Theft at Walmart turns into felony confrontation
Women with stolen underwear made plea deals
Loss-prevention-officer Chris said two women refused his requests to give up their stolen goods, even after he showed them his “badge.” Several Walmart employees pursued Megan and Chastity through the parking lot after they were allegedly seen putting merchandise into …
Jury: Oceanside man who stabbed mom was insane
Adam Brown turned himself in to authorities five years ago
After one day’s deliberations, a jury unanimously agreed that 48-year-old Adam Brown was insane when he plunged a knife into his mother’s head. Seventy-seven-year-old Leonore Brown died in her Oceanside home in June 2008; her youngest son Adam turned himself …
Motorcyclist charged with felony for punching bad driver
Defendant Robert Owens claims driver cut him off and then ran into his bike
The witness said, “I was going to McDonald’s.” As Charles Ferraro turned onto South Santa Fe Drive in Vista, he saw an SUV pull out of a parking lot and almost hit a passing motorcyclist, right in front of him. …
Defendant who admitted stabbing is declared guilty of second degree murder
Christopher James Selena claimed it was self-defense
The 42-year-old defendant took the witness box and admitted stabbing the 23-year-old man to death. Christopher James Selena said that just a few minutes before, he had gotten a phone call from his ex-girlfriend. “She just called me to come …
Man accused of cutting-up-wife died in custody
Murder case against Frederick Hengl will be dismissed next week
“He really lost the will to live after his wife died.” The attorney for Frederick Joseph Hengl said the 69-year-old man was found deceased on Sunday morning, September 29. Hengl was being held in the medical ward of San Diego’s …
Pumpkin fair at Bates Nut Farm this weekend
Free family fun daily in Valley Center, California
There is a lot of outdoor fun to be had this weekend during the Bates Nut Farm traditional Pumpkin Festival. The sprawling farm has many delightful and imaginative scarecrows propped up here and there, as they ramp up for a …
Sanity of Oceanside man questioned after murder conviction
Adam Brown re-trial for sanity, five years after mother was stabbed
“Mister Brown killed his mother,” the defense attorney immediately told the jury. Adam Brown has been held in custody since June 2008, after he surrendered himself to authorities. Brown approached a deputy in San Diego’s downtown courthouse and told the …
Paul Pfingst is accused of secreting evidence
A deputy district attorney suggests criminal behavior by former DA
Paul Pfingst, a prominent criminal defense attorney and a former District Attorney for San Diego County, might face criminal investigation by California’s Attorney General, according to a prosecutor. Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe made a number of allegations in papers …
Family of man shot by Encinitas neighbor seek millions in damages
Civil suits filed against Michael Vilkin in San Diego Superior Court
John C. Upton Senior is requesting $5 million in general damages and $1 million in special damages and “reserves the right to seek $10 million in punitive damages,” according to papers filed last week, in a suit against the man …
Repeat DUI driver admitted manslaughter after head-on collision
Brian Joseph Webb II expects 15-years-to-life when sentenced
After more than a year in custody, a repeat DUI offender admitted gross vehicular manslaughter, resulting from a head-on collision in which he killed a man on a motorcycle. Brian Joseph Webb II, now 35, was driving the wrong way …
“They were putting in work for their gang” prosecutor said
Alleged Escondido gangsters made plea deals
Two young men from Escondido made plea deals in which they admitted assaulting other young men in their community, in San Diego’s North County Courthouse this past week. Diego Nunez, 18, and Alvaro Rangel, 18, had both faced felony assault …
Fake hitman testified against California rock singer
Tim Lambesis’ attorney suggested it was all a “setup”
A fitness trainer named Brett said he knew Tim Lambesis at the gym where he worked, but just in passing. Lambesis was a client of a different trainer there, at the gym called Pure Fitness in Carlsbad, California. The trainer …
Driver took the blame for cops shooting his passenger
Brian Lee Olsen made a plea deal after nearly six years in custody
A man held in custody almost six years awaiting trial on a murder charge made a plea deal admitting manslaughter. Brian Lee Olsen, 40, was charged with murder after police shot and killed the female passenger in his car the …
Repeat felon expects 8 years for assaulting woman
Kenneth Wayne Welch made a plea deal
A repeat felon accused of trying to run down his girlfriend with his truck last June, this morning pleaded guilty to one felony assault charge. Kenneth Wayne Welch, 42, reportedly got into an argument with his girlfriend while they were …
Bailed-out burglar is a no-show for court date
Bail bond was forfeited and judge issued bench warrant
An experienced burglar was arrested after he leaped from the second story of a home where he had been considering the loot, Carlsbad police reported. It was after 3 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, August 29, when officers arrived at …
San Diego County deputy said she got body-slammed
Anthony Garcia denies throwing deputy to ground before she shot him
“He basically body-slammed me on the ground,” said deputy Michelle Storms. The pale brunette said the man with whom she had been scuffling picked her up bodily and walked her backwards, and then threw her onto a concrete walkway. Deputy …
Escondido man guilty of double-murder for shooting pregnant girlfriend
Ruben Anthony Cepeda convicted after 2 week trial
After less than four hours deliberations, a jury declared Ruben Anthony Cepeda guilty of two counts of second-degree murder for shooting his pregnant girlfriend. The jury found true the allegation that Cepeda fired the weapon, but did not find true …
Alleged robbery was just a weapons check, attorney suggested
Cops were directed to a Facebook page to find their suspect
A gangster who showed another man a large knife and told him to empty his pockets may have just been checking to see if the other man had any weapons, his attorney suggested in court today. It sounded more like …
Escondido men accused of burglary with baseball bats
Antonio Amador and Brandon Martinez deny crime spree
Two young men from Escondido are due in court Wednesday, September 4, facing six felonies each, after arrest on suspicion of creating an overnight crime spree August 21, 2013. It was a little after midnight when a woman on Kenora …
Thieves “intended to pay it all back”
California dentist and wife admitted stealing from patients
Dr. Edward J. Bodek was interviewed at the time of his arrest, according to a probation report. “He admitted that he and his wife conducted the fraudulent/unauthorized credit card transactions on patient credit cards, but they intended to pay it …