L.A. Crime News - Los Angeles Times

Judge urged to throw out plea bargain in sex assaults of disabled women

Advocates for the disabled are urging a Los Angeles County judge to throw out a plea bargain for an employee of an El Monte day care center who confessed to sexually assaulting three mentally disabled clients, saying his eight-year-sentence was an injustice.

The proposed sentence for Juan Fernando Flores "does not reflect the harm sustained by the victims nor the severity of the crimes committed," Robert J. Baldo, executive director of the Assn. of Regional Center Agencies, said in a letter to Superior Court Judge Jack Hunt.

midnight

Councilman Bernard C. Parks blasts campaign mailer

City Councilman Bernard C. Parks blasted a campaign mailer sent to voters this week by the Los Angeles Police Protective League that claimed he "took 1,000 police officers off our streets."

"What they say is absolutely a lie — you can't physically do it — you can't physically take 1,000 people off the street as one councilman," Parks said. The former Los Angeles Police Department chief is seeking a third and final term representing his South Los Angeles district.

midnight

Arson squad responds to house where body was found

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arson squad responded Wednesday night to a fire that broke out at a Lennox house where a body was unearthed in the backyard, officials said.

The blaze broke out at the house in 4800 block of West 112th Street and was engulfed in flames when the first fire engine arrived, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

9:53 p.m.

Suspect is arrested in Lennox backyard body case

A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the death of a man whose body was found buried in the backyard at a Lennox house, authorities said Wednesday night.

Marcos Lomeli, 26, was apprehended Wednesday afternoon at a motel in the 4300 block of Rosemead Boulevard in Pico Rivera after detectives pursued leads developed in the case, said Capt. Mike Parker of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

6:57 p.m.

O.C. attorney to be arraigned in investment scheme

An Irvine attorney is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges that he stole $898,000 from 11 victims in an investment scheme with two other men, the Orange County district attorney's office said.

Attorney Jan Morton Heger and Ramon Andres Najera, both 66, are charged with 16 felony counts of using untrue statements in the sale or purchase of securities and 11 felony counts of grand theft, with sentencing enhancement allegations for aggravated white-collar crime of more than $500,000, theft exceeding $150,000 and property loss exceeding $200,000, according to the district attorney's office.

5:53 p.m.

Bell 8: Six officials ordered to stand trial for looting city treasury [Updated]

Six current or former Bell City Council members were ordered Wednesday to stand trial on felony charges that they drew extraordinary salaries for serving on boards and commissions that met so rarely that one elected official testified that he wasn’t even sure what the agencies did.

In ordering a trial, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Henry J. Hall said it wasn't really a tough decision on his part. "This is not really a difficult case," he said.

5 p.m.

Rain halts hunt for second body behind Lennox house

The hunt for a second body possibly buried in the backyard of a Lennox "drug house" was halted Wednesday, the day after the remains of an male adult were unearthed in the yard, investigators said.

The ongoing search was suspended because of rainy weather, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Thomas.

4:15 p.m.

Long Beach woman arrested for allegedly shining laser pointer at law enforcement helicopters

Police said Wednesday they arrested a Long Beach woman for allegedly shining a laser pointer at two law enforcement helicopters in midair.

Kelly Ann Smith, 34, of Long Beach was arrested Feb. 5 for allegedly shining the light at Long Beach police and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department helicopters Jan. 29 during an intensive police search for suspects who shot at two Long Beach gang detectives.

2:12 p.m.

Gang member convicted in murder of high school football player

A Compton gang member was convicted Feb. 14 in the 2009 shooting death of a high school football player.

Arlon Watson, a 22 year-old black man, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Dannie Farber, an 18-year-old black man.

1:41 p.m.

Armenian gang fraud cost victims at least $20 million, authorities say [Updated]

At least 74 reputed members of the Armenian Power organized crime gang were charged Wednesday in a fraud scheme that cost Southern California victims at least $20 million, law enforcement officials said.

Authorities said members of Armenian Power, or AP, face criminal charges with potential sentences ranging from a few years to life in prison.

1:01 p.m.

Mel Gibson extortion case delivered to L.A. prosecutors

L.A. Sheriff's Department detectives have sent their investigation into allegations that Mel Gibson was extorted to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file charges.

L.A. County sheriff's investigators have spent months looking into whether Gibson hit ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva and launched a separate but related probe into whether someone tried to extort money from Gibson.

12:56 p.m.

City trust fund loan to help LAPD staff new jail

Elected city officials Wednesday finalized an unusual loan to the LAPD that will reduce the number of police officers taken off the street to staff a new jail.

The Los Angeles Police Department enacted a controversial plan earlier this month to reassign 89 officers from regular patrol work to the detention facility, where they filled staffing shortages that had forced the department to keep the jail mothballed for nearly two years.

12:01 p.m.

Mother of two seriously injured in South L.A. hit-and-run

Police were investigating Wednesday a hit-and-run collision in South Los Angeles that left a woman seriously injured.

The 34-year-old woman was crossing the street Monday at 111th Place and Figueroa Street on her way home from work when she was struck by a 1991 gray or blue Toyota Camry, license plate 2VWL540, police said.

9:58 a.m.

O.C. jail cook arrested for allegedly groping female inmate

A cook at the Orange County jail in Santa Ana was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery after he allegedly grabbed a female inmate’s breasts while she helped him in the kitchen, authorities said Wednesday.

James Arroyo, 54, was arrested Monday at work, said Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino. Arroyo, a six-year jail employee, worked in the kitchen where he supervised several women inmates.

9:24 a.m.

Nearly 100 charged, dozens arrested in operation targeting Armenian organized crime [Updated]

Dozens of people were arrested Wednesday morning in a massive operation by federal and local law enforcement authorities targeting Armenian organized crime, particularly members of the powerful street gang Armenian Power.

Operation Power Outage involved nearly 1,000 officers and concentrated primarily on suspects who reside in heavily Armenian neighborhoods in Glendale and East Hollywood, but authorities said arrests and indictments also were made in other parts of the country.

9:11 a.m.

NBA All-Star weekend means beefed-up security, LAPD says

Police plan to ramp up security this weekend in conjunction with the NBA All-Star game at Staples Center -- an event some say could draw at least 100,000 fans and participants to the Los Angeles' central core.

The Los Angeles Police Department will deploy extra gang officers and foot-patrol units downtown, and K-9 teams will have dogs sniffing arriving cars, limousines and buses for bombs, department officials said Wednesday in a statement.

8:43 a.m.

Crews search for possible second body in backyard of Lennox home where corpse was found

Digging continued Wednesday in the backyard of a Lennox house where investigators discovered a man's body buried.

After exhuming the body Tuesday, Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators said a second body may be buried on the property. The investigation is ongoing, said Sgt. Brian Thomas of the Sheriff's Department.

8:33 a.m.

18 suspected illegal immigrants arrested off Dana Point

Eighteen suspected illegal immigrants allegedly trying to enter the United States on a small fishing boat were arrested off the coast of Dana Point, authorities said Wednesday.

Fifteen men and three women between the ages of 20 and 50 were spotted early Tuesday morning aboard a panga about six miles west of Dana Point.

8:12 a.m.

Video shows suspect in string of West L.A. burglaries

The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday released video of a suspect that detectives believe is responsible for a string of burglaries on the Westside along the L.A.-Santa Monica border.

The LAPD said the burglaries began in October.

7:55 a.m.

Police seek two who burglarized pizza shop in Eagle Rock

Police in Eagle Rock were looking Wednesday for two men who broke into a Domino’s Pizza restaurant.

The burglary occurred at about midnight Tuesday at the restaurant in the 1700 block of Colorado Boulevard, said Lt. Brian Thomas of the Los Angeles Police Department's northeast community police station.