Man found floating facedown in Newport Harbor

A 49-year-old man was found floating in Newport Harbor this morning and was pronounced dead soon after at a local hospital, authorities said.

Two kayakers found the man, fully clothed and facedown in the water, shortly before 7 a.m. near the Orange Coast College seabase, said Newport Beach Police Sgt. Shontel Sherwood. He was pronounced dead at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.

Although Newport Beach police treat each death as a homicide until a cause has been determined, the circumstances are not being viewed as suspicious, Sherwood said.

Police did not identify the man, pending notification of his next of kin, but said he was a local resident.

-- David Zahniser

Thousands walk in fundraiser to house the homeless

At least 5,000 people took a stand against homelessness today by participating in United Way's third annual HomeWalk.

The 5K walk, which raises money for housing, took place in the Exposition Park area. Mobile billboards along the route displayed statistics about homelessness and stories about people United Way has helped.

Proceeds from the walk go toward a variety of programs to provide short-term rental subsidies and permanent housing to the homeless.

Today's event drew 1,000 more participants then last year, said Christine Marge, director of housing and health for United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

-- Ruben Vives

Live grenade turned in at Inglewood Gifts for Guns event

The Inglewood Police Department was expecting to see handguns, sawed-off shotguns and assault rifles at its Gifts for Guns exchange today. The live hand grenade took officers by surprise.

They discovered the grenade about an hour after the event started, in one of several boxes of loose ammunition a man surrendered in exchange for a $100 American Express gift card, said Lt. Mike McBride of the Inglewood Police Department.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's bomb squad was called in to dispose of the grenade, McBride said. No injuries were reported.

This is the first year the Inglewood event has taken place, allowing people to surrender weapons, no-questions-asked, and receive gift cards.

Today's event, held in the rear parking lot of a shopping center, brought in at least 85 weapons in the first hour. By noon, about 149 firearms had been turned in.

-- Ruben Vives

Girl, 5, hit by vehicle that crashed into Woodland Hills dry cleaner

A 5-year-old girl was in serious condition today after being struck by a vehicle that plowed into a dry cleaning store in Woodland Hills, authorities said.

The crash occurred shortly before 3 p.m. in the 22800 block of Ventura Boulevard, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott. The girl was taken to UCLA Medical Center for treatment, he said.

Further details about the crash were not immediately available.

-- Ruben Vives

Helicopter crash in Mojave Desert kills three

Three people were killed Saturday when their vintage military helicopter crashed after striking power lines in San Bernardino County.

Federal Aviation Administration officials said the 1951 Piasecki PV-18 helicopter took off from Adelanto Airport at 8:30 a.m. headed to Flabob Airport in Riverside. It crashed and burst into flames a mile into its flight.

The identities of those killed were not immediately available.

-- Mike Anton

Gunman kills 15-year-old boy at East L.A. party

A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed late Friday night while attending a house party in East Los Angeles, authorities said.

The shooting was reported about 11:20 p.m. in the 700 block of South McDonnell Avenue, near Whittier Boulevard, said Deputy Aura Sierra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The teen, identified by coroner officials as Jessy Acosta, got into a fight at the party with a man between 17 and 21 years old, authorities said.

The man pulled out a handgun during the fight and shot Acosta in the upper torso, then fled, Sierra said. Paramedics pronounced Acosta dead at the scene, coroner officials said.

Sheriff's investigators were interviewing some partygoers hoping to obtain information about the gunman. About 75 people were at the party. 

Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Sheriff's Department's homicide squad at (323) 890-5500. Callers can remain anonymous.

-- Ruben Vives

 

 

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush cancel local joint appearance

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush today abruptly pulled out of a joint appearance scheduled for this winter in Los Angeles after growing unhappy with the way the event was being promoted.

The two canceled a similar appearance in New York City this week.

"We canceled the event because of a violation of contract and a promoter who insisted on billing it as something it wasn't," said Matt McKenna, a spokesman for Clinton. David Sherzer, a spokesman for Bush, also confirmed the event was off.

McKenna said the forum was never intended to be a clash between the 42nd and 43rd presidents -- "the hottest ticket in political history," a news released called it -- but rather a moderated panel discussion.

"It's unfortunate that an overeager promoter ruined the opportunity to hear a serious discussion of the issues between two former presidents who have a great deal of respect for each other," McKenna said.

Officials of the promotion company, hired by New York's Madison Square Garden, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Democrat Clinton, who beat Bush's father in 1992 to win the presidency, and Republican Bush, who succeeded Clinton after defeating his vice president, Al Gore, in 2000, appeared together at an hourlong forum in Toronto in May.

The two were set to appear Feb. 22 at University City's Gibson Amphitheatre as part of the American Jewish University's public lecture series. The appearance was announced in August, with tickets set to go on sale this week. Prices ranged from $75 to $125.

A second appearance was scheduled for Feb. 25 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, with tickets ranging from $60 to $160.

McKenna would not discuss the fee passed up by the two former presidents, but they reportedly received $150,000 apiece for their Toronto appearance. McKenna said money was not a consideration in their decision in to cancel the events.

-- Mark Z. Barabak

 

Murder-suicide claims the life of a 16-year-old Lincoln Heights girl, police say

A 20-year-old man shot and killed his teenage girlfriend Friday night during a domestic dispute in Lincoln Heights before turning the gun on himself, police said

The shooting was reported about 8:30 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 2400 block of Daly Street. Police officers of LAPD's Hollenbeck Division found a teenage girl dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head, said LAPD Officer Gregory Baek. She was identified by the LAPD as Maria Valderrama, 16.

A short time later, as police searched for the gunman, the 20-year-old man, identified by police as Juan Carlos Mendez, was found in a nearby alley with a gunshot wound to the chest area, Baek said.

"At some point, either at the scene or in the ambulance, he admitted to shooting the girl," Baek said.

Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said Mendez and Valderrama had been dating for two years and were involved in a dispute at the apartment when Mendez allegedly shot her. He then fled and shot himself nearby, Baek said.

-- Ruben Vives

Do not be alarmed by Black Hawk helicopters swooping over the Valley

If you're in the San Fernando Valley in the coming days and are startled by a couple of loud military helicopters swooping around high-rise buildings, don't worry.

Los Angeles police said the Black Hawk helicopters will be part of a flight training mission taking place after 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday in central and west Valley areas.

"We wanted to let people know so nobody gets spooked and freaked out about it," said Officer Steve Scallon.

In April, an unannounced low-altitude flyover of New York City and northern New Jersey by a backup of Air Force One and two fighter jets sent ripples of panic through the area and led to buildings being evacuated. The White House later apologized for the incident -- a staged photo opportunity of the presidential aircraft over Manhattan.

-- Mike Anton

Sexual assault suspect tricked lone female drivers, police say

A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a string of sexual assaults in the Mid-City area against female drivers who were tricked into pulling to the curb by a man cautioning that sparks were coming from their tires.

Authorities say Carlos Mares of Los Angeles was arrested Friday. He allegedly groped six women between August and October, police said.

The attacks occurred between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. after the suspect, driving a late-1990s white compact car, pulled up next to lone female drivers, claimed sparks were coming from their vehicles and offered to check their tires and brakes, police said.

Los Angeles police detectives believe there may be more victims and ask that they contact them at (213) 473-0447.

-- Mike Anton

DA: 'Seriousness of crime' justified charging teens as adults in killing of Long Beach honors student

An L.A. County prosecutor said his office decided to charge two teens accused of killing a Long Beach honors student as adults because of the "seriousness of the crime."

Deputy Dist. Atty. Dean Bengston told reporters outside a Long Beach court that the district attorney's office charges juveniles as adults only in "rare instances" but that they warranted in this case because of the nature of the shooting and because authorities believe it was gang-related.

"You have to look at the seriousness of the crime," he said.

Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, identified by authorities as 16-year-old gang members, were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to the district attorney's office.

Southern California Ft. Hood victim wanted to help soldiers in Iraq

One of the victims in the Ft. Hood shooting massacre was a 56-year-old psychiatric nurse who worked for the San Diego County government.

Capt. John Gaffaney arrived at the base a day before the shooting en route to deployment in Iraq. Here's some background on Gaffaney compiled by the Associated Press:

Gaffaney, who was born in Williston, N.D., had served in the Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man, his family said. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he tried to sign up again for military service. Although the Army Reserves at first declined, he got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin, said his close friend and co-worker Stephanie Powell.

"He wanted to help the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with the trauma of what they were seeing," Powell said. "He was an honorable man. He just wanted to serve in any way he can."

His family described him as an avid baseball card collector and fan of the San Diego Padres who liked to read military novels and ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Gaffaney supervised a team of six social workers, including Powell, at the county's Adult Protective Services department. Ellen Schmeding, assistant deputy director for the county's Health and Human Services Agency, said Gaffaney was a strong leader.

He is survived by a wife and a son.

Rodney King says boxing keeps him sober

Famed beating victim Rodney King says that brawling has helped him to stay sober for well over a year.

King is currently traveling the country as part of a D-list celebrity boxing league, and said the experience has kept him focused and dry for 17 months. During an interview in Massachusetts tonight, King told an Associated Press reporter that he hoped to one day square off in the ring with Laurence Powell, one of the LAPD officers involved in King's videotaped beating in 1991.

King said Powell pulled out of an exhibition that was planned five years ago, but said he hopes something can be worked out this time.

“I could see the bigger picture in this,” King said. “I could see me and him going around, educating people on that night, and then just sit around and chop it up. Me and him could turn it into a very educational moment.”

Garden Grove mechanic sentenced for sexual assualts

A Garden Grove auto mechanic who sexually assaulted five women after luring them into a service pit under the pretense of showing them needed repairs was sentenced today to 14 years in state prison, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

Adrian Montano Fuerte, 39, of Tustin was found guilty by a jury on Aug. 31 of one felony count of forcible rape, one felony count of assault with the intent to commit rape, two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, and one misdemeanor count of battery, according to a news release.

Fuerte had worked as a car mechanic at the Econo Lube and Tune at Knott Street and Chapman Avenue in Garden Grove for roughly three months. The sexual assaults occurred between Oct. 30, 2007, and Dec. 15, 2007. The victims ranged in age from 18 to 60, according to authorities.

The sexual assaults included the forcible rape of Jane Doe #1 and the assault with intent to commit rape against Jane Doe #2, the news release said. Fuerte also sexually assaulted Jane Doe #3, Jane Doe #4 and Jane Doe #5. 

The first two women reported the attacks to authorities. Subsequent media coverage prompted the other victims to come forward.


-- Monte Morin

MTA bus collides with car in Silver Lake [Updated]

An MTA bus crashed into a car on Glendale Blvd. near the 2 Freeway in Silver Lake shortly after 6 p.m. today, police said.

According to Officer Gregory Baek of the Los Angeles Police Department, the No. 92 bus was driving northbound just before the freeway ramp when the accident occurred.

Passengers from the bus suffered minor injuries but were not sent to a hospital, said Sgt. Gregory Hoyte of the Central Traffic Division.

[Updated at 2:22 p.m. Saturday: Ten passengers from the bus where transported to nearby hospitals, one in critical condition. The rest of the injuries were non-life-threatening, said Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.]

“The driver did go to the hospital and may have suffered injuries prior to the crash,” said Hoyte, adding that the driver seemed to have lost control of the bus and hit the middle divider and another object before crashing into the car.

No one in the car was injured, Hoyte said.

-- Ching-Ching Ni

Michael Jackson's father seeks an allowance from late singer's estate

Michael Jackson’s father wants the late singer’s estate to help him cover living expenses that exceed $20,000 a month, according to court papers filed Friday.

The estate is already paying Jackson’s mother a monthly allowance of $26,000, and an attorney for Joe Jackson wrote in the Superior Court filing that the family patriarch was entitled to the “same manner” of support. In the papers, the 81-year-old’s lawyer wrote that Michael Jackson had footed his father’s bills for decades.

“He does not have a regular or steady source of income, and he was dependent upon the money provided by his son, Michael Jackson, through his wife, Katherine Jackson, for his support,” attorney Brian Oxman wrote. He said in an interview that the amount the singer paid to his parents when he was alive far exceeded what Katherine Jackson is currently getting.

“She’s receiving sufficiently less....When Michael passed away, the money stopped,” he said.
 

'Bling ring' confession helped LAPD break celebrity burglary case, court records show

Authorities arrested suspects accused of burglarizing the homes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and other young celebrities after a member of the alleged “bling ring” confessed, according a search warrant affidavit obtained by The Times.

The search warrant said the crew would surf the Internet to find where the celebrities lived, then watched the location and worked out ways to break into the home.

In many of the cases, the doors were simply left open. In the case of Hilton and actress Rachel Bilson, the crew broke in numerous times, according to the search warrant affidavit filed at a Las Vegas court.

An informant initially tipped Los Angeles Police Department detectives that Nicholas Frank Prugo and Rachel Lee were responsible for a burglary at Lindsay Lohan's Hollywood Hills home early this year, the search warrant said.

Prugo was arrested in connection with burglaries at the homes of Lohan and Audrina Patridge. At first, Prugo did not cooperate with authorities, the warrant said. But on Oct. 6, Prugo, along with his attorney Sean Erenstoft, met with LAPD detectives to "return some stolen items and report information."

Prugo provided a full confession and implicated several other suspects: Rachel Lee, Diana Tamayo, Alexis Neiers, Courtney Ames, Jonathan Ajar and a man he knows as Roy," according to an affidavit by Det. Craig Dunn of the Las Vegas Police Department. The Las Vegas police were involved because Lee lived in the city. 

Voters oppose putting gay marriage back on the ballot, Times/USC poll finds

A small majority of California voters supports the right of gay couples to marry, but a much larger portion of voters opposes efforts to place the issue back on the ballot next year, a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll has found.

Views on same-sex marriage were sharply polarized based on political party, with 66% of Democrats thinking it should be legal and 71% of Republicans in opposition. Nonpartisan voters were less enthusiastic than Democrats but still backed it, 59%-34%.

Overall, 51% of California voters favored marriage rights for same-sex couples and 43% were opposed. Strikingly, however, almost 60% of Californians did not want to revisit the issue in 2010, just one election cycle after it last hit the ballot. 

L.A., Beverly Hills move to ban declawing of cats

The Los Angeles City Council, in a preliminary action, voted unanimously today to ban the controversial practice of declawing cats, which council members described as unnecessary and abject animal cruelty.

The vote was also a repudiation of the state Legislature, which earlier this year voted to bar local governments from banning the procedure beginning Jan. 1.

"I don't think we should allow people at the state level to dictate to us our local actions," said Councilman Paul Koretz, who sponsored the ordinance.

Said Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who owns three cats: "The bottom line is, you take the claws out of a cat, you take away the cat."

The council is scheduled to take a final vote on the ordinance Nov. 17.

The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously approved a similar ordinance Thursday night. A final vote in that city also is expected Nov. 17.

-- Maeve Reston at L.A. City Hall

'Girls Gone Wild' founder Joe Francis sentenced in tax evasion and jail bribery case

A federal judge sentenced “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis today to 301 days already served and a year of probation in a case in which the soft-porn mogul pleaded guilty to filing false income tax returns and bribing jail workers.

In September, Francis, 36, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of filing false tax returns in which he withheld $500,000 in interest income and another of bribing jail workers for food by giving them as much as $5,000 in goods. He was also ordered to pay nearly $250,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. 

U.S. District Judge S. James Otero accepted Francis’ deal on the grounds that a key witness withheld information from prosecutors.

“It took us seven months, but in the end we demonstrated that the felony tax charges never should have been brought in the first place,” Brad Brian, Francis’ lead trial attorney, said in a statement. “As a result, the indictment was dismissed and the charges were reduced to only two misdemeanors with no jail time."

-- Baxter Holmes

Times/USC poll finds majority of California's registered voters have no plans to get H1N1 vaccine

As concern spreads about H1N1 flu, a new survey of California voters found that while most consider the vaccine safe, a majority had no plans to get vaccinated. The poll also found that blacks and Latinos are far more likely than other groups to say they believed the vaccine could be unsafe.

The findings come from a new Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California College of Letters, Arts & Sciences Poll. The survey, which interviewed 1,500 registered voters from Oct. 27 through Nov. 3, was conducted for the Times and USC by two nationally prominent polling firms, the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and the Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies. The results have a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points.

Only 5% of those polled said they already had been inoculated. Of the rest, 52% said they did not plan to get vaccinated. Of the 40% who said they wanted the vaccine, 12% said they already had attempted to find it but failed.

Of those polled, 70% said they think the H1N1 vaccine is safe for most people, while only 17% said there was a strong chance the vaccine is unsafe.

The Times/USC poll findings regarding minorities and young adults, however, may be of particular concern to public health officials.

State wins $19.5-million judgment from Shell over violations at gas stations

State officials today announced a $19.5-million judgment over allegations that Shell gas stations violated California environmental laws.

The judgment caps a three-year investigation into allegations that the company violated state rules in the underground storage of fuel at its gas stations.

"Shell Oil Co. disregarded the state's underground fuel storage and hazardous waste laws, committing hundreds of environmental violations at its gasoline stations across California," Atty Gen. Jerry Brown said in a statement today. "This judgment requires the company to pay $19.5 million in penalties, comply with state law and improve its spill monitoring, employee training and hazardous waste management."

According to Brown's statement, his office and the California State Water Resources Control Board found numerous violations during an investigation that included inspections of 1,000 gas stations around the state.

-- Shelby Grad

18-foot fork in the road, erected as a birthday prank, might become art in Pasadena

Pasadena has a literal fork in the road.

Where South St. John and Pasadena Avenues divide, there’s an 18-foot wooden fork in the median.

The art was originally intended as a birthday joke for Bob Stane, who celebrated his 75th birthday Oct. 29, but the city and Caltrans, which owns the median, are in talks to keep it temporarily.

“He was hysterical. He loved it,” said Stane's wife, Beverly, of Altadena.

Stane first playfully suggested that the location might be appropriate for a fork monument about 10 years ago in conversation with a friend, Ken Marshall, Beverly said. Marshall had the idea brewing ever since.

“Bob had no idea it was coming,” she said.

The art, which has been on display since Oct. 31, may become a temporary guerrilla art installation, said Ann Erdman, the spokeswoman for the city. 

Teens charged as adults in slaying of Wilson High honors student

Two 16-year-olds were charged as adults this morning in the shooting of a Long Beach honors student last week after a Wilson High School football game.

Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, identified by authorities as gang members, were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. 

Vinson and Daivion allegedly opened fire a week ago outside the school, striking and killing Melody Ross, a popular 16-year-old whom police said was an innocent bystander.

Two men -- an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old -- were wounded in the shooting, which occurred about 10 p.m. as crowds of students gathered near Ximeno Avenue and 10th Street for a dance. Police believe the men may have been the intended targets and that the shooting was the result of a gang feud.

At first, detectives struggled to find witnesses even though hundreds of students were in the immediate area when the shooting occurred. Police said more students came forward Monday, some at the urging of school officials.

The shooting shocked faculty and students at the campus, a diverse school that serves some of Long Beach's most affluent communities.

Ross was wearing a superhero costume to Wilson's homecoming game against Polytechnic High School. A number of students at the game were decked out in costumes on the day before Halloween.

The suspects are being held on $3 million bail and face life in prison if convicted. They will be arraigned later today in Long Beach.

-- Shelby Grad

Items stolen from Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan found at Las Vegas home, police say

A police search of a Las Vegas home occupied by a young woman arrested in connection with the so-called Bling Ring that burglarized young Hollywood celebrities turned up items belonging to Paris Hilton, Audrina Patridge and Lindsay Lohan, according to law enforcement sources and a copy of a search warrant obtained by The Times.

According to the search warrant, Los Angeles Police Department officers accompanied by Las Vegas Metro Police officers recovered three personal photos of Hilton, two pair of jeans and a white hat.

Investigators also seized two computers, marijuana, a Korean passport and more than $20,000 in cash. Authorities arrested Rachel Lee, 19, during the Oct. 22 search, but Lee has not been charged with any of the burglaries.

Law enforcement sources say the items retrieved from the four-bedroom home belong to Hilton, Patridge and Lohan.

Six other people, predominately young women who formerly attended an Agoura Hills High School, have been charged in connection with the burglary spree that netted more than $3 million in designer clothing, accessories and jewelry between last December and October.