Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - Beef between rival La Puente gang bangers led to a crazy chase and shooting last year and the suspect was recently apprehended.

John Patrick Lopez, 26, was officially charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.

Lopez was additionally charged with a serious felony enhancement, two counts each of a prior serious/violent felony conviction, two counts of special allegations of personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury, and one count of a special allegation of personal use of a firearm.

Lopez was found driving in La Verne January 7 and arrested.

The shooting occurred June 29, 2025. Lopez and another driver, both of whom are gang members, recognized each other. At some point a shooting occurred, taking place outside Royal Oaks Middle School, 303 S. Glendora Ave., according to the Covina Police Department.

Lopez chased the other driver, a 26-year-old La Puente man, around Covina streets for two miles, wounding his adversary in the leg. The other driver crashed into another vehicle, according to the Covina Police Department.

Lopez made an initial appearance in Pomona Superior Court January 9 and is scheduled for a January 27 arraignment and plea, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.


Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - The county medical examiner named the woman gunned down at the storage facility she worked at as detectives announced the arrest of a suspect.

Patricia Villa, a 44-year-old Alhambra resident, was found at One Stop Storage, 1432 N. Barranca Ave., by family members who went looking for her. Surveillance video reportedly indicated Villa was shot around 5:30 p.m. November 2, according to the Covina Police Department.

Villa was found around 12:30 a.m. Monday.

Investigators identified Juan Nava, 66, as a suspect. A search warrant was served at his home November 3 and he was arrested, according to the Covina Police Department.

The shooting allegedly stemmed from Nava’s claims of property being burglarized from his storage unit, a claim he also made in December 2023. Nava allegedly grew angry that Villa apparently did not believe him, according to the Covina Police Department.

Police seized assault weapons and ammunition from Nava’s home.

Nava was officially charged with one count of murder, three counts of possessing an assault weapon, and special allegations of personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.

Nava is being held without bail at the north County Correctional Facility in Castaic.

Nava’s initial appearance in Pomona Superior Court was November 5 and will be continued to December 9, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.

The death record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Information about the decedent(s), including cause and manner of death, is public record and was distributed by government sources.

Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - Two women are facing child endangerment charges, accused of driving recklessly while arguing with each other on city streets.

An officer on patrol witnessed the acrobatics in the 100 block of East Badillo Street around 5:20 p.m. March 8. The drivers were caught on camera as the drivers chased each other while performing 360-degree turns, speeding and nearly colliding into other vehicles.

“Both vehicles were stopped and found to have small children in vehicles. Each driver was arrested for child endangerment,” according to the Covina Police Department.

Tencha Nieves, a 28-year-old Pomona woman, and Ashley Bates, a 29-year-old Azusa woman, were arrested. Both women were officially charged with one count each of willful cruelty to a child, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.

Both women appeared in West Covina Superior Court March 11 and each pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Bates is scheduled for a pretrial hearing April 22, Nieves is scheduled for April 24.

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The arrest records in this article are being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and are protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The persons named in this article have only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and are presumed innocent.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - A former behavioral therapist at mental health provider Foothill Family was arrested, accused of unlawful sex acts with a minor.

Matthew Martinez, 25, was arrested February 5. He served as behavioral therapist at Foothill Family from 2023 to January 2025, according to the Covina Police Department.

Foothill Family has several facilities, including in Duarte, Covina, Pomona and El Monte, with corporate offices in Pasadena.
https://www.foothillfamily.org/services/mental-health-care/

Martinez is currently not employed by Foothill Family, according to the Covina Police Department.

Martinez is being held without bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in West Covina Superior Court Friday, February 7.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information on this investigation is urged contact Covina Police Detective C. Hagle at 626-384-5621 or by email at [email protected]

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - The Los Angeles County District Attorney charged a man with nine felonies and a misdemeanor, accusing him of sexually assaulting two girls beginning in 2022.

Joshua Daniel McGinn, 41, was re-arrested December 18 by Covina Police officers. He was initially arrested October 2. He was released October 4 at that time due to insufficient evidence, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

McGinn is being held without bail in the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

Among the charges are four counts of oral copulation with a person under 18, one count of sexual penetration by force, one count of touching someone intimately against their will for sexual arousal, two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with someone more than three years younger, one count of contacting a minor for a sexual offense and one count of possessing obscene matter of a minor in a sexual act, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.

McGinn is scheduled to appear in West Covina Superior Court January 6.

McGinn is a former Charter Oak High School teacher in Covina.

If convicted as charged, McGinn faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and six months in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The case is being prosecuted by the office’s Sex Crimes Division and investigated by the Covina Police Department.

Additional victims, or anyone with information on this case are urged to call Covina Police Detective G. Hagle at 626-384-5621, or 626-384-5808.

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - The Charter Oak High School teacher accused of sexually abusing a minor was released two days after his publicized arrest.

Joshua McGinn, was released October 4, the day he was scheduled to appear in court. He was released due to insufficient evidence, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

It is not publicly clear what specifically led to the findings of insufficient evidence.

McGinn is accused of committing unlawful sexual acts with a minor. These alleged acts are said to have occurred in 2022, according to the Covina Police Department.

McGinn’s future as a teacher is unclear.

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - A former elementary school teacher was jailed September 11 amidst a child sex assault investigation.

Richard Joseph Jadrich, 68, was officially charged with one count of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, one count of continuous sex abuse of a child and a second count of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.

Jadrich is a former Covina Valley Unified School District employee. In addition to teaching band at Sierra Vista Middle School, Jadrich also reportedly taught at other district schools..

The alleged assaults are said to have taken place December 1, 2005, January 1, 2006 and October 2, 2006, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.

Although the Covina Police Department previously stated Jadrich was being held without bail, Los Angeles County booking records show he posted bond September 13.

His next scheduled court date is December 10 in West Covina Superior Court.

Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact Covina Police Detective G. Hagle at 626-384-5621, or by email at: [email protected].

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - A now ex-seasonal coach from Covina High School was arrested Thursday, accused of attempting to solicit sex with a teen boy.

Covina Police detectives were called to Superior Grocers, 1375 N. Citrus Ave., at 4:45 p.m. June 20 about a man intending to meet a 14-year-old boy for a sexual encounter … except that teen does not exist: the whole ordeal was a sting, according to the Covina Police Department.

Stephen Cristopher Garcia, 34, a Baldwin Park man, was contacted by Creep Catching Unit, a group started to expose online predators, with the use of a fake social media profile.

Garcia was booked on suspicion of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Sgt. Keith Sutherland of the Covina Police Department.

A meeting was arranged through text messaging and upon contact the encounter was reportedly streamed live on YouTube, according to the Covina Police Department.

Garcia is described as a former seasonal walk-on coach in the Covina-Valley Unified and is no longer employed by the district.

Garcia was arrested at 6:26 p.m., according to Los Angeles County booking records. He is being held without bail at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.

Covina detectives are attempting to locate any other potential victims.

Any one with information or questions regarding this crime is urged to call Covina Police Sgt. Colburn at 626-384-5612, refer to Covina PD case # 24-13802. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or Crime Stoppers.org.

A court appearance is scheduled for Monday, June 24 at West Covina Superior Court.

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - A deputies suspicions were spot on August 31 after detaining a man seen acting suspiciously inside of a vehicle, parked outside a Starbucks in unincorporated Covina.

The vehicle was spotted at the Starbucks at Citrus Avenue and Arrow Highway. During a check of the vehicle license plate, the deputy discovered the driver was wanted on suspicion of murder, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

After the deputy and made a request for additional assistance, the driver was taken into custody without incident.

Sidney Clarke, a 28-year-old Brea resident, is accused of gunning down 21-year-old Logan Kahmar August 30. The shooting took place in a residence at 650 N. Tamarack Ave. Evidence led investigators to pin Clarke as a suspect, according to the Brea Police Department.

Brea police detectives reportedly found additional evidence linking Clarke to the murder.

Clarke is being held in lieu of $1 million bail in the Orange County Jail.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - Investigators announced that one of the suspects and a previously unidentified third suspect in the double murder at a Halloween party near Covina are in custody.

Suspects Brian Ramos, 19, and Adrian Robles, 18, turned themselves in after their attorneys coordinated with investigators for their surrender. Joel Garcia, 19, remains at large, according to the Los Angeles County sheriffs information bureau.

Ramos and Robles were taken into custody November 5.

Robles was arrested at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Industry Station at 10:15 a.m. Saturday. Ramos was arrested at 4:35 p.m.

​Both men are being held in lieu of $2 million bail ahead of a scheduled appearance at Pomona Superior Court November 8, according to Los Angeles county booking information.

Booking information from Romas was not yet available.