Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - Detectives are still looking for the gunman who wounded an adversary during a verbal argument at an apartment complex Sunday night.

It is not known what the two men were arguing over, but one of the men produced a handgun and fired multiple rounds, hitting his adversary at least once in the abdomen, according to Sgt. Gonzalez of the Covina Police Department.

The victim’s wounds are not considered life-threatening, Gonzalez told SGV CityWatch.

Officers were called to the 1100 block of East Wanamaker Drive at 9:16 p.m. Sunday, July 13.

Detectives do know that the victim is a resident of the apartment complex, but it is not immediately clear if the suspect also lives there too. The suspect fled after the shooting, but it is unclear if he escaped in a vehicle, Gonzalez told SGV CityWatch.

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call the Covina Police Department at 626-331-3391. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - A driver hobbled away from his vehicle after being shot twice during a road rage chase through Covina streets Sunday.

It is not yet clear to investigators if the victim and shooter know each other, but the whole ordeal started around 6 p.m., June 29.

For reasons, not yet publicly clear, both drivers were chasing each other around the city on surface streets. At some point, one of the drivers fired at least six shots at the other driver’s vehicle in the area of Glendora Avenue and Badillo Street near Royal Oak Middle School, according to Sgt. Lee of the Covina Police Department.

“[The bullets] went through the passenger side door and hit the driver in the leg twice. Nothing fatal,” Lee told SGV CityWatch.

First responders were called regarding the shooting by some bystanders around 6:40 p.m. after the victim hobbled to an apartment complex in the 1200 block of East Badillo Street, not too far from the shooting.

Lee was hesitant to reveal any description of the suspect vehicle or the shooter. He noted that there was possibly only one person inside the suspect vehicle at the time of the shooting.

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 - An ex-substitute teacher was arrested March 5, accused of unlawful sex acts with a minor.

Christopher Michael Confair, 34, was a substitute teacher from 2021 to 2025 in the Covina-Valley Unified School District. He also served as a boys basketball coach at Northview High School.

He was set to appear in court Friday, March 7, but posted bond the day of his arrest, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

It is not yet publicly clear when the alleged acts took place, nor how many victims there may be, but Covina Police investigators said the victims range from middle school to high school.

Investigators believe there may be more victims.

Any victims, or anyone with information that may help this case, are urged to contact Covina Police Detective C. Hagle at 626-384-5621, or [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 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 - A man was arrested Friday after reportedly firing a rifle into an apartment unit occupied by a family.

The suspect, 48-year-old Juan Gerardo Gonzalez, shot into the apartment unit in the 800 block of West Glentana Street around 6:52 p.m. Thursday. The mother, father and two children within the unit were able to flee through a second-story window, according to the Covina Police Department.

No one was injured.

A resident spoke with CityWatch and said around eight to 10 rounds were fired into the victims’ door.

“Family escaped through a window with the help of a neighbor with a ladder,” the resident said, adding “[the suspect] is a new neighbor just out of prison.”

As officers arrived to the apartment, Gonzalez fled in a vehicle, leading officers on a pursuit onto the westbound 210 freeway and south on the 605 where, due to Gonzalez’s reckless driving, they lost sight of him, according to the Covina Police Department.

West Covina Police officers located Gonzalez in his vehicle, performed a high-risk traffic stop and detained him until detectives took him into custody, according to the Covina Police Department.

Gonzalez was arrested at 12:14 a.m. Friday and booked on suspicion of attempted murder, being a felon in possession of a weapon, assault with a deadly weapon and other felony charges.

Gonzalez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in West Covina Superior Court January 28.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - Four juveniles took to the sewers in a desperate, yet failed attempt to outrun police January 14.

The teens first robbed a convenience store in the 1000 block of North Citrus Avenue around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. One of the teens jumped the counter and flashed a handgun, according to the Covina Police Department.

The same group reportedly robbed a convenience store roughly 20 minutes later in the 500 block of South Azusa Avenue. Officers located the suspect vehicle, but the driver refused to stop, according to the Azusa Police Department.

The juveniles ended the pursuit in Arcadia and fled the vehicle, which officers later discovered was stolen.

The juveniles fled into a flood control channel, leading to an underground search with the help of Covina Police K9 Diego who, according to police bodycam video, sunk his fangs into one of the juveniles.

A handgun was recovered, according to Covina Police.

Assisting with the search were the Arcadia Police Department, Irwindale Police Department and Foothill Special Enforcement Team.

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 - 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 - Investigators released a sketch of a suspect wanted for shooting and murdering a man in front of his wife and three children June 22.

The man was shot and wounded in front of his wife, 11 year-old daughter and two 9-year-old twin boys in the 1100 block of East Wanamaker Avenue. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment and later died, according to the Covina Police Department.

The 28-year-old man and his family were out walking around 9:35 p.m.

The suspect, only described as a Latino man age 20 to 25 years old, walked in between the man and his wife. A verbal confrontation and sued and the man was shot in the chest twice, according to the Covina Police Department.

The suspect fled the area on foot. He is further described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and having a thin build.

Anyone with information that may help identify the suspect is urged to call Detective Preciado at 626-384-5622. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.