October 14, 2012 (La Mesa)—A woman carrying her 2-year-old child in the 8000 block of University Avenue in La Mesa was pushed  from behind, then robbed of her purse at 7:30 p.m. last night. 

According to La Mesa Police, the victim was crossing the street when the man shoved her in the back, then stole her purse and fled.  Neither the woman nor her child were injured.  The suspect remains at large.

October 8, 2012 (La Mesa)—A man shot in the head in the 5800 block of Amarillo Avenue in La Mesa on October 4 has been declared brain dead of his injuries. The victim has been identified as Josue Rodriguez, 33. 

Antonio Garcia, 32, of La Mesa has been arrested and will be booked for murder, according to La Mesa Police.

Authorities are also looking for a second man, described as Hispanic, who was seen leaving the scene in a silver Honda with two women in the vehicle, La Mesa Today reported.

October 5, 2012 (East County) -- Former Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Matthew Harvey Hedge has reported to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department License and Registration Division on October 3, 2012 that he is now a transient in the areas of Spring Valley and Lemon Grove.

Since the court lifted his designation as an SVP on September 28, 2012, Hedge is free to live and go anywhere. He is no longer required to wear a GPS tracking device. He has served the sentence imposed by the court and is not currently on parole or probation.  Hedge is required to notify the Sheriff's Department of his whereabouts every 30 days.

October 5, 2012 (El Cajon)--El Cajon Police responded to calls reporting gunshots heard in the 1300 block of Oakdale this evening at 7:40 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found a 22-year-old man with a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his leg.

"Officers were able to determine there was some type of argument in the street just prior to the shooting. The victim was transported to an area hospital. It is unclear at this time what led to the shooting," said Lt. Mike Moulton.

October 5, 2012 (Spring Valley)—Last night around 10:35 p.m., Lemon Grove Deputies received a radio call reporting a strong arm robbery at the 7-11 store at 103 Worthington St. in Spring Valley. One suspect was a Hispanic male with a large build, shaved head, goatee, and multiple tattoos, wearing a white tank top and black shorts. The second suspect was a Hispanic female, average build, wearing a black tee-shirt and black spandex pants. Both suspects entered the store and selected one 18-pack of Miller light and one 18-pack of Bud light.

Additional details released by Chula Vista Police

October 3, 2012 (Chula Vista)- A young mother of five who was shot to death September 28 after striking a plainsclothes Border Patrol officer with her vehicle was on probation for possession of drug paraphernalia in a 2011 offense, Captain Gary Wedge with the Chula Vista Police told ECM today. “She also had a prior conviction for possession of methamphetamine.”   

Chula Vista Police Department is continuing its investigation into the death of Valeria Munique Tachiquin-Alvarado. Today, the Department released additional details on the shooting.  

“There is a troubling and growing pattern of abuse and excessive use of force committed by Border Patrol agents; our community demands to know what led to such a brutal act by that plainclothes agent.” – Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee U.S. Mexico Border Program

October 1, 2012 (Chula Vista)—Family members  and human rights advocates seek answers  from authorities following the bizarre shooting death of Valeria Tachiquin-Alvarado, 32, mother of five young children, by a Border Patrol officer in plainclothes.  A candlelight vigil for the victim is planned tonight at 6 p.m.

Witness accounts vary sharply from the initial report released by authorities.  The San Diego Medical Examiner has ruled the death a homicide.

September 29, 2012 (La Mesa)—A man waiting at a bus stop in the 5200 block of Baltimore Drive in La Mesa reported that he was robbed at knife point at 6:05 this morning.  The victim told police that a gold-four door sedan pulled up by the bus stop. A man with a goatee got out and held a knife to the victim’s side while a woman grabbed the victim’s backpack.

Sgt. Craig Johnson, also wounded, is recovering after surgery

Suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder

By Miriam Raftery

September 27, 2012 (El Cajon )—The San Diego Blood Bank seeks blood donations for San Diego Sheriff Detective Ali Perez, who is in critical condition after being shot with a high-powered rifle yesterday during an attempted arrest in Lakeside. 

By Miriam Raftery

September 25, 2012 (Lakeside) – Two Sheriff’s deputies have undergone surgery after they were shot by a man suspected of child abuse, Captain Duncan Fraser said.  The suspect also suffered wounds, though it is unclear whether they were self-inflicted or if he was shot by deputies.

All three were transported to hospitals and details of their condition has not been released.Authorities have not yet identified the deputies or the suspect.However a woman who said she was the suspect’s girlfriend told media that she found pornographic photos of her boyfriend, Dan Witczak, 30, with one of her two young daughters, 6 and 8. 

September 24, 2012 (Ramona) – A man, 34, was shot and killed in Ramona on September 16 at 3 p.m. following an altercation with a homeowner and the homeowner’s son in the 1300 block of Walnut Street.

According to Lt. Glenn Giannantonio with the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail,  the victim was unknown to the homeowner.  “The man got into an argument with the homeowner and the two started fighting. The homeowner's adult son also got involved in the altercation. The homeowner's son retrieved a gun from the residence and the man was ordered to leave at gunpoint. There was a struggle over the gun and the man was shot by the homeowner.”

September 22, 2012 (La Mesa) – Around 9:43 last night, La Mesa Police responded to a report of a vehicle accident at Myrtle and Johnson. Upon arrival, they found a Hispanic male face-down on the ground. He had suffered a gunshot wound to his face.

The man died early this morning at a local hospital of his injuries. Police are investigating this as a homicide.  If you have information please call La Mesa Police at 619-463-6611.

By Nadin Abbott

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this story

September 14, 2012 (San Diego)—Former El Cajon Councilwoman Jillian Hanson-Cox appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge William W. Gallo.  Her voice flat and without emotion, Hanson-Cox pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of failing to report income on her tax returns.  

Charges filed against her state that “beginning no later than April 2004, and continuing through at least October 2008,” Hanson- Cox devised a plan to defraud her employer, Century Design, INC. (CDI).  The plea agreement states that Hanson-Cox embezzled  over $3.5 million from her employer, where she served as Comptroller.

September 19, 2012 (El Cajon) -- On September 14, the El Cajon Police Department in conjunction with Communities Against Substance Abuse (C.A.S.A.) and the Neighborhood Market Association will be delivering letters to 138 El Cajon businesses asking them to voluntarily decline selling the psychoactive drugs known as Spice and Bath Salts.

"The distribution and use of psychoactive herbal incense (most commonly marketed as “Spice”) and psychoactive Bath Salts (marketed under multiple brands) appears to be reaching epidemic proportions in the United States. These products are being disingenuously marketed and sold as if they were standard bath salts and incense whereas in fact they are not. Instead, they are being snorted, smoked and used intravenously," states a press release issued by El Cajon Police.

The Truth about Firearms, the Criminal Justice System, and You:  What Every Gun Owner Should Know About being Falsely Accused

According to Michelle Gesse, author of Bogus Allegations, being a gun owner puts you at increased risk for being falsely accused of a crime. (She should know—it happened to her husband!) Here, she shares what you should know about being falsely accused, and what you can do to protect yourself.

September 17, 2012 (Boulder, CO)—If you own a gun and consider yourself to be an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, you probably haven’t given much thought to being targeted or profiled because you own firearms. After all, as long as they’re legal and you don’t use them inappropriately, you have nothing to fear, right?