Articles Posted in Crime

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Sunday was an eventful day in East County as authorities rake in the arrests from a routine probation sweep. The probation sweep involved traffic stops and trolley patrols in Lakeside, Santee and East County in an effort to cover as much ground as possible. Overall, the process was successful and left around forty people facing drug charges for various crimes ranging from possession of mere paraphernalia or actual drugs. In some cases, the drugs in possession by the individuals were meant for widespread sale and more than $1,000 worth of methamphetamine was seized during the entire course of the probation check. The probation check ran from a window between 6am and 6pm on Saturday and was nicknamed “Operation Summer’s End,” appropriately so as the fall season is now in full swing. The offenders arrested were booked into jail, charged with their appropriate crime based on what was found in their possession. According to authorities, the probation check was a combing-through of probationers previously or currently involved in crimes to help those on a “conditional release” avoid falling back into their previous crime committing lifestyles.

Sources:
“Probation Sweep Leaves 40 Facing Drug Charges” – Times Of San Diego

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An accident in Lemon Grove on Saturday was possibly caused by one of the drivers operating their vehicle under the influence of alcohol, according to the local authorities. Two vehicles were involved in the crash, which happened a little before 4 p.m. at the intersection of Central Avenue and Citrus Street. Fortunately, there were no fatalities or critical injuries resulting from the impact, but there were some precautionary hospitalizations and a number of people involved. Passengers between the two vehicles included both children and adults, but all those who were injured were adults; the children were the precautionary hospitalizations. In total, three adults and four children were taken to the hospital for injuries with one of the adults being the suspected drunken driver and the other two being the driver and front passenger of the other vehicle. Police have not indicated if any charges will be placed against the suspected DUI or if the driver will be taken into custody. Most likely, any action would take place after the driver recovers and their blood alcohol level is examined.

Sources:
“7 Hospitalized After Suspected DUI Crash” – Fox 5 San Diego

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Another celebrity got in trouble with the authorities on Tuesday; Michael Phelps was charged with another DUI. According to online records, this DUI charge is another addition to a myriad of other charges against him. In total, Phelps is awaiting the consequences of five traffic charges and the documentation is now available on the web for everyone to see. The charges, accumulated at different times in the past few years, include but are not limited to: driving while impaired from alcohol, driving under the influence and driving under the influence of alcohol. DUI charges are a large percentage of Phelps’ legal troubles, but he also accrued charges for excessive speeding and driving over double-lane lines in the I-95 tunnel. As of today, there are no set dates for court and Phelps does not yet have a defense attorney. When the press reached out to Phelps to obtain his statement for the press, he took “full responsibility” for his reckless behavior and apologized tremendously.

Sources:
“Charging Documents Show Phelps DUIs Tied To Alcohol” – UT San Diego

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It was revealed this morning with a confirmed police report that the Padres’ shortstop, Everth Cabrera, was arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana. He was arrested a little after midnight on Wednesday morning and the consequences of this arrest may be big enough to keep him off of the field for a while; the rest of this season and possibly carrying over until the next. Cabrera has already been off of the field for extended periods of time for other unfortunate events, one of them being his continuous hamstring injuries. He was currently in preparation to start rehabbing his injuries with the Single-A affiliate ‘Lake Elsinore Storm.’ The 2013 season was filled with nothing but problems for Cabrera and he was suspended for 50 games for being implicated in the Biogenesis scandal. He was also charged with domestic violence while in spring training, but the charges were eventually dropped. While being arrested for DUI is a serious charge, it is not clear what exactly will happen to Cabrera and his position on the field. Being a role model, as most sports players are, he has earned himself a lot of negative publicity; possibly enough to ruin his career.

Sources:
“Everth Cabrera Arrested for DUI in San Diego” – The Friarhood

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The public will soon become aware of what exactly the authorities claim the motive the man allegedly responsible for the triple murder that happened around Christmas had. The suspect, Carlo Mercado, had a court date originally set for October 20th of this year but was moved forward 7 weeks for reasons not released. The triple murder occurred on December 24, 2013, and all three victims were essentially family; two brothers and one brother’s fiancee. The two brothers, Salvatore and Gianni Belvedere, were ages 22 and 24 respectively and Salvatore’s fiancee Ilona Flint was also 22. When the story first hit the news, it was during Christmas Eve day after the engaged couple was found shot dead in their vehicle in the mall parking lot; the mall where Ilona Flint worked at Macy’s. When Gianni Belvedere, Salvatore’s brother, was nowhere to be found throughout the coverage of the mall shootings, it was presumed there was a love triangle in effect between the three. These rumors were dispelled immediately when the body of Gianni Belvedere was found in the trunk of a car in Riverside, 90 miles from the place of the first two murders. All the public knows so far as to how Carlo Mercado was involved is his supposed employment at the Target in the same shopping center as the Macy’s where Ilona Flint worked – attached to the parking lot in which two of the murders took place.

Sources:
“San Diego Triple Murder: Motive May Finally Be Revealed As Suspect Faces Court Date” – Inquisitr

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Authorities from the U.S. and Mexico successfully stopped and captured a boat attempting to smuggle approximately one ton of marijuana in the international waters about 150 miles southwest of San Diego, according to officials. The boat was originally detected by a standard Border Patrol aircraft on Thursday morning and notified Coast Guard officials. The Coast Guard responded by sending a C-130 Hercules aircraft and crew to support the Coast Guard Cutter, Terrapin, sent to intercept the suspicious boat in international waters. The Terrapin is an 87-foot patrol boat and is based out of Bellingham, Washington. The crew of the Terrapin is formally trained to handle situations like this and when they got aboard the boat in question, they found three suspected smugglers and ninety bales of marijuana. The haul of drugs weighed approximately two-thousand pounds and were hidden on a fairly small boat called a “panga.” The suspected smugglers stated they were nationals of Mexico and were turned over to the Mexican Navy, along with the drugs and the boat. On August 1st, the Coast Guard captured two other pangas with four other suspected smugglers carrying about twelve-thousand pounds of marijuana.

Sources:
“Coast Guard: Boat Carrying 1 Ton Of Marijuana Captured” – Times of San Diego

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An interesting series of events leading up to a murder occurred last year around September 24, but the man at fault was just convicted of second degree murder on Friday. Jeret Thomas Needham, 43, started an altercation with a man he has just hired as a temporary assistant to help with wrestling coaching at Madison High School. The victim, Robert Colegrove, apparently refused to get out of a chair when Needham wanted him to and it drove him to ridiculous lengths; committing murder. After Colegrove wouldn’t get out of the chair, Needham exited the premises and on his way out was heard muttering over and over again “shouldn’t have done that.” Later in the day, he returned with a gun and camped out behind Colegrove’s backyard fence. According to Needham, Colegrove saw him behind the fence and was walking toward him with a knife saying “I’m going to kill you.” Needham fired his handgun and fatally shot Colegrove once in the heart. Needham, the former Madison High School wrestling coach, had his lawyers claiming it was self defense, but the jury didn’t quite buy it; they did, however, lower it to second degree murder verus first degree murder.

Sources:
“Wrestling Coach Convicted Of Second-Degree Murder” – San Diego 6, The CW

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A tragic shootout occurred in St. Louis last week when two men opened fire at each other in public streets. During the shootout, which happened just outside of an apartment complex in the 1900 block of Hodiamont Avenue, 46 year old Juliette Cleveland-Davis was walking with her three grandchildren when one of the bullets struck her in the middle of her chest; rendering her dead at the scene. Her three grandchildren, ages 4, 5 and 7, were fortunately unharmed, but sadly had to watch their own grandmother succumb to the violence. The two men responsible for the exchange of bullets are Errick Owens and Tommy Dora Jr., both being held without bond while they await trial. Owens, 20, who lives on the 7400 block of San Diego avenue in North St. Louis county, was the first one captured and charged; murder and armed criminal action. The second man, Tommy Dora Jr., resides on the 5900 block of Ridge Avenue and was captured Saturday evening and charged with the same crimes. The two men are also suspected to have been firing at a third person who has yet to be identified by authorities.

Sources:
“Second Man Charged in Shooting of St. Louis Grandmother” – Post-Dispatch

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At Jay-Z and Beyonce’s Rose Bowl concert in Pasadena, an interesting altercation occurred between a man, woman and the woman’s boyfriend. The man, later identified to be 25-year-old Roberto Alcaraz-Garnica, apparently copped a feel on the wrong girl; her boyfriend was extremely unappreciative. The woman’s boyfriend confronted Alcaraz-Garnica directly about his actions and a fight broke out, and a violent one at that. According to police, Alcaraz-Garnica, the man accused of groping the woman, bit part of one of the boyfriend’s fingers off! He was immediately arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of sexual battery and “mayhem,” held on $100,000 bail. Authorities are unaware if Roverto Alcaraz-Garnica has a lawyer or if one needs to be provided to him. The woman and her boyfriend were not charged, but police did make 10 other various arrests during Saturday’s concert. Roughly 55,000 fans attended this particular concert and the same turnout was expected at the second concert Sunday. Hopefully no fingers were lost.

Sources:
“Fingertip Bitten off At Beyonce/Jay-Z concert in San Diego” – CBS 8

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CNN San Diego reported that things aren’t looking good for Tom Greer, an 80-year-old man who sealed his own fate when two individuals tried to rob him. The two burglars, later identified to be 26-year-old Gus Adams and 28-year-old Andrea Miller, broke into his home in Long Beach, CA. When Greer approached the pair of robbers – who were trying to get into his safe -they quickly began assaulting him. They threw the old man onto the ground, immediately fracturing his collarbone, but he wasn’t down for the count yet. While the thieves continued their effort to open the safe, Greer took advantage of their distraction and grabbed his .22 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. The pair, Miller and Adams, ran out of the house as soon as they saw the elderly man was armed and packing some heat. You’d think a homeowner would be happy when they were able to drive criminals away and still have mostly everything in tact, but not Tom Greer. He followed them outside and everywhere they went, leading to a nearby alleyway – where he shot his .22 caliber at Miller; hitting her in the back. Adams had already ran off out if site, but Miller was in trouble. She was a bloody mess on the ground and when Greer approached her, she begged for her life and even claimed to be pregnant; he shot her anyway. Adams was later found and taken into custody on suspicion of murder for taking part in a crime leading to Miller’s death, and Greer is merely in custody awaiting charges. Speculation leans more towards Greer getting charged for second-degree murder because his actions weren’t premeditated but left the realm of self-defense.

Sources:
“Sould 80-year-old Homeowner Be Charged With Murder?” – CNN San Diego

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