statewide California news
Fire crews responded to a brush fire that spread to at least one structure late Monday in eastern Santa Clara County, according to Cal Fire. The fire had burned about 4 acres, and the burning structure posed a challenge to firefighters trying to contain the flames, Cal Fire said. 47-Acre Brush Fire Destroys 2 Buildings in East SJ Foothills Photo Credit: Cal Fire
LOOMIS (CBS13) — Three people are in jail for breaking into the home of a dead former sheriff’s deputy and stealing his identity. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office says the burglary happened in Loomis last May. On top of stealing credit cards and checks, the suspects are also accused of stealing personal memorabilia from the victim, a former member of law enforcement. The signs say “stay away” in front of the victim’s house in Loomis, but in May, three people reportedly broke through the gate to his home and stole his identity. Rick Pipes, a neighbor, says, “He had been there for 20 or 25 years.” Pipes said the victim, Bob, died just a few weeks before the break-in. READ ALSO: Sheriff’s Office Looking For Owners Of Abandoned Trailer In Stockton “He had lung cancer, six-months later, he was gone,” Pipes said. The Sheriff’s Office isn’t releasing the victim’s identity, but we’re told these suspects somehow knew he died, and took advantage. Angela Musallam with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said, “They took that as a crime of opportunity to break into the home and steal…
Authorities are investigating whether possibly the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history is behind the death of an Arkansas woman in 1994. Police in Pine Bluff are reviewing the case of Jolanda Jones’s death after Samuel Little confessed to her killing, which had been determined to be drug-related. Investigators have linked 79-year-old Little to more than 60 killings in at least 14 states dating back to the 1970s. He said he killed 93 women as he crisscrossed the country over the years. He told investigators he targeted women who wouldn’t be missed right away, such as street people or prostitutes, and whose necks appealed to him for strangulation as that gave him sexual gratification. According to a police memo, when Little was in custody in Dallas, Texas, in October 2018, he indicated that he killed Jones, the Pine Bluff Commercial reported . The memo also said that Little painted a picture of Jones as he had of many of his previous victims. Deputy Pine Bluff Police Chief Terry Hopson said Little described details of how he killed Jones on a Pine Bluff road. Those…
Police are searching for a driver who beat another driver with a tire iron in a road rage incident in Long Beach on May 10. An illustration of a man involved in a road rage incident in Long Beach is seen in this sketch provided by California Highway Patrol. The incident happened on Interstate 605 southbound, south of Spring Street, around 7:55 p.m. on May 10, California Highway Patrol said in a news release. A white Chevrolet Silverado was in a crash with an unknown model Nissan sedan. After the crash, both drivers exited the freeway at Willow Street and got out of their vehicles. The driver of the Nissan (the suspect depicted in the sketch), approached the driver of the Chevy Silverado, who was standing outside her vehicle, CHP said. The suspect then began beating the woman in the arms, chest, and face with a tire iron and his fists. The victim sustained major injuries and is now in the recovery process, CHP said. The suspect then got back in the Nissan and fled the scene west on Willow Street. The Nissan is described…
Taxpayer-funded family planning clinics must stop referring women for abortions immediately, the Trump administration said Monday, declaring it will begin enforcing a new regulation hailed by religious conservatives and denounced by medical organizations and women’s rights groups. The head of a national umbrella group representing the clinics said the administration is following “an ideological agenda” that could disrupt basic health care for many low-income women. Ahead of a planned conference Tuesday with the clinics, the Health and Human Services Department formally notified them that it will begin enforcing the ban on abortion referrals, along with a requirement that clinics maintain separate finances from facilities that provide abortions. Another requirement that both kinds of facilities cannot be under the same roof would take effect next year. The rule is widely seen as a blow against Planned Parenthood, which provides taxpayer-funded family planning and basic health care to low-income women, as well as abortions that must be paid for separately. The organization is a mainstay of the federally funded family planning program and it has threatened to quit over the issue. Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen said…
A Huntington Beach woman who vanished four days ago while camping with her husband in Inyo County has been found alive, and her family says she got lost while trying to hide from a man who threatened to rape her. Sheryl Powell, 60, was located near the Montenegro Springs area, roughly 2 and a half miles from where she disappeared in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Inyo County sheriff’s officials said in a news release. Rescuers described her as “resilient and strong but exhausted after being lost in an extremely remote area” within the national forest east of Bishop, authorities said. She was being taken to a nearby hospital for medical clearance. Just two and a half hours before, search crews announced they had found Powell’s 4-pound Yorkie-poo. The pooch was in an area just above where her owner was found, officials said. Powell disappeared with her dog Miley after taking out the pet while her husband moved their Jeep near their remote campsite in the Bristlecone Pine Forest area, according to the Sheriff’s Office. “This took 5 minutes or less but when he got…
President Donald Trump on Monday asked the Senate to confirm Mark Esper as the successor to former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose resignation last December opened an unprecedented period of senior-level instability at the Pentagon. The moment the nomination was received by the Senate on Monday afternoon, Esper was required to step out of his role as acting defense secretary — a job he has held since June — until he is confirmed as the permanent secretary. He reverted to his previous position of Army secretary. Filling in for Esper pending his confirmation is Richard Spencer, who has been the civilian leader of the Navy since August 2017. Spencer’s tenure as acting secretary is expected to be brief. Esper will have his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday and could be confirmed as early as Thursday. Spencer would then return to the Navy. As soon as he took the handoff from Esper, Spencer sent a brief letter to all military and civilian personnel of the Defense Department. “While my time in this role is anticipated to be brief, I am fully prepared and committed to serve…
DUBLIN — A city employee who worked as a youth swimming instructor has been arrested on suspicion of viewing child pornography, according to court records. James Happ, 18, allegedly looked at child porn videos of a prepubescent girl, while using the chat application Skype. He is the subject of two investigations, one in Contra Costa County — where he sometimes stayed with his dad — and one in Dublin, where he worked and sometimes stayed with his mom. Happ worked at the Dublin Wave Community Center & Pool at the time of his arrest, authorities said. Dublin police say they are looking into the possibility that Happ molested children who got swimming lessons from him, but no victims have been identified yet. The investigation is ongoing, a police spokesman said. Contra Costa authorities arrested Happ last week, and he quickly posted bail and was freed from jail, authorities said. He has not yet been charged with a crime, but investigators are expected to ask the Contra Costa District Attorney to file felony charges against him within days. The investigation started when the company Microsoft, which…
By Caleb Jones and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher | Associated Press MAUNA KEA, Hawaii — Singing, chanting and lying on the ground in the road, hundreds of people demonstrated on Monday against the construction of a giant telescope on a mountaintop that some Native Hawaiians consider sacred. The protests were the latest salvo in a yearslong fight that pits scientific discovery against cultural preservation. Scientists hope the massive telescope planned for the site, a world-renowned location for astronomy, will help them peer back to the time just after the Big Bang and answer fundamental questions about the universe. But some Native Hawaiians consider the land holy, as a realm of gods and a place of worship. At about daybreak Monday, a group of kupuna, or elders, sitting in chairs, tied themselves together with rope and blocked the road to the summit of Mauna Kea. Another group of protesters lay prone on the ground, with their arms shackled under a grate in the road. The road was officially closed hours after it was essentially blocked by protesters. The elders tied together were expecting to be arrested. After…
For 80 years visitors have flocked to the Amador County town of Volcano to marvel at one of life’s simple pleasures: Daffodils springing forth after a long winter to welcome the sun. But as Daffodil Hill grew — to 300,000 blooms many years — so did its appeal as a tourist attraction. And now it’s become a victim of its own success. The owners announced Monday on Facebook that they are closing the Hill “indefinitely.” “While we, the Ryan family, have enjoyed sharing our serene and peaceful Daffodil Hill with the general public, it is with deep sadness that we announce our decision to close the Hill indefinitely. “This decision is the most difficult that we, as a family, have ever made. The generations that came before us who purchased this property in 1887, which evolved into Daffodil Hill, could never have envisioned that their efforts would have ever grown into such a beloved attraction.” In a story first reported by KCRA.com, the Ryans said that the limited road infrastructure and parking lots “created liability and safety concerns for everyone involved.” The post continues: “Due…
Associated Press MURRIETA — A natural gas explosion destroyed a Southern California home, killed a gas company worker and injured more than a dozen other people Monday, authorities said. The explosion shortly after noon sent up a wall of fire and smoke and rocked nearby homes before the gas was shut off and the fire doused more than an hour later. Photos from the scene showed the home virtually torn apart, with flames burning about 20 feet high. Firefighters and Southern California Gas Co. workers went to the home after a report that a contractor had damaged a gas line. Firefighters arrived about an hour before the blast, which occurred shortly after noon. Murrieta Deputy Fire Chief David Lantzer said 15 people were injured, but he had no information about their injuries. He also couldn’t confirm that anyone had died. However, SoCalGas representatives said one gas worker was killed, a second was taken to the hospital and one person living in the home may be unaccounted for. Neighbors said the explosion shattered windows throughout the neighborhood. Kevin McKinney, 63, lives in a home next door…
One day after tweaking a muscle in his leg, Angels star Mike Trout was out of the lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium. The Angels, however, remain optimistic that Trout’s tight right calf is a minor issue. Trout had not returned from an MRI appointment…
A Los Angeles Unified School District police officer shot a man in South Los Angeles on Monday after the man struck the officer with his vehicle, authorities said. The officer was driving north on Broadway near 86th Place about 11 a.m. when he initiated a traffic stop to investigate a possible…
A Huntington Beach woman who went missing last week while camping was found alive Monday afternoon in a remote area near the Nevada border, authorities said. Sheryl Powell, 60, was reported missing about 2 p.m. Friday in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest area in Inyo County. Her husband told…