Public Safety?

Suspect Finally Found and Taken Into Custody for Fourth of July Murder in San Diego

Published on: July 14, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

A few blog entries back I went into detail about a murder case under investigation that occurred on the Fourth of July. The body of a man in his 50’s was found outside near the street in a suburban neighborhood in Vista. Later, it was discovered the body belonged to Robert Evasick, and that his body was in fact residing on his own property. Shortly after, police began questioning the locals about the Evasick residence and were informed of another individual that resided on the premises; Alexander Wyman. Authorities instantly began searching for Wyman for questioning, but were unable to locate him. When the medical examiners determined Evasick’s death was a result of homicidal acts, a full blown manhunt ensued with authorities reaching out for information from the public through anonymous tips on Wyman’s location. Luckily, the search came to an end Friday as the L.A.P.D took Wyman into custody at 9 p.m. before handing him over to the detectives in San Diego who were originally investigating the case. Wyman will undergo serious questioning to determine his level of involvement in the death of Evasick, but as for right now he remains in the hands of the police.

Sources:
“Man Arrested in Vista Murder Investigation” – Fox 5 San Diego

Authorities Identify Man Found Dead on Fourth of July in San Diego

Published on: July 9, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

For most people, the Fourth of July holiday and the days following are full of good times and fond memories; but not all. On July 5, deputies went out to a location described in an anonymous call, where an injured man was spotted. When they arrived at the scene, 3600 block of Gopher Canyon road at around 3:30 p.m., the deputies were shocked to find the body of Rober Evasick. Evasick, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene, which so happened to be on his own property in front of his house. Authorities have yet to disclose all of the details, but have revealed that the victim’s injuries were indeed inflicted by another person – making this a homicide case.

According to the locals, there was another man who lived with Evasick — 37-year-old Alexander Wyman. Authorities have been searching for him to begin questioning for the investigation, but he is nowhere to be found as of today. If you or a friend know anything about Wyman or his location, you may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000. He is about 5’11” and weighs around 200 pounds, is a caucasian with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing dark colored shorts and a white Padres-logo t-shirt. If you think you can help, call the San Diego County Crime Stoppers.

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Fatal Crash Involving Motorcyclist Crashing Into and Sliding Under 4-Door Sedan, San Diego

Published on: June 2, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

A devastating, fatal collision occurred yesterday afternoon involving a 55-year-old man from Oceanside. He was riding on his Triumph motorcycle, bobbing and weaving through vehicles as he passed them near State Route 76 in front of the Oak Knoll Campground. Witnesses told officers arriving on the scene that the crash happened around midnight, with one of these witnesses evening saying he experienced the motorcyclists reckless driving on the highway.

“He passed me,” the witness stated, “and even did it over the double-yellow line.”

it appears as if this behavior continued, leading to his untimely death. The motorcyclist tried to pass a Toyota Corolla, not seeing that the car ahead of him, the Corolla, was attempting to turn left, thus creating a recipe for a disaster collision. The motorcycle driven by the 55-year-old man impaled into the side of the 4-door, but the momentum of the cycle itself was left high enough to continue to slide underneath the car and out the other side.

Man Impales Ford Escape Into 3 Different Vehicles, Possible DUI in San Diego

Published on: May 30, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

Last weekend in North Park, San Diego, a very interesting series of events took place. Apparently a 42-year-old man, his name not revealed as of yet, was driving through a liquor store parking lot and pummeled into two parked vehicles. This first event of more to follow occurred around midnight, Sunday the 25th. After scraping his Ford Escape against stationary vehicles, the driver sped away from the scene, only to get into even more trouble. About four blocks away, he floored-it through a red light and smacked into another moving vehicle, a black Saab. This unfortunate collision took place at the intersection of Park Boulevard and University Avenue.

The wreck ended up being fairly serious, with all individuals inside of each vehicle sent to nearby hospitals. The vehicles suffered significant damage, with doors having to be removed by firefighters to rescue the injured people stuck inside. The driver of the black Saab suffered a neck fracture, with his passenger also suffering minor injuries. The loose-cannon driver of the Ford Escape and his passenger also suffered minor injuries, but non life-threatening. San Diego police are running toxicology reports to determine the sobriety of the collision-happy driver of the Ford Escape, but may go ahead and initiate charges anyway. The Traffic Division is currently investigating the details of the collision.

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Locally Formed San Diego Metal Band In Trouble; Lead Singer Prison Sentence

Published on: May 21, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

Heavy metal fans wept last Friday, May 16th, as the lead singer of As I Lay Dying, Timothy Lambesis, was sentenced to six years in prison. Lambesis was caught in the midst of forming a plan to have his wife murdered by a hired hit man, after their marriage had become a war zone. Lambesis was allegedly angry that his wife, Meggan Lambesis, would be getting a huge portion of his income in a divorce settlement – along with being able to restrict his visits with their three adopted children. Lambesis was first heard mentioning such a plan in the gym, where another gym member kept hearing him repeat his desire to “kill his wife.” Luckily for her, this person took the threats they overheard seriously and went to the sheriff’s department seeking help with the matter. The sheriff’s department was able to act accordingly and have it in place to where the next person Lambesis approached with his murderous ideals would be the undercover sheriff himself. When the sinister singer approached the undercover detective, thinking he was a hit man for hire, he handed him pictures of his wife, codes to her home alarm system and a measly $1,000. Timothy Lambesis was then taken into custody, his wife fortunately being unharmed in the process. Meggan’s father, however, isn’t convinced – he requested additional protection for his daughter in the future now that Timothy has a prison alibi to finish the deed he attempted to start. The judge who sentenced Timothy Lambesis to his next six years in prison agreed, granting Meggan and the children a decade of protection. Lambesis’ defense attorney is stating that the event was isolated, out of character and a result of steroid use.

As I Lay Dying was formed in San Diego in the year 2000. The band was nominated for a grammy back in 2008.

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Overnight Checkpoints Catch 23 Drunk Drivers On Site

Published on: May 20, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

A couple of overnight checkpoints in San Diego this weekend proved necessary, for as many as twenty-three suspected drunk drivers were pulled over to ascertain their state of influence. Driving under the influence is one of the top offenses in the United States, taking countless lives by something entirely preventable. In a study done by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), teens and young adults were tested (without them knowing it was a test) on whether they would take the passenger’s seat in a vehicle operated by a drunk driver. Shockingly, as many as 54% of them sealed their fate with a loose cannon behind the wheel.

The checkpoints this past weekend on May 17th and 18th were located on Mission Bay Drive near I-5 and 14th & G. They ran for about 4 hours, in a gap from approximately 11:00pm Saturday to 3:00am Sunday, where around 4,000 vehicles passed through in total. At 14th & G, almost 2,000 vehicles were subject to the checkpoint and screening process, with a whopping 880 of the drivers actually being screened. Of those 880, 24 drivers were detained for further evaluation and 10 additional drivers were arrested on the spot for DUI. The Mission Bay checkpoint was equally successful, with close to 1,900 vehicles being subject to screen, 772 actually being screened and 16 held for further evaluation; 13 of those held were subsequently arrested for driving under the influence.

These two checkpoints and many others were funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Man Fires Gun At Local Walmart, College Grove in San Diego

Published on: May 7, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

Last Tuesday, a little over a week ago, the College Grove Walmart shoppers experienced something most of us hope we never have to go through. At approximately 10pm, a shooting occurred inside the Walmart, sending shoppers into a state of disarray and fear. A chilling image was recounted by witnesses who were actually in the scene, describing it as a cash register mini-heist. A large, African-American man with long dreadlocks was shouting, demanding one of the cashiers to open her drawer and surrender to him the money inside. After dictating his request and waiting on the cashier’s response, things started to get intense. The robber angrily fired a shot into the air; the cashier was apparently not moving fast enough for his liking. As if that weren’t enough to get things moving, the man fired another shot into the air, just mere moments after he fired the first bullet. Dozens of on-looking shoppers were petrified as they ducked behind impulse buy shelves and clothes racks. As things started to get hasty, however, those trapped inside started slinking to the various exits. Once the shoppers were in the clear and able to escape safely, they fled from the scene. The glorified purse-snatcher‘s exit was done after he extorted an undisclosed amount of cash from the unfortunately selected cashier. Authorities described his escape vehicle as a silver Mustang – possibly possessing a white door. According to eye witness recollections, he hopped into the Mustang with the cash and the vehicle sped off onto state Route 94 going 100 miles-per-hour. The San Diego police department of robbery will be investigating the case using camera footage from the property, along with witness testimonies.

Sources:
“Shots Fired At College Grove Walmart” – San Diego 6

Driver Arrested for DUI After Ramming Cadillac Into a Telephone Pole

Published on: May 1, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

On Sunday April 27, a young man by the name of Stephen Want was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after his car rammed into a power pole. The accident occurred at approximately 4pm, and state Route 76 near Pauma Valley was immediately shut down in both directions. The alleged drunken driver was behind the wheel of a 2003 Cadillac sedan – the vehicle swerved into a telephone pole and plucked it from the ground, pulling the electrical wires with it. When the electrical wires flew down, a small fire lit up, but was easily eliminated without the help of the local firemen; they had not yet arrived. When the Cadillac plowed into the electrical pole on the highway, power was out in 650 houses and businesses in Rincon, Hellhole Canyon, Vally Center, Mesa Grande, Santa Ysabel, Palomar Mountain, Lake Henshaw areas and the La Jolla Indian Reservation. Highway lanes remained closed while San Diego Gas & Electric quickly responded to the loss of power caused by the wreckage. They were able to pinpoint the open electrical path and make the essential reparations. Power was promptly restored to all homes but 6, and those homes had their power restored not long after. As for route 76, lanes going in both directions reopened at about 7pm that evening. Luckily the driver responsible was not injured, but as stated earlier was taken in for suspicion of drunken driving. He was booked into the Vista jail by the California Highway Patrol.

Sources:

“Driver Arrested For DUI After Wreck Closes Highway 76” – San Diego 6

Suspected DUI Causes Fiery Scene – Local Police Officer Comes to The Rescue

Published on: April 30, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

A man supposedly driving under the influence caused an accident resulting in his vehicle, a grey Nissan Altima, to burst into flames. The accident took place at approximately 1:30am in Escondido, a division of San Diego county. Lt. Murphy of the Escondido police department announced that the driver of the Nissan Altima ran a red light while driving north-bound on Broadway at West Valley Parkway, colliding with a west-bound Lincoln Navigator. After the two vehicles pummeled into each other, they came to demolished halt near City hall. The Nissan Altima caught fire with the driver still inside, causing a crisis situation – and that’s when a hero stepped in. The police officer assigned to check out the scene noticed the driver of the Altima was unconscious, surrounded by flames. He immediately ran to aid the man, first attempting to use a fire extinguisher to get it under control. After this proved futile, the police officer did what no one saw coming; he got in the car. He climbed into the flaming car and removed the driver, who was suspected to have suffered a concussion.

Not only was the driver at fault in need of saving, but the driver of the affected vehicle was also trapped. The driver of the Navigator had to be set free using the Jaws of Life, but the passenger was somehow able to get out on his/her own. By a miracle, all three people involved survived the crash, only sustaining minor injuries. They were immediately taken to a nearby hospital after they left the scene – but the driver at fault was later arrested. Based on certain data taken from the event, law enforcement had suspicion enough to detain him for drunken driving. They have not yet released the man’s name as the facts are still under investigation. Currently, the police are still looking for information regarding the accident and those involved. If this sounds like it involves someone you may know, please don’t hesitate to call Officer Bruce “Tony” Masten of the Traffic Division.

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DUI in San Diego Resulting in Fatal Crash, Killing Two Young Adults

Published on: April 23, 2014 | by Leslie Legal Group

On April 19, in San Diego, 26-year-old Mario Castaneda-Carranza made a horrible decision that cost him the lives of his friends. He chose to operate his vehicle, a ’97 Nissan Sentra, under the influence of alcohol. It’s surprising he chose to drive inebriated, considering he has a previous DUI from 2007 on his lengthy criminal record.

Carranza was driving too fast – 70mph – on I-8 at 7:30am, when he swayed to the center divider, only to lose control of his vehicle when he tried to swerve back to the road. His ’97 Nissan plowed through a chain link fence and smashed into a concrete culvert, killing both of his friends; two 20 year olds, Carlos Kristopher Vargas and Monica Lupercio. The two had met recently and kindled a relationship – only to meet a tragic end due to the poor decision making skills of their friend behind the wheel.

Carranza will have plenty of time to mull over his actions, as he miraculously survived the crash. He was hurt during the impact, sustaining major injuries, and was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital. CHP officials have announced that Carranza is faced with multiple charges – felony DUI resulting in deaths, vehicular homicide involving alcohol, murder and his previous DUI conviction – which doesn’t help his case, either.