Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A 16-month-old child taken by his non-custodial mother during an unsupervised visit was safely located in Mexico, authorities recently said.
Miguel Eduardo Zuniga Medina was found last week and safely returned to the United States. Mother Bridget Benitez, 31, was also found in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She has since been deported, according to the FBI. A Federal arrest warrant was issued for Benitez who is accused of taking her baby after an unsupervised visit February 6. Benitez crossed the border at Otay Mesa March 6. The child was placed into the care of a foster parent by the Department of Child and Family Services. “A federal arrest warrant for Benitez was obtained on Thursday, March 7, after she was charged with international parental kidnapping in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint alleges that Benitez intentionally obstructed the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), who holds legal and physical custody of Medina, Jr.,” according to the FBI in a written statement. The child’s father, Miguel Eduardo Medina Zuniga, Sr., is the non-custodial father and is believed to be living in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Medina was arrested last year, accused of a domestic violence incident and apparently has a history of violent altercations in the presence of children, according to a juvenile dependency petition filed in Los Angeles County. Following last year’s arrest, the child was placed in the custody of DCFS, according to the FBI. “The Superior Court in Los Angeles County found that it was necessary to remove Medina, Jr. from his parents for his own health, safety, and well-being. Benitez and Medina, Sr. have also been charged in Superior Court in Los Angeles County,” according to the FBI. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A Federal arrest warrant has been issued for a non-custodial mother accused of taking her baby after an unsupervised visit February 6.
Bridget Benitez, 31, was confirmed to have crossed the border at Otay Mesa March 6. She was last seen with her biological son, Miguel Eduardo Zuniga Medina, who is 16 months, according to the FBI. The child was placed into the care of a foster parent by the Department of Child and Family Services. Benitez and the baby were last seen in a black 2021 Toyota Camry with California license plate 8WAS968, according to the FBI. Benitez may have taken the baby to Aguascalientes, Mexico. “A federal arrest warrant for Benitez was obtained on Thursday, March 7, after she was charged with international parental kidnapping in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint alleges that Benitez intentionally obstructed the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), who holds legal and physical custody of Medina, Jr.,” according to the FBI in a written statement. The child’s father, Miguel Eduardo Medina Zuniga, Sr., is the non-custodial father and is believed to be living in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Medina was arrested last year, accused of a domestic violence incident and apparently has a history of violent altercations in the presence of children, according to a juvenile dependency petition filed in Los Angeles County. Following last year’s arrest, the child was placed in the custody of DCFS, according to the FBI. “The Superior Court in Los Angeles County found that it was necessary to remove Medina, Jr. from his parents for his own health, safety, and well-being. Benitez and Medina, Sr. have also been charged in Superior Court in Los Angeles County,” according to the FBI. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Benitez is asked to call their local FBI office or nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Information may also be provided at www.tips.fbi.gov. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor RANCHO CUCAMONGA - The victim of an attempted carjacking fought off two aggressors January 9 and suffered a gunshot wound to one of his hands during the ordeal.
The crime went down in the 9000 block of Foothill Boulevard around 3:34 p.m. Rancho Cucamonga deputies originally responded to a report of gunfire and soon discovered it was an attempted carjacking as well. Both suspects, identified as Lorenzo Ortiz, 41, and Raymond Joshua Bowman, 26, fled after failing to take the victim’s vehicle. Officers found and arrested both suspects as they attempted to flee the area, according to the Rancho Cucamonga Sheriff’s Station. The 41-year-old victim Was hospitalized for his injuries. Ortiz and Bowman were booked at the West Valley Detention Center. Ortiz was officially charged with one count each of attempted carjacking and an allegation under California’s Three Strikes Law. He pleaded not guilty, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records. He is being held in lieu of $140,000 bail. Bowman was officially charged with one count, each of attempted carjacking, an enhancement of using a firearm and enhancement of discharging a firearm, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records. He is being held in lieu of $190,000 bail. Both suspects have since made an initial appearance in court and are scheduled for a preliminary hearing January 17. Written by AARON CASTREJON Citywatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Investigators announced the arrest of two men accused of robbing a woman of her purse and severely beating her at a Costco.
The robbery occurred at 17500 Castleton Street November 26 around 6:30 p.m. The victim fought back and attempted to take back her purse. She was repeatedly punched in the face. She was dragged by the suspects’ vehicle during the getaway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “As a result of the suspects’ actions, the victim suffered facial and head trauma resulting in serious, life-threatening injuries. The victim was transported to the hospital for treatment,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement. A search warrant was served in Diamond Bar December 28 and David Morrison, 38, and Andrew Morrison, 34, were arrested. Evidence from the victim was found during the search. Both men were booked on suspicion of robbery and are being held in lieu of $500,000 bail. Both men were scheduled for an appearance in the West Covina Courthouse. Investigators are trying to determine if the pair are involved in any other crimes in the San Gabriel Valley. Anyone with information on these suspects, or who may have been a victim of similar crimes is urged to call the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau at 562-946-7187. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A 22-year-old Monrovia man was charged in a two-count federal grand jury indictment, accused of coercing a two-year-old child into engaging in a sexually explicit act with him so he could record record it.
David Lisandro Prerez Figueroa was charged with production of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. Figueroa was arrested earlier in December and is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles December 28, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A federal magistrate ordered Figueroa to be held without bond, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A federal search warrant was executed December at Figueroa’s home where he was arrested. British authorities investigating a target in the United Kingdom obtained chat logs from the X social media platform showing child sex abuse material and notified authorities stateside. Figueroa allegedly distributed the child sex abuse material on July 22 through X in an account allegedly linked to him. “If convicted of all charges, Figueroa would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 50 years in federal prison,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - One of two suspects involved in a violent Valinda home invasion robbery was arrested December 19.
Jeremy Rahmelle Dates, 29, was arrested during an Upland traffic stop by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Burglary Robbery Task Force. The home invasion occurred January 31, 2023 in the 16400 Block of Burtree Street in Valinda. Dates is accused of beating his elderly victim after entering the home. The bedroom was ransacked. The victim suffered facial and head trauma, according to the Sheriff’s Department. There was a second suspect, an unknown lookout only described as Black male. “The investigation is ongoing in order to determine if this robbery suspect is related to other home invasion robberies that have recently occurred in the Southern California Area,” according to the Sheriff’s Department in a written statement. Dates was transported to Sheriff’s Industry Station where he was booked and held in lieu $200,000 bail and is scheduled to appear at the West Covina Courthouse December 21. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Surveillance footage once again helped identify the man accused of gunning down three homeless people in Los Angeles late last month.
The suspect was already in custody, accused of murdering a San Dimas man after following him home from West Covina. Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department Saturday. The three murders of homeless men occurred from November 26 to November 29. The same vehicle was seen at all three murder scenes, investigators said. Ballistics examination determined the gun seized after Powell was arrested in Beverly Hills was used in the homeless murders, according to an LAPD written statement. The first LA murder occurred around 3 a.m. November 26 in the 800 block of West 110th Street. The next murder occurred around 5 a.m. November 27 in the 800 block of East Seventh Street. The third happened around 2:30 p.m. November 29 at South Avenue 18 and South Pasadena Avenue. All victims in the LA murder were sleeping either on a public sidewalk or in an alleyway. Powell will remain in custody pending the filing of charges. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SAN GABRIEL - The San Gabriel Unified School District announced an assistant principal was arrested, accused of a sex crime against a minor.
Michael Guzman, 57, was arrested by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department Hollenbeck Division November 13. Guzman was charged at a November 15 arraignment with four counts of lewd acts upon a child age 14 or 15. Guzman pleaded not guilty, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The alleged lewd acts took place 20 years ago when Guzman was a history teacher and girls basketball coach, according to the Los Angeles Times. The two victims are also suing the Los Angeles Unified School District over the alleged sexual assaults. “Upon learning the nature of the charges, the assistant principal was immediately placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of criminal the proceedings, and is barred from any District property,” according to the San Gabriel Unified School District in a written statement. There was no information suggesting the victim or victims are students are from any San Gabriel Unified schools, according to the district statement. In a “cold call” conducted by a LAPD detective months prior to the arrest, one of the victims questioned Guzman, who was put on speaker phone, why he assaulted her. Guzman allegedly apologized to her, according to the Times. Guzman was arrested at 10 a.m. and booked at 12:01 p.m. November 13. He posted bond November 16, according to Los Angeles County booking records. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - No one was injured after an unidentified suspect chucked padlocks from a moving vehicle and struck three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s patrol vehicles while on the freeway November 1.
In all three incidents the suspect and victims occupied the HOV lanes on the 134 and 210 freeways. The suspect was eastbound and all three patrol vehicles were westbound. The first incident occurred on the 134 freeway around 2 p.m. The second incident occurred on the 210 freeway at Huntington Drive. The third incident occurred on the 210 freeway at Mountain Avenue in Monrovia: the last two incidents happened about 20 minutes after the first, according to Kari Mercer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau. There are no witnesses so far, Mercer told SGV CityWatch. The California Highway Patrol has assumed the investigation. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Two suspects were recently jailed in connection with the death of a man washed up and stuffed in a barrel in Malibu and the larger of the two has a local crime connection.
Dennis Eugene Vance, 41, and Joshua Lee Simmons, 37, were arrested October 3 and charged in the death of Javonnta Marshann Murphy. Murphy’s body was found stuffed in a metal barrel that washed up at Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Murphy died of a gunshot wound to his head. Simmons was infamously caught on cellphone video after being beat back by employees of a jewelry store during an attempted robbery September 2 in El Monte. Simmons was charged with murder, personal use of a firearm and criminal threats. For the El Monte incident, he was also charged with attempted robbery, criminal threats and personal use of bear spray. Vance was charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact in Murphy’s death. Simmons is being held in lieu of nearly $3.3 million bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in Los Angeles Municipal Court November 3. |
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