FONTANA – Four bodies, including two children, were discovered on Monday night, each victims of a shooting that police said appears to have been a murder-suicide. Police needed to obtain a search warrant before entering a home on the 7300 block of Palmetto Ave.

Various news reports, including a corresponding police announcement, stated that the bodies were found in large amounts of blood. A single gunshot wound to the a dead man inside the home gave police an early reason to suspect it was a murder-suicide.

Two children, identified as 10-year-old girl Rayna Miranda and 12-year-old boy Ramon Miranda Jr., were discovered just after 8:30 p.m. A Fontana spokeswoman confirmed the deaths of the children, along with that of 34-year-old Silvia Miranda. Police had been notified by a 16-year-old relative who did not live at the home, later identified as Silvia’s son from another marriage, who reported that family members were injured or had been killed in the home. Police said there had also been reports from neighbors of arguing in the house earlier that day.

The incident attracted the attention of Los Angeles television crews, who then staked out spots along the street. Fontana police spokeswoman Martha Guzman-Hurtado confirmed that three victims had suffered from multiple gunshot wounds. “The male,” she said, “had one gunshot wound to the head.”

The male has been identified by police as 38-year-old Ramon Miranda. There have been no announcement of any additional suspects, said Sgt. Doug Imhoff. “There’s some amounts of blood,” he said, “in different areas of the house. There are a couple of weapons that have been seen by our detectives.”

Read More:

LATimes: 4 in Fontana family die in apparent murder-suicide

HuntingtonPost: 4 bodies, including 2 children, found in multiple homicides

NBCLosAngeles: Neighbors “heartbroken” after bodies of 2 adults, 2 children found in home

SAN BERNARDINO – Two wounded teenagers escaped death from a shooting when residents responded to the barrage of shots just after 7 p.m. on Saturday.

On Monday, police reported that no suspects have been identified in the shooting of an unidentified 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy who suffered non-life threatening injuries. The shooting occurred in the 3100 block of North Mountain Ave. The girl, who suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, and the boy, who was shot in the leg, rolled their bodies into some nearby bushes to escape further injuries.

Police said that neighbors reported hearing between 15 and 20 gunshots, fired rapidly, on city streets that aren’t illuminated by street lights. The teens, described by police as non-gang members, were taken to nearby Loma Linda University Medical Center.

The shooting scene is located in an older area of the city. North Mountain Ave. is located north of Lynwood Ave. and west of Del Rosa Ave. There have been no previous reports of shootings in this area, said police, though there have been other crimes such as burglary, car theft and home invasion. Shell casings from possibly two firearms were found at the scene, described to police as that of coming from .40-caliber handguns.

Two or three assailants were reported to have fled to a car located a short distance away, escaping before the car could be identified. Police did not disclose any motives. There were 46 murders in San Bernardino last year, one less than 2012, which was a record for the city.

Read More:

SBSun: Teen boy, girl wounded in blaze of gunfire

REDLANDS – A former school teacher, who admitted to having sex with underage students including one who fathered a child with her, was released from jail last week.

Laura Whitehurst, 29, had received a year-long sentence last summer, but was released with more than six months left to serve.

The case came to light early last summer after Whitehurst gave birth to a girl. When word got back to the parents of the 17-year-old father, who was reportedly in attendance at the birth, an investigation was launched into Whitehurst’s relationship.
During the course of that investigation, two other former students came forward to report that they had sexual relationships with Whitehurst. In San Bernardino Superior Court on July 30, she pleaded guilty to six felony counts that were connected to three victims.

In those charges were four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and two counts of oral copulation with a person under age 18. The original charges included 41 felony counts, which carried a maximum sentence of 29 years. The remaining counts were dismissed during her sentencing.

Whitehurst, who is the oldest daughter of two area educators, will be required to register as a sex offender as a condition of her release. She must also wear a GPS tracking device, according to county officials.
Originally, Whitehurst was sentenced to 365 days in jail plus five years probation, the sentence pronounced on Aug. 28.

In a similar case over a decade earlier, Rialto Eisenhower High School football coach Glenn Thompkins was charged with having sex with an underage female student. He received a similar sentence as Whitehurst – a year in jail, but was released after serving approximately half that time.

Both Whitehurst and Thompkins were students in their respective school districts, having returned following their college educations. Whitehurst taught at every Redlands-based high school campus, including student teaching at Redlands East Valley, also serving as a substitute, her first fulltime job at Redlands High School and, eventually, Orangewood continuation school and, finally, at Citrus Valley, where she also served as an adviser in campus clubs. Reportedly, she had sex with underage students while teaching at Redlands, later moving to Citrus Valley.

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LATimes: Ex-teacher convicted of student sex released 

REDLANDS – A scam that targets small to medium size businesses has likely netted scammers over $200,000 in untraceable pre-paid debit cards.

The scam has stretched to various Southern California outlets, most businesses being duped into believing that a Southern California Edison representative will cut off electrical services unless a quick payment is made to purchase a new meter.
The scam, according to reports, usually starts with telephone calls from an 800 number and concluding with a payment from untraceable pre-paid debit cards.

The method of operation is that a self-described customer-service representative, usually calling restaurants right before a lunchtime rush, advises the business that electrical services will be cut if money was not quickly produced to pay for meter replacements. Response from the owners were usually quick, in order to stem off the likelihood of losing too much business.

Business owners should be wary of anyone requesting payment with a pre-paid debit card. The advice is to request a callback number, then call the business directly. If someone comes into the business, request identification. A pre-paid debit card, which are cash-only cards that are available at grocery stores and pharmacies, are procured to make payments to the scammers. Officials said the payments are untraceable.

Once the money has been put on the card, said officials, the alleged power company representative – in this case, Southern California Edison – requests a PIN number which leads to the transfer of funds onto his own debit card.
Southern California Edison officials know of at least 300 victims over the past year, most appearing to be businesses. An Edison official says they would never threaten customers with service disconnections.

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FoxLA: So Cal Edison warns customers of phone scam

LADailyNews: Southern California Edison alerts customers to rash of phone scams

SAN BERNARDINO – A pair of San Bernardino police officers who shot a robbery suspect believed to be armed in December 2011, were ruled to have acted justifiably by a district attorney’s report on Thursday.

Two years after the shooting of Nicholas Henry Jeter, 23, on Dec. 26, 2011, officers Roberto Retamoza and Jose Vasquez had opened fire on Jeter outside a 7-Eleven convenience market.
The shooting occurred just after Jeter had stolen cigarettes, lighters and beer, according to the report that was released. Dispatchers were told in a 911 emergency call that Jeter had a gun and, possibly, a knife, when he was robbing the convenience store at 207 West Highland Ave. in San Bernardino.

Jeter, who underwent emergency surgery, survived six gunshot wounds in various parts of his body. “Jeter dropped the 18-packs of beer and put his hands to his waist area,” according to the report. “The officers saw what they believed was a handgun in Jeter’s hand and believed Jeter was about to shoot them.” Eight shots were fired, six striking Jeter in the lower abdomen and his right hand. The report concluded that Jeter failed to obey officers’ directions to stop and raise his hands.

Seven months after the incident, Jeter pleaded guilty to one count of robbery, sentenced to two years in prison.
No weapons were discovered at the scene with video surveillance tapes verifying that it was likely that officers and the convenience store clerk had believed Jeter had a weapon.
Said the report: “The (erroneous) observation of a gun in the hand is because of the fact that the suspect had a black sock on each hand.”
Another observation is that the suspect “simulated a handgun with his hand inside the blacks sock at the time of the robbery.”
The report’s conclusion is that officers reacted with deadly force “in the honest and reasonable belief that there was imminent danger that Jeter would kill him or another person, or cause … great bodily injury. Therefore, the use of deadly force was legally justifiable.”

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San Bernardino Sun: DA finds non-fatal officer-involved shooting legally justified

Press Enterprise: Officers justifiably shot robbery suspect

SAN BERNARDINO – A man suspected of killing his wife in November surrendered to authorities on Saturday in Tampa, Florida in a high profile case in which he was able to elude police at a local railroad station just days after the crime. San Bernardino police said that Edly Atherley, 29, was booked by the Hillsborough (Fla.) County Sheriff’s Dept. over the weekend on charges that he stabbed his wife, Ashley Atherley, inside their North San Bernardino apartment on Nov. 30, just two days after Thanksgiving.

Strong evidence of domestic abuse has been discovered during the investigation.

Ten days after the crime, authorities announced that the suspect was being pursued not only in the San Bernardino area, but also in Florida and the Central American country of Belize, where he was known to have family connections. Authorities claimed they were closing in on Atherley in the Tampa area this past weekend, but he showed up at a local FBI office with an attorney. He is expected to be returned to California, either by extradition or returning with San Bernardino police sent to Florida.

A $10,000 reward, offered by the FBI for his capture, had been offered in late December.

The Atherleys, who had moved to San Bernardino from Florida last year, had two children. Police said that family members believed the couple had a history of domestic violence involving Edly’s abusive behavior toward Ashley, who was attempting to move to Los Angeles where she was employed.

When Ashley Atherley hadn’t contacted family members since Thanksgiving, police were alerted. Late on a Saturday night, they discovered her body inside their apartment, her throat slashed, and with other evidence of a physical beating. An apartment security guard had reported seeing Edly Atherley one night earlier covered in blood, which led to police issuing a warrant for his arrest.

In addition to facing murder charges, authorities will also pursue federal charges of warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He is facing at least 26 years in prison, according to authorities.

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WINK: SWFL fugitive arrested in CA murder case

CBSNews: Wanted for wife’s murder in CA, suspect surrenders in FLA

SAN BERNARDINO – Police tracked down a man they suspect for a New Year’s Day shooting on Wednesday, but the discovery of a homemade bomb led to an evacuation.

Police spokesman Rich Lawhead reported the arrest of Gary Michael Ganson, 33, who lived in a residence on the 1300 block of North Windsor Dr., which was where the evacuation took place after discovering several sticks of dynamite with a clock in the middle. Once a SWAT team was in place, Ganson quickly surrendered to police.

The New Year’s Day shooting occurred at 7:33 p.m. in the 1200 block of North Valencia Street. Police said an 18-year-old man was wounded in the leg by a shooter using a .22-caliber pistol. Lawhead said the shooting was over a family altercation that involved the suspect’s daughter. Police began searching for Ganson and a black Dodge pickup truck he was believed to be driving. On Jan. 1, police showed up at his Windsor Drive home, but neither Ganson or the truck were located.

The truck was spotted by a sheriff’s automated license plate reader – mounted on a pole at Baseline Avenue and Valencia Street – as the truck drove by. Eventually, police discovered Ganson at his residence. A SWAT team that included seven officers and a black armored truck was deployed around the residence.

Lawhead said Ganson surrendered peacefully. It was during the search of his residence that police discovered the bomb, which was eventually determined to be harmless by the bomb squad. Residents that had been evacuated in the neighborhood were allowed back into their homes at about 2:30 p.m., said police.

Ganson was to be taken to the Central Valley Detention Center in San Bernardino.

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The Sun: Homes evacuated after SB police find inert explosive device

Press Enterprise: Device found in hunt for shooting suspect
.

A Colton man was arrested this week for allegedly robbing a Redlands gas station of cash, booze and cigarettes, according to city officials. Frank Colunga, 23, was arrested after a short police chase from the scene of the crime. A second suspect, 39-year-old Colton resident James Soto, is being sought by investigators.

Colton and Colunga allegedly brandished handguns when they walked into the Unocal Station on Parkford Drive, just off Interstate 10. They robbed the clerk of register cash, and took off. Police spotted the get-a-way car nearby, which prompted the vehicle chase. Colunga crashed the car while trying to flee police, and Colton was able to run away before officers reached the automobile.

Officers reportedly found guns and stolen property in the vehicle.

Colunga was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Read More:

Press-Enterprise: 1 arrested, 1 sought in gas station holdup

COLTON – The man who barricaded himself and was arrested on Saturday night is scheduled to appear in a San Bernardino courtroom on Wednesday, facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

Frankie Martinez, 30, surrendered to police just after midnight, a few hours after the ordeal began with a fight at the Fantasy Topless Bar at 1091 South La Cadena Dr.
Police said a man flashed a gun after fighting with the bar’s bouncers just before 8 p.m. Reports are that the man, believed to be Martinez, fired a gun into the air, fled in a car with three other men and was spotted by Colton police.
The suspected shooter eluded police, who took the other three men into custody, while Martinez ran into a nearby apartment complex and assaulted a resident who was returning from the store.
The resident, Daniel Kim, told police that Martinez took refuge in his apartment, which included another man, Eddie Nava, and the men’s wives.
Martinez reportedly hit Nava on the head with the butt of the steel revolver. He had reportedly asked Kim to take his gun, hiding it so the police would not discover him with a weapon. Kim apparently refused to take the gun.
Kim and Nava wrestled with Martinez, said police, and took the loaded gun away from him and hid it.
Police were forced to evacuate residents from nearby apartments.
A bloodied Martinez made his way into Nava’s nearby apartment, then barricaded himself inside with Nava’s three children, ages five, eight and 11.
An Inland Valley SWAT team surrounded the apartment, asking Martinez to surrender on several occasions. Eventually, he surrendered without incident at around midnight.
Nava had been taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention to wounds on his head.
Martinez, being held on $50,000 bail, was booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on charges of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary.

Read More:

Press-Enterprise: SWAT standoff ends in arrest

SAN BERNARDINO – Law enforcement authorities, including the FBI and two local agencies, hit back at an alleged street gang on Wednesday, arresting four men, recovering weapons and drugs. Early morning raids targeted six residences that reportedly contained members of the “Sur Crazy Ones” (SUR), a gang that is centered in San Bernardino.

According to a press release from Lt. Rich Lawhead of the San Bernardino Police Dept., Ithzel Lopez, 29, Richard Ortega, 23, Javier Palomino, 30, and Jaime Castrellon, 24, were arrested and booked on multiple charges. Lawhead said in a release that San Bernardino police, “continues to take aggressive action to curtail criminal street gang activity within their jurisdictional boundaries.” The synchronized raids, which included San Bernardino Police, San Bernardino Sheriff’s and the FBI were able to confiscate three firearms, including a submachine gun, .40 caliber rifle and a 9mm pistol. Also confiscated was a pound of marijuana.

One week earlier, another raid netted the arrests of over a dozen alleged gang members. Authorities confiscated several handguns, drugs and thousands of dollars in connection with alleged drug trafficking, reportedly across state lines. A 39-page federal indictment led to that raid, targeting a specific gang known as the Gilbert Street Bloods, centered in San Bernardino. FBI sources said that arrests were also made in Arizona and Indiana. Gang members were charged in federal indictments for interstate drug trafficking.

FBI, along with the Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms unit, Drug Enforcement Agency, County Sheriff’s units and San Bernardino Police all took part in those raids, netting 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly a pound of cocaine, $12,000 and 11 handguns.

In the indictment, investigators outlined inquiries into gang activities that included transcribing telephone calls, text messages between gang members, each related to alleged drug trafficking. Gas stations, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, parking lots and private residences in Fontana, Hesperia and San Bernardino were sites at which transactions reportedly took place, said authorities.

Lopez, Ortega, Palomino and Jaime Castrellon are being held at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Read More:

ABC7: San Bernardino gang raids net guns, drugs, 4 arrests

SB Sun: Four suspected gang members arrested, guns confiscated

SAN BERNARDINO – Jurors convicted a former San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy on multiple counts of unlawful sex with an underage girl, plus another count of possessing child pornography on Wednesday.

Nathan Gastineau, 31, who was charged with 16 counts of unlawful sex – seven additional charges brought during the trial – with a teenage Explorer Scout, could be facing 13 years in state prison, a sentence that is scheduled for Feb. 28. Gastineau met the girl, who was then 15, at the Highland sheriff’s substation in 2010. He was the supervisor of the county sheriff’s Explorer Scout program, an opportunity for youths designed to learn about law enforcement careers. During the trial, the unidentified woman – who is now over 18 – testified that they had sex at his Redlands apartment that averaged once a week from October 2010 to April 2011.

Part of the evidence against Gastineau, who pleaded not guilty, was the discovery of a videotape of the two having sex. On the witness stand, Gastineau admitted to having sex with the girl on just one occasion, when she was 16. The breakdown of the charges included six counts of lewd acts with a child when the girl was 15, 10 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor when the girl was 16 and one count of possessing child pornography.

Judge William Powell denied Gastineau’s continued freedom on $350,000 bail, instead remanding him to the sheriff’s custody. He will be required to register as a sex offender.
Gastineau’s defense attorney, Andrew Haynal, says he plans an appeal.

During the time leading up to the trial, Gastineau’s bail was increased from $150,000 to $350,000 when another judge was presented with a social media posting in which he wrote about “revenge” and “payback.” (See Huffington Post link for full text.) At the time, Superior court Judge John Martin determined the postings were threatening which led to the increased bail.

Read More:

Press Enterprise: Ex-Highland deputy convicted of sex with teen girl

The Sun: Former Sheriff’s deputy Gastineau guilty on all teen sex charges

Huffington Post: Nathan Gastineau, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Deputy, Pleads Not Guilty

REDLANDS – Police arrested a girl scout leader who is suspected of embezzling $5,000 from a Moreno Valley Girl Scout troop.

Redlands police served search warrant at the Menifee home of Michelle Marie Villa, 26, who was arrested on Jan. 23. Alleging that she purchased a computer and printer, groceries, athletic gear and various craft supplies with the troop’s debit card, a news release said she purchased the items between July 2012 and July 2013. Villa, who is also known as Michelle Sanchez, is expected to appear in court sometime this week, according to officials.

Police spokesman Carl Baker said detectives recovered evidence of the crime at her home on the 29000 block of Fenwick Circle in Menifee, which is located in neighboring Riverside County. The crime was reported in December.

Villa had been in charge of her troop for about one year. There were about seven girls in her troop. The Council reports that every leader undergoes a thorough background check. There are over 1,000 troops, some 4,000 adult volunteers and 11,500 girls that are part of the Girl Scouts.

The Girl Scouts of the San Gorgonio Council, which is headquartered in Redlands, received reports of the possible crime. Saying it “investigates all reports of misconduct by its leaders,” the Council reported, “if the findings warrant it and its believed a crime has been committed, the Council reports the alleged crime to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and cooperates fully with their investigation.” The Council, which says it closely monitors the finances of its thousand troops, has replaced the missing funds, “and would do so in every instance of theft,” according to a release. “Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council will never allow girls to suffer a financial loss due to a crime.”

Villa was released on a $50,000 bond.

Read More:

ABC7: Menifee Girl Scout leader accused of embezzling $5,000 from troop

VICTORVILLE – Following a shooting ambush of a deputy without injury, authorities tracked the suspect and arrested him for attempted murder.

On Sunday evening, February 2, while conducting a traffic stop, a deputy from the Victorville Police Department noted a suspicious vehicle approaching him at a slow speed. The officer was returning to his vehicle which was parked in the area of Hesperia Road and Green Tree Boulevard in the city of Victorville.

As the deputy approached his vehicle, he noticed that the oncoming silver Chrysler 300 had the driver’s side window rolled halfway down. The deputy then reportedly saw muzzle flashes and heard four gunshots emanating from inside the Chrysler 300.

The deputy chased after the vehicle, discharging his own firearm, but the suspect vehicle escaped, fleeing north on Hesperia Road. Following the incident, detectives arrived at the scene to collect evidence. They scoured the vicinity of the shooting and spoke with witnesses looking for clues.

Detectives were then able to locate a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle at the 13800 block of Apple Creek, mere blocks from the incident. After searching the vehicle, detectives recovered evidence that was consistent with shots being fired from within. Following up with a search warrant for the residence, detectives discovered further evidence thought to be related to the crime. These items included:

• A .45 caliber handgun
• .45 caliber ammunition
• Ruger Mini 14 converted to an assault rifle with a pistol grip and two (2) 30-round high capacity magazines
• Gang paraphernalia

Based on the vehicle description and items obtained, authorities arrested Shawn Munoz, 31, of Ontario for Attempted Murder of a Peace Officer. He was booked at West Valley Detention Center. According to a John McMahon, Sheriff-Coroner of the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department, “The suspect’s gunfire did not hit or injure the deputy but the brazen attempt to take a uniformed deputy’s life proves the violent climate in which law enforcement officers now work.”

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Victor Valley News: Shots Fired at Victorville officer

RIALTO – A public hearing on Tuesday may set a future course on dispensing medical marijuana, which includes discussion to ban a mobile cannabis dispensary service.

Rialto police countered that while storefront operators are under a city ordinance that bans the sale of marijuana, technically there are no statutes governing mobile businesses. Local authorities say that a mobile business is technically considered part of the storefront ordinance.

The department’s Street Crime Attack Team, while working undercover last summer, ordered marijuana from on-line vendors, specifically through the website Weedmaps.com. The website displayed over 50 such services within a 20-mile radius of Rialto – six located within city limits, said authorities. Customers were able to obtain various types of marijuana by calling the business and presenting their medical marijuana card user number. They could set a time and place for delivery.

During the task force undercover sting, three dispensaries were sought to deliver marijuana products to a vacant apartment. It resulted in three drivers being arrested for transporting and selling marijuana, plus a violation of health and safety codes, according to a report.

A police spokesman has said all three vendors will be prosecuted for a variety of charges, which could result in penalties ranging from a $1,000 fine, six months imprisonment, or both. Violators could also be charged with infractions, which lead to a $100 fine for the first time, $200 for the second and $500 for each additional charge within two years of the initial violation.

The public hearing on the proposed ordinance is scheduled at 6 p.m. during the normal City Council meeting at 150 South Palm Ave.

Read More:

The Sun: Rialto City Council may ban mobile marijuana dispensaries

SAN BERNARDINO – Police arrested a robbery suspect on Wednesday, reportedly linking him to a series of robberies that took place over two counties and six cities.

Mark Anthony Toney, 26, from the Riverside county city of Hemet, was on active probation for being an ex-felon for being in possession of a firearm.
Police said they have linked Toney to a string of armed robberies in San Bernardino, Redlands, Rialto and Rancho Cucamonga – each in San Bernardino County – along with a pair of Los Angeles County cities, Montclair and Pomona.
The robberies took place in January and February, police said. There are times, said investigators, when Toney entered some businesses with intent to commit a robbery and sometimes departed without taking anything,
Toney, who is reported to have targeted primarily fast food restaurants and gas stations, either displayed or pointed the gun at victims during the crimes. He usually wore a red hoodie sweatshirt, police said.
Lt. Rich Lawhead said the San Bernardino Police Department’s robbery detectives, working with the Crime Analysis Unit, developed information which led to Toney’s identification.
Detectives located Toney, taking him into custody in the 4000 block of East Highland Ave. in San Bernardino. Reportedly, he has confessed to some of the crimes.
Lawhead said, “Investigators located evidence from many of the crimes during the arrest and a subsequent search of a local residence.”
More charges are expected, said Lawhead, and Toney has been charged with 10 separate counts of armed robbery. He’s being held at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.
Toney was tentatively scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday, said Lawhead. His bail was set at $100,000.

Read More:

Press Enterprise: Arrest made in string of robberies

CBSLA: Suspected ‘red hood bandit’ arrested

SAN BERNARDINO – Police said a suspect has admitted to shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend while she worked at a pizza restaurant on Wednesday.

Pedro Enrique Duquesne, 55, confronted Nelly Chi Salazar-Kantun, the manager of the Domino’s Pizza Restaurant on the 1600 block of East Highland Ave. at 11:38 a.m. Police said he confronted Salazar-Kantun inside the restaurant, pulled out a gun and shot continuously as she tried to escape.

Salazar-Kantun, 39, of Highland, was seen running outside restaurant, then was seen collapsing by a nearby security guard, police said. She suffered multiple gunshot wounds to her abdomen. Taken to nearby St. Bernardine’s Medical Center, she was pronounced dead. Investigators said she was shot twice in the abdomen, then one more time when she tried to run.

Nelly Chi Salazar-Kantun, deceased victim

Witnesses told police that Duquesne drove away in a black Honda Accord. Police located him on Wednesday night, taking him into custody near Waterman Ave. and Mill St., a few miles from where the shooting took place. Police, through investigation, determined where Duquesne was staying in San Bernardino. When they finally confronted him, he admitted to the shootings. Investigators determined the couple had been going through difficulties in their four-year relationship.

Reports are that several witnesses saw the shooting that occurred both inside and outside of the restaurant. Reports are that Duquesne dropped Salazar-Kantun at work earlier in the day, though they had been arguing. Their dispute continued on the telephone and Duquesne returned with a gun. There were no other employees currently on duty at the restaurant at the time of the shooting.

Read More:

Press Enterprise: Suspect arrested in pizzeria slaying

4NBC: Mother of 3 gunned down at Domino’s in San Bernardino

SAN BERNARDINO – A gang member, accused of a 2011 shooting that took the life of a three-year-old girl, was convicted of the crime last week.

Authorities said this week that the sentence for Brandon Taray Barnes, 21, will be held on March 28. Barnes could face multiple life terms after a jury reached the conclusion, announced last Friday in San Bernardino County Superior Court. His conviction includes one count of murder and seven counts of attempted murder. Nylah Franco-Torrez was killed while a three-year-old cousin and her pregnant aunt injured during the shooting on Sept. 12, 2011.

Police said the confrontation began when Nylah’s uncle, Jerry Howie, witnessed Barnes beating a woman at a residence around the corner. The woman escaped the beating, said police, when Howie intervened.

About one hour later, while Howie and his family gathered on their front porch, with Nylah playing in the front yard, Barnes walked past the property and began shooting at the home in the 1300 block on North D Street. Howie’s three-year-old daughter, Justine, survived the shots, along with La-Donna Howie, who was five months pregnant. She was struck in the neck and jaw, but the fetus was not injured. Howie’s niece Nylah, however, was killed.

Three days later, police arrested Barnes, who did not testify during his trial, though his statements to police were played for the jury. He admitted firing the shots but told investigators he was trying to shoot over the house. The bullet strikes, meanwhile, were directly into the house, said reports.

Investigators determined that the shooting was not gang-related, but merely a reaction to Howie, who was not struck by any of the shots, for putting a stop to the earlier beating.

The shooting received a great deal of local and regional publicity, including plenty of attention on Los Angeles-area TV news stations.

Read More:

LATimes: Teenage gang member held in toddler’s slaying

Press Enterprise: Man convicted of murdering 3-year-old

LOS ANGELES – Two men accused of attacking a baseball fan outside Dodger Stadium in March 2011 reached a plea deal on Thursday.

San Bernardino County residents Marvin Eugene Norwood, 33, and Louis Alex Sanchez, 32, both from Rialto, admitted to attacking Bryan Stow, 45, outside of Dodger Stadium following the 2011 season-opening game against the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Stow, who was with friends, had driven from the Bay Area for the game. While walking through the parking lot after the game, he was viciously attacked by Norwood and Sanchez. Sanchez, who was considered the instigator in the attack, was sentenced to eight years by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. Norwood, who will be released soon due to time already served, was sentenced to four years.The case received massive amounts of publicity.

Police initially arrested another man for the crime, but when his innocence was quickly proven, the search continued for the men eventually arrested during a police raid in their neighborhood about two months after the March 31 beating.

Evidence in the case showed that Sanchez had been harassing Giants fans during the game, which included throwing sunflower seeds, peanuts and soda at fans while trying to instigate fights. While Norwood tried to stop earlier incidents, reports said he joined in the attack on Stow after the game. Witnesses told investigators that Stow was hit from behind, knocked the ground and kicked while he was lying defenseless.

They escaped when Sanchez’s sister drove by and picked them up. Investigators were able to determine their identities by linking them to the section they were sitting inside the stadium, piecing together those who had purchased tickets, and eventually locating them in Rialto.

Authorities said both men are facing federal prison time if convicted on charges of possessing illegal weapons. When the police conducted the raids on their homes, they discovered the weapons. Having previously been convicted of a crime, they were not allowed to possess the guns.

If Stow eventually dies due to his injuries, which are considered life-long, prosecutors will be allowed to file murder charges against both Norwood and Sanchez. Stow, who is married with children, suffered severe brain damage as a result of the attacks.

In a televised portion of the sentencing hearing, Judge George Lomeli said, “I don’t normally comment, but this is the kind of case that demands it; that screams out for comment. You not only ruined the life of Mr. Stow, but of his children, his spouse, his family and friends.You are the biggest nightmare for individuals who attend public events like sporting events and concerts.”

If the case had reached trial, Sanchez faced a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison while Norwood was looking at an eight-year sentence.

Read More:

ESPN: Two admit guilt in Bryan Stow attack

LATIMES: Suspects in nearly fatal beating admit guilt

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – A few hours after a 45-year-old security guard was shot to death, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies tracked down the suspect and arrested the man they believe pulled the trigger. Diego Dominguez, 36, of Rancho Cucamonga was arrested after deputies stopped the vehicle he was driving when he was leaving his home early Sunday morning.

Hours before, in an attempt to rob The Brother’s Liquor Store at Arrow Highway and Hermosa Ave., investigators said that Dominguez shot Dean Vedol Sena, a security guard hired to watch the stores. Reports stated that Dominguez entered the store at about 11:20 p.m. at which two clerks were on duty.

“(Dominguez) brandished a dark-colored handgun,” said Corporal Randy Naquin, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy. “One of the clerks was able to leave the minimart. The other clerk was behind the counter.”

While Dominguez demanded cash from the register, said Naquin, the remaining clerk complied with his requests. Meanwhile the other clerk had notified Sena, the security guard who worked in the area. Sena, who was armed, entered the store and was shot multiple times by Dominguez, said homicide investigators, who then fled on foot. Naquin said Sena was not able to get his weapon out of his holster to return fire. Sena died at San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland.

Deputies were able to view store videotape and identify a possible suspect, eventually tracking Dominguez to a local address. He had entered the store wearing a hoodie, a bandana covering his face and had eyeglasses on.

Once deputies stopped Dominguez’s vehicle near his residence at the 9900 block of Placer St. at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, deputies served search warrants for his car and residence. Dominguez is being held at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

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SAN BERNARDINO – State Attorney investigators have arrested seven people on numerous charges of defrauding over 1,500 homeowners who sought loan modifications. The Wednesday arrests are only the beginning, said San Bernardino prosecutors, of investigations that date back to 2007 when the national homeowners foreclosure crisis struck.

Arrests included the Firm Loans President Nehad “Nick” Ayyoub, 57, of San Bernardino; Eddie Mercado, 57, of San Bernardino; Majid Safaie, 60, from Orange County; Riverside County residents James Clemons, 55, and Wissam Ismail, 32, along with six alleged co-defendants in the $6.2 million scheme.

Between 2007 and 2010, an undisclosed number of homeowners defaulted on their loans, according to the charges. An attorney privilege claim was overruled, leading to business records until Sept. 2012 unsealed, turned over to the Mortgage Fraud Strike Force, a department of the state attorney general. Investigators claim the loan agencies took advantage of homeowners “desperate to lower their mortgage payments” by selling modifications to existing loans that included up-front payments, then promised lower monthly mortgage payments.

Loan firms, say investigators, instructed homeowners to stop paying their mortgage payments, paying Ayyoub’s firm instead for loan modifications. Homeowners were also promised that attorneys would negotiate new home loans, promised refunds if they weren’t satisfied with the outcome.

Ayyoub, who is being held on $75,000 bail, faces 24 felony counts, including conspiracy, grand theft and filing false tax returns. The other six defendants face a $50,000 bail. The defendants face anywhere from eight to 12 years maximum in prison.
Online complaints can be filed with the state attorney general by going to the address: http://oag.ca.gov/consumers.

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