Tag Archives: riverside county

by | July 3, 2011

Riverside Cops Looking For Stolen Fire Hydrants And Manhole Covers

Um . . . Check Tijuana. JD

RIVERSIDE — Water agency officials hope that rewards offered Friday will flush out whoever stole more than 60 fire hydrants, manhole covers and other pieces of utility equipment throughout Riverside County.

The Eastern and Western municipal water districts are each offering $500 for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of the thieves, whose actions are not only costing the utilities money, but “endangering communities,” according to a joint statement released by the agencies.

Officials pointed out that missing hydrants prevent fire crews from accessing badly needed water supplies during a blaze, and missing manhole covers put drivers at risk.

The fact that the thieves are dislodging fire hydrants without triggering a flood reflects a “level of sophistication” that could indicate the suspects have experience with plumbing or similar work, according to Western Municipal Water District spokeswoman Michele McKinney-Underwood.

“Whoever is doing this must have the ability and know-how to turn off the valve,” she said.

In addition to hydrants and manhole covers, thieves have stolen backflow devices, which control irrigation and prevent contamination of a resident’s water source.

The thefts have increased in frequency over the last two months but have been an ongoing problem since the prices of copper, aluminum and other base metals began rising a few years ago, according to the water agencies.

Scrap metal dealers are required to record all transactions — and the identities — of people selling recycled commodities.

“Western and Eastern are working closely to increase scrutiny of their water systems, while cooperating with local law enforcement and other neighboring water agencies, many of which are experiencing similar thefts,” according to the statement.

Anyone with information was urged to contact the Western Municipal Water District at (951) 928-5109, or Eastern at (951) 928-3777.

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by | July 2, 2011

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone Wants Southern California To Secede From The Rest of The State

Jeff Stone is absolutely right. The state of California has become too big and too corrupt to manage and needs to be split in half. What is Jerry Brown’s answer? To ridicule Supervisor Stone then go back to his office in Sacramento and figure out new ways to screw us all out of a few more dollars. JD

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone apparently thinks so, after proposing that the county lead a campaign for as many as 13 Southern California counties to secede from the state.

Stone said in a statement late Thursday that Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Kings, Kern, Fresno, Tulare, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa and Mono counties should form the new state of South California.

The creation of the new state would allow officials to focus on securing borders, balancing budgets, improving schools and creating a vibrant economy, he said.

“Our taxes are too high, our schools don’t educate our children well enough, unions and other special interests have more clout in the Legislature than the general public,” Stone said in his statement.

He unveiled his proposal on the day Gov. Jerry Brown signed budget legislation that will divert about $14 million in 2011-12 vehicle license fee revenue from four new Riverside County cities.

Officials fear the cut will cripple the new cities of Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar.

Stone said he would present his proposal to the Board of Supervisors July 12.

The new state would have no term limits, only a part-time legislature and limits on property taxes.

“A secessionist movement? What is this, 1860?” Brown spokesman Gil Duran told The Press-Enterprise.

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster called Stone’s proposal a “crazy distraction.”

“We should begin to get our own budget balanced, which we haven’t done yet, and put in place some of the reforms we need in this county before we try and go and restructure the government in the great state of California,” he told the Press-Enterprise.

“The temperature has gone up in Riverside County and it seems Supervisor Stone has gotten too much sun recently,” he added.

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by | October 22, 2010

Lucas Ransom, 19 year old killed in shark attack in Santa Barbara

The victim of a fatal shark attack at a beach northwest of Los Angeles cried out to his friend for help as the shark flashed out of the water with no warning, bit into his leg and pulled him under in a tide of red blood, the friend said Friday.

Matthew Garcia was two feet away from his friend, 19-year-old Lucas Ransom, when the shark attacked with no warning, he said. The whole attack lasted seconds while the pair were bodyboarding about 100 yards from the shore.

“When the shark hit him, he just said, ‘Help me, dude!’ He knew what was going on,” Garcia told the AP. “It was really fast. You just saw a red wave and this water is blue — as blue as it could ever be — and it was just red, the whole wave. Even the barrel was red.”

As huge waves broke over his head, Garcia tried to find his friend in the surf but couldn’t. He decided to get help, but turned around once more as he was swimming to shore and saw Ransom’s red body board pop up. Garcia swam to his friend and did chest compressions as he brought him to shore.

Ransom already appeared dead and his leg was mauled, he said.
“He was just floating in the water. I flipped him over on his back and underhooked his arms. I was pressing on his chest and doing rescue breathing in the water,” Garcia said. “He was just kind of lifeless, just dead weight.”

The University of California, Santa Barbara, junior had a severe wound to his left leg and died a short time later at Surf Beach, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. The beach, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is on the property of Vandenberg Air Force Base but is open to the public.

Sheriff’s deputies patrolled the coastline to search for Ransom’s missing leg but were only able to recover the boogie board, which had a 1-foot segment on the side bitten off.

Ransom was from Romoland in Riverside County, in southern California.
Federal and state Fish and Game officials were working to identify the type of shark that attacked Ransom. -
Officials closed three beaches after the shark attack.

Airman 1st Class Daniel Clark, left, and Staff Sgt. Keri Embry, post a sign warning surfers of a recent shark attack Friday at Vandenburg Air Force Base, Calif.
The victim was a University of California, Santa Barbara student studying chemical engineering.

Federal and state Fish and Game officials were working to identify the type of shark that attacked. It was described by witnesses as being 14 to 20 feet in length.
Officials at Vandenberg closed Surf, Wall and Minuteman beaches for at least 72 hours, Lt. Ann Blodzinski told the Santa Barbara Independent.

In September 2008, base officials issued a 48-hour warning to beach users after a shark bit a surfer’s board at Surf Beach, according to the Santa Maria Times.
Base officials said at the time that they believed it was the first shark incident off Vandenberg, the newspaper reported.

Fatal shark attacks are rare in the area. A great white shark killed a woman in 2003 at Avila Beach, about 30 miles north of Vandenberg.

Great whites also killed two men in 2004 and 2008 at beaches in Mendocino and San Diego counties.

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by | July 4, 2010

Riverside Mom Charged After Pit Bull Chews off Infant’s Testicles

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A 22 year old mother was charged with felony child endangerment Tuesday after her 6-month-old son’s testicles were chewed off by a friend’s pit bull mix in Riverside County.

Carrie Rae McKinney, who lives in San Diego County, left her son unattended on April 3rd in a baby carrier near a pit-bull mix at her friend’s home, according to police in Murrieta.

The baby had been alone for several minutes when McKinney, who was in another room, heard his screams and returned to find the child’s groin area was injured and his diaper had been torn off, according to Deputy District Attorney Gerald Fineman. The baby’s testicles were severed in the attack, Fineman said.

Animal control seized the dog, as well as another dog that may or may not have been involved in the attack. Both dogs were euthanized.

Prosecutors say the attack was foreseeable because the dog had previously shown an interest in the baby’s diaper.

They say leaving the child alone warrants a felony charge. ‘Leaving the child alone in such a dangerous situation, that exposed,” Fineman said warrants the felony child endangerment charge.

McKinney has lost custody of the baby as well as her two other children.

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by | March 23, 2010

Russ Leach, Former Riverside Police Chief Charged With Drunk Driving, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs

I am sorry for not posting for a time. I have been really sick for about a week. I am back and doing better now. I posted this for a foolish woman that calls herself “Responsible Reader.” She has left a number of comments defending Mr. Leach and ridiculing me and my site. Well, who looks like a fool now? JD

Former Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach was charged Monday with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he crashed his city-owned vehicle last month after a night of drinking, officials said.

The Feb. 8 accident happened after Leach had four drinks at home and at least seven more at a strip club in Colton, according to an investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said Leach, 62, had been taking “several” prescription medications that carried strict warnings that they not be mixed with alcohol. An employee at Club 215 was worried enough about Leach’s condition that she offered to get him a taxi, a request he refused, the report said.

Leach’s black Chrysler 300 later ran a red light — which was caught on tape — at Van Buren and Arlington Avenue in Riverside and struck what the CHP called a “low-profile object” that flattened his tires and damaged the front end of the car. He drove on the rims until coming to a stop a few miles later, about 2:50 a.m.

“His intoxication level was such that he did not realize the extent of the damage and continued driving for an extended time until he was pulled over by police officers,” the probe said.

The officers reported that Leach was confused and had been drinking, but he was not given a field sobriety test. Instead, he was driven home.

The Riverside Police Department is now the focus of an internal investigation, led by City Manager Bradley Hudson and former Riverside County Dist. Atty. Grover Trask, to see if Leach received special treatment because of his position.

Leach admitted being disoriented and taking medication but never said if he was drinking. He resigned a few days after the accident. He could not be reached for comment Monday.

Hudson issued a statement saying his investigation into the incident is nearly complete and will provide “specific information” regarding how the officers reacted to the accident.

“Information available at the scene clearly indicated that Leach was driving while impaired and the matter was handled outside established Riverside Police Department protocols for motor vehicle accidents involving drivers who are impaired . . . by alcohol and/or drugs,” he said. “Primary among my concerns in this matter is that the former chief was provided treatment beyond what other motorists would be afforded in similar circumstances. I expect all city employees to use common sense and to provide equitable treatment to all.”

CHP spokesman Lt. David Lane said his agency’s report focused solely on the accident and not how the police officers handled it.

“He is being charged with DUI, the same thing he would have been charged with had one of our officers pulled him over that night,” Lane said. “Anyone driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is unsafe.”

The Riverside County district attorney’s office filed the misdemeanor charges Monday. Leach is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.

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