Clerical errors and luck kept suspect in Lily Burk killing on the street, records show

Three years before he was charged with kidnapping and murdering 17-year-old Lily Burk, Charles Samuel slipped through an unlocked side door of a Van Nuys home.

The man living there, James Alger, was dating Samuel's ex-wife, according to court records newly obtained by The Times. As he spotted Samuel in his home, Alger confronted the intruder, asking why he had entered the house.

"I can do whatever . . . I want," Samuel responded.

Samuel punched Alger two or three times in the face, leaving the victim bruised before Samuel snatched a cordless phone and keys and fled, according to a probation report released to The Times in response to an order from a court of appeals.

The report gives the clearest picture yet of the criminal record and recent biography of the man accused in the abduction and slaying of Burk, a high school student whose killing this summer jolted a city inured to news of violence.

Read the full story here.

-- Jack Leonard

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Authorities arrest Mexican national for allegedly kidnapping 4-year-old girl

Federal authorities said today they have arrested a Mexican national who is accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old girl he had been paid to smuggle into the United States.

Emanuel De La Costa-Valdiva was arrested Thanksgiving Day after he took the girl into the U.S. and then refused to give her to her mother, according to agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Mother and child were reunited the same day, and the child was unhurt.

De La Costa, 32, has been charged with human trafficking, kidnapping and extortion and is currently at the Orange County Jail awaiting his initial appearance in court, according to a statement by ICE officials.

The mother, also a Mexican national, is expected to stay in the United States to serve as a witness for the prosecution.

Authorities investigating two unrelated deaths near Whittier

Authorities are investigating the deaths of two people in unrelated incidents in an unincorporated area just south of Whittier.

Detectives were dispatched about 3:50 a.m. to a domestic dispute in the 14300 block of Mulberry Drive, where they found an unidentified man who had been stabbed, said Sgt. Ralph Gama of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The victim was taken by fire paramedics to a nearby hospital, where he died. 

It was unknown whether a suspect had been taken into custody. No further details were available.
 
About six hours later, deputies responded to the 7000 block of Norwalk Boulevard near the 605 Freeway, where a man was found dead inside his home.

It has not been determined whether the man had been killed or had died of natural causes, authorities said. 

--Ruben Vives

Black Friday brawls break out at two Wal-Mart stores

There are good deals to be had, but there's also a downside to Black Friday, given the lines and the search for parking spaces as well as the short tempers and sharp elbows that don't quite live up to the usual holiday spirit.

The L.A. Times Money & Company blog details two incidents today at Wal-Mart stores.

In Upland, store management called police at 2:44 a.m., asking for assistance in dealing with customers who were “fighting inside.”

The store had remained open all night as a security precaution after a Wal-Mart worker on Long Island, N.Y., was trampled to death last year on Black Friday when a surging, impatient crowd rushed the doors after the store opened.

A little over an hour later, authorities were called to a Wal-Mart in Rancho Cucamonga when a fight broke out in the electronics section.

--Andrew Blankstein

Screenwriter Roger Avary moved from work furlough program to jail after tweeting episode

"Pulp Fiction" co-screenwriter Roger Avary is behind bars at the Ventura County Jail today -- several days after what is believed to be the writer/director's tweeting revealed that he was serving his sentence for a fatal car crash in a furlough program rather than in jail.

In September, Avary was sentenced to a year in jail for causing a car crash in Ojai that killed a passenger and injured Avary's wife.

Earlier this week, Times technology blogger Mark Milian discovered some tweets coming from @avary and speculated over whether Avary was tweeting from jail.

But Avary wasn't in jail. Rather, he was serving his time in a Ventura County work furlough program, which allows him to go to his job during the day. He reports back to the furlough facility -- a modified former Air Force barracks at Camarillo Airport -- at night and on weekends.

It's unclear when officials decided to allow Avary to enter the furlough program, or how that decision was reached. It is also unknown where the screenwriter spent his days, but inmates in the program are not allowed to work at home.

Today, however, officials said Avary is in full-time custody. He reported to the Ventura County Jail for incarceration on Thanksgiving Day for "security issues," said Sheriff spokesman Ross Bonfiglio.

Suspect in sexual assaults turns himself in to police

A 22-year-old man who posed as a magazine photographer and was being investigated for alleged sexual assaults turned himself in to police this afternoon.

Keith Nichols, a security guard who has lived in Compton, Hawthorne and South Los Angeles, was booked at the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division on suspicion of sexual battery in the sexual assaults of at least four young women, police said.

The crimes began early last month and took place within a one-mile radius of the subway station at 7th and Figueroa streets, said LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon.

Nichols told his victims that they could become models for Vibe, Vernon said. But before they could get hired, Nichols said he had to measure them for "custom-fitted underwear," according to police.

At least four women agreed to the fitting, in which Nichols touched "their most intimate body parts," Vernon said. They never got called back about the modeling work, he said.

Vernon said the women were measured in public areas out of the view of passersby. In two cases, Nichols met his alleged victims on the light-rail line between Long Beach and Los Angeles. Those two women, in turn, each had a roommate they referred to Nichols, police said.

-- Andrew Blankstein and Baxter Holmes

Woman injured in South L.A. shooting

A woman was hospitalized with injuries after a shooting this morning in South Los Angeles.

Police say a man fired several rounds from a handgun at about 10 a.m. near Compton Avenue and 54th Street. They believe he was aiming at another woman but missed, said Lt. Samuel Rhone of the Los Angeles Police Department's Newton Station.

Several rounds did hit a vehicle, and a nearby woman was injured, possibly by flying glass. The injured woman was not the intended target of the shooting, Rhone said, and the exact cause of her injuries remained unclear. The victim's name was not immediately available.

Police are in the process of investigating the incident and searching for the shooter.

-- Baxter Holmes

Man posing as magazine photographer accused of sexually assaulting four women [updated]

A 22-year-old South Los Angeles man who posed as a Vibe magazine photographer is being investigated in connection with at least four sexual assaults of young women, whom he allegedly told he would hire as underwear models, Los Angeles police said today.

The crimes began in early October and took place within a one-mile radius of the subway station at 7th and Figueroa streets, said LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon.

Keith Nichols, a security guard who has lived in Compton, Hawthorne and South Los Angeles, told his victims that they could become models for Vibe, Vernon said. But before they could get hired, Nichols said he had to measure them for "custom-fitted underwear," according to police.

At least four women submitted to the examination, in which he allegedly used a measuring tape to carry out the ruse. He then touched "their most intimate body parts," and they never got called back about the modeling work, Vernon said.

Former LAPD officer arrested for allegedly burglarizing Orange County church

A former Los Angeles Police Department officer who tried to evade deputies was arrested after allegedly burglarizing Saddleback Church in Orange County, KTLA News is reporting.

Charles Mottern, 45, of Irvine, was Tasered after he allegedly tried to flee from Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies, who were investigating reports of property stolen from the church,  according to authorities quoted by the station.

Mottern had been working at the church since August 2008 as a security guard, sheriff's officials say. Church officials reportedly noticed that items began disappearing, including cameras, computers and radios after Mottern had been hired.

Last Thursday, security guards at the church interrupted a burglary in progress and saw a suspect flee in a black BMW.

Sheriff's investigators, who were alerted by the church, obtained a search warrant for Mottern's home. They saw him driving a black BMW. He was Tasered after he fled in his car, parked the vehicle and then tried to escape on foot, authorities said.

Mottern was booked Tuesday on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property, evading arrest and resisting arrest, authorities said. It was unclear when he worked for the LAPD.

--Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Charles Mottern. Credit: KTLA.

Man slain in South L.A. area

A man was gunned down and killed this evening in an unincorporated neighborhood near South Los Angeles, authorities said.

The slaying occurred about 6:25 p.m near Normandie Avenue and 104th Street in the Westmont neighborhood, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

No additional details were available.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Man shot dead in East Los Angeles

A man was fatally shot this afternoon in East Los Angeles, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. in the 4200 block of East Olympic Boulevard, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

The name and age of the victim were not released. No additional details were available.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Roadway to LAX shut down as bomb squad investigates bags thrown from car [Updated]

A main connector road to Los Angeles International Airport has been shut down after police responded to reports this evening that two duffel bags were tossed out the window of a passing car, authorities said.

A bomb squad from the airport police is on the Sky Way access road, which runs alongside Terminal 1 from West 96th Street to World Way North, authorities said. Police responded around 6:30 p.m. after reports that the bags were thrown from a Mercedes sedan.

A witness flagged down police after seeing the bags tossed onto the roadway, authorities said.

Traffic in and around the airport has been heavy much of the day as travelers leave and arrive for the Thanksgiving weekend.

No additional details were available.

[Updated, 7:45 p.m.: The roadway has been reopened, and two people who police believe were engaged in an argument that led to the bag-tossing incident are being questioned.]

-- Andrew Blankstein

Juror bails out San Luis Obispo rancher jailed over conditions at his housing for the homeless

It won’t be three hots and a cot on Thanksgiving day for San Luis Obispo rancher Dan De Vaul, who was sentenced to 90 days in jail earlier this week for illegally housing tenants on his property.

De Vaul, 66, will enjoy turkey with all the trimmings after being bailed out Tuesday by one of the jurors who convicted him of two misdemeanor violations. Mary Partin, who posted De Vaul's $5,000 bail, told local reporters that she regretted her guilty votes and wanted to help him.

His release at 6:15 p.m. came a day after a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge ordered him to serve 90 days in jail for unsafe conditions at his Sunny Acres ranch.

Under California law, if a person is convicted of a misdemeanor and has filed an appeal, he can post bail, prosecutors said.

A jury in September convicted De Vaul for building a three-story dormitory without a permit and for housing residents of his sober-living program in unsafe conditions, including exposed electrical wiring. He also has illegally stored junked autos and trucks, officials have said.

County code enforcement officials have been trying to get De Vaul to clear up his violations for seven years.

Newport Beach police seek man in sexual assault of 15-year-old boy

Newport Beach police are searching for a man who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy at knife point in a restroom.

The attacker was sitting at a picnic table at the Dunes RV Resort near Jamboree Road and Black Bay Drive on Friday when he saw the boy enter the restroom, the Newport Beach Police Department said today.

The man followed the boy inside and sexually assaulted him about 5:45 p.m, police said.

The attacker is described as white, 20 to 30 years old, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 180 pounds. He had a beard in the shape of an inverted triangle and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, khaki cargo pants, brown leather belt, silver ring and black gloves, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call (800) 550-NBPD or the detective detail at (949) 644-3790.

--Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Composite of the attacker. Credit: Newport Beach Police Department

At least seven redhaired students were victims of 'ginger' attacks, authorities say

At least four redhaired girls and three boys are believed to have been victims of the so-called ginger attacks at a Calabasas middle school that authorities say were inspired by a Facebook message, a Los Angeles County sheriff's investigation has revealed.

The seven victims were targeted in a series of assaults at or near A.E. Wright Middle School that began early Friday after the perpetrators acted on a Facebook message that informed them it was "Kick a Ginger Day," authorities said. Ginger is a label given to people with red hair, freckles and fair skin.

Detectives have identified  eight boys at the school as formal subjects of the investigation, said Steve Whitmore, a sheriff’s spokesman. No arrests have been made.

The investigation began after a 12-year-old redheaded boy was assaulted by his classmates at the school, authorities said. His cuts and bruises were treated by a school nurse, who reported the incident to the principal.

"This was the most serious of the assaults," Whitmore said. "The other incidents tended to be pushing, shoving and intimation. More of an aggressive bullying."

Homeless man deemed sane during 2005 killing of LAX officer

A Los Angeles jury decided today that a homeless man convicted of killing an LAX officer in 2005 was sane at the time of the crime, paving the way for a likely sentence of life in prison without parole.

William Sadowski, 51, of Venice allegedly carjacked Officer Thomas Scott’s patrol vehicle, dragging the officer for a quarter-mile before hitting a fire hydrant and killing him. Authorities believed Sadowski may have been plotting to drive a vehicle onto the airfield at LAX and into an airplane.

Dressed in a striped blue button-up, his beard gray, Sadowski appeared nervous in court. After the jury’s decision was announced, his glare turned downward and his feet tapped frantically.

Neighbor smelled smoke from Hemet home where human remains were discovered [Updated]

Neighbors on Bluejay Way, a quiet housing tract near Harmony Elementary School in Hemet, expressed shock today as news filtered in about the charred remains found at a house on the street.

Robert Rotsolk said he smelled what seemed like a bonfire coming from his neighbor's backyard two Sundays ago about 6:30 p.m. and reported it to the police.

"It smelled like pallets burning on the beach," he said.

Hemet police came on Tuesday and found the first set of remains in the backyard. They are investigating whether the remains belong to any of three 17-year-olds who disappeared without a trace a week ago. Two of the teens were seen at the home earlier.

Charred human remains found; Hemet police seek link to missing teens

Hemet police this morning were excavating a backyard in a suburban neighborhood after burned human remains were found there. Detectives are trying to determine whether the human remains are linked to the disappearance of three Hemet teenagers two weeks ago.

One of the teens, Jose Campos, lived at the home on the 1400 block of Bluejay Way, police said.

Lt. Dean Evans told reporters outside the house this morning that detectives have not identified the remains and are not sure whether they belong to any of the three teens. Evans said DNA testing is needed and could take several weeks to complete.

The other teens are Felicia Sharpe and Adrian Rios. All three are 17 years old.

According to the Press-Enterprise, the teens were last seen earlier this month at Campos' home, where they were watching a football game. Families posted fliers around the neighborhood, and police searched the home in the last week, according to the paper.

-- Andrew Blankstein

Photos, from top: A forensic investigator dusts a box of laundry soap for fingerprints outside the garage of a home where human remains were found in the 1400 block of Bluejay Way in Hemet.  Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times.  An aerial view of the site of police excavations in Hemet. Credit: KTLA

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Bail for Roman Polanski met with surprise from some legal experts

Homeless man deemed sane during 2005 killing of LAX officer

L.A. faces $1-billion deficit by 2013; budget chief calls for pension reforms

Neighbor smelled smoke from Hemet home where human remains were discovered

L.A. elementary school photo carried on space shuttle to return to Earth

Man posing as magazine photographer accused of sexually assaulting four women

A 22-year-old South Los Angeles man who posed as a Vibe magazine photographer is being investigated in connection with at least four sexual assaults of young women, whom he allegedly told he would hire as underwear models, Los Angeles police said today.

The crimes began in early October and took place within a one-mile radius of the subway station near 7th Street and Grand Avenue, said LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon.

Keith Nichols, a security guard who has lived in Compton, Hawthorne and South Los Angeles, told his victims that they could become models for Vibe, Vernon said. But before they could get hired, Nichols said he had to measure them for "custom-fitted underwear," according to police.

At least four women submitted to the examination, in which he allegedly used a measuring tape to carry out the ruse. He then touched "their most intimate body parts," and they never got called back about the modeling work, Vernon said.

UCLA-USC rivalry week claims casualty as The Bruin statue is splattered in cardinal and gold paint [Updated]

Authorities are trying to determine this morning who splashed cardinal and gold paint -- USC school colors -- all over a statue of the UCLA Bruin mascot on the Westwood campus.

Police say the prank is being treated as a felony vandalism investigation.

The Bruins and Trojans will meet Saturday in the traditional crosstown football game, and UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton said it's unclear when the statue, which had been wrapped to protect it from harm, was vandalized. But it could have been between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. today, when the paint-splattered bear was discovered. [Updated at 10:02 a.m.: A previous version of this post incorrectly indicated that the game was Thursday.]

Despite the heated passions of rivalry week, there have been few pranks because officials from both universities have taken steps in recent years to protect icons on campus from vandalism.

The statue sits in Bruin Plaza and was unveiled in 1984, Hampton said. Since 1999, school officials have  protected the statue with a tarp during rivalry week, telling students the bear is hibernating.

SWAT officers surround home in San Fernando Valley after gunshots fired

A Los Angeles police SWAT unit has surrounded a home in North Hollywood where a man who allegedly fired shots into the air has barricaded himself, authorities said.

The incident began about 5:15 p.m when the man, who family members say had been drinking, fired at least two rounds in the 11100 block of Valerio Street, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

"He's refusing to come outside," said LAPD Officer Bruce Borihanh.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Riverside County teen booked in connection with child's death

A 16-year-old Riverside County boy was booked on suspicion of homicide in connection with the death of a 20-month-old girl who was physically abused, authorities said today.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department responded to a medical aid call Monday morning as paramedics were performing CPR on the girl in Ripley, a town on the eastern edge of the county near the Arizona border. While at the scene, the deputies observed injuries to the child that were consistent with abuse, the department said.

The child, who was being cared for by the 16-year-old, was pronounced dead at a hospital, the department said. Investigators arrested the minor and booked him into juvenile hall in Indio.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call investigator James Merrill at (951) 955-2777.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Council backs medical marijuana sales, might adopt cap on dispensaries

Dispensaries will be allowed to continue selling medical marijuana, the Los Angeles City Council decided today as it considered a draft ordinance that may also cap the number of shops in the city between 70 and 200.

City Atty. Carmen Trutanich and L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley had pressed the council to explicitly ban the sale of marijuana, saying that the state's medical marijuana laws do not allow it and citing several recent court decisions to back up their argument.

The contentious issue snarled the council's efforts to develop an ordinance, with members caught for months between their desire to provide access to marijuana for patients who need it and their reluctance to reject the advice of their own attorney.

But the council stripped out language that would bar sales and replaced it with a provision that would allow "cash contributions, reimbursements and compensations" for actual expenses, as long as they comply with state law. The law has been interpreted differently by medical marijuana advocates and law enforcement officials.

"We have some very elegant and flexible language that will adjust as state law is defined," council President Eric Garcetti said, explaining how the council decided to finesse the complicated legal issue.

Man who robbed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper gets prison sentence

A well-known Los Angeles anti-gang intervention worker was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for a burglary that he admitted was done to benefit a street gang.  

Marlo "Bow Wow" Jones and three codefendants were immediately sentenced after pleading no contest in connection with the robbing and beating of Bizzy Bone of the rap group Bone Thugs-N- Harmony on Jan. 5, authorities said. Bizzy Bone was beaten and choked in his Universal City hotel room and stripped of his jewelry.

At the time of his arrest, Jones was a contract employee for the anti-gang organization Unity One, which according to Los Angeles police was hired for the city’s L.A. Bridges II gang intervention program. He had also worked with a similar organization founded by USC football Coach Pete Carroll.

His arrest led to criticism of publicly funded gang intervention programs, which rely on former gang members to help police prevent violence and get gang members out of the life.

But those who defend such programs said the rewards outweigh the risks because the former gang members have the most credibility in reaching and reforming wayward youths.

Judge Lance Ito gives up after thieves repeatedly swipe his nameplate from court

Despite being more famous than any other judge at the criminal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Lance Ito’s courtroom is also the hardest to find.

Each courtroom is adorned with a name placard outside the door with the name of its presiding judge. But on the ninth floor, Ito’s placard holder stays woefully empty.

Since the bearded judge became a household name more than a decade ago while presiding over the O.J. Simpson murder trial, his placard has been stolen time and again. He’s tried replacing it, he’s tried gluing it, but the darn thing just keeps disappearing.