KCRA 3 — A police officer under investigation for sexual misconduct with a teenage minor was shot and killed while on duty by fellow officers Saturday as they tried to arrest him on California's central coast, authorities said.
The officer was manning a DUI checkpoint when the shooting occurred shortly after 1 a.m. He was declared dead after emergency surgery at Marian Medical Center, Santa Maria police Chief Danny Macagni said in a statement.
The officer, a four-year Santa Maria department veteran, had just learned of the internal investigation of an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, and it became necessary to arrest him immediately, Macagni said.
"We had no choice," Macagni said in video of an afternoon news conference posted by KCOY-TV. He said investigators had evidence "that demanded that we go out and take this officer off the street immediately."
Supervising officers were sent to make a felony arrest, but he struggled with them when they arrived, first putting up a physical fight, then firing his gun but hitting no one, Macagni said.
"He chose to resist, he drew his weapon, a fight ensued, he fired his weapon," the chief said.
Several officers came to help the police making the arrest, and one of them shot the suspected officer in the chest once, Macagni said.
Detectives had begun investigating the alleged relationship on Thursday night, and minutes before the shooting had confirmed that an "inappropriate" and "very explicit" relationship had been going on, Macagni said. continue reading...
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Unemployment Insurance Program (UI) CA - Employment Development Department
The Unemployment Insurance Program, commonly referred to as UI, provides workers, who lose their jobs through no fault of their own, with weekly unemployment insurance payments. The UI program is 100% funded by employers who pay taxes on wages paid to employees. To learn more about EDD’s Unemployment Insurance Program, visit About the Program.
* A GUIDE TO BENEFITS AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
* A GUIDE TO BENEFITS AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Stephen Eric Chesley
The Record — Lodi, CAStephen Eric Chesley
Nov. 10. 1971 - Jan. 24, 2012
Stephen Eric Chesley, 40, of Lodi, California, passed away on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012. Born in Redwood City, CA on November 10, 1971 to Dale and Judy Chesley as the middle child and only son with two sisters, Amanda Rioux and Christine Chan. He was married for ten years and became a proud father of two children.
Stephen served in the U.S Army as part of The 1st Infantry Division. He was stationed in Iraq during the Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm; fighting honorably and bravely for our country. Continuing his innate ability to protect and serve, Stephen worked as a correctional officer in Deuel Vocational Institution for over 12 years. There he became one of the most well loved and respected officers and will forever be remembered for his well-worn tattered hats and perfectly made sandwiches by his DVI family.
His friends and family would describe him as the truest of gentlemen. Always genuinely caring with the kindest soul. He brought tremendous joy and pride to his mother and father. Never had they felt more pride than during a candle light vigil in his honor when over 100 of his DVI family came and showed their support.
His wife would add that he epitomized the true measure of a man. He knew how to not only love his family but he unconditionally embraced his wife's Cambodian culture and family as well. Steve was an amazing, dedicated and adoring father to his kids. They will undoubtedly continue his legacy of being compassionate, gentle and full of integrity. Even in death, he continued to give life as an organ donor. He will be incredibly missed because we are all better for knowing and loving him.
Stephen is survived by his wife, Malay Hong Chesley and his two children, Madeleine Kalayanie, 7 and Nicholas Reaskmey, 4.
Visitation will be held Monday, January 30, 2012 from 2-8pm at Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home, 831 Industrial Way, Lodi, Ca. Funeral services will be held at 11am, Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at First Baptist Church, 267 N. Mills Ave, Lodi, CA. Please sign the guest book online at www.cherokeememorial.com .
Friday, January 27, 2012
Riot at Avenal
Code 2 in 640 blacks and bulldogs. No officers injured. That's all the info I have now.
Hundreds Of Prison Employees Get Layoff Notices
AP — California prison officials have sent layoff notices to 545 employees, including 140 guards, as the inmate population declines to comply with a federal court order.
Corrections officials said Friday there are 14,000 fewer inmates than four months ago, when a new law began sending those convicted of lower-level offenses to county jails instead of state prisons.
Federal judges, in an order backed by the U.S. Supreme Court, gave the state two years to reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates to improve medical care. The population peaked at 162,000 in 2006.
The layoffs will take effect Feb. 29, although some of those affected can transfer to other prisons that have vacancies.
Another round of layoffs is planned this fall. Officials could not say how many notices will go out then.
Corrections officials said Friday there are 14,000 fewer inmates than four months ago, when a new law began sending those convicted of lower-level offenses to county jails instead of state prisons.
Federal judges, in an order backed by the U.S. Supreme Court, gave the state two years to reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates to improve medical care. The population peaked at 162,000 in 2006.
The layoffs will take effect Feb. 29, although some of those affected can transfer to other prisons that have vacancies.
Another round of layoffs is planned this fall. Officials could not say how many notices will go out then.
Assemblywoman Frustrated By Lack Of Action In Search For Victims
CBS 13 — A state Assemblywoman wrote a letter to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on Thursday expressing frustration in the lack of action regarding a search of victims from the “Speed Freak Killers.”
In a letter addressed to CDCR Secretary Matt Cate, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani called on Cate’s department to work with law enforcement agencies to resume searching for victims of a killing spree carried out by Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog in the 1980s and ’90s.
Shermantine has recently said he knows of victims’ whereabouts and will lead investigators to them. Herzog committed suicide Jan. 16 after learning from bounty hunter Leonard Padilla that Shermantine was speaking with investigators about victims’ locations.
Padilla speculated that Herzog was distraught about the possibility of going back to prison and took his own life instead.
Herzog was out on parole after much of his case was overturned on appeals. Shermantime remains on death row at San Quentin after being convicted in 2001 of killing four women but he has indicated there are many more victims. continue reading...
In a letter addressed to CDCR Secretary Matt Cate, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani called on Cate’s department to work with law enforcement agencies to resume searching for victims of a killing spree carried out by Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog in the 1980s and ’90s.
Shermantine has recently said he knows of victims’ whereabouts and will lead investigators to them. Herzog committed suicide Jan. 16 after learning from bounty hunter Leonard Padilla that Shermantine was speaking with investigators about victims’ locations.
Padilla speculated that Herzog was distraught about the possibility of going back to prison and took his own life instead.
Herzog was out on parole after much of his case was overturned on appeals. Shermantime remains on death row at San Quentin after being convicted in 2001 of killing four women but he has indicated there are many more victims. continue reading...
End of prison oversight not certain
AP — The court-appointed receiver overseeing California's prison health care system said Friday the state must keep its promise to spend more than $2 billion for new medical facilities before the federal courts can end an oversight role that has lasted six years.
California committed to spending $750 million to upgrade existing medical facilities, building a new $906 million medical center and converting juvenile lockups at a cost of $817 million. So far, only the new medical center in Stockton is being built.
Receiver J. Clark Kelso told The Associated Press that the state must begin all the upgrades before it should be allowed to retake control of a prison medical system once deemed so poor that it was found to have violated inmates' constitutional rights. They are his first public comments since a federal judge last week told officials to begin preparing for an end to the receivership.
"That leaves a court order that the state is now out of compliance with," Kelso said during the 75-minute interview. "The courts have been promised construction for the last half-decade. Somehow those promises don't get kept."
California officials are analyzing the need for new medical facilities in light of a state law that took effect last year that is sending lower-level criminals to county jails instead of state prisons. Federal judges have ordered the state to reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates over two years to improve the treatment of mentally and physically ill inmates, a decision that has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
At its height in 2006, California's inmate population was more than 162,000. continue reading...
California committed to spending $750 million to upgrade existing medical facilities, building a new $906 million medical center and converting juvenile lockups at a cost of $817 million. So far, only the new medical center in Stockton is being built.
Receiver J. Clark Kelso told The Associated Press that the state must begin all the upgrades before it should be allowed to retake control of a prison medical system once deemed so poor that it was found to have violated inmates' constitutional rights. They are his first public comments since a federal judge last week told officials to begin preparing for an end to the receivership.
"That leaves a court order that the state is now out of compliance with," Kelso said during the 75-minute interview. "The courts have been promised construction for the last half-decade. Somehow those promises don't get kept."
California officials are analyzing the need for new medical facilities in light of a state law that took effect last year that is sending lower-level criminals to county jails instead of state prisons. Federal judges have ordered the state to reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates over two years to improve the treatment of mentally and physically ill inmates, a decision that has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
At its height in 2006, California's inmate population was more than 162,000. continue reading...
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Judge strikes parole-revocation provisions in California law
Sacbee — A Sacramento federal judge has struck down as unconstitutional the part of California's so-called Victims' Bill of Rights that governs parole revocation.
The law, enacted by voter approval of a 2008 ballot initiative known as Proposition 9, was a sweeping amendment to the state constitution, conferring a long list of entitlements on crime victims. The sections dealing with parole revocation were made part of the state's Penal Code.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton ruled Tuesday that those sections fall short of providing the minimum due process guaranteed by the Constitution and two U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Morrissey v. Brewer – a landmark in 1972 – and Gagnon v. Scarpelli one year later.
The requirements missing from California's law include "a written summary of the proceedings and of the revocation decision, the opportunity to present documentary evidence and witnesses, and disclosure to the parolee of the evidence against him," Karlton wrote in a 26-page order.
The judge held that an injunction he issued in 2004 as part of a now-18-year-old, still-ongoing class-action lawsuit on behalf of parolees is "necessary to remedy constitutional violations created" four years later by the voters.
The judge found to be unconstitutional the provision of Proposition 9 that parolees have a right to an attorney at the state's expense only if the parolee is indigent and appears incapable of speaking for himself. Karlton said the California law overly restricted a parole agency's discretion and allowed a parolee to go uninformed of his right to request counsel.
Most importantly, Karlton added, a right to a lawyer is presumed if the parolee makes a credible claim that he did not violate parole, or a credible claim of mitigating circumstances. Thus, Karlton concluded, his injunction "is a properly tailored remedy, aimed at curing violations of due process rights." continue reading...
The law, enacted by voter approval of a 2008 ballot initiative known as Proposition 9, was a sweeping amendment to the state constitution, conferring a long list of entitlements on crime victims. The sections dealing with parole revocation were made part of the state's Penal Code.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton ruled Tuesday that those sections fall short of providing the minimum due process guaranteed by the Constitution and two U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Morrissey v. Brewer – a landmark in 1972 – and Gagnon v. Scarpelli one year later.
The requirements missing from California's law include "a written summary of the proceedings and of the revocation decision, the opportunity to present documentary evidence and witnesses, and disclosure to the parolee of the evidence against him," Karlton wrote in a 26-page order.
The judge held that an injunction he issued in 2004 as part of a now-18-year-old, still-ongoing class-action lawsuit on behalf of parolees is "necessary to remedy constitutional violations created" four years later by the voters.
The judge found to be unconstitutional the provision of Proposition 9 that parolees have a right to an attorney at the state's expense only if the parolee is indigent and appears incapable of speaking for himself. Karlton said the California law overly restricted a parole agency's discretion and allowed a parolee to go uninformed of his right to request counsel.
Most importantly, Karlton added, a right to a lawyer is presumed if the parolee makes a credible claim that he did not violate parole, or a credible claim of mitigating circumstances. Thus, Karlton concluded, his injunction "is a properly tailored remedy, aimed at curing violations of due process rights." continue reading...
More than 100 suspected gang members arrested
CNN — Authorities arrested more than 100 members and associates of the street gang the Mexican Mafia in southern California as part of investigation into a wide range of offenses such as racketeering, kidnapping, attempted murder and drug trafficking, federal officials said.
The arrests were made primarily in San Diego County and were the culmination of three major investigations on gang activity in the area, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said Wednesday.
In early morning raids, federal and local authorities rounded up 104 suspects.
The charges are detailed in 17 indictments and eight criminal complaints filed by the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego. In all 119 suspected gang members were charged and authorities were trying to track down the remaining fugitives, Duffy said.
The suspects are part of 20 major street gangs that were overseen by the Mexican Mafia, authorities said.
"Gangs were made to pay taxes in order to facilitate their trafficking and violent behavior," said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore.
The arrests were made primarily in San Diego County and were the culmination of three major investigations on gang activity in the area, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said Wednesday.
In early morning raids, federal and local authorities rounded up 104 suspects.
The charges are detailed in 17 indictments and eight criminal complaints filed by the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego. In all 119 suspected gang members were charged and authorities were trying to track down the remaining fugitives, Duffy said.
The suspects are part of 20 major street gangs that were overseen by the Mexican Mafia, authorities said.
"Gangs were made to pay taxes in order to facilitate their trafficking and violent behavior," said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore.
Sentence overturned for Chino prison guard
AP — A federal appeals court panel has overturned the sentence of a former guard convicted of abusing two shackled inmates at a Chino prison.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that 42-year-old Robert McGowan was deprived of due process when a judge relied on an inmate's allegations as the basis for the four-year sentence imposed.
McGowan has served 19 months.
A jury in October 2007 found McGowan guilty of inflicting cruel and unusual punishment by throwing two shackled inmates to the ground, but a month later the verdict was overturned.
The appeals panel found there was enough evidence for the jury to conclude that McGowan attacked the prisoners in 2002 and had intended to harm them.
The appeals panel ordered a re-sentencing for McGowan.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that 42-year-old Robert McGowan was deprived of due process when a judge relied on an inmate's allegations as the basis for the four-year sentence imposed.
McGowan has served 19 months.
A jury in October 2007 found McGowan guilty of inflicting cruel and unusual punishment by throwing two shackled inmates to the ground, but a month later the verdict was overturned.
The appeals panel found there was enough evidence for the jury to conclude that McGowan attacked the prisoners in 2002 and had intended to harm them.
The appeals panel ordered a re-sentencing for McGowan.
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