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Imprisoned quarterback Michael Vick filed for bankruptcy protection while serving time for federal dogfighting charges, saying he owes between $10 million and $50 million to creditors.
It's a bottom-bruising task, but Jim "Mouth" Purol is determined to set a world record by sitting in all 92,542 seats of Pasadena's Rose Bowl. He has to sit in 40,000 different seats by Wednesday morning to set the record. He says it will take him until Friday to sit in every seat. Purol already holds 22 Guinness World Records, including stuffing 280 straws into his mouth. —The Associated Press
Today is the deadline for members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to vote on a proposed contract with Hollywood producers, and officials with the larger performers' union, the Screen Actors Guild, were awaiting the results to see how their own labor talks will proceed. The SAG response is in flux pending the outcome of the AFTRA membership vote on its proposed deal with producers. SAG leaders have criticized the deal and urged AFTRA members to reject it, hoping it would give SAG more leverage in its own negotiations. If AFTRA approves the draft settlement, the most potent weapon left in SAG's arsenal would be a strike. However, amid signs of dissension within SAG's own ranks and indications that there is little appetite for a work stoppage among actors, especially in light of the hit the entertainment community suffered as a result of the 100- day writers' strike earlier this year. —From news services
A 5-year-old San Jacinto boy was shot in the leg Sunday night during a drive-by shooting that led to the arrest of four people. The child was playing on the living room floor, just before midnight, at the home in the 300 block of North Ramona Avenue when a bullet pierced the wall and hit him in the leg, San Jacinto police Sergeant Ted Hoffman said in a report. When the assailants opened fire, the boy's 65-year-old grandmother fell from her wheelchair to shield him, Hoffman said. She suffered back and arm injuries in the fall. Several other family members were inside but not injured. Police have not determined what initiated the attack. The single-story blue stucco home, which is next to Monte Vista Middle School, had been peppered with gunfire three times within 24 hours, Hoffman said. No one had been injured until Sunday. Police found the suspects minutes after the shooting and a gun was found on a curb a few blocks away, Hoffman said. —John Asbury
A 31-year-old Moreno Valley man who forced a collision during a police pursuit and scuffled with the officers before being taken into custody has pleaded guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer and other counts.
A woman got her left hand caught up to the wrist in a food-processing grinder Monday night at a restaurant kitchen and had to be taken with the meat grinder still attached to Loma Linda University Medical Center, a Riverside fire captain said. Firefighters were called at 8:27 p.m. to 1201 University Ave., where they found the woman with her hand caught in the grinder, said Capt. David Campos. Firefighters called a mechanic to get directions on how to disassemble the unit and release the woman's arm, but that was unsuccessful, Campos said. They also tried to get a doctor to the scene, but none was available, Campos said. He said the firefighters would likely try to disassemble as much of the unit as they could, but Campos said he did not know how large the machine was. The name of the woman and her condition were not available. — Jessica Logan
U.S. Postal inspectors are investigating how a burglar tried to break into about a dozen post office boxes in Moreno Valley during the Fourth of July holiday. Postal officials arrived at the post office on Heacock Street and Postal Avenue Saturday morning to find a set of P.O. boxes either broken or damaged, Moreno Valley Postmaster Pete Weaver said. A few of the postal boxes had their glass doors shattered, while other boxes appeared to have been pried open and bent at their steel hinges. Postal officials did not have an exact number of mailboxes that were burglarized or what mail was reported stolen. Authorities believe the boxes were hit sometime between 9 p.m. Thursday when the post office closed and 7 a.m. Saturday when it reopened, Weaver said. The lobby remained open on the Fourth of July, but the business office was closed. Mail thefts are traditionally used in identity scams, Weaver said. The investigation is being handled by the U.S. Postal Inspector's office rather than local police. Anyone believed to be a victim of the mail theft can contact local police or their credit agencies. A Riverside man was killed early this morning when his car overturned and crashed into a parked car. Jaered Connelly, 23, of Riverside turned north on Palm Avenue off Jurupa Avenue around 1:20 a.m. when the car flipped on its side and skidded into a legally parked car on the left side of the street, according to a Riverside police report. The driver died at the scene and was not wearing a seatbelt. It's unknown what caused the driver to lose control.
The case for releasing Susan Atkins, the terminally ill follower of Charles Manson who killed actress Sharon Tate almost 40 years ago, will be heard by the state Parole Board in Sacramento on July 15. The board will allow the public to address the board before the closed session begins. No matter what the Parole Board of Hearings decides, the case will go to the original sentencing court in Los Angeles County, where a judge's decision would be final. Officials at the California Institution for Women near Corona had recommended that Atkins, 60, an inmate, who is being treated at a hospital, be released because she meets the criteria of the state's compassionate release program. She has fewer than six months to live, no longer poses a threat and has a family to support her. Atkins has brain cancer. Her attorney last month said doctors have given her two to three months to live. The director of the state's adult prisons recommended that Atkins not be freed, but would not disclose her reasons because of confidentiality. The Inland prison officials' bid to free Atkins has fueled a public outcry. During a 1969 summer killing spree, the members of the Charles Manson family cult killed eight people. Atkins was convicted for her role and has been imprisoned for 37 years. She has been denied parole 12 times. —Laurie Lucas
Barstow police are searching for a San Bernardino resident suspected in the kidnap, robbery and slaying of a man found in the High Desert last month, officials said. Jeffrey "Slutter" Berrouet, 23, is suspected in the June 14 shooting death of Robert Raymond Mastrangelo, also of San Bernardino, in a drainage ditch off Interstate 15 in Barstow, a police news release said. Mastrangelo was an aspiring rapper. He was found with his feet bound and had been shot several times, according to police. The suspect and victim were scheduled to meet in Redlands the day Mastrangelo was last seen, police have said. On Thursday, detectives arrested another suspect, Dudzai "Prosper" Pswatai, a 20-year-old Riverside resident, on suspicion of murder, robbery, kidnapping, torture and street gang activity, the release said. Anyone with information on Berrouet's whereabouts is asked to call Barstow police Detective Keith Libby at 760-255-5134.
A family of five was left homeless Monday night after their Valle Vista home ignited in flames. Firefighters arrived on the home in the 44000 block of Orpington Avenue at 8 p.m. to find the building engulfed by the fire, Riverside County Fire Captain Lori Windsor said. The American Red Cross assisted the group of 3 males and two females with shelter and aid overnight. An estimate for the damage was not available. No injuries were reported. —John Asbury
Riverside Public Utilities is urging energy conservation for the remainder of the week because of statewide demand due to the heat. The utility asks residents to turn off unnecessary electrical devices, including computers, and set air conditioners to 78 degrees or higher. For more information from the utility, call 951-826-5485. For conservation tips and statewide system conditions, visit www.riversidepublicutilities.com.
A 49-year-old Fontana man was stabbed in the left hand Monday night after being asked for bus money, police reported. The man was walking south on Palmetto Avenue, south of Foothill Boulevard, around 7 p.m. when another man asked to borrow a dollar to ride the bus, a Fontana Police Department news release stated. When the victim pulled out an undisclosed amount of money from his pocket, the suspect struck him in the face with his fist and he fell to the ground, the release said. The suspect also stabbed the victim with an unknown sharp object, causing a puncture wound to the left hand, according to police. He left with the rest of the money, the release reported. —Julie Farren
The Riverside County district attorney's office has opted not to pursue the death penalty against a Moreno Valley man charged with the 2007 drive-by shooting of a 15-year-old boy. Prosecutors filed a motion saying they do not intend to seek capital punishment against Christopher Butler, 20, of Moreno Valley, who is facing murder, attempted murder and gang charges, according to court records. Butler is accused of killing Allen Anthony White, 15, as he was standing at the corner of John F. Kennedy Drive and Thyme Place on Feb. 12, 2007. Police said they were rival gang members. White's family disputes his involvement in a gang. Butler is charged with a special circumstance of committing the killing to benefit a gang, which would have made him eligible for the death penalty. Butler will now face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted. The district attorney's office instituted a new policy to analyze death penalty cases last year, which involved interviewing investigators, defense attorneys and family members from both the victim and the defendant, to determine if the penalty fits each case. In March, Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty against a suspected Los Angeles gang member, Gregory Lymoel, 20, in the drive-by shooting of 10-year-old Chris Fields, two months earlier on nearby Iris Avenue. Police said in that case, a gunman fired from another car into the stopped car striking Fields with a bullet in the head and shooting his 20-year-old brother in the face. Butler has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to appear for a hearing July 11 seeking to dismiss an attempted murder charge.
A suspect who is accused of specifically targeted his victim, breaking into her home, sexually assaulting her, and then fleeing in a car he stole from the victim, was arrested by Riverside police officers today. Joseph Eleutero RAM, 28, of Riverside, is alleged to have broken into an apartment residence in the 5000-block Olivewood Ave., about 4 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2008, through an unlocked kitchen window. The 52-year-old female victim awoke to find the suspect on top of her. The suspect threatened to kill the victim in the course of the attack. After the assault, the suspect ransacked the apartment and stole personal property. Ram also stole the victim's vehicle, which he used to flee the scene and then abandoned. The victim sustained visible injuries. She received sexual assault testing and treatment at Riverside County Regional Medical Center. The victim recognized her attacker's voice and helped identify the suspect. At the time, Ram was also under investigation for allegations of child molestation. Riverside police patrol officers located Ram walking near the intersection of Box Springs Boulevard and Lochmoor Drive on yesterday, about 6:45 a.m. He was arrested later the same morning for the home invasion robbery, rape, death threats (during the attack and on a prior occasion), and for the molestation incidents. He was booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. —The Press-Enterprise
The State Senate approved a bill Monday inspired by the arrest of an Inland grandmother that would de-criminalize noncommercial sports betting pools. —Jessica Shillings Riverside police are investigating a suspicious death, discovered Tuesday morning, July 8, at about 9 a.m. An employee of a business in the 5300-block Arlington Avenue discovered the body of a male adult in a paved passageway beside the shop. The victim, a 30-year-old Hispanic male, sustained head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by responding Riverside Fire medical personnel. No further information is available at this time. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information helpful to this investigation is asked to contact Riverside Police Detectives Dave Smith at (951) 353-7103 or Greg Rowe at (951) 353-7136. —The Press-Enterprise
A preliminary hearing for a 40-year-old elementary school security guard accused of fondling female students was postponed today at the request of prosecutors, who asked for an additional month to get witnesses lined up. "Basically we had a witness go on vacation," Catlett said. Lucas' attorney, Jeff Van Wagenen, did not object to rescheduling the hearing, which will determine if there is enough evidence to order the defendant to stand trial on two counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old and one count of annoying or molesting a child under 18 years old. Lucas is free on a $50,000 bond. —From news services SAN BERNARDINO -- Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman is resigning his post as a top aide to San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus. Aleman, 25, who faces six felony charges on suspicion of falsifying documents and destroying public records, announced his decision in a two-sentence letter faxed to Postmus this afternoon. "It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that I announce my intent to resign my position with the office of the County Assessor for San Bernardino County," Aleman wrote. "I wish my resignation to take effect July 11, 2008." Aleman had been on paid administrative leave since April, when investigators served a search warrant on the assessor's office and seized documents and computers. He was arrested June 30 in Rancho Cucamonga and faces six charges, including presenting false evidence to the county grand jury and destroying the hard drive of a government laptop computer. His arraignment is set for July 30. In a statement this afternoon, Postmus thanked Aleman for his hard work in making improvements to the assessor's office and again urged the public to withhold judgment on Aleman. "Adam Aleman will be missed by many in the Assessor's Office," Postmus said. "I wish him all the best for the future." Postmus said he accepted Aleman's resignation "with tremendous sadness." In his statement, Postmus said he wrote to Aleman, "For over three years, you have been an invaluable key member of my staff. I thank you for all you have accomplished for the people of San Bernardino County." —Duane W. Gang
SAN BERNARDINO -- San Bernardino County supervisors today formally called upon San Francisco to provide a complete list of all juvenile wards that have been placed in group homes in the county. The resolution, adopted unanimously by the Board of Supervisors with Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt absent, was proposed after San Bernardino County officials learned last week that at least five convicted drug dealers had escaped from a group home in Yucaipa in late June. In the resolution, the county also called on San Francisco to stop housing any illegal immigrants in San Bernardino County in the future. —Imran Ghori
Click here to get a snapshot of Inland region traffic conditions - in real time. Check in with us through the day. We'll be posting detailed traffic reports of any major incidents in BREAKING NEWS as soon as we've gathered the details. —The Press-Enterprise Sparks from a lawnmower triggered a brush fire in West Hemet that blackened about 20 acres Tuesday, Hemet fire officials said. The dry conditions made it easy for the vegetation to catch fire, Hemet fire Chief Matt Shobert said. The fire created a column of smoke at the scene, on the northwest corner of Florida and Warren avenues, and smoke could be smelled by people from a large area of the San Jacinto Valley, Shobert said. He said the fire was reported about 3 p.m. and was put under control by 3:40 p.m. He said no structures were burned. --Herbert Atienza The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire fell slightly, according to figures released today by the Oil Price Information Service. —From news services
We want PE.com to be a site where you feel comfortable to comment about, discuss or debate news stories, photos and videos of the day. It is a forum by and for you. You can sound off by clicking the Comments: Add / View area at the end of each BREAKING NEWS item. We encourage you to recognize others' points of view. But speak up if you find comments inappropriate, obscene or hateful. Alert us by e-mailing: webteam@pe.com —The Press-Enterprise
A 31-year-old Moreno Valley man who forced a collision during a police pursuit and scuffled with the officers before being taken into custody has pleaded guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer and other counts.
A 5-year-old San Jacinto boy was shot in the leg Sunday night during a drive-by shooting that led to the arrest of four people. The child was playing on the living room floor, just before midnight, at the home in the 300 block of North Ramona Avenue when a bullet pierced the wall and hit him in the leg, San Jacinto police Sergeant Ted Hoffman said in a report. When the assailants opened fire, the boy's 65-year-old grandmother fell from her wheelchair to shield him, Hoffman said. She suffered back and arm injuries in the fall. Several other family members were inside but not injured. Police have not determined what initiated the attack. The single-story blue stucco home, which is next to Monte Vista Middle School, had been peppered with gunfire three times within 24 hours, Hoffman said. No one had been injured until Sunday. Police found the suspects minutes after the shooting and a gun was found on a curb a few blocks away, Hoffman said. —John Asbury
It's a bottom-bruising task, but Jim "Mouth" Purol is determined to set a world record by sitting in all 92,542 seats of Pasadena's Rose Bowl. He has to sit in 40,000 different seats by Wednesday morning to set the record. He says it will take him until Friday to sit in every seat. Purol already holds 22 Guinness World Records, including stuffing 280 straws into his mouth. —The Associated Press
The case for releasing Susan Atkins, the terminally ill follower of Charles Manson who killed actress Sharon Tate almost 40 years ago, will be heard by the state Parole Board in Sacramento on July 15. The board will allow the public to address the board before the closed session begins. No matter what the Parole Board of Hearings decides, the case will go to the original sentencing court in Los Angeles County, where a judge's decision would be final. Officials at the California Institution for Women near Corona had recommended that Atkins, 60, an inmate, who is being treated at a hospital, be released because she meets the criteria of the state's compassionate release program. She has fewer than six months to live, no longer poses a threat and has a family to support her. Atkins has brain cancer. Her attorney last month said doctors have given her two to three months to live. The director of the state's adult prisons recommended that Atkins not be freed, but would not disclose her reasons because of confidentiality. The Inland prison officials' bid to free Atkins has fueled a public outcry. During a 1969 summer killing spree, the members of the Charles Manson family cult killed eight people. Atkins was convicted for her role and has been imprisoned for 37 years. She has been denied parole 12 times. —Laurie Lucas A Hemet businessman pleaded guilty this morning to the 2004 killing of a Pomona landscaper in Riverside, a death he said came after he thought bushes were "alien and evil." Mark Robert Peterson, 54, entered the guilty plea to first-degree murder the day before he was scheduled to start trial, his attorney Pete Morreale said. Police arrested Peterson in February 2007 after a DNA sample he submitted to the Department of Justice was traced back to the 2004 killing of Victor Camarillo, 58, of Pomona. Camarillo was attacked while trimming trees behind a Target store on Canyon Springs Parkway in Riverside. Riverside police detectives testified documents were found last year where Peterson described bushes as "alien and evil" and later wrote "God has sent me to this world to kill these beings." In January, Peterson had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. A sanity hearing is scheduled Monday where Peterson is expected to take the stand as part of a psychological evaluation, Morreale said. Previously, Peterson pleaded guilty in 2001 to an elderly embezzlement charge after he was accused of defrauding several seniors with his now defunct heating and air conditioning business. He was sentenced to two years in state prison.
Forecasters say Hurricane Bertha has weakened to a Category 2 storm and add the storm is days away from any possible landfall. Click here for the VIDEO from the Associated Press.
Click here to get a snapshot of Inland region traffic conditions - in real time. Check in with us through the day. We'll be posting detailed traffic reports of any major incidents in BREAKING NEWS as soon as we've gathered the details. —The Press-Enterprise
FONTANA -- A 49-year-old Fontana man was stabbed in the left hand Monday night after being asked for bus money, police reported. The man was walking south on Palmetto Avenue, south of Foothill Boulevard, around 7 p.m. when another man asked to borrow a dollar to ride the bus, a Fontana Police Department news release stated. When the victim pulled out an undisclosed amount of money from his pocket, the suspect struck him in the face with his fist and he fell to the ground, the release said. The suspect also stabbed the victim with an unknown sharp object, causing a puncture wound to the left hand, according to police. He left with the rest of the money, the release reported. —Julie Farren
While northern California is expected to bake under a heat wave over the next few days, the Inland area will only experience slightly higher-than-normal temperatures with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the mountains, a meteorologist said. The Inland area is outside a high-pressure area that is expected to bring a heat and high temperatures to northern and central California, National Weather Service meteorologist James Oh said. Temperatures in the Riverside and San Bernardino areas are expected to reach the upper 90s, slightly higher than the seasonal average of low to mid 90s, he said. Desert communities like Palm Springs can expect high temperatures from 105 to 110 degrees, and moisture coming up from the Gulf of California is expected to bring a slight chance of thunderstorms in the mountains, Oh said. In contrast, the high-pressure area over northern California could help raise temperatures by as much as 20 degrees above the seasonal average, he said. For example, San Jose is experiencing a high of 97, when its average high is usually in the low to mid 80s, Oh said. The high pressure generates winds that blow offshore, keeping the marine layer and ocean breezes from cooling things down, he said. Although northern California will get hit the hardest from the heat wave, utility officials are asking all Californians to help conserve electricity over the next few days, especially between 3 and 6 p.m. when air-conditioning systems drive consumption to its daily peak. Temperatures are expected to cool down by the weekend, Oh said.
In their first public meeting since the recent arrest of a high-ranking county official, San Bernardino County supervisors today began grappling with the fallout. In a strongly worded opening statement, board Chairman Paul Biane called for Adam Aleman, an assistant assessor, to be fired. The board also began shaping a proposed charter amendment that establishes ethics training and hiring standards for much of the county's top leadership. Biane also confirmed his role in the investigation that led to the arrest of Aleman. "Last year, when I suspected a staff member in the assessor's office was using county resources for political purposes, I gave the DA's public integrity unit information that appeared to confirm my concerns," he said. The proposed additions to the county charter include requiring all supervisors' staff members to work on a contract basis, therefore making hiring a matter of public record and dependant on board approval. The proposed amendment would also require several elected officials to establish minimum qualifications for their top aides. Aleman, 25, faces six felony charges, including presenting false evidence to the grand jury and destroying public records. The recently released grand jury report faulted the assessor's office for hiring staff members that lacked experience. It pointed to the hiring of Aleman, who does not have a college degree and came to his position with a background in politics, not property appraisal. Aleman was arrested June 30, the same day the grand jury's report was released, and is on paid leave from the assessor's office. "The taxpayers of San Bernardino County should not be paying Aleman's salary while his criminal case works its way through the Courts," Biane said. —Zeke Minaya
Here is the latest from the entertainment world, including:
Click here to get the details from The Associated Press The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire fell slightly, according to figures released today by the Oil Price Information Service. —From news services
A former volunteer firefighter in Riverside County, who was working as a volunteer firefighter recruit for Anderson Valley Volunteer Fire Department, died Thursday as a result of fatigue and respiratory difficulties suffered in the Oso Fire in Northern California, a Cal Fire news release stated. The sale of novelty cigarette lighters, such as those shaped like animals, cars or other objects, will no longer be allowed in Norco. Fire Chief Jack Frye advised the ban, saying the lighters can be attractive to children because they look like toys. The City Council agreed , unanimously approving an ordinance banning their sale. Frye said Cathedral City already has such a ban and other cities are considering similar rules. —Alicia Robinson
Riverside Public Utilities is urging energy conservation for the remainder of the week because of statewide demand due to the heat. The utility asks residents to turn off unnecessary electrical devices, including computers, and set air conditioners to 78 degrees or higher. For more information from the utility, call 951-826-5485. For conservation tips and statewide system conditions, visit www.riversidepublicutilities.com.
Here are the latest national and world headlines, including:
Click here to get the details from The Associated Press.
Today is the deadline for members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to vote on a proposed contract with Hollywood producers, and officials with the larger performers' union, the Screen Actors Guild, were awaiting the results to see how their own labor talks will proceed. The SAG response is in flux pending the outcome of the AFTRA membership vote on its proposed deal with producers. SAG leaders have criticized the deal and urged AFTRA members to reject it, hoping it would give SAG more leverage in its own negotiations. If AFTRA approves the draft settlement, the most potent weapon left in SAG's arsenal would be a strike. However, amid signs of dissension within SAG's own ranks and indications that there is little appetite for a work stoppage among actors, especially in light of the hit the entertainment community suffered as a result of the 100- day writers' strike earlier this year. —From news services
A woman got her left hand caught up to the wrist in a food-processing grinder Monday night at a restaurant kitchen and had to be taken with the meat grinder still attached to Loma Linda University Medical Center, a Riverside fire captain said. Firefighters were called at 8:27 p.m. to 1201 University Ave., where they found the woman with her hand caught in the grinder, said Capt. David Campos. Firefighters called a mechanic to get directions on how to disassemble the unit and release the woman's arm, but that was unsuccessful, Campos said. They also tried to get a doctor to the scene, but none was available, Campos said. He said the firefighters would likely try to disassemble as much of the unit as they could, but Campos said he did not know how large the machine was. The name of the woman and her condition were not available. — Jessica Logan
U.S. Postal inspectors are investigating how a burglar tried to break into about a dozen post office boxes in Moreno Valley during the Fourth of July holiday. Postal officials arrived at the post office on Heacock Street and Postal Avenue Saturday morning to find a set of P.O. boxes either broken or damaged, Moreno Valley Postmaster Pete Weaver said. A few of the postal boxes had their glass doors shattered, while other boxes appeared to have been pried open and bent at their steel hinges. Postal officials did not have an exact number of mailboxes that were burglarized or what mail was reported stolen. Authorities believe the boxes were hit sometime between 9 p.m. Thursday when the post office closed and 7 a.m. Saturday when it reopened, Weaver said. The lobby remained open on the Fourth of July, but the business office was closed. Mail thefts are traditionally used in identity scams, Weaver said. The investigation is being handled by the U.S. Postal Inspector's office rather than local police. Anyone believed to be a victim of the mail theft can contact local police or their credit agencies.
SAN BERNARDINO -- Prosecutors have filed 23 felony counts against a supervisor at one of San Bernardino's Operation Phoenix community centers, accusing him of molesting at least three children dating to 1997. Michael Steven Miller, 48, is charged with the following, according to a criminal complaint filed today in San Bernardino County Superior Court: - One count of a forcible lewd act and three counts of a lewd act upon a child. The alleged abuse occurred between Oct. 1 of last year and last Wednesday, the day before Miller's arrest. The young girl was 6 when the abuse began, and later turned 7, according to the complaint. - One count of a lewd act upon a child, from the same time period. The girl in that instance was also 6 when the abuse started and later turned 7, according to the complaint. - Eighteen counts of a lewd act upon a child, from June 1997 through November 1998. The girl was 12 when that abuse began, according to the complaint, and it continued untnil her 14th birthday. Miller, who is being held at West Valley Detention Center in lieu of $1 million bail, is expected to be arraigned this afternoon. The city placed him on unpaid leave shortly before his July 3 arrest. The charges have shaken city leaders who have hailed Operation Phoenix as a crime-fighting success. The multi-faceted program combines suppression, intervention and prevention tactics. Miller, a former police volunteer and longtime parks and recreation employee, has supervised programs at the city's first Operation Phoenix center since 2006. The center on Sierra Way offers educational and athletic programs for underprivileged youth. San Bernardino police have released few details about the alleged child molestation. They learned of it last Monday, served search warrants at the center and Miller's home Wednesday night, and arrested Miller in Redlands the following afternoon. —Paul LaRocco
The case for releasing Susan Atkins, the terminally ill follower of Charles Manson who killed actress Sharon Tate almost 40 years ago, will be heard by the state Parole Board in Sacramento on July 15. The board will allow the public to address the board before the closed session begins. No matter what the Parole Board of Hearings decides, the case will go to the original sentencing court in Los Angeles County, where a judge's decision would be final. Officials at the California Institution for Women near Corona had recommended that Atkins, 60, an inmate, who is being treated at a hospital, be released because she meets the criteria of the state's compassionate release program. She has fewer than six months to live, no longer poses a threat and has a family to support her. Atkins has brain cancer. Her attorney last month said doctors have given her two to three months to live. The director of the state's adult prisons recommended that Atkins not be freed, but would not disclose her reasons because of confidentiality. The Inland prison officials' bid to free Atkins has fueled a public outcry. During a 1969 summer killing spree, the members of the Charles Manson family cult killed eight people. Atkins was convicted for her role and has been imprisoned for 37 years. She has been denied parole 12 times. —Laurie Lucas
SAN BERNARDINO -- Prosecutors today filed 23 felony counts against a supervisor at one of San Bernardino's Operation Phoenix community centers, accusing him of molesting multiple children over a number of years. Michael Steven Miller, 48, is expected to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. this afternoon. San Bernardino police and the FBI's Inland Regional Apprehension team arrested Miller Thursday in Redlands. Search warrants were obtained Wednesday night for the Operation Phoenix center and Miller's home near the Highland/San Bernardino line. Miller, a Highland resident, has been with the city of San Bernardino for nine years, serving as a Police Department volunteer as well as a community service supervisor. Operation Phoenix is the city's multi-pronged initiative to fight crime. —Paul LaRocco
High noon Tuesday, and another step closer to the weekend. We've got a crazy mix of videos for your LUNCH BREAK today. Grab that leftover pizza and Diet Pepsi, and let's get this show on the road. WACKO ON A PLANE: It's a creepy foreign cell phone fantasy.
HAPPY B'DAY, PART I: In a live performance of "Loser," here's Beck, born on this date in 1970.
HAPPY B'DAY, PART III: Country music superstar Toby Keith, was born on July 8, 1961. Here he is peforming "Love Me If You Can" live on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.
—The Press-Enterprise
A preliminary hearing for a 40-year-old elementary school security guard accused of fondling female students was postponed today at the request of prosecutors, who asked for an additional month to get witnesses lined up. "Basically we had a witness go on vacation," Catlett said. Lucas' attorney, Jeff Van Wagenen, did not object to rescheduling the hearing, which will determine if there is enough evidence to order the defendant to stand trial on two counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old and one count of annoying or molesting a child under 18 years old. Lucas is free on a $50,000 bond. —From news services Riverside police are investigating a dead body found by a street near a business on Arlington and Streeter Avenues. No information on the cause or circumstances of the death was available.
The Riverside County district attorney's office has opted not to pursue the death penalty against a Moreno Valley man charged with the 2007 drive-by shooting of a 15-year-old boy. Prosecutors filed a motion saying they do not intend to seek capital punishment against Christopher Butler, 20, of Moreno Valley, who is facing murder, attempted murder and gang charges, according to court records. Butler is accused of killing Allen Anthony White, 15, as he was standing at the corner of John F. Kennedy Drive and Thyme Place on Feb. 12, 2007. Police said they were rival gang members. White's family disputes his involvement in a gang. Butler is charged with a special circumstance of committing the killing to benefit a gang, which would have made him eligible for the death penalty. Butler will now face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted. The district attorney's office instituted a new policy to analyze death penalty cases last year, which involved interviewing investigators, defense attorneys and family members from both the victim and the defendant, to determine if the penalty fits each case. In March, Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty against a suspected Los Angeles gang member, Gregory Lymoel, 20, in the drive-by shooting of 10-year-old Chris Fields, two months earlier on nearby Iris Avenue. Police said in that case, a gunman fired from another car into the stopped car striking Fields with a bullet in the head and shooting his 20-year-old brother in the face. Butler has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to appear for a hearing July 11 seeking to dismiss an attempted murder charge.
A 5-year-old San Jacinto boy was shot in the leg Sunday night during a drive-by shooting that led to the arrest of four people. The child was playing on the living room floor, just before midnight, at the home in the 300 block of North Ramona Avenue when a bullet pierced the wall and hit him in the leg, San Jacinto police Sergeant Ted Hoffman said in a report. When the assailants opened fire, the boy's 65-year-old grandmother fell from her wheelchair to shield him, Hoffman said. She suffered back and arm injuries in the fall. Several other family members were inside but not injured. Police have not determined what initiated the attack. The single-story blue stucco home, which is next to Monte Vista Middle School, had been peppered with gunfire three times within 24 hours, Hoffman said. No one had been injured until Sunday. Police found the suspects minutes after the shooting and a gun was found on a curb a few blocks away, Hoffman said. —John Asbury
The State Senate approved a bill Monday inspired by the arrest of an Inland grandmother that would de-criminalize noncommercial sports betting pools. —Jessica Shillings
Excessive heat is expected to grip most of California through the rest of the week, prompting state power officials to promote energy conservation. —The Associated Press |