Breaking news from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Created by jvunknown on Jun 16, 2008
Last updated: 10/19/10 at 08:14 PM
SANTA CRUZ - Three Salvadoran gang members accused of running drugs will be prosecuted by the feds, the District Attorney’s Office reported Thursday.
Local prosecutor Charlie Baum said he dropped charges against Pedro Escobar, 22, German Escobar, 23, and Jose Callejas-Alfaro, 29, all of Santa Cruz in court Thursday morning because last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a complaint against the trio.
“It is a good thing from our perspective,” said Baum, who explained the men will face longer prison sentences if convicted at the federal level.
The federal complaint charges all three men with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
Santa Cruz police arrested the Escobars and Callejas-Alfaro in April after officers got a tip the men planned to sell more than three pounds of methamphetamine and conducted a month-long investigation that led the to interception of the drug deal.
Investigators have said that the three men are high-ranking Salvadoran gang members suspected of supplying methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin to drug dealers. Police also seized a stolen, loaded handgun during the bust.
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Three mental health workers affiliated with the county’s American Red Cross chapter have been sent to help at natural disasters.
Frances Rinaldo was deployed to the Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara. Ray and Joy LeClair were sent to the Kentucky flooding.
Santa Cruz County Red Cross mental health volunteers are all mental health professionals who volunteer their time to help those who have been through the trauma of a disaster, whether it is a single home fire or a massive disaster affecting thousands. All services provided by the Red Cross during a disaster relief operation are free of charge.
Monday, the local Red Cross chapter announced that four other disaster relief volunteers from the county had gone to Santa Barbara to help fire victims. Their tasks involved providing food, water and shelter to fire victims.
The local Red Cross chapter is looking for registered nurses and mental health workers to join their disaster relief efforts after taking part in a short training. Call Patsy Hernandez at 462-2881 ext. 16 for information.
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Sheriff’s deputies responding to break up a fight at the Felton Fair Shopping Center just before 10 a.m. Monday inadvertently busted a suspected drug dealer, according to Sgt. Greg Lansdowne.
Nicholas Nelson, 24, of Felton matched the description of one of the fighters so deputies detained him. When they checked to see if he had any outstanding warrants, the deputies learned Nelson was on probation for past drug violations and that, as part of his probation, could be searched by law enforcement officers, accordng to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies found $5,500 cash and about a pound of marijuana in Nelson’s backpack, as well as a scale and packaging materials, Lansdowne said.
Nelson was booked into County Jail on suspicion of possessing marijuana, possessing marijuana for sale and a probation violation, according to jail records. He remained there Wednesday afternoon.
The other person involved in the reported fight was not located. Lansdowne said he didn’t know what the two men were arguing about.
“Unfortunately the other guy got away from the fight,” Lansdowne said.
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SANTA CRUZ — A UC Santa Cruz student accused of felony animal cruelty for allegedly throwing a Chihuahua into a Westside ravine will have a preliminary hearing June 29, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Andrew Corpus, 19, has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Corpus is accused of tossing Lola, a 1-year-old, 7-pound dog, about 75 feet into the ravine after the dog reportedly bit him twice inside a nearby apartment April 18. Corpus apparently put the dog in a box beforehand, police reported.
Lola was found six days later and returned to her owner.
During a preliminary hearing, the prosecutor will present an overview his case and a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to take the defendant to trial.
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LA SELVA BEACH - A deputy looking for drug paraphernalia in a car where five teenagers allegedly had been smoking pot discovered a loaded handgun and arrested one of the teens, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
The deputy spotted the car parked under a “No Parking” sign on Oceanview Drive around 10:50 p.m. and went to speak with the people inside. He found five teenagers — three male and two female, ages 15-19 — in the car and smelled marijuana, according to Sgt. Greg Lansdowne. The teens handed over a pipe, then the deputy searched the car for additional evidence of drug use.
Instead, the deputy found a loaded 9mm handgun tucked into a pocket in front of the backseat on the passenger side of the car. The 16-year-old Watsonville boy who had been sitting there was arrested on suspicion of possessing a concealed weapon, according to the Sheriff’s Office. His name was not released because of his age.
Lansdowne said there was no apparent gang connection.
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ELKHORN
Fake sheriff’s log: Spaceship reported vandalized
It wasn’t your typical vehicle burglary. Nothing taken from the glove box. No sound system ripped from the dashboard.
Then again it wasn’t your typical vehicle, as reported Tuesday on the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office patrol log, unless Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, attired in black, were on some kind of new adventure in the North Monterey County hills.
According to the sheriff’s log, a deputy took a report Monday afternoon from an Elkhorn resident who was upset that someone had entered his unlocked spaceship and ransacked the vehicle.
Fortunately, the log noted dryly, “Nothing was missing, and there was no damage to the laser gun.”
But the truth about the unusual crime was neither “out there” or inside the troubled mind of a deluded spaceship owner.
A Monterey County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the log entry had been tampered with after a deputy filed a legitimate report about a “run-of-the-mill” vehicle tampering case.
Cmdr. Mike Richards said he discovered the prank after a reporter requested more information about the spaceship burglary.
Richards said someone “accessed the log” and changed what should have been a routine log entry.
Whether the prankster hacked into the Sheriff’s Office computer system from the outside or the change was made internally wasn’t immediately clear, he said.
“We’re looking into it now,” Richards said.
SANTA CRUZ
Date set for Boulder Creek dog abuse trial
Judge Robert Atack on Tuesday set a trial date of May 19 for Robert Brunette, a man accused of 10 animal neglect charges for his dog breeding operation on his Boulder Creek property.
Brunette faces two felony charges and eight misdemeanors, and a possible four-year prison sentence, if convicted. Animal control officers removed more than 50 dogs from his property off Deer Creek Road, after responding to a neighbor’s complaint in July.
Brunette, 45, is representing himself, and had requested six more weeks to prepare his case. The prosecutor is Steve Moore.
FELTON
Men arrested with drugs, guns being investigated for robbery
Deputies are considering adding robbery allegations to drug and weapons charges facing three Salinas men arrested in Felton last week, sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Lansdowne said.
After a follow-up investigation, deputies believe the men came to the Highway 9 and Graham Hill Road area last Wednesday night to buy marijuana and then assaulted the salesman and stole the drugs, Lansdowne said.
Deputies were summoned about 9 p.m., by a report of a fight in the street, and then spotted the men in a car and pulled them over. They found two loaded guns and about a pound of marijuana, Lansdowne said.
Deputies arrested Michael Walraven and Andre Flores, both 18, and Michael Ledezma, 19, on suspicion of carrying loaded firearms in a vehicle and transporting marijuana.
He declined to say where the victim of the robbery lives, out of concern for his safety.
Stealing drugs is still a crime, even though the loot is illegal, because it has value, Lansdowne said. Sheriff’s officials estimated the value at $3,500.
BOULDER CREEK
Rash of burglaries from cars reported
Six reports of thefts from unlocked cars were reported recently in the Boulder Creek area, sheriff’s reports show.
From April 17 through Sunday, four burglaries from cars occurred on South Street, Highland Drive and Highway 9 in Boulder Creek and on Pacific Street and Highway 9 in Brookdale, deputies reported.
Items stolen included a global positioning system valued at $500.
Unlocked cars are a common target of thieves and law enforcement officials recommend locking cars and not leaving anything of value in sight.
WATSONVILLE
Car overturns on highway shoulder
A 44-year-old Aptos man was hospitalized as a precaution Tuesday morning after his car overturned on Highway 1, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The man was driving south near Main Street/Highway 152 about 8 a.m. when he allowed his Kia Rio to drift off the road, onto the right shoulder and up an embankment, officer Hugh Holden said.
The Rio did a “slow roll” onto its side, Holden said.
The cause of the accident is being investigated, he said.
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SOQUEL - Sheriff’s deputies on Monday arrested a woman allegedly running a drug house across the street from Main Street Elementary School.
Sgt. Stephan Fish responded to reports of a drug activity at the home, 5005 Via Gatos, and found the owner, Amy Wehner, 44, allegedly under the influence of drugs, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Fish also discovered a small marijuana cultivation in the garage and Wehner didn’t have a medicinal card, Sgt. Mark Yanez, who heads the sheriff’s drug investigation unit, said. Monday afternoon, detectives got a search warrant for the home and found drug use paraphernalia throughout the residence including needles, crack cocaine pipes and materials for converting powder cocaine to rock cocaine, Yanez said.
Other people leaving the home have been arrested on drug-related charges during the past month, according to Yanez.
Wehner was also booked into County Jail on suspicion of maintaining a place where drugs are used and sold.
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WATSONVILLE — Police are seeking a 16-19-year-old male who shot into an inhabited apartment building on Ross Avenue Sunday night.
According to investigators, the shooter fired three rounds into windows of a second-story apartment and one round through the wall of a first-floor apartments, just missing a 13-year-old girl. Officers recovered a shell casing and a loaded magazine just outside the ground floor apartment.
Officers had responded to an 11 p.m. call of shots fired and reports of the shooter fleeing on foot toward Freedom School. The shooter was described as wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.
The motive of this crime is unknown.
In a separate case, police are seeking three teen males in connection with a shooting early Sunday morning.
Around 4:30 a.m., callers to 911 told dispatchers that five shots had been fired at a white Honda on the 200 block or Bockius Street. Officers arrived to find the car hadn’t been hit and that a male inside the car was uninjured.
Investigators collected shell casings and a shirt from the scene.
The suspects, who fled on foot, were described as being between 15 and 16 years old. Two were wearing all black clothing, while one had on a red baseball cap and a gray sweater.
Police urged witnesses to call the Watsonville tip line at 724-3544, the non-emergency line at 471-1151, the investigations unit at 768-3350 or 911 for emergencies.
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WATSONVILLE — A former Watsonville farm manager convicted of molesting a 4-year-old girl may spend the rest of his life in state prison, a judge ruled Friday morning.
During a speedy hearing, Judge John Salazar sentenced Virgilio “Hilo” Yepez, 51, to 15 years to life in prison for sexually abusing the daughter of a woman with whom Yepez had a relationship. The girl, who testified during the trial, was 4 when Yepez sexually abused her in September 2007.
In February, a jury — after deliberating for just an hour — found Yepez guilty of one count of oral copulation of a child younger than 10 years old and two counts of lewd acts with a child.
The sentencing hearing had been postponed twice before Friday’s court appearance. Some of the delay occurred because Yepez’s attorney, Miguel Hernandez, filed a last-minute motion to reduce the prison term his client faces. Hernandez said the lengthy sentence, part of which is dictated by state law, exceeds the conduct being disciplined.
Yepez had faced a stiffer sentence: 23 years to life in prison.
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A 20-year-old Watsonville man was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and gang participation Tuesday after he was caught tagging on the Harkins Slough Road bridge near Watsonville Slough, police said.
Officers were summoned by a graffiti sensor about 4:30 p.m., and arrived to find Jesus Hernandez Sanchez spray painting gang slogans, a police report stated.
Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of vandalism, participation in a criminal street gang and graffiti, police said.
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BOULDER CREEK — High winds and downed trees kept San Lorenzo Valley fire and PG&E crews busy Tuesday afternoon.
Between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., they responded to seven reports of trees taking down power lines and blocking roadways.
In one instance, on Grove Street in Boulder Creek, a caller reported a tree into an apartment.
No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
The National Weather Service reports the high winds will continue through tonight and die down a bit Wednesday, while almost disappearing Thursday.
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A man suffering from four stab wounds was dropped off at Watsonville Community Hospital around 2 a.m. Monday, but was unable to give police much information about what had happened to him.
The man, a 26-year-old Watsonville resident, had been stabbed three times in the upper torso and once in the lower torso, police reported. He told officers he had been picking up a family member at a friend’s home either near the Jack in the Box restaurant on Freedom Boulevard or the Taco Bell on Green Valley Road when he was attacked and stabbed, police reported.
He couldn’t recall when the attack occurred, the street he was on or the name of the friend who had driven him to the hospital. The man also couldn’t describe his attackers and declined to say whose house he was at when he was stabbed. Police said his injuries were not life threatening.
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A Santa Cruz man wanted for attempted murder was arrested at gunpoint in an alley near Barson and Campbell streets on Monday afternoon.
Manuel Ayala allegedly shot at an inhabited car in 2006, police reported. He was arrested at the time, but then released due to lack of evidence. Investigators reopened the case, provided additional information to the District Attorney’s Office and an arrest warrant was issued for Ayala in early March, police reported.
Monday, officer Arnold Vasquez recognized Ayala on Barson Street, prompting a police perimeter in the neighborhood and Ayala’s gunpoint arrest.
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AROMAS — One person is trapped inside a vehicle after a head-on collision on Highway 129 near the county line, the California Highway Patrol reported.
A pickup and a silver BMW collided, causing the car to flip, just east of Murphy Crossing the CHP reported.
The crash was reported at 12:13 p.m. A medical helicopter was dispatched from Salinas.
Further details were not immediately available. This story will be updated.
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Updated: 3 p.m.
SANTA CRUZ - A Santa Cruz police detective was run down when a man driving a stolen car charged him, knocking him down in the parking lot of the Valero gas station on the 1500 block of Soquel Avenue. See Sentinel story
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SOQUEL — A deputy spotted a suspected drug sale in the parking lot of Taco Bell on 41st Avenue on Sunday evening and arrested a suspected heroin dealer who had a small amount of drugs and thousands in cash with him, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Around 10 p.m., deputy Nick Baldrige saw the suspected seller driving away from the transaction and recognized the man as Colby Lee, 23, of Aptos, a probationer with search terms, so Baldrige pulled him over. The deputy searched the car and found $1,600 cash wedged between the front driver and passenger seats, a knife with suspected heroin residue, drug packaging material and two cell phones, according to the Sheriff’s Office. One of the phones has messages consistent with drug sales, deputies reported.
Deputies also searched Lee and found about 4 grams of suspected heroin concealed in his underclothing. They then went to his house and found an additional $3,100 cash in denominations consistent with proceeds from drug sales in Lee’s bedroom, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Lee was arrested on suspicion of transporting and possessing heroin for sale, as well as committing a felony while out on bail. He also has a pending heroin sales case from early February.
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WATSONVILLE — A judge again postponed the sentencing of former farm manager Virgilio “Hilo” Yepez, who was convicted of child molestation by a jury in February.
Yepez, 51, faces 23 years to life in prison for molesting the daughter of a woman with whom Yepez had a relationship. The girl, who testified during the trial, was 4 when Yepez sexually abused her in September 2007.
The sentencing hearing had been scheduled for Friday morning, but was postponed to Monday afternoon by Judge John Salazar.
After Yepez, who is being held in County Jail, was brought into the courtroom Monday, Salazar moved the sentencing to next month because Yepez’s attorney, Miguel Hernandez, filed a last-minute motion to reduce the prison term his client faces.
Hernandez said the lengthy sentence, part of which is dictated by state law, exceeds the conduct being punished.
“I am asking the court to use its discretion… so he doesn’t get over-sentenced or over-punished,” Hernandez said outside the courtroom.
Yepez returns to court April 17.
“I’m expecting counsel to be ready to go,” Salazar said as he dismissed court Monday.
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A Davenport man was badly hurt when he crashed his sport utility vehicle into a bridge guardrail on Highway 1 on Monday morning, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The 50-year-old man was driving north on the highway around 7 a.m. when he struck the railing of the Waddell Creek bridge, which is near Canyon Road, according to the CHP. No other vehicles were involved.
The man was flown to Valley Medical Center in San Jose for treatment. Further details on the crash were not available.
The collision closed the highway for about an hour. A Caltrans crew was also called out to check the safety of the bridge, the CHP reported.
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SANTA CRUZ — A man suspected in three bank robberies in the county this year was arrested during the weekend, police reported.
James Archuleta, 29, was still stained with red ink from a dye pack hidden in the last bundle of money he stole from a bank when officers took him into custody at an Ocean Street motel Friday night.
Police said Archuleta confessed to holding up the Comerica Bank on Soquel Avenue twice — most recently on Thursday afternoon — and robbing the Monterey County Credit Union on 41st Avenue.
ARCHULETA
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By
WATSONVILLE — The owner of La Tiendita Market remained hospitalized Thursday and is listed as stable after he was stabbed while chasing a man who stole a 12-pack of beer from the store, police said.
About 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, a man entered the Riverside Drive store and ran out the door with the beer, police said. The 47-year-old owner chased him a short distance down Marchant Street when a second man stabbed him, in the torso and the left arm, officers reported.
The victim, a Salinas resident, was initially reported to have life-threatening injuries, but Sgt. Saul Gonzalez said Thursday that he was stable and was expected to recover.
“It seems like a beer skip that went wrong,” he said, adding that it appears the suspects were on foot.
Descriptions of them were vague, but Gonzalez said police have some leads.
The store has been the robbed before, he said, adding that it’s in a central location with a lot of foot traffic.
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A 21-year-old man was arrested Friday after a sheriff’s search dog found drugs in a hidden compartment of a dashboard during a traffic stop, Watsonville police said.
Jesus Arnoldo Guzman was pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign, and then found to be driving without a license when a canine unit helped uncover a “sophisticated hidden compartment” containing methamphetamine, Sgt. Eric Montalbo stated in a news release.
Officers found about one-quarter pound of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $11,000, Montalbo said.
Guzman was arrested on suspicion of possession for sales of a controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance and use of a false compartment for smuggling a controlled substance, police said.
Guzman, who police list as a transient, was pulled over in the 200 block of East Beach Street.
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WATSONVILLE - Police are investigating the death of man at Caesars’ Club Bar on Sunday night but say foul play is not suspected.
The man, Oscar Perez Cruz, 33, had been sitting at the bar, located at 184 Main St., and was very intoxicated when he fell off his bar stool. A bar employee helped him to another seat across the room near the jukebox and pool table, police reported.
At some point later, someone noticed Cruz wasn’t conscious, so an ambulance was called to Caesars’ Club. The 8 p.m. 911 call reported that Cruz was passed out but still breathing, however, paramedics started CPR shortly after arriving at the bar and police were also called to the scene.
Cruz, of Watsonville, was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to police. The cause of his death is being investigated but officers reported that nothing at the scene or from witnesses’ statements indicated foul play was involved.
According to the 911 call, a second ambulance also was called to the bar after the first arrived. No further information was immediately available.
Police ask anyone with information to call Investigations at 768-3350 or Crime Tip Line at 728-3544.
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SANTA CRUZ - A man was stabbed several times in the upper torso during a gang-related attack at the Metro Center on Pacific Avenue late Wednesday, police reported.
The man told police he was jumped by five Latino men in their early 20s. The attack happened about 9:50 p.m. There was a fight in one of the bus lanes before the call for the stabbing, emergency dispatchers said.
After the stabbing the assailants, who were wearing dark-colored hoodies, yelled gang affiliations and fled on Pacific Avenue, police reported. One had a San Francisco Giants hat on; another wore an Oakland A’s hat. Officers searched downtown and in the Beach Flats area, but no arrests were made.
The man who was stabbed was flown to an out-of-county trauma center for treatment, and was listed as stable Thursday, police reported. Officers planned to interview him Thursday afternoon.
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SANTA CRUZ — A report of smoke on the fifth floor of the Palomar Inn on the 1300 block Pacific Avenue prompted the evacuation of the building around 5:30 p.m.
Police and fire crews blocked off Pacific Avenue in front of the building and a portion of Walnut Avenue while firefighters searched the structure for a fire. Foot and vehicle traffic were affected by the closures.
A fire alarm triggered the call, and no fire was actually reported.
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IONE - One of two men convicted of the 1975 murder of a Capitola waitress was denied parole this week, the District Attoreny’s Office reported.
Vincent Regan and his accomplice, Orrin “Buzz” Carr, followed 27-year-old Joyce Coulter home, then broke into her house and raped, strangled, stabbed and killed her in April 1975.
The two men were convicted of the crimes in December of that year and sentenced to death, but those sentences were commuted when the death penalty was rescinded. Carr was last denied parole in August.
At the parole hearing this week, Regan asked to be released because he had a substance abuse problem and was under the influence of drugs and alcohol when the crime was committed. He also said he has been a model prisoner for 33 years and paid his debt to society.
However, prosecutor David Sherman stated that Regan has been in at least one prison yard fight because he just “snapped” when another inmate made a comment. Sherman also presented evidence about Regan’s actions the night Coulter was killed.
Regan, now 58, is being held in Mule Creek State Prison. He has been denied parole seven times and will not be eligible again for release until 2014.
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APTOS - Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office detectives continue to investigate the death of a man found near Aptos Creek on Tuesday afternoon.
The man was a 40-year-old local transient. His name has not been released pending notification of his relatives, said Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Mario Sulay. On Wednesday morning, investigators were still trying to determine the events leading up to the man’s death.
“We are still looking into how he came to be where he was,” Sulay said.
The death is being investigated as a homicide until proven otherwise, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
A passerby reported a man floating face-up in the shallow creek around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Sheriff’s deputies found the fully clothed man tangled in branches at the base of a steep dirt embankment, his head a few inches from the water and his feet pointing up the hill.
The man was lying nearly under the train trestle, which is about 200 feet above the creek, and not far from Aptos Creek Bridge, which is more than 100 feet above the base of the ravine.
Crime scene investigators spent several hours photographing the scene and searching for evidence while deputies canvassed nearby businesses seeking witnesses.
The man, who was Caucasian, clean-shaven and heavily tattooed, wore jeans, a black T-shirt and white Asics running shoes. From a distance, there was no blood visible or other signs of trauma.
Deputies said they didn’t know how long the man has been dead.
Wednesday morning, Sulay said the investigation had been put on hold when detectives were called out to investigate a home robbery at the house of an elderly Aptos woman.
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APTOS — A 25-year-old woman allegedly driving a stolen vehicle tried to stall, then elude sheriff’s deputies Monday night, but was caught anyway.
The incident started around 10 p.m. when a deputy patrolling the neighborhoods off Freedom Boulevard near Highway 1, spotted a suspected stolen vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The deputy tried to stop the vehicle, but instead the driver, later identified as Rebecca Adams, rammed the stolen vehicle into the deputy’s police cruiser.
Then Adams jumped out of the vehicle and ran, the Sheriff’s Office reported. The deputy chased her and she was arrested on the 800 block of Encino Drive.
Adams was booked into County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest and vehicle theft, according to jail reports. She is being held on $45,000 bail.
Information about any injuries or damage to the vehicles was not released.
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SCOTTS VALLEY - Three salons in Scotts Valley were cited Wednesday for allegedly not having the state-required worker’s compensation insurance for their employees and no having a proper operating license, the District Attorney’s Office reported.
Queen’s Nail Salon and Lucky Nail Salon, both on Mount Herman Road, and KC Nail Salon on Scotts Valley Drive were cited.
District Attorney’s Office inspectors, with officials from the state Department of Insurance and the state Employment Development Department conducted the enforcement, part of an ongoing effort to get county businesses to comply with state laws.
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SAN LORENZO VALLEY - A bank account has been established for the relatives of the Brookdale woman who died Monday when she crashed her car into a redwood tree on Highway 9 near the Boulder Creek Community Church.
Celia “Lovie” Moss, 51, was a longtime San Lorenzo Valley resident. The donations will help cover the costs of funeral arrangements.
The fund is in her name at two Liberty Bank locations: 6230 Hwy. 9 in Felton and 13233 Hwy. 9 in Boulder Creek.
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WATSONVILLE - A motorcyclist and a minivan collided head-on on the 100 block of Aviation Way near Airport Boulevard around 4:40 p.m. on Thursday.
The male motorcyclist was flown to a trauma center in Santa Clara County. No further information was available.
About an hour later, a red Nissan pickup hit a tan sedan head-on on the 800 block of Green Valley Road, leaving the road blocked and sending one person to a Santa Clara County trauma center by helicopter.
The patient was trapped before being freed by fire crews.
Traffic on Green Valley Road was diverted from Mesa Verde Road to Hathaway Avenue while emergency crews worked. The crash was reported at 5:40 p.m.
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WATSONVILLE - Police arrested two more men this week who are suspected of being involved in a gang-related drive by near River Park in January.
Rogelio Castillo was arrested around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at his home on the 100 block of Hall Road in Las Lomas, according to police. Officers in the department’s gang team went to the home to serve a search warrant and took Castillo, 19, into custody on a $75,000 warrant for assault and gang allegations.
Police went back to the 100 block of Hall Road on Wednesday and found Jesus Zamora Rocha, 18, and arrested him on probable cause just before 10 p.m. He was booked into County Jail on suspicion of being an accessory to a crime, possessing stolen property and a gang allegation, according to County Jail records. Rocha was released Thursday on $25,000 bail.
Two other Watsonville men were arrested in January in connection with the daytime shooting, which didn’t injure anyone.
Abraham Sanchez, 20, and Abel Delatorre, 21, both suspected gang members, are being held in County Jail on $175,000 bail. Police allege Sanchez was the shooter and Delatorre drove the sport utility vehicle the four men were in.
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WATSONVILLE - A woman using a bad check and a phony ID purchased a $5,500 van from a used car dealership last month, police reported.
Police are considering the incident a stolen vehicle because the van was obtained through false pretenses, Sgt. Saul Gonzalez of Watsonville police said.
The woman went to Gary Auto Sales on Freedom Boulevard on Valentine’s Day and bought a 1999 Dodge Caravan using a fictitious check for $2,000, a fake California ID that said she was 33 years old and phony personal references, police reported.
The dealership reported the fraud Monday morning.
“Maybe when they cashed the check they realized it was fictitious,” Gonzalez said. “ It seems like these people accepted everything and checked it later.”
The van has been listed as a stolen vehicle. If caught, the woman could be charged with burglary, vehicle theft, forging an ID and passing a bad check, according to police.
Gonzalez recommended businesses and people selling items be cautious when dealing with large transactions.
“They just have to check out all the references and the banks,” he said, adding that those inquiries should be made before the sale is complete. “If they have any doubts they should contact us.”
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APTOS - A Seaside man was badly hurt Sunday when he lost control of his car on northbound Highway 1 and hit a steel guardrail around 11 a.m., the California Highway Patrol reported.
When the man’s 1994 BMW went off the right side of the road just north of Rio del Mar Boulevard, the guardrail punctured the passenger side of the car and pinned the driver inside the vehicle, the CHP reported.
Aptos/La Selva Fire personnel cut him out of the car using a Sawzall and hydraulic cutters. The man, who is 39, was flown to Valley Medical Center to be treated for a broken shoulder, chest pain and head injury.
Apparently, a witness told CHP officers the man’s car passed her moments before the crash and that his speed seemed excessive for the heavy rain conditions. The witness said the man was braking heavily for slower moving traffic.
There were no passengers in the car and no other vehicles were involved in the crash. One northbound lane was closed for about an hour while emergency crews worked.
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SANTA CRUZ - A San Jose man led police on a high speed chase from Santa Cruz to mid-county Wednesday night that ended abruptly when the man’s car crashed through a metal gate on East Cliff Drive.
Diego Manuel Perez, 22, committed more than 50 traffic violations during the pursuit, including running red lights, failing to stop at stop signs, speeding and driving the wrong way down one-way streets. He was arrested on suspicion of multiple vehicle-related violations, vandalism and resisting arrest, police reported.
The chase started about 10:35 p.m. on Ocean Street near Broadway when officers saw a white Pontiac Grand Am make a fast turn onto Ocean Street, fishtail and speed away, police reported. Officers started following the vehicle with lights and sirens on, but the driver, Perez, didn’t stop.
The chase went onto Highway 1, where speeds hit 90 mph. On streets in Santa Cruz, Capitola and Live Oak, Perez’s speeds more than doubled the posted legal limit, police reported.
Near 17th Avenue, officers a spike strip across the road which flattened the front and rear tires on the passenger side of the car, police reported. However, Perez continued driving, eventually wrecking into a metal gate at the entrance to a home on East Cliff Drive near 7th Avenue. He tried to run away, but was found hiding in the bushes of a home a few minutes later, according to police.
Police said it’s unclear why Perez fled from officers.
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Updated 11:45 a.m. Thursday
BROOKDALE — One woman was flown to Stanford Medical Center after she crashed her car into a power pole near Brookdale on Thursday morning.
The collision happened on Highway 9 just north of California Drive around 8 a.m. when the woman’s 1992 Honda Civic sedan veered off the road and hit the pole, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver of the vehicle, a 20-year-old from Boulder Creek, suffered major injuries and was flown by helicopter from Highlands County Park to the hospital. No one else was in the car and no other vehicles were involved, the CHP reported.
The pole split in half near the base and was teetering, but no power outages were reported. A PG&E crew was called in to replace the pole by the end of the day.
The crash is still being investigated. It didn’t appear to affect morning traffic, according to the CHP.
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updated: 11:24 a.m.
APTOS – An 18-month-old baby fell out of a second-story window at a home on Santa Marguarita Drive just after 7 a.m. Thursday, but didn’t appear to be badly hurt, fire officials said.
As a precaution, the little girl was taken to Dominican Hospital to be checked out and a medical helicopter was dispatched, authorities reported.
“The baby was looking pretty good,” Aptos/La Selva Fire Capt. Dave Herndon said. “From the looks of things it looks like the screen was loose and the baby leaned up against the screen and it fell out the window.”
The little girl fell about 20 feet, however, it seems the window screen helped save her when she landed. The screen fell onto a lumber pile at a 45-degree angle and apparently acted as a trampoline for the baby, according to the fire department. The baby was moving her arms and legs when fire and medical personnel arrived.
“It was a pretty lucky situation because there was woodpiles of construction materials up against the house and out farther,” Herndon said.
Herndon said the accident is a good safety reminder to other families, and stresses that window screens should fit tightly.
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updated 7 p.m. Wednesday
WATSONVILLE - A man in his early 20s was stabbed in the stomach during an altercation with two men he knew Wednesday evening, but police said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Two men were detained following the attack on Freedom Boulevard near Green Valley Road, according to Watsonville police Sgt. Brian Ridgway. Their names were not released Wednesday night.
The attack happened about 5:10 p.m. when the victim was walking down the street. The pair of men approached him and when the confrontation turned physical, the man was knifed in the abdomen, Ridgway said.
The two attackers fled on foot but two sheriff’s deputies in an unmarked car — who were in the area on an unrelated case — saw the attackers fleeing and followed them.
“They realized something was awry and discovered that it was an assault,” Ridgway said.
The attackers jumped into a car and the deputies pursued them until Watsonville police arrived. The car was pulled over on Loma Prieta just off Airport Boulevard, according to police.
The victim, who also was reportedly bleeding from the head, ran to a nearby Shell gas station for help and was flown to an out-of-county trauma center for treatment.
All of the men involved are from South County. Ridgway said officers are looking into gang ties as a possible motive for the attack.
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SANTA CRUZ - The Watsonville man accused of manslaughter in connection with a fatal fist fight in Watsonville earlier this month bailed out of jail, his attorney said Wednesday.
Jason Lomeli, 23, posted the $25,000 bond on Monday, defense attorney Steve Wright said. A judge had lowered Lomeli’s $100,000 bail during a court appearance Friday.
Lomeli and Joel Pineda, 24, also of Watsonville got into a fist fight in front of Applebee’s restaurant on South Green Valley Road the night of Feb. 6. Apparently, Pineda went down hard from a punch and hit his head. He died at Dominican Hospital the next day. An autopsy report listed Pineda’s cause of death as severe brain trauma.
Lomeli was arrested shortly after the fight. Wright, who said the two men were friends, called the death “tragic.” The case will be back in court Thursday morning to set a date for a preliminary hearing.
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APTOS — The woman killed in a single-car crash Sunday on Highway 1 was Rachael Presse, 28, of Burlingame, the Coroner’s Office reported Tuesday.
Presse was a passenger in a 2001 Acura driven by a 29-year-old Foster City man. The car was northbound just before State Park Drive when the driver lost control of the vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol. The car skidded off the road, went down an embankment and struck a tree.
Presse died at the scene. The driver was treated at a hospital for minor injuries. His name has not been released.
The CHP is still investigating the crash, but said the car’s bald tires and the unsafe speed it was traveling at contributed to the 4 p.m. crash. Also, it was raining and there was water on the highway.
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SANTA CRUZ — A man who picked up two prostitutes — but then changed his mind and tried to leave — got into a fight with two men associated with the prostitutes and was car-jacked early Friday.
Police think the men attacked the victim because they were angered that he didn’t go through with the prostitution deal.
The incident began around 1:30 a.m. Friday as the victim, a 33-year-old from Capitola, drove the two women to the 100 block of Canfield Street. Police don’t know where he picked them up, but said he had solicited them for sex.
However, the Capitola man decided not to go through with it, so he left the women on Canfield Street and started to drive away in his Chevy Aveo, police said. That’s when two men, including Parriss Monte Jones, 29, of Highlands approached him. Jones and the Capitola man allegedly got into a fistfight, but the Capitola man escaped and got back into his car. He started to drive away the second time, then the other man pounded on the back of the Aveo, police reported.
The Capitola man got out of his car again and approached that man. At the same time, Jones jumped into the Aveo and drove away, police said.
Police found the Aveo parked just off Ocean Street on Franklin Street.
They arrested Jones and Regina Yvonne Buford, 23, of Sacramento at a nearby restaurant. Jones was booked into County Jail on suspicion of car jacking. Buford, who first gave police a fake name, had an arrest warrant for providing false information to a Santa Cruz police officer in the past. She was arrested for two counts of providing false information and one count of soliciting prostitution.
Police are still looking for the other prostitute and the second man involved in fight and car jacking.
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WATSONVILLE — One man has been arrested in connection with a fistfight outside of the Applebee’s restaurant on South Green Valley Road late Friday that led to the death of a 24-year-old Watsonville man.
Jason Lomeli, 23, also of Watsonville, is being held in County Jail on suspicion of manslaughter while police detectives and the Coroner’s Office sort out what happened, according to Watsonville police Sgt. Saul Gonzalez.
The fight happened around 11:50 p.m. Friday. Apparently, Lomeli and the man who died, Joel Pineda, encountered each other outside the restaurant bar and got into a fight. When Pineda was knocked unconscious during the fight, Lomeli ran away, according to Gonzalez.
A police officer nearby chased down Lomeli, who was arrested.
Pineda was taken to Dominican Hospital to be treated. He died Saturday. An autopsy is being performed today to determine what caused his death. Gonzalez said the results of that autopsy will help detectives and the District Attorney’s Office determine if Lomeli should be charged with murder or manslaughter.
“It is a homicide. We just don’t know what kind yet,” Gonzalez said.
Police said they know what the two men, who were acquaintances, were fighting about but declined to share it with the public.
Jason Lomeli
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REDWOOD CITY
Man accused of threatening scientists gets jail
A judge has sentenced a Capitola man to six months in jail for allegedly threatening scientists who use animals for research.
Prosecutors say Justin Bhagat Thind made several calls to two University of California, San Francisco researchers telling them they would die like they made the animals suffer.
Thind pleaded no contest in December to a felony charge of threatening a government employee and a misdemeanor phone threat charge. Investigators say they traced the calls to Thind’s cell phone.
The 33-year-old faces similar charges in Marin County over additional calls to UCSF researchers.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Clifford Cretan also placed Thind on three years’ probation Monday and ordered him not to join any animal-rights groups.
SANTA CRUZ
Transient in trash bin escapes serious injury
A 48-year-old man suffered minor injuries after being dumped into the back of a refuse truck.
He was sleeping in a trash bin when the truck came along around 6 a.m., according to city public works officials.
The truck is fitted with forks that lift trash bins and empty their contents into the back of the vehicle, which has a trash compactor. With the visual limitations and the inability to hear calls for help over the noise of the truck, the driver had no idea the man was there. A supervisor happened to be on the ground when she heard a noise and alerted the driver to turn off the truck.
The supervisor called 911. Both police and fire personnel responded and the man was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The city has been working with the Homeless Services Center to help alert transients in shelters and at meal sites about the dangers of sleeping in trash bins. A few years ago, a driver saw a man in the trash bin before emptying it into the back of the truck. The city had a similar outreach program in place then, as well.
SANTA CRUZ
Suspect identified in Boardwalk holdup
Police are seeking a warrant for a parolee suspected of robbing the Casino Arcade in the Boardwalk on Saturday morning.
Investigators suspect the robber, who claimed to be armed with a gun, was Michael Vera, 27, authorities reported.
Vera is 6 feet 2 inches tall with brown hair and brown eyes. During the holdup, the robber was wearing a black hat, black sweatshirt, purple or gray shorts and black shoes, authorities reported.
The robber apparently went up to an employee at a cash register around 11 a.m., demanded money and said he had a gun. His right hand was inside his sweatshirt pocket, but no gun was seen.
No one was injured in the robbery and no gun was recovered.
Authorities said Vera is on active state parole and is believed to be using narcotics. No photo was released, but police ask anyone with information about his whereabouts to call 911.
WATSONVILLE
Teens arrested after burglarizing schools, police say
Two teenage burglars are in police custody after allegedly breaking into Mintie White Elementary and E.A. Hall Middle schools, and stealing more than $5,000 in supplies, office equipment and computers.
Around 3 a.m. Sunday, police say two officers were doing foot patrols on school grounds in light of a recent rash of burglaries in the area when they heard rustling inside one of the classrooms.
Back-up was called. Officers from both Watsonville police and the Sheriff’s Office responded.
The 15- and 16-year-old male suspects tried to run, but were quickly caught, according to police.
Officers discovered the teens were trying to take $1,000 in computer equipment. The pair was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and vandalism.
After further investigation, officers determined the teens were linked to an earlier burglary where $4,000 in school property was taken from the two schools.
The stolen property has been returned to the schools.
Police ask anyone with information to call 724-3544 or 768-3350.
Santa Cruz
Smoking materials in cause condo fire
A condo on the Westside caught fire Tuesday afternoon, but the UC Santa Cruz student who lived there helped control the flames until firefighters arrived and damage was kept to the room where the fire started.
Fire investigators said the improper storage and disposal of smoking materials in a rear bedroom sparked the blaze.
The fire, reported at 3 p.m., caused about $10,000 damage.
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By Jennifer Squires
jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com
SANTA CRUZ — A marathon 10-week trial for a man accused of a gang-motivated shooting on Highway 1 more than two years ago wrapped up Tuesday and is now in the hands of the jury.
The accused shooter, Ivan Galvan, is charged with four counts of attempted murder, one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle and enhancements for firing a gun, being involved in a street gang and causing a brain injury during the Sept. 30, 2006 drive-by. The 22-year-old faces life in prison.
The shooting, which seriously injured two Watsonville men, capped the worst summer of gang violence in the county — including a murder in Beach Flats and a drive-by on West Cliff Drive — in recent memory.
Prosecutor David Sherman told the jury of seven women and five men that Galvan is “a scary gang member.” He said Galvan was out for blood the night of the shooting because he had been shot in Beach Flats by rival gang members earlier in the year and wasn’t about to be disrespected on his turf again.
The violence started at the Denny’s restaurant on Ocean Street when Galvan and his friends allegedly got into an argument with four Watsonville men, some of whom were wearing red, the color Norteno gang members claim. Galvan and his friends are suspected Surenos, who claim blue.
Although the Watsonville men told the other group they weren’t gang members and didn’t want a fight, the others waited outside, Sherman said in court.
That’s when Galvan allegedly got a ride back to a known gang hangout on Chestnut Street, retrieved an assault rifle and then followed the Watsonville men south on Highway 1 in a car driven by Eldad Vega. Galvan allegedly fired at them near the Buena Vista exit.
Public defender Anthony Robinson simply said the Sheriff’s Office investigators got the wrong guy.
“Ivan Galvan is not guilty…. He’s just the fall guy,” Robinson said, naming off several other gang members who could have been involved in the shooting.
Robinson also took issue with the testimony from two witnesses brought by the District Attorney’s Office: two suspected gang members, including the man who drove the car Galvan allegedly fired an AK-47 from and struck the victims’ car seven times.
Robinson said it was unreasonable to weigh his client’s guilt “based on the words of a couple of snitches.” He pointed out that Vega, the driver, took a plea deal that will send him to prison for 10 years in exchange for his testimony against Galvan.
But Sherman characterized Vega as “a scared kid” and said both he and the other key witness, Alfredo Sala, risked their lives to testify against Galvan. Among their statements was information that Galvan allegedly bragged to his friends about the shooting.
“That was remarkable and compelling testimony,” Sherman said.
During the closing remarks, Galvan sat at the far end of the defense table wearing a charcoal-colored long-sleeve dress shirt and black tie. He tilted back in his chair, watched the proceedings while leaning slightly on his left hand and appeared amused.
Using several visual aids, Sherman detailed Galvan’s alleged past gang involvement — including fights and threats to stab people — and showed photos of him with other known gang members.
“Sometimes things are exactly as they appear to be,” Sherman said.
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UPDATED AT 6:11 P.M.
By Jennifer Squires
jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com
WATSONVILLE — A third man has been arrested in connection with the January murder of a Mexican man in Watsonville.
Cristobal Ramirez, 19, turned himself in to the Sheriff’s Office on Monday and is being held in County Jail on $775,000 bail.
Detectives said Ramirez allegedly drove Oscar Avalos Sanchez, 35, from a Watsonville home to the Pajaro Valley berry field where his body was found Jan. 7.
Sanchez was stabbed 80 times, 40 of which penetrated his skin, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Several of the wounds were mortal.
Two other men have been arrested in connection with the slaying, the second in the county this year.
Jose Velasquez, 25, reportedly a Watsonville gang leader, appeared in court last week to face one count of murder and allegations he used a deadly weapon and belongs to a gang. He did not enter a plea and will be back in court later this month.
Alejandro Chavez, 22, also a suspected gangster from Watsonville, is being driven cross-country to Santa Cruz this week, Sgt. Mario Sulay of the Sheriff’s Office said. Chavez was arrested in Missouri about two weeks after the killing on the same charges as Velasquez but has yet to appear in court.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a personal issue between Velasquez and Sanchez led to the fatal attack.
District Attorney Bob Lee has said both Velasquez and Chavez were equally responsible for killing Sanchez. What role Ramirez had in the violence remains under investigation, but that it was his Honda Civic that transported Sanchez from Velasquez’s Watsonville home, where the deadly altercation began, to a field off Carlton Road, Sulay said. The Civic was impounded early in the investigation.
Sulay said Ramirez “is part and parcel to the other two in causing Mr. Sanchez’s death.”
Sheriff’s detectives had been searching for Ramirez for weeks. Monday, one of his relatives contacted the Sheriff’s Office to arrange Ramirez’s surrender. He was picked up, interviewed, then arrested on suspicion of murder and a gang allegation around 6 p.m., Sulay said.
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A third man has been arrested in connection with the January murder of a Mexican man in Watsonville. Cristobal Ramirez, 19, turned himself in to the sheriff’s office on Monday. He’s being held in County Jail on $775,000 bail. Sergeant Mario Sulay, of the sheriff’s office, said Ramirez drove the car but transported Oscar Avalos Sanchez, 35, from a Watsonville home to the Pajaro Valley berry field where Sanchez’ body was discovered Jan. 7. Sanchez reportedly was stabbed 80 times. Two other men have already been arrested in connection with the slaying.
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SANTA CRUZ - A man was arrested after he came close to snatching a police officer’s gun from his holster during a scuffle on the Westside on Sunday night, police reported.
Two officers were called to a fight on the 1100 block of Mission Street just after 9 p.m. and a witness pointed them toward an adjacent business, where the people involved in the fight apparently were, according to police. Officers found Erik Peter Cooley, 38, inside and escorted him out to talk about the fight.
However, once they got outside Cooley started using slurs and epithets toward one of the officers, then became combative and refused to sit down when an officer asked him to, according to police. When the officer tried to handcuff Cooley, he resisted and forced the officer to the ground, police reported.
That’s when the second officer jumped in to help but Cooley made a grab for one of the officer’s guns. He partially removed the gun by unsnapping the top of the holster before the officer was able to secure the firearm, police reported.
More officers arrived and one of them used a Tazer to subdue Cooley. He was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and trying to take a firearm from a peace officer, police reported.
The officers involved, two men ages 21 and 24, suffered minor injuries in the tussle but did not seek medical attention, police reported.
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An electrical fire early Monday gutted a garage and damaged sheds and greenhouses on the 200 block of Lewis Road.
The smoke and flames were visible for miles as firefighters pulled up to the scene about 3:30 a.m., according to Division Chief Doug McCoun of North Monterey County Fire District.
Residents, who called in the alarm, became aware of the blaze only after it was well established in the garage, he said. By the time firefighters arrived it had burned a 15-foot hole in the ceiling. It soon spread to nearby sheds and greenhouses.
“Our guys were able to keep it from spreading to the main house and a travel trailer,” McCoun said. “(And) nobody got hurt. You can’t ask for more than that.”
The fire was brought under control a little after 4 a.m.
Fire officials estimated $95,000 in damage to structures and contents.
Fire crews from Watsonville, Aromas and Salinas helped fight the blaze.
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SANTA CRUZ - The Santa Cruz transient killed in Highway 1 crash last month has been identified as Antonio Nava, 29, according to Santa Cruz police.
Nava was hit by two cars when he tried to get across Highway 1 north of Highway 9 the night of Jan. 24. Nava, who was crossing the highway illegally, was declared dead at the scene.
A Watsonville man, Aaron Montgomery Cole, 22, was arrested later that night on suspicion of felony hit and run involving injury or death, then released from County Jail on bail awaiting a Feb. 9 court date. The District Attorney’s Office is waiting on police reports and has not filed any charges against Cole.
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SANTA CRUZ - Police think they’ve cracked a large auto burglary case and have arrests warrants for two men they suspect are responsible for a string of car break-ins in the city.
The burglaries, most during the past month, were “smash and grabs” where the burglars shattered a window on a vehicle and stole valuables in plain sight, usually purses and wallets.
Investigators linked the crimes to Omar Muhdi, 35, of Watsonville and Vikramjit “Vik” Singh, 32, of Santa Cruz because they said Muhdi’s fingerprints were found at one crime scene and Singh allegedly used a credit card that had been stolen during a vehicle burglary, according to police. A judge signed arrest warrants for both men, but neither has been caught.
Police ask anyone with information about the whereabouts of Muhdi or Singh call the Investigations Unit at 420-5820 or 911.
Sentinel reporter Jennifer Squires is reporting this story and will have an update.
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updated 4:20 p.m.
One person was arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen firearm when deputies responded to a report of gunshots and screams in the Soquel Hills on Monday morning.
A neighbor called 911 to report hearing about 100 rounds fired off and someone screaming on the 7500 block of Soquel San Jose Road about 11 a.m. Deputies searched the area while medics waited a safe distance away, but no shooting victims were found, according to Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ian Patrick.
Deputies spoke with several people at the house where the shots reportedly came from but got inconsistent stories about what had occurred. One man, a 27-year-old who lives in the area, was arrested for allegedly having a stolen firearm, Patrick said. The man’s name was not released.
Patrick said it’s unclear if a gun was actually fired off in the area or the stolen firearm confiscated was the same gun that was used. Detectives planned to get search warrant to look for more evidence and guns inside the house.
“At this point we’re trying to determine what exactly happened,” Patrick said.
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