February 2012 News
February 28, 2012
Parolee search leads to school lockdown
Ellington Elementary School was placed on lockdown Tuesday morning while authorities searched the surrounding neighborhoods for a parolee who may also be a burglary suspect.
Sgt. Vicky Gregory of the sheriff's San Dimas station said the sheriff's department advised the school to go into lockdown about 9:20 a.m. The lockdown was lifted shortly before noon when the search was called off...
LINK - PasadenaStarNews.com
February 28, 2012
Parolee arrested at OC hotel in pimping of teen
An Oakland man has been arrested on suspicion of pimping at an Orange County hotel where he was staying with a 15-year-old girl.
The Orange County Register reports Tuesday that authorities tracked Italo Boone to the hotel in Anaheim after finding an Internet posting featuring the teen soliciting prostitution.
Investigators with the FBI's Innocence Lost task force arranged a meeting at the hotel. Boone, a parolee wanted on a narcotics violation, ran but was tracked down by officers with help from a police dog...
LINK - SFGate.com
February 28, 2012
Deputies Arrest Parolee in Deadly Mountain Gate Attack
Shasta County Sheriff Deputies have arrested a parolee connection with Tuesday's deadly attack that has left two people dead in outside a home in Mountain Gate.
Thomas John Allen McDonald, 35, is now being held on two counts of murder and parole violations, a Sheriff spokesman said during a late afternoon press conference.
The incident occurred shortly before 1 p.m...
LINK - KHSLTV.com
February 28, 2012
Parolee To Stand Trial In Fatal Shooting
A parolee accused of gunning down an acquaintance in the victim's National City apartment last summer must stand trial on murder and other charges, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Jesus Farias, 30, is accused in the death of 56-year-old Antonio Vargas...
LINK - 10News.com
February 28, 2012
Parolee shot by CHP on Hwy 101
CHP has closed southbound lanes of Highway 101 at Fifth Street and the Fifth Street overpass after a Tuesday morning shooting on the southbound onramp in Gonzales.
Traffic is being re-routed around the scene and back onto the highway.
Northbound lanes of Highway 101 near Fifth Street have been reopened.
Gonzales Police attempted to pull over a state parolee on the southbound onramp at Fifth Street, just after 9:30 a.m., when the suspect got out of his vehicle and began to run onto the highway...
LINK - KIONRightNow.com
February 28, 2012
RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Officials expect 450 more parolees
Riverside County must supervise nearly 450 more state parolees than first expected under a state law that shifts responsibility for low-level offenders to local authorities, the county’s chief probation officer said Tuesday.
Under the law, known as public-safety realignment or AB 109, Riverside County had expected to oversee 1,688 parolees this year, Chief Alan Crogan told supervisors.
But based on the actual number from October through January, that total is expected to grow to 2,136 by June 30, Crogan said...
LINK - PE.com
February 28, 2012
CA prisons using cell-phone sniffing dogs
More than 700 million people use Facebook – among them are some of California’s most-hardened prisoners.
“For the guys that we catch, it’s one of the most popular things they use in here,” said Sgt. Anthony Roman of the increasing number of inmates getting caught with cells phones.
Under state law, prisoners are forbidden to use mobile phones.
CBS2’s Jeff Nguyen recently visited the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco and Chino State Prison to see how inmates are accessing the internet and social networking sites from cell phones...
LINK - LosAngeles.CBSLocal.com
February 27, 2012
Deputies search for Most Wanted parolee in Larkin Valley area
Sheriff's deputies searched for a parolee-at-large about 11 a.m. Monday near Larkin Valley Road and Peaceful Oaks Lane.
Nicholas Daniel Tzimbal, 28, was not located after deputies searched the property, said Sgt. Christine Swannack. Tzimbal has a history of resisting officers and is considered armed and dangerous, Swannack said.
Tzimbal's last known address was in Watsonville. He is suspected of a parole violation, burglary, drug use, domestic violence and resisting arrest, according to deputies...
LINK - SantaCruzSentinel.com
February 27, 2012
Wanted parolee arrested in Roseville
Convicted sex offender and wanted parolee Mark Wayne Speer, who broke free of his GPS monitor in December while living in Vacaville, was arrested Friday night in Roseville.
On parole for sexually assaulting a child, Speer, 30, was later booked into Placer County Jail and remains there without bail, Vacaville Police Sgt. Charlie Spruill said in a press release on Saturday...
LINK - TheReporter.com
February 27, 2012
Rape Parolee Strikes Again. Woman Attacked In Downtown Fresno
A homeless parolee has a place to stay after investigators say he attacked a woman in Downtown Fresno.
Deputies say Robert Leeper hid behind a door then jumped out and tried to grab a woman in the women's restroom of the Hall Of Records last Thursday....
LINK - KMPH.com
February 27, 2012
Summary of LAO Findings and Recommendations on the 2012-13 Budget
Proposed Organizational and Budget Changes. As part of the 2011-12 budget package, the Legislature passed budget trailer legislation that made significant changes to the Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) statutory mission. Specifically, the legislation (1) removed the peace officer status for certain OIG employees, (2) eliminated the OIG’s ability to conduct certain audits and investigations at its discretion, (3) eliminated the requirement that OIG conduct quadrennial facility operation reviews and one-year warden follow-up audits, and (4) codified in statute the OIG’s medical inspection function...
LINK - LAO.ca.gov
February 27, 2012
Dementia in prisons
Secel Montgomery Sr. stabbed a woman in the stomach, chest and throat so fiercely that he lost count of the wounds he inflicted. In the nearly 25 years he has been serving a life sentence, he has gotten into fights, threatened a prison official and been caught with marijuana.
Despite that, he has recently been entrusted with an extraordinary responsibility. He and other convicted killers at the California Men’s Colony help care for prisoners with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, assisting ailing inmates with the most intimate tasks: showering, shaving, applying deodorant, even changing adult diapers...
LINK - NYTimes.com
February 27, 2012
Repeat offenders in the news
Prisons in Santa Clara County, Calif., are saying no to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and it’s leading to some embarrassing high profile incidents, including the arrests by federal agents of 63 illegal immigrants shortly after the county set them free.
As part of an ordinance passed last November, ICE agents are barred from all Santa Clara County prison facilities.
WND previously was told by a Santa Clara County official that there have been no high-profile embarrassing incidents as a result of the ordinance...
LINK - WND.com
February 27, 2012
State advised to postpone prison medical facility
California - even with a state prison medical facility already under construction southeast of Stockton - has been advised by the Legislative Analyst's Office to hold off on building new medical facilities for inmates.
That view contradicts plans by the court-appointed receiver who has run the prison health system since a federal judge declared it unconstitutional and inadequate. The receiver has plans for $2.3 billion in new clinics and upgrades.
Construction is one of the final sticking points before the state can end six years of federal oversight of inmate medical care. The judge has ordered preparations for returning control to the state but said the lack of new medical facilities is an ongoing problem...
LINK - RecordNet.com
February 27, 2012
Riverside County agencies struggling due to more inmates, parolees
Riverside County agencies are struggling to manage the increased workload resulting from a higher number of inmates in county jails and a greater number of parolees being supervised locally due to a change in state law, according to a report to be reviewed Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.
The Department of Probation will present an overview of the initial effects of Assembly Bill 109, the Public Safety Realignment Act, which took effect Oct. 1 and has since proven to be a heavier burden on local resources than originally predicted, according to the report.
“Realignment represents the most significant change in the criminal justice system in more than 30 years,'' according to the report drafted under the direction of the Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee, comprised of all the heads of county public safety agencies, as well as the Superior Court Executive Office...
LINK - MyDesert.com
February 27, 2012
Private prisons (GEO) banned from housing youth under Federal Consent Decree
Children under the supervision of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) will no longer be housed in a privately run prison or subjected to brutal solitary confinement under the terms of a groundbreaking settlement of a federal class action lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The lawsuit charged that conditions at the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, which houses youth convicted as adults, are unconstitutional. The facility is operated by GEO Group Inc., the nation’s second largest private prison corporation...
LINK - WJTV.com
February 27, 2012
California prisons face maximum security shortage
Last year, California began complying with a federal court to reduce its prison population by shifting thousands of low-level felons to county custody.
It’s called “realignment” and although it helped bring down the number of inmates in prison, it won’t solve another problem: Where to put the thousands of serious and violent inmates.
The number of inmates in state prisons has already dropped by 16,000 since realignment took effect in October. Corrections officials project that the diversion of low-level felons to counties will reduce the state prison population by 40,000 inmates within a few years. But California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation can’t shift serious felons to the counties...
LINK - SCPR.org
February 24, 2012
Lawmakers Consider Bill Opening Youth Prison To All Ages
Lawmakers in Lansing are considering two bills that would allow a youth prison near Lake County to open to inmates of all ages.
But approval could have a devastating impact on the mid-Michigan area.
At this time, nothing's set in stone, but if the bills pass it would allow the state to house inmates at the privately owned and operated facility. On one hand, the move could save a bunch of money, but on the other hand it could have a devastating impact on the local economy...
LINK - WLNS.com
February 24, 2012
Monterey police arrest burglary suspects
Monterey police say they busted a burglary ring during a surveillance operation at a Munras Avenue motel on Wednesday.
Ronald Johnson, 49, of Marina, a parolee, was stopped by police when leaving the motel in a car about 6 p.m. He was found in possession of property stolen from a commercial burglary earlier Wednesday on Cass Street, police said.
Officers searched the room where Johnson visited and found more property from the burglary — and possibly other burglaries — as well as methamphetamine, pills and evidence related to the drugs' sale, police said...
LINK - MontereyHerald.com
February 24, 2012
2012 TB Testing
The annual TB testing is being conducted in February this year as opposed to January as had been done in the past. The testing is being conducted by a State contracted medical provider.
Just a reminder of some points regarding the testing:
February 24, 2012
Wanted parolee arrested after allegedly stealing food from store
A Redding man wanted for a parole violation in Mendocino County was arrested in Clearlake early Thursday on a number of charges including possession of stolen, vandalism and alcohol-related charges.
Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph said Anthony Shane Wilburn, 26, was taken into custody in the case.
Joseph said a Clearlake Police officer was dispatched to a report of a man on a bicycle prowling parked vehicles at Winding Road Motors at 14952 Lakeshore Drive at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday....
LINK - LakeconNews.com
February 24, 2012
Parolee Breaks into Public Storage Lockers
A Foster City parolee has been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing several units at a self-storage facility in Redwood City, police said.
Police were informed at about 10:50 p.m. Saturday that four lockers had been burglarized at Public Storage, located at 1841 E. Bayshore Road.
Investigators identified 32-year-old Michael Schoening as a suspect...
LINK - RedwoodCity.Patch.com
February 24, 2012
Pension fight to dominate N.Y. budget talks; Cuomo pushes reform to cut costs
Pension benefits for new government workers in New York are shaping up to be a key battle as lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo head into the final month of budget negotiations.
With the Legislature on mid-winter break until Wednesday, Cuomo ramped up his vow to enact a new pension tier that would provide less generous benefits to new employees. He said this week that he would insist pension reform be part of the state budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year, starting April 1.
Cuomo said his effort to curb burgeoning pension costs for state and local governments pits him against special interests...
LINK - LoHud.com
February 24, 2012
Inglewood police probe shooting that left parole agent wounded
He described the suspect as an African American in his 30s, about 5 feet 9, with a mustache or goatee. He was wearing a dark gray hooded sweatshirt and dark shorts.
The assailant is believed to have fled in a white 1970s Chevrolet El Camino. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (310) 412-8771.
LINK - LATimes.com
February 23, 2012
Dunsmuir man gets prison time for car theft, chase
Douglas Jeremiah Stout, 25, of Dunsmuir, was sentenced on Tuesday in the Siskiyou County Superior Court to 8 years and 8 months in state prison. The sentence was issued by Superior Court Judge Laura Masunaga after Stout was found guilty of felony charges of vehicle theft and flight from a traffic officer with a disregard for safety.
“The defendant had four prison priors and three felony convictions for vehicle theft,” said Siskiyou County Deputy District Attorney Martha Aker. “That is why this was such a steep sentence.”
The crimes occurred on Oct. 19 in Mount Shasta. According to Aker, during the night, Stout drove off in a vehicle that was parked at Mt. Shasta Tire Shop. The vehicle owner was an employee of the business, and he had left the keys in the truck...
LINK - SiskiyouDaily.com
February 23, 2012
All in the family: Man arrested Wednesday is father of suspected jail escapee and wanted parolee
The father of a man sought by county authorities and a woman who escaped from jail last week was himself arrested Wednesday morning.
Leo Beus, 55, was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at a residence on Riverside Avenue in Santa Cruz, according to sheriff's deputy April Skalland.
Property crime detectives from the Sheriff's Office were following up on several leads to burglaries in unincorporated areas of the county. Detectives contacted Beus, who is on probation for possession of stolen property. Detectives found him to be in possession of several items that had been reported stolen. He was arrested and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 23, 2012
Kidnapping, hostage suspect Joshua Lee appears in court
Joshua Paul Lee – the Montague man who earlier this month sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest after he allegedly held a hostage at gunpoint at a Yreka apartment complex – appeared in the Siskiyou County Superior Court Tuesday for his pre-trial conference.
Lee’s defense attorney Andrew Marx requested that his client’s preliminary hearing be scheduled for March 2. At the hearing, the judge will determine whether Lee’s charges will stand. Charged with felony counts of kidnapping, domestic violence, threatening a crime with the intent to terrorize, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, false imprisonment and a slew of special allegations, Lee entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment on Feb. 6...
LINK - SiskiyouDaily.com
February 23, 2012
Suspect had history of thefts, Alameda police say
A parolee accused of stealing merchandise from Safeway at Alameda South Shore Center had been arrested on 12 previous occasions on suspicion of theft, police said.
The 35-year-old man was also in possession of hypodermic needles used for injecting heroin when a security guard at the supermarket placed him under citizen's arrest about 8:40 p.m. on Feb. 21...
LINK - InsideBayArea.com
February 23, 2012
Convicted Sex Offender Arrested
The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested 21 year old Jacory Noel Brown in Citrus Heights. Brown was wanted for Parole Violation and Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Brown was convicted on March 1st 2010 of Unlawful Sex with Minor and Prostituting Children under the age of 14. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison but was paroled in March of 2011. Soon after Brown absconded and failed to report to his Parole Agent. On January 12th 2012 an additional warrant was issued by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office for Brown who was wanted for Assault with a Deadly Weapon...
LINK - USMarshals.gov
February 23, 2012
Parolee at large wanted after fleeing authorities
A wanted man being chased by authorities eluded them after abandoning his car in a Morada orchard Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Juan Ochoa, 30, fled from authorities in his 1997 Nissan 300 ZX before leaving it on East Quashnick Road near the railroad tracks and running away, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.
Ochoa is considered armed and dangerous, Garcia said...
LINK - RecordNet.com
February 23, 2012
Off-duty parole agent shot during attempt robbery
Authorities say an off-duty parole agent was shot and wounded during an attempted robbery at a barber shop in South Los Angeles.
Inglewood police Lt. Oscar Serrano said the department received a call of shots fired at about 5 p.m. from the Morningside Park Barber Shop on Crenshaw Boulevard...
LINK - CBSLocal.com
February 23, 2012
New prison medical facilities unnecessary, analyst says
California should hold off on building new medical facilities for prison inmates, according to report released Thursday by the legislative analyst’s office.
The report contradicts plans by a court-appointed receiver, who has run the prison health system since a federal judge declared it unconstitutionally inadequate, for $2.3 billion in new clinics and upgrades.
Construction is one of the final sticking points before the state can end six years of federal oversight of inmate medical care. The judge has ordered preparations for returning control to the state, but said the lack of new medical facilities is an ongoing problem...
LINK - LATimes.com
February 22, 2012
Prisons overflow, but not youth camps
Counting down from three, Probation Supervisor Chris Bussey pulled the fire alarm, causing a siren to blare throughout Camp Glenwood.
He and about two dozen other emergency officials hustled out to the quad to watch the commotion as a small cluster of their teenage wards streamed out of the camp dormitories and lined up to be shuttled off-site.
The La Honda honor camp, a rural setting where young offenders serve out their punishments, was holding its first-ever evacuation drill. The drill came at a particularly easy time for those in charge...
LINK - HMBReview.com
February 22, 2012
More hardened criminals now at Siskiyou County Jail
Sergeant Robert Goyeneche says the atmosphere at the Siskiyou County Jail is getting more criminally sophisticated, with politics more like what’s commonly seen in state prisons.
County officials say this is the biggest change they’ve seen since the state’s public safety realignment went into effect nearly four months ago.
Under realignment, parolees (now officially referred to as Post-Release Community Supervision participants, or PRCS) cannot be sent back to state prison unless they commit a new serious felony...
LINK - MTShastaNews.com
February 22, 2012
Riverside: Pursuit of parolee leads to officer-involved shooting
Riverside police officers attempting to chase down an allegedly armed parolee today opened fire during the pursuit, but didn’t hit anyone, a sergeant said.
The officer-involved shooting happened around 3:30 a.m. in the vicinity of Sedgewick and University avenues, in the city’s Eastside neighborhood, according to Sgt. David Amador.
He said two patrol officers stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation, and a man in the passenger seat immediately bolted...
LINK - SWRNN.com
February 22, 2012
City workers oppose San Jose’s pension reform plans
Tom Saggau doesn’t want to see the number of San Jose public servants decrease as a side effect of poor negotiating.
Pension reform is a large concern in San Jose, as it is in many cities across America. A report released by Joe Nation and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research this December reveals a dangerous risk for the city. It says San Jose may not be able to fulfill its public employees’ pension benefits when they retire. The institute wants to inform economic policy in the United States and other countries via research and analysis. The report states that San Jose, over the next 16 years, has only an 18 percent chance of covering the deficit that underfunded public pensions created.
Saggau doubts the report’s validity....
LINK - PeninsulaPress.com
February 22, 2012
Cuomo draws line over his NY pension reform plan
Gov. Andrew Cuomo told the Legislature on Wednesday that he's willing to risk a shut-down of government to create a cheaper pension system for the next generations of public workers.
"It is one of the seminal clashes of this budget and of my administration," Cuomo told reporters. "The question is, does this body, does this government, does this Legislature perpetuate a pension system that is on the verge of bankrupting the state ... or does the Legislature respond to the needs of the people?..."
LINK - WSJ.com
February 22, 2012
Republicans challenge Democrats on pension reform
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday challenged Gov. Jerry Brown to get Democratic support for the pension reforms he introduced four months ago.
GOP leaders in the Senate and Assembly announced a package of bills identical to the Democratic governor's proposal, which seeks to bring public-sector retirement benefits more in line with those at private employers.
"We believe it's a good start," said Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar. "It's certainly rare that you see us agreeing with the Democrat governor. ... But today we stand here with the governor to get this pension reform..."
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 22, 2012
California’s top labor official quits
Amid government layoffs, budget cuts and looming contract talks, the state's top labor relations official is stepping down.
Ronald Yank told Department of Personnel Administration staff on Tuesday that he's leaving. The Brown administration, which hadn't named a successor to the key post as of late Tuesday afternoon, declined to make Yank available for an interview.
Department spokeswoman Lynelle Jolley said Yank is leaving "around the end of this month..."
LINK - SacBee.com
February 21, 2012
State realignment leads to shorter sentences
Offenders who violate the terms of their parole may be back on the streets faster as they serve out shortened sentences in county custody under California's prison realignment plan, which some feel will lead to an increased revolving-door scenario.
“Anyone who violates parole would be doing their time in county jail and it is at half time,” said Jodi Miller, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. “The maximum sentence would be 180 days, which is immediately cut in half.”
Previously, parole violators would receive a maximum sentence of 12 months with no option for early release...
LINK - VVDailyPress.com
February 21, 2012
Prison realignment: Big impact on local homeless
Convicted felons, once in state prison, then in county jail, are back out on the streets of Bakersfield because of overcrowding in our prison system. Most people know it as prison realignment.
The Sheriff's and Probation Departments have been impacted by the program which started last fall. But, realignment affects more than law enforcement. It's the reality of realignment.
State parolees are trading life behind bars for life in a homeless shelter. "The numbers are pretty remarkable. To understand how many or project who needs what, can be a very daunting task," said Jason Meek, Bakersfield Homeless Center...
LINK - KGET.com
February 21, 2012
More realignment news: offender arrested twice in one day?
A Redding man is back behind bars after being arrested twice in one day, for two separate crimes. Officers arrested Nolan Telles early yesterday morning for burglarizing a truck behind the Oxford Suites on Hilltop Drive. He was taken to jail and quickly released.
Police say Telles then stole a car from the parking lot of the YMCA on Court Street.
Officers pulled Telles over near Cypress Avenue and Bechelli Lane last night after spotting him driving the stolen car...
LINK - KHSLTV.com
February 21, 2012
Riverside County attorneys cut deal to avoid reducing pensions
Despite Riverside County's pension reforms, about 380 attorneys have figured out a way to preserve an extra bump in pension benefits that has been, but is no longer, available to about 5,000 county employees.
Until recently, retiring attorneys, law enforcement officers, department heads, managers, county supervisors and others have drawn pensions nearly matching their pay ---- if they put in a full 30 years with the county.
For starters, working three decades entitled them to 90 percent of their highest single-year salary...
LINK - NCTimes.com
February 21, 2012
Study finds $135.7B in local pension liabilities
Two dozen city and county governments in California face a combined $135.7 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, according to a study released Tuesday that also found the problem is growing.
The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and a nonprofit group, California Common Sense, evaluated 24 local government pension systems that are not part of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the state's main pension fund. The funds ranged from those for smaller entities, such as Santa Barbara and Stanislaus County, to the largest local governments in California, including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco...
LINK - SacBee.com
February 21, 2012
California city and county pensions in trouble, report says
Many of California's biggest local governments spend an average of 10 cents of every dollar covering pension costs, according to a study of the largest independent pension plans released Tuesday.
The study, by Stanford professor and former Assemblyman Joe Nation and a junior at the school who is a member of a nonprofit that studies California governance, examines plans for cities and counties that do not rely on the state's largest public pension group, CalPERS. They include the city and county of Los Angeles, the cities of Fresno, San Jose, San Francisco and San Diego, and other jurisdictions. The pension plan unveiled by Gov. Jerry Brown last year is intended to change these plans, as well as thousands of other local ones run by CalPERS...
LINK - LATimes.com
February 21, 2012
Officials say privatizing prisons not an option in Pennsylvania
Mike Wereschagin is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer and can be reached at 412-320-7900, via e-mail or on Twitter.
After decades of explosive growth, prison systems face some of the same cost-cutting pressures as other parts of state budgets.
Gov. Tom Corbett proposed no increase in prison funding in next year's budget, which — if the state Legislature agrees — would stop a decades-long trend of rapidly rising costs. Similar cost pressures in other states prompted a private prison company to set aside $250 million to buy and run state prisons...
LINK - PittsburghLive.com
February 21, 2012
AZ Reeps do bidding for private prison companies
A budget proposal by Republican legislators would scrap a longstanding requirement that the state Department of Corrections conduct a cost and quality comparison study for publicly and privately operated state prisons.
The requirement was in state law but long ignored until about a year ago. Current Corrections Director Charles Ryan ordered that a study be conducted, and the first and only one was released in December.
But the requirement would evaporate under the Republican budget proposal...
LINK - MyFoxPhoenix.com
February 20, 2012
Should prisons save money by releasing older inmates?
An inmate at the Mule Creek State Prison sits on his bunk bed in a gymnasium that was modified to house prisoners August 28, 2007 in Ione, California.
A panel of three federal judges is looking to put a cap on the California State Prison population after class action lawsuits were filed on behalf of inmates who complained of being forced to live in classrooms, gymnasiums and other non-traditional prison housing...
LINK - SCPR.org
February 20, 2012
Prison “SNY Gangs” Part 2
Record numbers of gang dropouts in the California Prison System are flooding protective custody yards, called Sensitive Needs Yards, or “SNY's.”
Now, those supposed dropouts have formed a new brand of gang terrorizing other inmates who just want to do their time in peace.
FOX 11’s Chris Blatchford shows us Part Two of his report on SNY gangs...we find out that they're now moving their criminal influence from the prisons and into the streets...
LINK - MyFoxLA.com
February 20, 2012
Procedures like breast implants, sex changes could be disallowed
A South Valley lawmaker says he's seeking to change a state law that has the unintended consequence of allowing prison inmates to receive breast implants, sex changes and other procedures some consider medically unnecessary at taxpayer expense.
Sen. Michael Rubio, D-Bakersfield has introduced a measure that would eliminate what he calls a glitch in the law, which regulates prison medical care without a legal framework, to hold the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation accountable for what he considers unnecessary treatment...
LINK - HanfordSentinel.com
February 20, 2012
Prison privatization proposal failure stings Fla. Senate President Mike Haridopolos
Last year, it took until the last day of the legislative session for Senate President Mike Haridopolos to get embarrassed. This year, it happened with three weeks left.
In a rebuke to Haridopolos and his leadership team, a group of nine Republicans joined Democrats on Tuesday to defeat one of his priority bills: a revived prison-privatization plan to replace the one struck down last year by a Tallahassee judge as unconstitutional...
LINK - PalmBeachPost.com
February 20, 2012
Let’s get facts on private prisons
Arizona lacks the information it needs to make good decisions about private prisons.
This simple fact is reinforced by a recent report that raises troubling questions about public safety, cost and the people's right to know.
The public's servants -- lawmakers and the governor -- have a duty to find answers...
LINK - AZCentral.com
February 19, 2012
Fresno County jail clashes blamed on realignment
Fresno County Jail inmate Jose Cuevas last week drove a pencil into the neck of cellmate Troy Phillips 22 times, according to Sheriff's Office reports.
While sheriff's officials still are searching for a motive in the attack, it's the latest in an uptick of jail violence that they say likely is tied to new responsibilities handed down by the state...
LINK - FresnoBee.com
February 19, 2012
Is county coping with prison shift?
In the midst of most government budgets continuing to be cut or stabilizing at best, there is one program growing here in Shasta County — a program for county residents convicted of low-level offenses.
This statewide effort reflects a fundamental shift from incarceration in state prisons to incarceration and rehabilitation at the county level. For Shasta County, the impact will be significant. The number of offenders is large. Equally challenging is the necessary change in attitude. For an area like ours where personal responsibility and limited government are strongly held beliefs, creating the appropriate service network and supervision for low-level offenders to build productive lives may, unfortunately, be of low priority...
LINK - Redding.com
February 17, 2012
MTA Chapter Statewide Meeting: March 3rd
MTA Chapter Statewide Meeting on March 3rd in Salinas, CA - view the flyer below for more details and RSVP information.
February 17, 2012
Disturbing Complaint Against Private Prison
The nation's largest private prison company's "negligence, recklessness, and flagrant failure to protect" an inmate allowed other prisoners to stab him 140 times, killing him, the dead man's family claims in Hawaii state court.
Hawaii has sent state prisoners to Corrections Corporation of America prisons in Arizona for years, for budget reasons.
The family of the late Bronson Nunuha, who died at 26, sued Hawaii and its Department of Public Safety, the Corrections Corporation of America and numerous officials...
LINK - CourtHouseNews.com
February 17, 2012
Contra Costa feeling impact from state prison shift
More than four months after California transferred responsibility for low-level offenders to counties, law enforcement officials in Contra Costa County are seeing far more inmates than projected.
Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bills 109 and 117, which shifted the responsibility for monitoring, tracking and imprisoning low-level offenders previously bound for state prison to county jails.
The unprecedented move stemmed from an October 2010 U.S. Supreme Court order that deemed overcrowded conditions in California's 33 prisons unconstitutional...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 17, 2012
New Mexico: More on CCA rape verdict
A federal jury Thursday ordered over $3 million in damages to three former inmates raped by a prison guard at Camino Nuevo Women’s Correctional Facility in 2007.
The intertwined state and federal claims, coupled with questions about who must pay the compensatory and punitive damages, however, are certain to engender more litigation – probably from both sides.
Jurors heard over a week of testimony before U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson before they were charged with rendering a verdict late Wednesday...
LINK - ABQJournal.com
February 17, 2012
Martinez Jail Population Swells As A Result Of State Prison Transfer
More than four months after California transferred responsibility for low-level offenders to counties, law enforcement officials in Contra Costa County are seeing far more inmates than projected.
The county's main detention facility in Martinez has been the most heavily impacted since realignment took effect, Casten said. He said it is the only county jail able to accept "special needs" inmates -- those with gang affiliations or who require prescription medications for mental health issues...
LINK - Martinez.Patch.com
February 17, 2012
Valley’s jails out of room for some inmates (realignment problems)
After being released from Madera County jail, a man assaulted a Chowchilla police officer in a case that highlights the Central Valley's struggle to deal with prison reform.
When Jesus Sotelo, 34, was arrested earlier this month over interference with an officer from the Chowchilla Police Department, he was on parole in Merced.
Chowchilla police booked him at the Madera County Jail. But unlike in the past, when the parole violator would have been shipped back to state prison, Sotelo was released the next day...
LINK - MercedSunStar.com
February 16, 2012
SUSPECT NAMED IN HOME ROBBERY OF MTS CHAIRMAN
The man who eluded police on Interstate 8 Tuesday night is a suspect in an armed robbery at the home of the Metropolitan Transit System board chairman, San Diego police said Wednesday.
Investigators are looking for Harvey Henry Duson, 45, who has a violent criminal past and in 1993 was shot several times by a sheriff’s deputy in Lemon Grove. He served 16 years in prison and was paroled in 2010, police said.
Duson is suspected of being one of three masked, armed men who forced their way into the University City home of MTS board Chairman Harry Mathis, 78, and his wife on Jan. 11, police Capt. Terry McManus said...
LINK - UTSanDiego.com
February 16, 2012
Calif. fugitive who tweeted in Atlanta nabbed
California parole officials arrested fugitive Julian Chenier as he tried to board a plane in Nashville after they received a tip from an 11Alive viewer.
The California Parole and Apprehension Team was following Chenier on his Twitter page. Because he had been tweeting about being in Atlanta, authorities asked for our help.
After airing Chenier's picture on February 2, 2012, they received a tip from someone who saw our story. That tip eventually led to his arrest....
LINK - 11Alive.com
February 16, 2012
Crime Report: Parolee Arrested with Burglary Tools
The following information was provided by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. The suspects have not been convicted of a crime.
A 34-year-old male was arrested for a felony parole violation in the 9700 block of Campo Road.
A 40-year-old was arrested for a felony parole violation and misdemeanor possession of burglary tools and presenting a false identity during a subject stop on Kenwood Drive at Helix Street...
LINK MountHelix.Patch.com
February 16, 2012
Death Penalty Sought In Arizona (private) Prison Murder (Hawaiian inmates)
Arizona prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for two Hawaii prison inmates charged with murdering another prisoner from Hawaii while all three were incarcerated in a privately-run prison in Arizona.
Family members of the murdered man, Bronson Nunuha, yesterday sued Hawaii officials and the Corrections Corp. of America, operator of the Arizona prison, Saguaro Correction Center, alleging that their negligence contributed to Nunuha’s death.
Court records filed here and in Arizona show that the two men charged with murdering Nunuha, Miti Maugaotega Jr., 26, and Micah Kanahele, 31, are facing execution if convicted in Pinal County Superior Court...
LINK - HawaiiReporter.com
February 15, 2012
High-Needs Kids and Juvenile Justice Reforms
As California and the nation continue to struggle with budget crises, creative and cost-effective approaches in the provision of services for high-needs youthful offender populations are becoming increasingly necessary.
Leaders in California, Georgia and New York have recently called for reform or “realignment” of their out-of-date state-run juvenile justice systems. While the urgency for reform in many states is a result of strained state budgets, it serves as an opportunity to engage juvenile justice stakeholders to restructure their juvenile justice systems in a more efficient and effective manner...
LINK - CaliforniaProgressReport.com
February 15, 2012
More on CCA lawsuit: Rosen, Bien & Galvan lead attorneys against CCA
Today the family of Bronson Nunuha, a 26-year-old Hawaii inmate who was brutally murdered at a Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) (NYSE:CXW) private prison in Arizona in 2010, filed a lawsuit in state court against CCA and the State of Hawaii. The suit exposes CCA’s business model of grossly short-staffing prisons and cutting corners in every way possible to make its private prisons profitable. These systemic practices violated fundamental safety requirements and subjected Hawaii prisoners to rampant gang violence in under-staffed prison units. Bronson Nunuha was just months away from release on a burglary conviction when CCA forced him to share housing with extremely violent, gang-affiliated prisoners in the same unit. A copy of the complaint is available here: Nunuha Complaint
“Bronson’s death was senseless and preventable. CCA and the State of Hawaii needlessly put him in danger,” said attorney Kenneth M. Walczak, who, along with the Human Rights Defense Center and the ACLU of Hawaii, represents the Nunuha family...
LINK - RBG-Law.com
February 15, 2012
Family of slain Hawaii inmate sues state, Arizona (private) prison
The family of Hawaii man killed by fellow inmates at a privately operated prison in Arizona in 2010 today sued Corrections Corporation of America and the state of Hawaii, which contracted with CCA to house prisoners.
Bronson Nunuha, 26, was fatally stabbed and beaten on Feb. 18, 2010 at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz.
"The suit exposes CCA's business model of grossly short-staffing prisons and cutting corners in every way possible to make its private prisons profitable...
LINK - StarAdvertiser.com
February 15, 2012
California privacy laws keep police from getting parolees’ names
The state of California has begun handing counties the responsibility of monitoring tens of thousands of parolees, but police chiefs don't know who they are.
State privacy laws prevent probation agents, who now handle the cases of most prisoners when they're released, from giving out the names to local police.
It is an oversight state lawmakers did not consider when they changed the structure of the parole system last year, police chiefs told The Desert Sun this week...
LINK - MyDesert.com
February 14, 2012
L.A. County explores inmate relocation to facilities in Kern County
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida told 17 News on Tuesday that L.A. County is considering sending inmates to empty correctional facilities in Kern County.
Realignment of California prisons has placed added pressure on the county, forcing it to release some inmates early. Now, some local correctional facilities sit empty, waiting for someone to send inmates their way.
But, the inmates that do go there might be more likely to come from Los Angeles than somewhere in Kern County...
LINK - KGET.com
February 14, 2012
Prison privatization bill fails in Senate vote
The Florida Senate slapped down a controversial plan to move 14,500 prisoners in South Florida to private lockups, killing a proposal that potentially meant millions of dollars for the Boca Raton-based Geo Group.
The plan, a top priority of Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander, would have privatized 28 prisons and work camps in South Florida. But though it had the clout of the legislative leaders behind it, the matter divided the Senate and a final vote was delayed for more than a week while both sides wrangled votes...
LINK - Sun-Sentinel.com
February 14, 2012
Florida to Vote on Privatizing Prisons
Florida's Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on a controversial plan to privatize state prison facilities in southern Florida, a move that would create one of the largest private prison operations in the nation.
The vote—which both sides say is too close to call—comes as states are weighing the value of privatizing prisons, often one of the costlier items in troubled state budgets. The number of state and federal prisoners in private facilities rose 47% between 2000 and 2010, to 128,000 from 87,000, according to Department of Justice statistics. Yet it is a matter of heated debate whether states save money with private prisons...
LINK - WSJ.com (The Wall Street Journal Online)
February 13, 2012
Multiple rapes at CCA private prison in New Mexico
A female inmate raped by a prison guard in 2007 testified Tuesday about conditions at the newly opened Camino Nuevo facility in Albuquerque where she had been moved from the women's prison in Grants.
Heather Spurlock Jackson, 39, was the first witness at the civil trial in U.S. District Court brought against the guard, Anthony Townes, now serving an 18-year prison sentence for raping her and three other women. Other defendants are the prison operator, Corrections Corporation of America, and then-warden Barbara Wagner...
LINK - CorrectionsOne.com
February 13, 2012
Specialized care for inmates at Vacaville’s California Medical Facility
In a long-awaited move to comply with state guidelines, dozens gathered at California Medical Facility on Thursday to celebrate the opening of a new facility on the Vacaville prison's grounds, a move that officials say will not only increase inmate capacity, but may save a number of jobs.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new mental health care facility, followed by a tour of the pristine 64-bed unit, its dining halls, nurses stations, examination rooms and safety holding cells gave visitors an up-close and personal look of the end result of a $33.7 million project almost two years in the making...
LINK - TheReporter.com
February 13, 2012
Prisons chief wants music, cable TV for inmates (and X-box, ipods, etc.)
If California's prisons chief had his way, well-behaved inmates would have access to music, video games and cable television.
Corrections Secretary Matt Cate told a group of journalists this week in New York City, where he was speaking on a panel at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, that state prisons have become so punitive there is "very little benefit in obeying the rules."
"If you take everything away from a person, you also take away their ability to influence their behavior," he said. "I think, ultimately, I'd like to get to a place where 95 percent of our prisons are places where inmates have everything from MP3 players to Xbox to cable TV, I don't care, they can have (all the) goodies you can possibly get, great, as long as they follow the rules ... and our guards are safe..."
LINK - SFGate.com
February 13, 2012
San Quentin prison riot sends four to hospital
A riot at San Quentin State Prison sent four inmates to the hospital with stab wounds and other injuries Thursday, a prison spokesman said.
The riot broke out around 11:30 a.m. in an exercise yard and involved 150 to 200 inmates with weapons, said Sgt. Gabe Walters. The prison staff quelled the riot with "chemical agents, non-lethal and lethal force," he said.
Numerous inmates were stabbed or slashed, and four were taken to Marin General Hospital for treatment...
LINK - MarinIJ.com
February 13, 2012
Parolee leads police on wild foot chase
A wanted parolee was arrested Monday morning in Lake Elsinore after smashing through two windows while running from deputies, authorities said.
About 8:15 a.m., deputies spotted Isaac Charles Solis, 23, walking outside the North Lake apartment complex, a Riverside County Sheriff's Department news release said.
Deputies recognized him as a parolee at large with an outstanding felony warrant, the release said. When they tried to approach Solis, he ran...
LINK - PE.com
February 13, 2012
Private prison proposal dies by 19-21 vote
The Florida Senate slapped down a controversial plan to move 14,500 prisoners in South Florida to private lockups, killing a proposal that potentially meant millions of dollars for the Boca Raton-based Geo Group.
The plan, a top priority of Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander, would have privatized 28 prisons and work camps in South Florida. But though it had the clout of the legislative leaders behind it, the matter divided the Senate and a final vote was delayed for more than a week while both sides wrangled votes...
LINK - OrlandoSentinel.com
February 13, 2012
Prison bill dies 21-19
The Florida Senate Tuesday rejected a proposal to privatize 27 state prisons and work camps after two days of tense debate.
The proposal fell 21-19 with the Senate’s 12 Democrats joining nine Republicans to kill the bill.
Opponents argued that the plan would not result in the 7 percent costs savings that supporters touted and first needed to be studied...
LINK - MiamiHerald.com
February 13, 2012
Florida: Prison privatization fails 19-21
Update at 5:15
The Florida Senate has defeated prison-privatization bill by a vote of 19-21.
Update at 3 p.m.
The Senate has put aside a vote on prison privatization until it completes its other business today.
That means the big vote – already delayed to this afternoon in what was originally a morning start for the Senate session – is put off even later.
The Senate is set to wrap up at 6 p.m. The vote could come right before then.
Opponents still say they have the 20 votes necessary to kill the massive bill....
LINK - Tallahassee.com
February 13, 2012
More details, comments on SCAAP funding reduction
In what has become something of an annual tradition, the presidential budget proposal unveiled Monday contains deep cuts to a federal program that reimburses states for the costs of jailing illegal immigrants, sparking calls to restore funding.
The White House’s plan to slash the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program from $240 million to $70 million follows similar proposals over the last several years, from both Democratic and Republican administrations. But under pressure from law enforcement agencies that have come to rely on the aid, Congress has repeatedly put much of the funding back into the program.
In fiscal 2011, which ended Sept. 31, Riverside and San Bernardino counties received almost $2 million through the program...
LINK - PE.com (The Press-Enterprise)
February 13, 2012
About 35-40 Involved In Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility Fight
About 35-40 kids were involved in a fight Monday morning at the Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton.
It broke out around 9 a.m., in between classes, said Bill Sessa, of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's juvenile division...
LINK - KCRA.com
February 12, 2012
POLICE BLOTTER: Parolee Arrests
Officers responded to AM/PM, 44847 Portola, Palm Desert regarding a theft call. Peter Orlando, a 48 year-old transient, was arrested for commercial burglary. State Parole also placed a hold on him.
Officers arrested Guadalupe Chavez, 42, of Palm Desert at Deep Canyon and Driftwood for Burglary, Assault on a Peace Officer, Violation of Parole, and Criminal Threats. Arrest involved a lengthy search and foot pursuit.
Officers responded to a shoplift call at Target 72547 Highway 111 and arrested Raquel Zarate, 32, of Indio, for a felony warrant additionally; Candice Boulware, 28, of Palm Desert was arrested for check fraud, conspiracy and burglary, and Arlyne Olivas, 24, of Moreno Valley was arrested for check fraud, conspiracy, burglary and a parole hold...
LINK - PalmDesert.Patch.com
February 10, 2012
AB 109 Negotiations UPDATE
Over the last several months, CCPOA and the state have been in negotiations regarding the impact of the AB 109 Reductions. Due to AB 109, passed by the Legislature and the “Overcrowding Order” issued by the Supreme Court, the state sent out approximately 30,000 SROA letters informing staff that they were possibly subject to layoff. In an effort to mitigate the number of CCPOA employees actually laid off, CCPOA agreed to the first Wave of four Opportunities. Through this agreement relocation opportunities throughout the state, as well as additional OTAP and PICO positions for bid by seniority, were made available to staff effected by the layoff...
February 10, 2012
SWAT team arrests Novato parolee
A 40-year-old Novato parolee was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence by a Novato SWAT team late Thursday night.
Daryk Joseph Souza of 17 Fallen Leaf Way emerged from the home after about an hour, shortly after 11 p.m. A special response team initially was unable to contact him by telephone because he did not respond...
LINK - MarinIJ.com
February 10, 2012
Drugs, stolen credit cards found; woman arrested
Sheriff's deputies and parole agents arrested an Adelanto woman Wednesday after they found marijuana, methamphetamine, stolen credit cards and other items in her home.
Authorities came to the 18600 block of Casaba Road at 10 a.m. to check on Anita Francine Sanders, 20, who is a parolee...
LINK - SBSun.com
February 9, 2012
Update: Calif. budget crunchers hear youth-prison closure debate
Players in the fight to shut down — or keep open — the last of California’s state-run youth prisons are meeting this week where the action is: Gov. Jerry Brown’s Department of Finance, where the nitty-gritty of state budgeting gets done.
Struggling with the costs of incarceration generally, California could become the first state to wipe out is state juvenile jail division and the last of three prisons in a highly discredited system...
LINK - iWatchNews.org
February 9, 2012
Parolee arrested on roof of Santa Cruz shop
Police apprehended a 35-year-old parolee on the roof of Western Appliance at 902 Soquel Ave. on Wednesday after he fled from authorities.
Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark said officers spotted Ryan Hoon Gustafson on the 600 block of Soquel Avenue and saw him run to an unoccupied apartment. A sheriff's K9 unit helped police track Gustafson to the roof...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 9, 2012
AB109 Parolee Arrested In Calaveras
Calaveras Sheriff's Deputies arrest Manuel Travis Grow, 38, of West Point. Grow was released from state prison but had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to abide by the terms and conditions of his post-release supervision as part of AB109. Grow reportedly cut and removed his electronic ankle monitor.
Calaveras Sheriff's Deputies on patrol in San Andreas observed Grow in a vehicle on Highway 49. The driver of the vehicle, Sondra Camacho (aka Sondra Melton) a 28 year old from Pioneer, was arrested for driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Camacho also had a previously issued arrest warrant for driving on a suspended license...
LINK - MyMotherLode.com
February 8, 2012
Pension-reform group suspends initiative campaign
A conservative group announced Wednesday that it was suspending its campaign to put public employee pension reform on the November ballot.
Dan Pellissier, president of California Pension Reform, said his group could not raise enough money to mount a petition-signature drive. A successful drive typically requires at least $2 million.
He blamed unfavorable language issued by the office of Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat, which he said undermined the effort even though pension reform is popular with Californians...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 8, 2012
UPDATE: Transient parolee arrested in fatal stabbing
Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a suspect in Sunday’s fatal stabbing of a Hesperia teen in Apple Valley.
Clarence Hogue, a 26-year-old transient and parolee, was arrested late this morning on a local transit bus in Victorville, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. He was taken into custody without incident.
Hogue was booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga for investigation of murder and parole violation, the department said. He is being held without bail...
LINK - PE.com
February 7, 2012
Private prisons increase profits, per diem - California accounts for 13% of CCA revenue
Fitch Ratings has assigned a 'BB+' initial Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to Corrections Corp. of America (CCA). Fitch has also assigned a 'BBB-' rating to the company's $785 million secured credit facility, and a 'BB+' rating to $645 million of senior unsecured notes. The Rating Outlook is Stable. The 'BB+' IDR considers the attractive long-term credit characteristics of the private correctional facilities industry, including:
(1) overcrowding of public prisons,
(2) modest private sector penetration of prison populations, and
3) economically defensive characteristics of prison populations...
LINK - Reuters.com
February 7, 2012
Husband, 2 others arrested in 1998 slaying of prison guard
Cold-case detectives Monday arrested the husband of a prison guard who was shot to death on a freeway off-ramp in Anaheim in 1998, six months after he took out a $1 million life insurance policy on his wife.
Two other men were arrested on suspicion of helping the husband carry out the slaying for financial gain, authorities said Monday. Police are looking for a fourth man, Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said.
Nuzzio Begaren, now 50, is accused of orchestrating the slaying of Elizabeth Wheat Begaren, who was gunned down just before midnight Jan. 17, 1998, shortly after stepping out of the family minivan on the East Street off-ramp of the 91...
LINK - OCRegister.com
February 7, 2012
Dogs take bite out of big cell phone business in prison (Kern Valley)
Kern Valley State Prison is one of six maximum security units in California. But inside, prisoners run a lucrative business that extends beyond prison walls.
"If you have an Internet ready phone or smart phone those can go anywhere from $700 to $1500," corrections officer Brandon Long said....
LINK - KGET.com
February 6, 2012
Prison budget hearing: More executions, rising costs, diaper full of marijuana
Among increased costs at the state prisons next year: The per diem rate charged by Corrections Corp. of America to house inmates in the state's privately-run Idaho Correctional Center will rise 3 percent, from $41.49 to $42.73 per inmate per day for the first 1,894 offenders; the state gets a price break on the next 146, which go from $4.07 a day to $4.19. The cost of medical care for inmates in state prisons, which is contracted out, will rise 4.5 percent or $1.3 million. Plus, inmate numbers are rising...
LINK - Spokesman.com
February 6, 2012
Mask shows, tells on San Francisco parolee
This could go down as one of the worst cover-ups in San Francisco crime history. A parolee who was apparently trying to conceal his identity by wearing a camouflage bandanna across his face did more to attract the cops who arrested him Sunday night than to stay on the down-low...
LINK - SFExaminer.com
February 6, 2012
Parolee arrested following tense two-hour standoff
Deputies arrested a parolee spotted with a gun Saturday following a standoff of nearly two hours, authorities said.
William Lemus, 28, was ultimately taken into custody and was expected to be booked on charges including violating parole and weapons violations, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Dianna Woodward said...
LINK - WhittierDailyNews.com
February 6, 2012
Parolee Piloting Stolen Plane That Crashed Near Fresno
KMPH News has uncovered new details about a small plane that crashed west of Fresno Sunday afternoon.
A source tells KMPH News the single-engine Cessna was stolen from Concord by a parolee.
Investigators say the aircraft went down, nose first, around 4 p.m. in the area of Garfield and Barstow. That's just west of Fresno's Island Water Park...
LINK - KMPH.com
February 6, 2012
Parolee arrested in shooting of woman in her car in Pico Rivera
A parolee was in custody Monday morning in the shooting Sunday night of a woman in her car in Pico Rivera.
Randy Avalos, 30, of Whittier, was arrested by deputies who responded to a report of a shooting in the 9400 block of Beverly Road at about 9:50 p.m. Sunday. A woman suffered a single gunshot wound to her leg, said Sgt. Richard Hernandez of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Pico Rivera station...
LINK - LATimes.com
February 3, 2012
Inmate pleads guilty to murdering killer of Novato girl
A San Quentin inmate who stabbed a Novato girl's killer to death on a prison yard pleaded guilty Thursday in a deal to avoid the death penalty.
Frank Souza, 33, admitted to first-degree murder with special circumstances in the death of Edward Schaefer in 2010. The attack occurred shortly after Schaefer started his prison sentence for killing 9-year-old Melody Osheroff in a Novato crosswalk during a drunken motorcycle ride...
LINK - MarinIJ.com
February 3, 2012
