VICTORVILLE – Law enforcement officials are still awaiting the outcome of an autopsy in the death of an 11-month-old girl, who died on Monday, June 15, two days after emergency personnel were summoned to her home.

The baby, Ava Costello, was not breathing when medical personnel arrived at the home on the 16200 block of Midway Street. According to reports, two people were attempting CPR when personnel arrived.

The infant was resuscitated, but listed in critical condition and airlifted to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital – about 45 miles away. Upon first evaluating the infant at Victor Valley Hospital, deputies were advised by medical personnel that the injuries were consistent with physical abuse. The baby was confirmed to be suffering from severe brain injury, “not likely to survive the injuries,” according to reports.

Investigators determined that Rodger Christopher Negrette, 35, an acquaintance of the baby’s family, had been caring for the child. They discovered that Negrette had physically assaulted the child, causing the severe injuries.

On June 14, one day after the child was taken to the hospital, Negrette was arrested at 12:30 a.m. He was booked at the San Bernardino County Central Detention Center on charges of assaulting a child under eight years of age, likely to produce great bodily injury or death. The bail amount was $500,000. Later that day, at 2:51 p.m., the baby died.

One day later, Negrette was booked for homicide and taken to West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, where he is being held for $1 million bail. He will appear at Victorville Superior Court on June 24.

REDLANDS – Five days after a car was stolen with two girls inside, police arrested a 24-year-old Highland man, identified through store surveillance video. The girls, ages ten and two, jumped from the car when the alleged assailant, Cory Michael Ahumada, began driving away from an area convenience store, police said. Ahumada was due in San Bernardino Superior Court on Monday.

On June 21, Ahumada was seen in store surveillance footage jumping into the car after the girls’ mother went inside the 7-Eleven store at 1161 Lugonia Avenue, according to police. She left her 2002 Acura 2L running at a gas pump while she went inside to pay. She had left her daughters in the back seat, according to reports.

When the man jumped inside the car, the 10-year-old girl grabbed her two-year-old sister and jumped from the moving car. As the mother emerged from the store, the video shows the sisters jumping out of a rear passenger side door. The girls suffered minor abrasions.

Redlands police detectives were alerted that Ahumada was at the San Manuel Indian Casino in neighboring Highland. The detectives located Ahumada at the casino, contacted security and took him into custody without incident, according to reports.

Upon his arrest, detectives recovered stolen property that belonged to the victim, but did not immediately recover the stolen car. Ahumada faces three charges – assault, kidnapping and vehicle theft.

The original identification of Ahumada as the suspect was aided through store surveillance video, because he had made an earlier purchase inside the 7-Eleven before the car was stolen, according to police.

Read More:

KTLA: Man Arrested on Car Theft, Attempted Kidnapping

YUCAIPA – Investigators haven’t released any new information on two deaths deemed suspicious last week. There are no suspects in what has turned into a murder investigation after a man and woman were found dead inside an apartment.

Due to the suspicious nature in the discovery of two bodies discovered on Thursday, June 25,  San Bernardino County Sheriff’s investigators are conducting the investigation as a murder case.

Shortly after 7 p.m., the couple was found dead in the apartment on the 12300 block of Third Street in Yucaipa. The Sheriff’s coroner identified the bodies of William Robert Martinez, 50 of Huntington Beach, and Tammy Theresa Chilton, 45 of Yucaipa. The couple were in a relationship, according to officials. Their Facebook posts confirm this.

Because authorities deemed their deaths suspicious, but with no apparent witnesses, the sheriff’s department called in the homicide investigations division. Investigators John Gaffney and Patty Ruiz said that friends of Tammy Chilton’s went to her apartment when she didn’t show up for work nor answer any telephone calls.

They said the bodies were discovered when the apartment manager and a friend of Chilton’s entered her apartment. Emergency personnel were summoned to the address, but both Martinez and Chilton were not responsive. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Autopsies were ordered to determine the official cause of death.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Bachman did not disclose the nature of the injuries found on either body, or whether or not weapons had been used; nor did she disclose if any weapons had been discovered at the scene.

SAN BERNARDINO – A 21-year-old Highland resident was scheduled to appear in court this week, facing charges that he committed sexual acts over several years on under-age girls.

Matthew Lorenzo Alva was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, facing charges of committing lewd acts with a child under 14. In this case, there were two girls who had been under his care at various times since 2010, according to reports.

Last Thursday, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detectives were alerted that lewd acts were being committed against two girls. Dispatched to a residence on the 3000 block of North State Street in Muscoy, an unincorporated portion of San Bernardino, detectives began investigating the allegations.

Discovering that Alva had been living at that residence off and on since 2010, detectives also reported that both girls have been sexually assaulted on multiple occasions.

“These crimes,” according to reports, “occurred while the victims were in the cities of San Bernardino, Rialto and most recently in Muscoy.”

On Friday, detectives from the Sheriff’s Central Station contacted Alva, who was taken back to the station for interviews. Once completed, Alva was arrested, booked for lewd and lascivious acts with a child and taken to the Central Detention Center. His bail was set at $250,000.

Detectives are continuing to investigate, including identifying possible additional victims. The current ages of the girls is undisclosed. It was also undisclosed which parties reported the charges, or the nature of the relationship Alva had with those who were in charge of the girls.

BIG BEAR – A man posing as a firefighter was arrested for a variety of crimes when law enforcement determined that he was a fraud after he was seen cruising around the Lake Fire, now in its second week burning in the San Bernardino mountains.

On Wednesday, July 1, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office filed criminal charges against David Anthony Battle, 44, of San Bernardino, including impersonating a member of the fire department, grand theft auto, being a felon in possession of a firearm, plus two counts of receiving stolen property.

Battle originally drew attention to himself on Saturday, June 27, when law enforcement noticed he had driven past road blocks set up because of raging fires in the nearby mountain ranges. He had been arrested and held at the Lake Fire command post in Sugarloaf, an area near Big Bear.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, deputies assigned for perimeter control and security of evacuated areas first saw Battle drive past road blocks in a white Crown Victoria. Observed wearing an authorized fire department uniform, Battle reportedly represented himself as a firefighter. He told deputies he was trying to locate a fire crew, then left the area.

Fifteen minutes later, the car was located at the incident command post, a parking lot at Big Bear High School, where crews have launched efforts to fight a fire that has lasted well over a week.

Deputies finally detained Battle, and he could not provide proper fire department identification. Deputies also noticed bald tires on his car, and an eventual records check revealed that the state exempt plates on the car had been stolen.

The vehicle identification number verified the car had been stolen from the city of San Bernardino about two weeks earlier. Inside the car, deputies located several articles of fire equipment, including uniforms from various fire agencies and a stolen fire radio. Deputies also discovered a stolen handgun in the vehicle.

Eventually, Battle was found to be on felony probation from previous charges of grand theft auto. Reports did not disclose where the stolen handgun was taken from, nor if he had anything to do with the fire.

Taken into immediate custody without incident, Battle was booked into Big Bear Jail on felony charges, later taken to West Valley Detention Center on $50,000 bail. He has yet to have a court appearance scheduled.

The Lake Fire has ravaged 31,359 acres, or about 49 square miles, of the San Gorgonio wilderness, as of 7 p.m. on Monday.

YUCAIPA – Investigation into the discovery of two dead bodies revealed evidence of a murder-suicide, according to detectives. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detectives ruled that Tammy Theresa Chilton, 45 of Yucaipa, was likely killed by her boyfriend, William Robert Martinez.

Martinez, 52 of Huntington Beach, then killed himself, according to the investigation. The two bodies were discovered on Thursday, June 25. One of Chilton’s co-workers alerted authorities of her concern when she failed to show up for work. Shortly after 7 p.m., a friend and the apartment manager where she lived entered her apartment.

They discovered her body and that of Martinez inside the apartment on the 12300 block of Third Street. Medical aid practitioners were dispatched to the site, but both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies determined there was a suspicious nature surrounding the deaths, resulting in a homicide investigation. Sgt. John Gaffney and Det. Patty Ruiz examined the surrounding evidence at the site of the bodies, with the autopsy ruling strangulation as the cause of death.

Tammy Theresa Chilton

The bodies, which were discovered on the bed in Chilton’s bedroom, included a ligature loosely tied around Chilton’s neck. Martinez was next to Chilton, hanging by his neck from the headboard.

The investigation by Gaffney and Ruiz concluded that Martinez strangled Chilton and then hung himself, according to reports. Investigators have not released any information regarding any motives for killing Chilton. Officials, who did not disclose any suicide notes, also did not reveal if there was a history of domestic violence between the couple.

Huntington Beach is located in Orange County, a little over one hour’s drive from the San Bernardino County city of Yucaipa, which borders Riverside County.

Read More:

Crime Voice: Investigators still looking into case of couple found dead

SAN BERNARDINO – Police have arrested a suspect in a March 2014 shooting death in which two people were struck by bullets, one man dying while a woman survived the attack.

Over a year after the double shooting, Yvette Abagail Ballard, 36, was arrested last week during a traffic stop. She is accused in the shooting death of Jason Dashun Taylor, a San Bernardino resident who was 23 when he was struck down on March 24, 2014.

The shooting occurred at 6:23 p.m. at the Pama Apartment Complex, located near the intersection of Virginia Street and Arrowhead Avenue, said Lt. Tim Crocker.

Officers had responded to that location when reports of a shooting came in. When they arrived, no victims were found, but there was evidence that a shooting had taken place. A short time later, Jason Taylor and Jessica Bradford arrived at nearby St. Bernadine’s Hospital. While Bradford recovered, Taylor died from his wounds.

The shooting was apparently spurred by an internet-related incident, in which police said two women had been arguing over a man. One of the women was in a relationship with the man, and the other was a friend of a woman who was interested in the same man. Reports were that Jason Taylor’s mother had come to the area at Virginia and Arrowhead to fight with the other woman with whom she had the dispute.

She brought multiple people with her, including Taylor. Police said the other woman had also brought multiple people with her. Shouts escalated into increased tensions, said police, leading to the eventual double shooting. During the dispute, police said, Yvette Ballard, along with another unidentified person, fired handguns in the direction of the opposing crowd. Shots struck both victims.

Taylor died about an hour after arriving at the hospital. Bradford had been shot in her leg and was released later that night. There is no information about the second suspected shooter, though police are still seeking information and the investigation continues.

LUCERNE VALLEY – Six people face charges this week after being arrested for illegal outdoor cultivation of marijuana in an unincorporated portion of San Bernardino County.

Law enforcement officials have determined that 5,000 to 6,000 gallons of water were being used each day for marijuana cultivation during a “severe drought .. that didn’t stop the suspects.” The Sheriff’s Marijuana Enforcement Team served several warrants on Wednesday, July 8, having determined that the plants discovered were not in compliance with state medical marijuana laws.

Maria Andrade, 44, and Agripina Caron, 54, both of Bloomington; Carlos Veliz-Fierro, 34, of Victorville; a non-U.S. transient Jose Gonzalez-Ruiz, 40; Michael Beck, 66, of Lucerne Valley and Eric Saul Aguilar, 24, of Sacramento were each arrested in four separate locations during the sweep in Lucerne Valley.

Search warrants were served for illegal marijuana cultivation at resident locations on Waalew Road, Sunswept Drive and neighboring residences at Rabbit Springs Road last week. At one of the Rabbit Springs Road locations, over 1,300 marijuana plants were seized. Officials described the plants as ranging in height from four to six feet and in various stages of growth. Fierro and Ruiz attempted to flee from deputies on foot, but were arrested.

Investigators said Beck, the property owner, had agreed to lease or rent a portion of his property in order to grow marijuana. Charges against Beck will be sent to the District Attorney for review. Fierro and Ruiz had been hired to care and maintain the plants.

Aguilar, who had been arrested in March in neighboring Riverside County on similar charges, was arrested without incident at a location next door to the Rabbit Springs Road house. Deputies discovered him cultivating marijuana at a location where 800 plants, plus a large amount of harvested and processed marijuana, were discovered. Deputies said Aguilar claimed he was growing the marijuana for a marijuana delivery service called Green Thumb Delivery Service.

During the search, over 850 documents containing the personal information for alleged members of this delivery service was exposed and kept in an unsecured area outside in the garden area. Deputies discovered information that included the names, birth dates, physical descriptions and addresses of persons. Noting the growing connection between marijuana cultivation and possible identity theft, county officials are warning property owners about being contacted by people interested in renting or leasing their property for growing marijuana.

Advising them to contact Land Use Services in such cases, property owners may be issued citations and held for violations found on their property, which could include civil and criminal penalties, according to county officials.

SAN BERNARDINO – It was an unusual way to spot illicit seat belt avoidance, not to mention distracted driving last week.

San Bernardino police stopped 50 vehicles, issuing 33 citations for cell phone violations and 14 more to drivers not wearing their seat belts. Police spokesman Rich Lawhead said “four of our police officers stood on freeway off-ramps (Interstate 210 at Waterman Ave. and I-210 at Arden) in civilian clothing holding signs stating they were officers looking for seat belt and cell phone violators.”

Looking much like normal panhandlers, the ruse apparently worked.

Officer Walton looks for violators

Said Lawhead: “When officers saw motorists on the off-ramp within feet of them not wearing a seat belt or clearly talking or texting on their cell phones, nearby uniformed motorcycle officers were alerted so that they could contact the drivers.”

Five more cars were impounded because drivers were found to either be unlicensed or driving with a suspended license, he said.

The exercise took place on July 15, he said, though he did not disclose if there would be future similar exercises.

Lawhead stressed that it’s not just state law providing for seatbelt usage, but also is illegal to text or talk on cell phones while driving. “During this detail,” he said, “our undercover officers walked up to the windows of many vehicles unnoticed by the drivers that were either talking or texting on their cell phones.”

Those calls or messages can wait, he said, “until you arrive at your destination.” Lawhead added it’s not “worth risking the life of yourself or those around you while driving.”

HIGHLAND – Two men were arrested by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies after a shooting in which a stray shot killed a four-year-old boy on Wednesday night.

Maurice Kelley, 25, of Fontana, and Darron Daniels, 20, of Highland, are being held on $1 million bail after being arrested. Investigators are saying that shots fired resulted in one striking a four-year-old, Daniel Munoz.

Shots were heard at 8:28 p.m. on Wednesday, and authorities responded to the 7400 block of McKinley Street. They discovered that the toddler had been struck, resulting in him being transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The boy had been playing in front of his home when the shots were fired.

Maurice Kelly and Darron Daniels booking photos.

Initial reports to authorities identified a person of interest – a Hispanic male in his early 20s with an accompanying description. After investigation, detectives served search warrants and conducted numerous witness interviews that eventually led them to Daniels and Kelly some 24 hours after the shooting.

Police said the two engaged in an argument with people in a white 1990s Toyota Camry, according to reports. Lead detectives Justin Long and Sgt. Trevis Newport, who have not yet connected the shooting as gang-related, believe those men were the intended shooting victims.

When a stray shot hit Munoz, family members frantically tried to save the child until medical assistance could arrive.

Daniels was arrested for one count of murder and Kelley was also charged with murder as well as two counts of attempted murder.

Both men, booked at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino, will likely appear in court early next week. Reports stated that Munoz’s mom and dad were en route to pick up their son after spending a day at Knott’s Berry Farm.

BIG BEAR – A 20-year-old man accused of luring a 16-year-old girl to meet him for sex was arrested on Thursday morning. Robert Louis Becker, who lives on the 5000 block of Quail Run in Riverside, was arrested on charges of possession of child pornography among other crimes, ending a stretch of over two months during which the man stalked the teen through the internet. Big Bear, located in the San Bernardino mountains, is about 90 minutes from Riverside.

The girl, who lives in the Big Bear community of Sugarloaf, was asked by the suspect to provide nude photos of herself, according to police reports from an investigation that began on July 8. The girl’s mother had told police her daughter had been solicited into a relationship.

A relationship had started two months earlier, said police, involving a man using the name “Lex Adams”. In his internet profile, it was determined that Becker was using a generic photo of a male model.

The unidentified victim meanwhile, had been seduced into sending the man sexually explicit photos of herself, and was eventually persuaded to meet the man for sex, according to reports. Becker also convinced the teen to divulge her social media account information. Police said he was able to use the victim’s account information to pose on-line as the teen, sending requests to her friends for additional sexually explicit videos and photos.

Upon being served with a search warrant at his Riverside residence, Becker was found to be in possession of child pornography, said police.

Becker is scheduled for arraignment on Monday in San Bernardino Superior Court, facing charges of possession of child pornography and trying to entice a minor into sex acts. He is being held currently on $250,000.

SAN BERNARDINO – More arrests are expected soon, after eleven alleged gang members were taken into custody during a sweep made last month.

A multiple agency investigation resulted in the arrest of members of the so-called “Noe Luv Gangster Crips” in San Bernardino, along with neighboring cities Rialto and Fontana, on Thursday, July 23.

Dubbed a criminal street gang conspiracy, the four-month investigation included members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Gang Intelligence Team and an FBI Gang Task Force, among others, that have been investigating illicit activities of the Noe Luv Gangster Crips.

Sgt. Robert Kelly said, “For the past several years, members and associates of this particular gang have been known for their violent nature towards gang members from other criminal street gangs.” Kelly said the gangs were based around the Inland Empire, centered mostly in the San Bernardino area.

Based on several gang-related shootings that have occurred at various locations throughout San Bernardino County, he said, “some [are shootings] in which innocent civilians also have been victimized.” Surveillance operations helped gather evidence to establish the gang’s criminal conduct, said Kelly.

Arrested were Rahshun Turner, 30, of Rialto; Dewitt Johnson, 55; Fox Burroughs, 30, of Rialto; Mark Tibbs, 33, of Rialto; and San Bernardino residents Lancaster Alexander, 21, Sobriety Jackson, 20, Sharhonda Jackson, 24, Thomonte Rander, 29, Markyse Tuggle, 23, Liza Flores, 27, and David Blakely, 30.

Members of the gang have appeared in court this week, according to officials.

On Thursday, July 23, investigators, deputies and officers from the county sheriff’s office, San Bernardino Police, county probation, California Highway Patrol, Rialto Police and the FBI served 10 search warrants at various locations throughout the county. Kelly said 22 firearms were confiscated, along with six ounces of cocaine, while the 11 alleged gang members were taken into custody. Charges include criminal street gang conspiracy, attempted kidnapping, assault, human trafficking/pimping, prostitution, plus additional weapons and narcotics violations.

Kelly said the investigation served to represent law enforcement cooperation within the county, “plus their commitment to the relentless pursuit of those who engage in criminal street gang activities.” More warrants could be served in the future while investigations continue, he said.

SAN BERNARDINO – More victims are being sought in an identity theft ring that was busted on July 7. Four people were arrested after San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies uncovered the identity theft operation, in which more than 100 victims are feared to have been hacked.

Deputies searched a San Bernardino hotel room on Tuesday, July 7, where they discovered stolen property, along with check-washing equipment and drugs.

Daniel Leivas, 50, of Blythe, California, Robbie Steven Lee Gurule, 26, a San Bernardino area transient, Angela Gutierrez, 24, of Highland, and Alexandria Starr Leon, 23, of Yucaipa were taken into custody on various charges.

All were charged with identity theft, possession of fraudulent checks and possession of drugs, according to authorities. Originally, deputies were investigating a burglary that took place at Quaid Harley-Davidson in Loma Linda. Gurule was identified as a suspect, questioned by deputies and was caught in several misstatements, said authorities.

SB police released this photo of Gurule earlier this year

Deputies said Gurule had lied about his identity and was later found to be in possession of burglary tools. Eventually Gurule led deputies to an undisclosed San Bernardino hotel room on East Hospitality Lane where he was staying with Gutierrez, his girlfriend. When deputies searched the hotel room, they discovered several stolen checks, stolen mail items and the identity theft materials.

Since July 7, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Bachman, deputies have been contacting victims by using contact information from the stolen mail and checks. Police (909-387-3545) are still seeking victims.

Alexandria Leon is in custody on drug charges and is scheduled to appear in Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court on Aug. 12. Gurule, who is due for an August 26 court appearance in San Bernardino Superior Court, faces embezzlement charges along with extortion and identity theft allegations. He’s being held on a combined $375,000 bail for all charges, according to court records. He had been released on warrant for similar charges in Riverside County. No additional information was available for either Gutierrez or Leivas.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – A county deputy sheriff, suspected of having consensual sex with an inmate, was taken into custody himself on Thursday afternoon.

Armando John Espinoza, 45, who was hired as a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy in 2006, was being held at the West Valley Detention Center after being arrested for the single count.

Allegations surfaced on Tuesday when the sheriff’s department received information of possible sexual misconduct, that had occurred while Espinoza was on duty, with a female out-of-custody work release inmate

In a prepared release, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said, “This criminal conduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Upon learning of the allegations, investigators quickly began an internal criminal investigation, identifying Espinoza as a suspect. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of both the criminal and administrative investigations. The victim’s name was not released; nor was any information disclosed about the victim’s criminal background.

The Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights, a law that protects the privacy of those involved in personnel actions said the sheriff’s department, “does not allow the department to release details of the department’s internal investigation into this matter.”

Espinoza, who was released from custody early Friday morning, is facing one count of sexual contact with a consenting inmate, actions that are deemed illegal. According to jail records, his bail was set at $50,000.

SKY FOREST – No suspects were taken into custody, but a joint operation to shut down a marijuana cultivation site in the San Bernardino National Forest took place on Thursday.

Members of the Drug Enforcement Team and the United States Forest Service, conducting a joint operation, discovered 4,389 marijuana plants, camping equipment and large amounts of trash as evidence that several suspects were living within the site, caring for the crops.

“It caused irreversible damage to the forest,” according to a release that announced the joint operation of Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, known as CAMP.

Part of the damage included diverting water intended for natural resources to irrigate the marijuana plants that had been cut away through natural brush along the mountainside.

The suspected growers used commercial irrigation tubing, or pipe, to re-route the water from streams and creeks. “Based on the size of the marijuana garden found,” according to officials, “it is estimated that thousands of gallons of water each day was being diverted into the grow site.”

The discovery was made near Switzer Park in a spot known as Gilley Canyon. It was located in “extremely rugged terrain” approximately one mile south of State Highway 18, near Sky Forest.

The 8 a.m. discovery included finding plants that were producing bud, ranging in height from two to five feet. “The suspects were in the process of harvesting the marijuana,” later dried, processed and packaged for removal from the grow site, according to officials.

The ultimate destination for the marijuana crop was unknown, said officials, “but most likely would have been sold illegally.” Officials said damage to the forest areas result from such cultivation sites. Fertilizer, pesticides and animal repellents used by growers contaminate natural streams and creeks, “ultimately contaminating ground water and food for wildlife.”

Investigators removed two large cargo nets filled with supplies and trash from the site.

APPLE VALLEY – One day after a 23-year-old Apple Valley man was shot and killed, and another man was wounded, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a suspect.

One day after Thursday night’s shooting, deputies arrested Arieon Shoulders, 23 of Victorville, on suspicion of killing Julian Kilgore. Charges are also expected to be filed against Shoulders for shooting Richard Fenton, 21, also of Apple Valley. Fenton is expected to survive.

The victims – Julian Kilgore died of his wounds, but Richard Fenton is expected to survive. Images – Facebook

Deputies from the Apple Valley Sheriff’s station were summoned to the 21000 block of Nisqually Road at 9:25 on Thursday in response to shots being fired. When they arrived, they found Kilgore and Fenton both suffering from gunshot wounds.

Despite life-saving efforts after he was transported to nearby St. Mary Medical Center, Kilgore died from his gunshot wounds at 10:35 p.m., according to the county coroner.

Fenton, who was taken to another hospital’s trauma center, is expected to survive his wounds, said authorities. The shooting could be drug related, according to reports by investigators Detective Adam Salsberry and Sgt. Robert Warrick, adding there is ongoing investigation into the shooting. Authorities have not disclosed any further possible motives for the shootings. Arrest records show that the victim Julian Kilgore has been arrested three times since December 2013 for public intoxication and DUI.

The Nisqually Road complex where the shooting took place consists of three separate houses, all located on one lot. Surveillance cameras are located in the area, according to reports, which likely aided deputies in locating the shooting suspect.

Witnesses told authorities that a car was seen leaving the area shortly after the shots were heard. Shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday, Shoulders was tracked down by investigators at 14200 Armagosa Road in Victorville, arrested and charged with murder. County jail records show that Shoulders, who was booked into the Adelanto Detention Center, is ineligible for bail.

A court date is scheduled for Tuesday at Victorville Superior Court. Apple Valley and Victorville are neighboring communities in the high desert section of San Bernardino County. Nisqually Road is located just north of Bear Valley Road, a main thoroughfare through Apple Valley and Hesperia.

LOMA LINDA – San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a parolee after he tried to provide a false identification during a traffic stop.

Timothy Earl Hamilton, 26, a San Bernardino resident, was a passenger in a car that was pulled over by deputies for a violation of a local municipal code, shortly before midnight on Tuesday in front of Hulda Crooks Park on Mountain View Ave.

When Deputy Sean Tabor requested identification, Hamilton “gave false information regarding his identity,” according to reports. Hamilton then bolted from the car, ran through the park in the direction of a residential neighborhood, with Tabor in pursuit. Before he exited the park, which is located in the 11800 block of Mountain View Ave., Tabor was able to catch up with Hamilton. He was taken into custody without further incident, said Tabor.

Once Hamilton’s true identity was discovered, a records check revealed he was wanted, and considered both armed and dangerous, according to court records. He was a parolee at large. Tabor took Hamilton to the Central Detention Center on charges of providing false identification to a peace officer, along with the parole warrants that had been issued.

The code violation was in reference to park hours. No information was provided about the driver of the car when Tabor made the stop.

Hamilton, who is ineligible for bail, was scheduled to face a court date today at Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court. Court records or law enforcement officials did not disclose the reason why Hamilton was on parole, though records show a Timothy Hamilton of nearby Apple Valley was arrested in 2008 and 2012 for cruelty to a child inflicting injury.

BARSTOW – The “San Bernardino Movement Against Street Hoodlums” unit arrested 48 people during a Friday night sweep in Barstow that netted suspects for various charges.

The SMASH unit sweep, which occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight on Friday, August 21 is a joint effort between all San Bernardino County Sheriff stations and police department agencies.

“Since criminal gang activity does not recognize jurisdictional boundaries,” said Sgt. Al Girard, “deputies and police officers in San Bernardino County join forces several times each year in an effort to reduce gang related crime.”

In Friday night’s raid, 51 law enforcement officials made 48 arrests on charges ranging from driving under the influence to narcotics related offenses, plus conspiracy and attempted murder, along with serving misdemeanor and felony warrants. Violators for parole and probation incidents were also taken into custody, according to a release.

Barstow is located in the high desert portion of San Bernardino County, a little over a one-hour drive from San Bernardino. Law enforcement officials have not yet released the names of those arrested, nor disclosed each location in which the raids took place.

There have been several raids, or sweeps, conducted throughout the county in recent months. In one of the county’s previous SMASH operations on Friday, June 12 in Yucaipa, authorities netted 45 arrests over a similar time span. Typically, the SMASH unit operations include jail intake nurses, along with officials from county probation, plus male and female deputies from county detention facilities to initiate booking of those arrested.

Also, a county jail bus is used to serve as a holding center for those arrested, along with transporting inmates at the conclusion of the operation.

ONTARIO – DNA evidence linking a suspected murderer to another 1990 killing has led authorities to the investigation of a transgender prostitute who died in that attack. Authorities believe that Richard Reil, 49 of Santa Ana, is linked to the shooting death of Lyle William Foster.

Reil is awaiting trial in another killing, the June 2009 death of Alex Camacho, 35, who was shot to death in the 1700 block of West Flora Street. Reports are that Reil and Camacho got into an argument while drinking together. Authorities believe that Reil shot Camacho once in the upper body.

According to accounts, the 1990 slaying of Foster, who went by the name of Kathy, might have occurred when a client found out she was transgender. Foster had been shot three times in the head and later discovered in a vacant field.

Though Foster was killed in Ontario of San Bernardino County, the Orange County District Attorney’s office will prosecute the case. They charged Reil with Foster’s killing in May. He is scheduled to be arraigned in the case on September 18.

Reil had pleaded not guilty in the Camacho shooting. According to reports, as many as 10 people were drinking in front of a home in the 1700 block of West Flora Street, which is located just south of Warner Avenue in Santa Ana, on June 26, 2009. Witness accounts described an argument that took place, followed with a man pulling out a gun, shooting Camacho in the chest, and then running away. Reil was identified as the suspect by investigating detectives.

Police and parole officers had been conducting surveillance back on July 7. Reil, who was a parolee from Santa Ana and a known frequenter in that area, was spotted running from a residence in the 2400 block of West La Verne Avenue, said police. He was apprehended and charged with murder. At the time of the arrest, Reil was carrying a gun that was to be tested for a possible match in the one used in Camacho’s killing. Police did not believe the killing was gang related.

Twenty five years after Foster’s killing, investigators linked Reil to the shooting through the use of DNA. He’s currently being held without bail, according to jail records, on a parole violation for vandalism and unlawful entry.

BAKER – After a five-month investigation by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detectives, a murder suspect was arrested on Thursday related to a body discovered at a remote location this past March.

The homicide detail arrested Angel Francisco Hernandez, 27, of Baker, after detectives tracked him down as a suspect in the death of a man found by Caltrans workers on March 19.

Ernest Ortega Huerta, 39, had been discovered by the workers at 8:23 a.m. that day. Caltrans was grading the shoulder of State Highway 127 near mile marker 31. The body was lying in the open desert.

Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol units responded to the scene. When Ortega’s death was ruled a homicide by authorities, the sheriff’s homicide detail entered the investigation.

Detective Mike Walker and Sgt. Jason Radeleff, chief investigators in the case, did not disclose how they were led to Hernandez, but during the five-month investigation, Hernandez’s name surfaced as a suspect.

On Thursday, investigators contacted Hernandez at his residence in Baker, a faraway high desert community which is located over halfway between San Bernardino and Las Vegas along Interstate 10. The investigators did not disclose any possible motives for the killing.

According to reports, Hernandez was contacted at his residence, taken to the Barstow Sheriff’s Station about 60 miles away, and interviewed. Hernandez was booked into the Barstow jail on murder charges. State Route 127, located in a remote and desolate location, runs along the southeastern edge of Death Valley National Park, cutting through a mountain range as it enters Inyo County.

Hernandez, who is listed as ineligible for bail, will appear in Victorville Superior Court on Monday, facing a charge of murder, according to county records.