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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

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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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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.

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Early this morning around 2am, tragedy struck as a San Diego cab driver’s taxi was impaled by another driver going the wrong way in southbound lanes on interstate 5. The reckless driver did not stop and successfully fled the scene in an extreme hit-and-run. The cab driver was able to get out of his mangled car, but was devastatingly hit by another driver – who also fled the scene of a second hit-and-run. The cab driver sustained severe injuries that he later died from; a heartbreaking result to horrible circumstances. The cab driver’s vehicle, a green and yellow taxi, was smashed into a retaining wall off of the freeway; interstate 5 in Old Town, as mentioned earlier.

Authorities commenced the search for the two MIA hit-and-run drivers, and were thankfully able to locate the driver who was driving the opposite direction on the freeway. The suspect is a 42 year old woman from Pheonix, AZ, who was apparently operating her vehicle under the influence of alcohol. When authorities located her, she was arrested and detained on felony drunk driving charges. The motorist who hit the cab driver as he stepped out of his vehicle, however, has not been located as of today. Authorities are still vigorously searching for this driver – who is essentially responsible for vehicular manslaughter – to bring closure to this case.

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A neighbor called 911 after she heard the sounds of a dangerous altercation outside of the home of Graham Downes, a San Diego architect. When police arrived, they found a bloody scene of violence – Downes laying unresponsive on the ground with his assailant drunkenly resting on his dead body.

The attacker was Higinio Salgado, one of Downes’ employees. Earlier that evening, Downes and some of his employees met up at a bar – including Salgado – where trouble was already starting to brew. According to the others present at the bar, Salgado was beginning to become ‘loud’ and ‘obnoxious,’ even insulting one of the female employees with them. Somehow, the party continued on to Downes’ San Diego home. As told by one of the individuals present, an argument started when a man’s name, another employee not at the gathering, came up in conversation. Salgado began raging at his boss, expressing his discontent and hatred for the man mentioned, asserting that he “better not take his job.” The others present were able to diffuse the situation and change the subject, but stated that Salgado “couldn’t let it go.”

Later that night, when the women had gone home, Salgado continued yelling and soon became violent. He was heavily intoxicated and began beating on his boss, inflicting blunt force trauma up to 21 times. Salgado’s blood alcohol level was around 2.0 at the time of the incident, over twice the legal driving limit for the state of California.

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The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) indicted 11 airport employees in San Diego on March 18, 2014; the charges ranging from drug smuggler to drug courier. Airline baggage handlers seemingly go through security unchecked, and the employees in question were taking advantage of this loophole. Three of the employees – Felix Garcia, Paulo Perez and Saul Bojorquez – were baggage handlers working for Delta Global Staffing. Also charged were eight other employees, accused of being transporters, suppliers and distributors.

In the Federal Grand Jury indictment, it was noted that those involved had created a process to successfully distribute drugs to cities around the country – including Hawaii, where the street price of methamphetamine is upwards of twenty-five grand a pound. The three baggage handlers were caught smuggling in cocaine and methamphetamine through their personal backpacks. The baggage handlers would show their employee identification to the security personnel, waiving security procedures and allowing them to go through unchecked. They would then rendezvous with the couriers in order to hand over the product and ensure its ability to get on the aircraft and be taken to its final destination. In the indictment, it was cited that the baggage handlers would meet the couriers in a designated airport bathroom and give them the drugs underneath the stall dividers. Once the drugs made it to their designated city, they were then handed off to local traffickers.

The investigation by the DEA leading to the indictment lasted about a year, and during the process law enforcement confiscated 17 pounds of cocaine, 18 pounds of methamphetamine and over $100,000 in cash. All of those in question were arrested the week of March 11, 2014, and remain in police custody. One indicted employee has yet to be located, and the age range of the accused ranges from early 20’s to late 40’s.

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In Pacific Beach, a neighborhood of San Diego, seven drivers were arrested for drunk driving. The arrests were made at a routine overnight sobriety checkpoint, which started around 11:00 pm on April 12 and lasted until 3:00 am April 13. During the process, law enforcement’s attempt to ascertain whether there were possible DUI‘s proved successful. Along with the seven drivers taken into custody, eight vehicles were impounded.The total number of vehicles that drove through the checkpoint reached 746, with 585 being stopped for further examination. The sobriety checkpoint occurred on the 2600 block, a division of Ingraham St.

Sources:

“7 Arrested for DUI in Pacific Beach” – CBS8.com, April 13, 2014

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A local student attending Mira Costa College in Oceanside has been arrested by police for his involvement with death threats sent via text message to a handful of other students from El Camino High School. Soon after the detectives believe the texts were sent in March of 2013, a deadly ambush took place at Libby Lake Park in Oceanside. A day before this incident, a fatal shooting at the same park left a 13-year-old girl dead, a 15-year-old boy dead, and two other adolescents injured. The victims of this shooting were visiting a memorial at the park for two of their friends who were killed at the park in May of 2011, when they were shot and left dead. The El Camino students received texts warning them that if they did not stop talking about the killings that occurred at Libby Lake park that they would be killed too According to reports, 18-year-old Samuel Ruiz was arrested for suspicion of making criminal threats, cyber-bullying, and possessing an illegal weapon on the Mira Costa campus. According to police Lt. Leonard Cosby, Ruiz has since denied any involvement, however detectives believe that Ruiz is behind the texts using a fake name “Bart Chang”. Cosby also stated that Ruiz subsequently admitted to police Detective Mark LaVake that he was indeed “Bart Chang” and that there has been no apparent personal connections between the victims of the threats and Ruiz. After posting a $50,000 bail, Ruiz was released from jail. Before going to court, Ruiz will definitely need to retain an experienced criminal defense attorney as he is facing serious charges that can result in serious legal consequences if not handled by a skilled professional.

Sources:

“College student linked to threatening texts”– UT San Diego, January 22, 2014

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A San Diego prosecutor from the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office has pleaded guilty to DUI charges. The prosecutor of 37 years of age, Rebecca Ocain, admitted to the misdemeanor charge of drinking while under the influence of alcohol and testified at the East County courthouse that she was indeed driving with a blood-alcohol content exceeding 0.15 percent, almost twice the legal limit. To prevent a possible conflict of interest, the case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office, which declined to comment on the case. On the night of October 19th at around 11:20 p.m., Ocain was pulled over and arrested near Alpine Boulevard. Officers transported her to Las Colinas Detention Facility and was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Ocain is currently still employed and has also refused to comment on her arrest or her plea. Despite her infamous arrest, Ocain has an honorable educational background and a successful career in the field. She attended and earned her degree at California Western School of Law and became a member of the California State Bar Association in 2001. In 2006, she was hired by the San Diego District Attorney’s Office and has since handled multiple high-profile cases. These cases include filing charges in 2007 in opposition of a former Imperial Beach fire inspector who was accused of sending death threats to city officials while intoxicated, as well as prosecuting a man in 2013 who was charged for stabbing his wife to death. What people can take away most from Ocain’s case is that even the best of us can make poor decisions and have to suffer the consequences of doing so. Ocain’s best move for a successful outcome of her case is to retain a criminal defense attorney with extensive experience handling DUI cases.

Sources:

“Prosecutor pleads guilty in DUI”– UT San Diego, January 24, 2014

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Celebrity music artist Justin Bieber has been arrested for DUI, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid license in Miami Beach, Florida. Police officers witnessed the young starlet racing a yellow Lamborghini against a red Ferrari at 4 a.m. on residential streets and proceeded to pull him over. Both cars were driving at a speed of 60 mph in a designated 30 mph speed limit zone. According to reports, Bieber made inappropriate remarks to the police officer including, “What the f*** did I do? Why did you stop me?” and ignored the officer’s request to keep his hands on the vehicle during a routine pat down for weapons. He was also described in reports as having a “flushed face, bloodshot eyes, and the odor of alcohol on his breath.” Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez told the press that 19-year-old Bieber was booked into a Miami Jail for failing a sobriety test and stated Bieber had “made some statements that he had consumed some alcohol, and that he had been smoking marijuana and consumed some prescription medication.” Martinez also stated that Bieber “was not cooperating with the officer’s instructions. At first, he was a little belligerent, using some choice words questioning why he was being stopped and why the officer was even questioning him.” The arresting officer quoted Bieber revealing the words that were used as, “I ain’t got no f***ing weapons. Why do you have to search me? What the f*** is this about?” Also arrested on suspicion of drunk driving was the driver of the red Ferrari racing Bieber, who has yet to be publicly identified. This is not the first time Bieber has been accused of street racing expensive sports cars either, as previous investigations have been made on reports that Bieber would race in the prestigious Oaks neighborhood where he lives in Calabasas, California. However, those reports never resulted in legal charges.

Although Bieber is currently under investigation for accusations that he egged his neighbor’s house and caused an estimated $20,000 worth of damages, this is the first time he has been arrested. Using a felony search warrant, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department raided Bieber’s Calabasas home for the vandalism investigation and seized both Bieber’s iPhone and his home security cameras as evidence. Sheriff’s Lt. David Thompson spoke on behalf of the raid stating, “We didn’t do this search warrant to send a message. That’s not what we do, but we hope maybe understanding the gravity of this will change some of the behavior.” In March of 2013, another neighbor of the child star came out with accusations against Bieber stating that he spat on his face during a heated confrontation between the two. Local authorities have also responded to handfuls of loud noise complaints coming from Bieber’s residence in the recent past. Other Miami police departments are on Bieber’s tail as well. One department is currently investigating a report that some of its own officers proceeded to escort Bieber and his crew to and from popular Miami strip clubs without authorization to do so. “At some point, the escort took them at least to two locations that we know of. The police administration had no knowledge of this escort, and it is not the norm for those things to occur without the chief and his administration authorizing such escorts” Opa-Locka Assistant City Manager David Chiverton told reporters. It is obvious the young entertainer has demonstrated questionable behavior and seems to be heading in a downward spiral of legal trouble. Not only does Bieber need an aggressive and experienced attorney to handle his case, it seems the child star turned teenage delinquent needs some emotional and behavioral guidance as well if he wants to save his career.

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