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News & Politics Neighborhood News News Ticker Under the Radar

Food & Drink Beverage News Booze News Drinks All Around Feast! San Diego Beer Tin Fork

Movies Big Screen Movie Archives Movie Reviews [email protected]

Happenings Outdoors Reader Travel Roam-O-Rama Surf Diego Your Week

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Comics Famous Former Neighbors Obermeyer Overheard in San Diego

Archives Reader by issue date Today’s stories All of the latest stories

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town Letters — Our inbox [email protected] — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics

Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

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Eva Knott

Eva Knott is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Murder suspects hop fence near Carlsbad lagoon

Since they were arrested more than two years ago, in March of 2019, both defendants have seen their lead attorneys changed, and the judge who was assigned their trial has changed, and the prosecutor has changed. Also, District Attorney Summer Stephan made the decision that Ian Forrester Bushee, 39, will not face a possible Death Penalty, but his co-defendant Malissa Deanna James, 29, does face the possibility of the Death Penalty if she is convicted. Murder during burglary and murder during robbery, mayhem, and torture all make this a special circumstance case. Both defendants plead not-guilty. Honorable judge Robert Kearney has been hearing pre-trial motions since Hon. judge Amalia Meza recused herself (the exact reason is unclear, although judge Meza has made it known she is married to a District Attorney’s investigator). Prosecutor Nicole Rooney withdrew from the case in April 2021, and she is no longer with the San Diego DA’s office. Senior prosecutor Bill Mitchell is now the only prosecutor, and he declined to give details of Rooney’s departure. Daniel Segura was recently selected as a Superior Court judge by California Governor Gavin Newsom, Segura was sworn to the bench last week. Second defense chair Lindsay Itzhaki is now counsel for defendant Malissa James until the Public Defenders’ office assigns a new senior attorney. Matt Mohun now leads the defense team for Ian Bushee, and John Patterson is second chair. The expected trial date of late January 2022 has not been changed, so far. It appears the two defendants will be tried together, their cases will not be separated into different trials. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2021...
— September 17, 2021 12:34 p.m.

Mom carried him into Escondido's Learning Jungle

Terra Gene Brinkmeier, 36, made a plea deal at her last court appearance, on August 30 2021. She “pled guilty to the sheet,” as lawyers say, admitting all charges and allegations, that is felony child abuse and causing great bodily injury on her own 3 year old son. On the plea deal paperwork she admits, “willfully and unlawfully under circumstances likely to produce great bodily injury injured the person of a child. I personally inflicted great bodily injury on a child under the age of five.” Terra could have gotten twelve years in prison, but in the deal she agrees to 180 days local time, and she might even get CPAC, if she qualifies. That is San Diego County sheriff’s County Parole Alternative Custody system, which is a kind of electronic home confinement, a sort of surveillance program, this supposedly only available if the felony conviction was not serious or violent, intended so the convicted felon can keep her job and only travel to and from work, this also intended to relieve crowding in the jails. The fees paid are not refundable. She will have to submit to chemical tests, and her roommates must be approved in advance, and Terra could be removed from the CPAC program without court order and taken into custody if she is found in violation. The signature of Terra Brinkmeier is not legible on the form. Her defense attorney Adele Lopez and prosecutor Patricia Lavermicocca and judge Michael Washington signed the deal. Her sentencing is set for September 29 at 1:30 pm, in Dept 5 before the same judge who accepted the deal. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2021...
— September 7, 2021 3:22 p.m.

Parolee runs over motorcycle cop in Oceanside

Today, on the day of sentencing for his re-trial, Roberto Flores refused to come into the courtroom, instead he was in an adjoining room where he could hear, the judge said. Both the cop who survived, Brad Hunter, and his wife Vanessa spoke to the judge before sentence was pronounced. Mrs. Hunter said she let her guard down because her husband was so near the end of his police career, so she was shocked when she got that phone call informing her that her husband had been injured and he was being helicoptered to hospital. But they both rebounded, she said, “My husband is not just a survivor, he is a thriver.” And she addressed the man who tried to kill her husband, “Roberto, as soon as I learned that you did this on purpose, I sought to negate your evil in this world.” She said she organized a blood drive with the Oceanside police, and they collected more than 300 pints of blood. “I sought to save lives, because you tried to kill my husband that day!” Both Mr. and Mrs. Hunter sat through the second trial, they were present in the gallery each day. They both despaired that Roberto never expressed any remorse. She said, “I think you are more evil today than the day you tried to kill my husband!” And, “I have not forgiven you for trying to kill my husband, I will work on that while you are in prison.” Mrs. Hunter asked the judge, “Please protect my family and the community from him, and sentence him to the maximum.” Brad Hunter said “My scars are still very graphic in appearance” and his wife revealed that people who see his scars always ask, “Is that a shark bite?” The survivor cop told the judge, “I have no doubt that given another opportunity, Mister Flores will try to kill another cop, perhaps with a better plan and a different outcome.” Honorable judge Carlos O. Armour did give Roberto Flores the maximum sentence, 28 years to Life. He remarked that it was a “cowardly attack” when Flores drove his car into the cop, who was standing in the street and speaking to another person at that moment. After the sentencing, tireless prosecutor Keith Watanabe released a statement, “I’m thankful that we finally brought justice to officer Hunter and the entire law enforcement family.” http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2021...
— September 7, 2021 1:46 p.m.

29 years in jail for failed attempt to kill O’side cop

Today, on the day of sentencing for his re-trial, Roberto Flores refused to come into the courtroom, instead he was in an adjoining room where he could hear, the judge said. Both the cop who survived, Brad Hunter, and his wife Vanessa spoke to the judge before sentence was pronounced. Mrs. Hunter said she let her guard down because her husband was so near the end of his police career, so she was shocked when she got that phone call informing her that her husband had been injured and he was being helicoptered to hospital. But they both rebounded, she said, “My husband is not just a survivor, he is a thriver.” And she addressed the man who tried to kill her husband, “Roberto, as soon as I learned that you did this on purpose, I sought to negate your evil in this world.” She said she organized a blood drive with the Oceanside police, and they collected more than 300 pints of blood. “I sought to save lives, because you tried to kill my husband that day!” Both Mr. and Mrs. Hunter sat through the second trial, they were present in the gallery each day. They both despaired that Roberto never expressed any remorse. She said, “I think you are more evil today than the day you tried to kill my husband!” And, “I have not forgiven you for trying to kill my husband, I will work on that while you are in prison.” Mrs. Hunter asked the judge, “Please protect my family and the community from him, and sentence him to the maximum.” Brad Hunter said “My scars are still very graphic in appearance” and his wife revealed that people who see his scars always ask, “Is that a shark bite?” The survivor cop told the judge, “I have no doubt that given another opportunity, Mister Flores will try to kill another cop, perhaps with a better plan and a different outcome.” Honorable judge Carlos O. Armour did give Roberto Flores the maximum sentence, 28 years to Life. He remarked that it was a “cowardly attack” when Flores drove his car into the cop, who was standing in the street and speaking to another person at that moment. After the sentencing, tireless prosecutor Keith Watanabe released a statement, “I’m thankful that we finally brought justice to officer Hunter and the entire law enforcement family.” http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2021...
— September 7, 2021 1:41 p.m.

Roberto Flores' phone call behind his illegal weapon charge

Today, on the day of sentencing for his re-trial, Roberto Flores refused to come into the courtroom, instead he was in an adjoining room where he could hear, the judge said. Both the cop who survived, Brad Hunter, and his wife Vanessa spoke to the judge before sentence was pronounced. Mrs. Hunter said she let her guard down because her husband was so near the end of his police career, so she was shocked when she got that phone call informing her that her husband had been injured and he was being helicoptered to hospital. But they both rebounded, she said, “My husband is not just a survivor, he is a thriver.” And she addressed the man who tried to kill her husband, “Roberto, as soon as I learned that you did this on purpose, I sought to negate your evil in this world.” She said she organized a blood drive with the Oceanside police, and they collected more than 300 pints of blood. “I sought to save lives, because you tried to kill my husband that day!” Both Mr. and Mrs. Hunter sat through the second trial, they were present in the gallery each day. They both despaired that Roberto never expressed any remorse. She said, “I think you are more evil today than the day you tried to kill my husband!” And, “I have not forgiven you for trying to kill my husband, I will work on that while you are in prison.” Mrs. Hunter asked the judge, “Please protect my family and the community from him, and sentence him to the maximum.” Brad Hunter said “My scars are still very graphic in appearance” and his wife revealed that people who see his scars always ask, “Is that a shark bite?” The survivor cop told the judge, “I have no doubt that given another opportunity, Mister Flores will try to kill another cop, perhaps with a better plan and a different outcome.” Honorable judge Carlos O. Armour did give Roberto Flores the maximum sentence, 28 years to Life. He remarked that it was a “cowardly attack” when Flores drove his car into the cop, who was standing in the street and speaking to another person at that moment. After the sentencing, tireless prosecutor Keith Watanabe released a statement, “I’m thankful that we finally brought justice to officer Hunter and the entire law enforcement family.” http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2021...
— September 7, 2021 1:38 p.m.

Middle-aged cops were alleged targets of rage

Today, on the day of his sentencing, Roberto Flores refused to come into the courtroom, instead he was in an adjoining room where he could hear, the judge said. Both the cop who survived, Brad Hunter, and his wife Vanessa spoke to the judge before sentence was pronounced. Mrs. Hunter said she let her guard down because her husband was so near the end of his police career, so she was shocked when she got that phone call informing her that her husband had been injured and he was being helicoptered to hospital. But they both rebounded, she said, “My husband is not just a survivor, he is a thriver.” And she addressed the man who tried to kill her husband, “Roberto, as soon as I learned that you did this on purpose, I sought to negate your evil in this world.” She said she organized a blood drive with the Oceanside police, and they collected more than 300 pints of blood. “I sought to save lives, because you tried to kill my husband that day!” Both Mr. and Mrs. Hunter sat through the second trial, they were present in the gallery each day. They both despaired that Roberto never expressed any remorse. She said, “I think you are more evil today than the day you tried to kill my husband!” And, “I have not forgiven you for trying to kill my husband, I will work on that while you are in prison.” Mrs. Hunter asked the judge, “Please protect my family and the community from him, and sentence him to the maximum.” Brad Hunter said “My scars are still very graphic in appearance” and his wife revealed that people who see his scars always ask, “Is that a shark bite?” The survivor cop told the judge, “I have no doubt that given another opportunity, Mister Flores will try to kill another cop, perhaps with a better plan and a different outcome.” Honorable judge Carlos O. Armour did give Roberto Flores the maximum sentence, 28 years to Life. He remarked that it was a “cowardly attack” when Flores drove his car into the cop, who was standing in the street and speaking to another person at that moment. After the sentencing, tireless prosecutor Keith Watanabe released a statement, “I’m thankful that we finally brought justice to officer Hunter and the entire law enforcement family.”
— September 7, 2021 1:35 p.m.

Murder charged on Nardo Street in Solana Beach

Jade Janks remains at liberty on bail already posted. She will turn 38 years old next month. Her new attorney agreed to January 12, 2022, as the date to hear evidence against his client at a preliminary hearing. This date is exactly one year since the death of Thomas Merriman. This public hearing will be the first date that prosecutor Teresa Pham will attempt to present enough evidence, to convince a judge that the matter should proceed to trial. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2021...
— September 2, 2021 6:01 a.m.

Murder charged on Nardo Street in Solana Beach

Jade Janks has reportedly hired a private criminal defense attorney, Marc Carlos. This high-profile San Diego attorney was recently seen defending ex-pro-football player Kellen Winslow against multiple rape charges. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2021...
— September 1, 2021 2:05 p.m.

29 years in jail for failed attempt to kill O’side cop

The jury of 7 women and 5 men deliberated less than 3 hours, and then on August 9, 2021, they declared a unanimous verdict that Roberto Flores is guilty of all charges and allegations: attempted murder on a police officer, premeditated, using vehicle as a deadly weapon, and assault on peace officer causing serious bodily injury. And it was found that Roberto Flores committed these crimes while he was out on bail for a felony. Flores is set to be sentenced by the same judge who heard trial, Hon. Carlos Armour, the morning of September 7, 2021.
— August 9, 2021 6:01 p.m.

Middle-aged cops were alleged targets of rage

Defendant Roberto Flores chose not to testify in his retrial, the month of August 2021. The jury of 7 women and 5 men deliberated less than 3 hours, and then on August 9, 2021, they declared Roberto Flores guilty of all charges and allegations: attempted murder on a police officer, premeditated, using vehicle as a deadly weapon, and assault on peace officer causing serious bodily injury. And the jury declared that Roberto Flores committed these crimes while he was out on bail for a felony. Flores is set to be sentenced in one month, by the same judge who heard his re-trial, at 9 a.m. the morning of September 7, 2021. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2021...
— August 9, 2021 5:57 p.m.

News & Politics Neighborhood News News Ticker Under the Radar

Food & Drink Beverage News Booze News Drinks All Around Feast! San Diego Beer Tin Fork

Movies Big Screen Movie Archives Movie Reviews [email protected]

Happenings Outdoors Reader Travel Roam-O-Rama Surf Diego Your Week

Music Blurt Classical Music Live Five Musician Interviews Of Note Upcoming Shows

Comics Famous Former Neighbors Obermeyer Overheard in San Diego

Archives Reader by issue date Today’s stories All of the latest stories

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town Letters — Our inbox [email protected] — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

See all neighborhoods

September 15, 2021

September 8, 2021

September 1, 2021

August 25, 2021

August 18, 2021

August 11, 2021

See previous issues