducted by a stranger.

By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2014 (San Diego) – San Diego Police are seeking a man in  a black mask, driving an older black SUV or van who reportedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl. The girl was walking near the 4700 block of F Street about 7 p.m.Monday evening when she was abducted at gunpoint.

According to police, the suspect is described as a black man, 40-50 years old, with tattoos on his hands and arm. He wore a black mask, shirt and pants and was driving an older black SUV or van.  He was armed with a handgun.


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SHERIFF WARNS OF WARRANT SCAM CALLS

 

April 22, 2014 (San Diego)--It's a startling phone call you could receive: "There's a warrant out for your arrest." A scam going on right now in many counties hopes that fear will cause you to act without thinking.


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CHURCH BURGLARY SUSPECTS ARRESTED

 

April 14, 2014 (Ramona) – San Diego Sheriff’s department announces the arrest of two suspects believed to have robbed St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Ramona as well as a residential burglary in San Marcos.


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ARRESTS MADE IN MURDER OF LAKESIDE WOMAN FOUND BURNED IN ALPINE

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 22, 2014 (Alpine)—Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of Lakeside resident Kimberly Renee Hayes. According to Lt. Glenn Giannantonio with the Sheriff’s homicide unit, Hayes was murdered in an apartment in El Cajon on March 8; the next morning her body was dumped and set on fire on a dirty road off Sequan Truck Trail in Alpine.


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EAST COUNTY CRIME SPREE SUBJECT NOW IN CUSTODY

 

April 19, 2014 (Spring Valley)--A man wanted in connection with a crime spree in East County is now in custody. Kevin Knight (1/12/71) was arrested around 8:30 a.m. today (4/09/2014) near a Wendy's at the intersection of Campo Road and Spring Street in Spring Valley.


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SWAT STANDOFF ENDS IN SUSPECT'S SUICIDE

 

Update:  The suspect has been identified by the Medical Examiner as Robert Deleon, 40, of Spring Valley.

April 21, 2014 (La Mesa ) – A SWAT standoff has ended in La Mesa, with the suspect dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, five hours after barricading himself into a local motel.

A SWAT team and armored vehicle were called to  La Mesa after a parolee fired a gunshot at U.S. Marshals attempting to serve him with a warrant at the Rodeway Inn this morning, according La Mesa Police. The Inn is located in the 4200 block of Spring Street near state Routes 94 and 125.  The public was urged to avoid the area.


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DUI DRIVER FACES DOUBLE MURDER CHARGE

 

April 19, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Alberto Casteneda Carranza, 26, will be charged with murder in the deaths of two 20-year-old passengers following a crash on I-8 west of Lake Jennings Park Road in East County this morning at 7:26 a.m.


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JURY FINDS ALHIMIDI GUILTY OF MURDERING HIS WIFE

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 19, 2014 (El Cajon ) – After a day and a half of deliberations, an El Cajon jury on Thursday found Iraqi immigrant Kassim Alhimidi guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Shaima Alawadi.

After the verdict was read, Alhimidi prayed and spoke in Arabic, professing, “I attest to God that I am not the killer. I’m innocent,”  ECM news partner 10 News reports. 

Family members showed outbursts of emotion, divided in their reactions.  The couple’s oldest son, Mohammed, rose and shouted profanities, exclaiming, “My dad is innocent, he was tried unfairly,” before being restrained and  escorted out of the courtroom.  But Mohammed’s brother, Ali, reportedly said he supports the verdict.


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FBI ADVICE FOR U.S. COLLEGE STUDENTS ABROAD: BE AWARE OF FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE THREAT

 

Photo:  Duffie Shriver, student convicted of espionage

April 17, 2014 (San Diego)—On April 14, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the release of a 28 minute video entitled Game of Pawns: The Glenn Duffie Shriver Story video. The video was released in an effort to educate the public and especially students traveling abroad about the espionage threat. The video is posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=R8xlUNK4JHQ


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PROSECUTION RESTS ITS CASE IN MURDER TRIAL OF IRAQI MAN IN EL CAJON

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 16, 2014 (El Cajon)—Yesterday the prosecution rested its case in the trial of Kassim Alhimidi, an Iraqi immigrant who is accused of murdering his wife, Shaima Alawadi.  Alhimidi’s fate now rests in the hands of a jury at the courthouse in El Cajon.

The killer repeatedly struck Alawadi in the head from behind while she was sitting at a computer in her El Cajon home in March 2012.  Police believe the murderer was someone  the victim knew and trusted, since she was not wearing her hijab, a traditional head scarf, during the attack.


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FUNDRAISER IN LAKESIDE, NEW WEBSITE AIMS TO RAISE REWARD IN TRIPLE-MURDER CASE

 

April 14, 2014 (Lakeside) - Last year on Christmas Eve, Salvatore Belvedere and his brother’s fiancé, Ilona Flint, were found mortally wounded in a vehicle parked at Mission Valley Center.  Flint managed to call 911 despite having been shot in the head.  She died at the scene and her finance later succumbed to his wounds at a hospital. Both were 22 years old.


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READER'S EDITORIAL: EXPLOSIVE TESTIMONY IN ALHIMIDI MURDER TRIAL

 

Daughter told friend she saw a "white guy" fleeing murder scene

By Robert Clark

April 13, 2014 (El Cajon)--The trial of Kassim Alhimidi for the murder of his wife, Shaima Alawadi, in El Cajon District Court is winding down. According to Judge William McGrath, the case could go to the jury as early perhaps as April 15, following completion of presentation of evidence, his jury instructions, and closing arguments.

The prosecution rested at 10:06 a.m. on April 11, having presented 108 exhibits into evidence. The defense called four witnesses before court adjourned about 2:30 p.m.


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MAN ARMED WITH AX AND GUN ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SPRING VALLEY STORE CLERK

 

By Miriam Raftery

 

April 13, 2014 (Spring Valley)—A man who allegedly assaulted and seriously injured a store clerk with the blunt end of a hatchet has been arrested following a pursuit in Spring Valley yesterday afternoon.

Harold Hill, 24, who was wanted for a parole violation, entered Jamacha Produce on Jamacha Blvd in Spring Valley armed with a gun and a hatchet at 3:26 p.m, according to Sergeant Daniel Vengler with the San Diego Sheriff . Customers, including a 12 year-old girl, hid in the store as Hill confronted the 34 year-old clerk.


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SDSU CRIME ALERT: WOMAN REPORTS MAN GRABBED HER NEAR PARKING LOT

 

April 11, 2014 (San Diego) – San Diego State University campus police have issued an alert warning studies that at 10:45 this morning, a female student reported that a man grabbed her buttocks from behind and asked her to come into a parking structure with him.  The incident occurred while the student was walking on Montezuma Road at East Campus Drive.  The victim continued walking and was not injured.


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FBI SEEKS INFO ON SUSPECTED CHILD PREDATOR

 

April 10, 2014 (Washington D.C.) -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seeking the public’s assistance with obtaining identifying information regarding an unknown male suspected of sexually exploiting a child.  Photographs and informational posters depicting the unknown individual, known only as John Doe 28, are being disseminated to the public and can be found online at the FBI website at http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap


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SHERIFF RESPONSE TIMES IN RURAL AREAS RAISE CONCERNS

 

By Miriam Raftery

 J. Richmond also contributed to this ECM special report

Records obtained by ECM show longer response times in rural areas than urban communities; new substation won't increase staffing

April 10, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) -- Recently, Potrero resident Tarah Corey called 911 to report that someone in her area had been crying out and screaming for help and to send officers immediately. She was shocked to finally receive a call back from the Sheriff’s department 45 minutes later to check to see if the screaming had stopped, according to posts on the Mountain Empire Community Facebook page. While you would expect a quick response to such a dire and life-threatening situation, she learned the hard way in East County’s backcountry that’s not always the case.


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DEPUTY STABBED,SUSPECT SHOT IN LA MESA

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 8, 2014 (La Mesa) – A man who stabbed a Sheriff’s deputy  was shot by the deputy’s partner this morning in La Mesa.


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EAST COUNTY FISHERMEN REPORT THEY WERE SHOT AT ON SAN DIEGO RIVER

 

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

April 9, 2014 (San Diego) – Two East County men told police that several shots were fired at them while they were fishing in a canoe along the San Diego River near the Friars Road overpass on Monday . 

The men said they jumped into the water and swam to shore, dodging more bullets. They believe someone was intentionally aiming to harm them.


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HOME INVASION SUSPECT WANTED: ARMED AND DANGEROUS

 

Update: This suspect has been arrested.

April 8, 2014 (Rancho San Diego)-- Deputies with the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station want your help in finding a man wanted in connection with a string of commercial robberies, home invasions and car thefts in East County.


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LICENSE TO STEAL: FBI CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION INTO EL CAJON DMV CONTINUES

 

Photo: Surveillance video shows DMV employee accepting cash from license applicant.

Source: FBI http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/february/corruption-in-a-san-diego-motor-vehicle-office

February 25, 2014 (El Cajon) --You could call this scam a license to steal, and it certainly was—until it all came crashing down on the corrupt state employees and their accomplices who were selling California driver’s licenses for cash.


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