Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SANTA ANA - A certified nursing assistant was sentenced to life in prison January 13 for committing sex acts on several severely disabled children while filming them.
Steve Jackson Rodriguez, 38, a Pomona resident, previously pleaded guilty September 2022 to two counts of obtaining custody of a minor for purposes of producing child pornography, five counts of production of child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to the Justice Department. Rodriguez was arrested August 21, 2021. Rodriguez committed what US District Judge John Holcomb called “unspeakable acts” from January 2016 to May 2020, producing images and videos with four children at an Inland Empire group home where he was employed at the time. Three of the children are severely disabled, according to the Justice Department. One of his victims was just 6 years old when he started the abuse. He began recording the acts two years later. A restitution hearing is scheduled for March 10. Rodriguez sent the explicit images and video to two of his co-workers. In a separate trial, Azusa man Cyr Dino Banguguilan, 36, and 23-year-old Baldwin Park man Miguel Bocardo were found guilty of one count each of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, according to the Justice Departmentl Both co-workers are scheduled for a February 24 sentencing and face anywhere from five to 20 years in federal prison, according to the Justice Department. The investigation was spearheaded by the Homeland Security Investigations as part of the Los Angeles Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assisting were the United States Postal Inspection Service, FBI, Baldwin Park Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Pomona Police Department and Burbank Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Scott M. Lara and Catharine A. Richmond of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor BALDWIN PARK – California Highway Patrol investigators served search warrants on multiple social media sites, which opened a virtual treasure trove into prosecuting participants of a dangerous “sideshow” event in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Investigators ultimately recommended 77 felony and misdemeanor charges against numerous suspects, including organizers, drivers, photographers and spectators. Arrest warrants were filed against them, according to the CHP Baldwin Park Office. The “sideshow” event took place in mid-2021 in the mountains above Azusa. Investigators pored over 19,000 pages of conversations for 11 months after serving five search warrants on various social media sites, according to the CHP. “Sideshow activities are dangerous, illegal, and will not be tolerated! Instead of risking it all by participating in illegal activities, make the safer choice and visit a local race track,” the CHP said in a written statement. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A 74-year-old cyclist died of natural causes while riding a bicycle on Highway 39 above Azusa July 28.
Initially, the California Highway Patrol reported a collision with a vehicle resulted in the death of Stephen Naftilan. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner revealed he died from acute cardian dysfunction. Naftilan crashed while cycling at 10 a.m. at mile marker 24.10. In a follow-up inquiry, Rodrigo Jimenez of the CHP Baldwin Park Office reported Naftilan "was unable to keep his bicycle upright and the right side of Mr. Doe's bicycle crashed into the asphalt roadway. A passerby and another bicyclist who observed the crash, responded to Mr. Doe and observed he was unresponsive." CPR was administered until Los Angeles County Firefighters arrived. CPR was continued until Naftilan was pronounced dead at 10:52 a.m. Highway 39 from East Fork Road to Roxspring Way was closed until 5:43 p.m. for the investigation. Alcohol and drugs are not considered factors in Naftilan's death, Jimenez said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A bicyclist reportedly died in a collision on Highway 39 in the Azusa foothills Thursday morning.
Los Angeles County fire fighters and the California Highway Patrol were called to Highway 39 south of East Fork Road around 10:16 a.m. July 28. Few details are available at the time this post was launched. It is unclear how many bicyclists or vehicles were involved, according to Officer Kendricks of the California Highway Patrol. Firefighters arrived on scene and met with someone who was performing CPR on an injured person, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs. Northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 39 between rocks Springs Way in Azusa to East Fork Road are closed for at least three more hours for an investigation, the CHP said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS – A 69-year-old man reported missing by the Chino Police Department April 13 was found dead in a crashed vehicle one day later.
Michael Bell died from traumatic blunt force to the head and suffered neck trauma. His death was ruled accidental, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Bell was last seen in Ontario driving a white Acura MDX. Authorities tracked his cell phone, which last gave a location somewhere north of Azusa along Highway 39, according to the Chino Police Department. April 14, firefighters and the California Highway Patrol were called by a passerby around 12:45 p.m. to a vehicle discovered over the side of Highway 39 south of Robbs Gulch near mile marker 23.20. Bell died at the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol. Bell was driving north on Highway 39 at an unknown speed. For undetermined reasons, Bell’s Acura veered off the roadway and crashed down an dirt and rock embankment, according to the California Highway Patrol. Bell suffered from undisclosed medical issues and may have been disoriented, according to the Chino Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor UPDATE, 9:28 p.m.: All six aboard the crashed Sheriff’s helicopter are in stable condition, authorities said Saturday night.
Aerial footage from a broadcast news helicopter showed three crew members walking into Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center after being taken by a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter. Aboard the copter were two pilots, three medics and a doctor from UCLA. MOUNTAINS - A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s helicopter crashed in the San Gabriel Mountains injuring the crew aboard Saturday afternoon. The crashed helicopter still poses a fire risk and firefighters have asked all other personnel near the copter to get back, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s radio traffic. The helicopter crashed near Highway 39 and East Fork Road. All five crew members were extricated from the crashed helicopter. There was one critical patient, Two with moderate injuries and two with minor injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Firefighters were dispatched to the crash around 4:26 p.m. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS – Roughly three acres of brush burned in the mountains above Glendora just south of the San Gabriel Reservoir April 28.
The U.S. Forest Service, aided by Los Angeles County Firefighters, extinguished the baby blaze along San Gabriel Canyon Road near mile marker 21.67. County firefighters were dispatched around 11:19 p.m. The fire slowly crept downhill as crews from the ground and from the air worked to douse it. No structures were threatened. The cause is under investigation. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Three people were injured and one needed to be pulled from a car that crashed down an embankment and overturned in the mountains above Azusa Saturday.
The occupant was estimated to have been trapped in the overturned car for as long as an hour before first responders arrived to San Gabriel Canyon Road at mile marker 20.22 around 9:19 a.m. Two other occupants were able to self-extricate, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department radio traffic. First responders found the car at least 100 feet over the side on flat terrain. A battalion chief at the scene initially requested a Hospital Emergency Response Team from County/USC Medical Center to be flown in, but the trapped occupant was freed and the HERT Team was no longer needed. The two occupants who self-extricated received minor injuries, according to firefighter radio traffic. By 10:31 a.m., the occupant was airlifted from the scene and was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center for treatment. The extent of injuries was not immediately known. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION – The man police accuse of setting the Ranch 2 Fire appeared in court September 11. Osmin Palencia, 36, pleaded not guilty to one felony count each of arson during a state of emergency and arson of a structure or forest, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Police accuse Palencia of intentionally starting a fire that grew to burn 4,237 acres. The blaze, dubbed the Ranch 2 Fire, was reported to authorities around 2:53 p.m. August 13. Azusa Police allege Palencia ignited the fire during an argument. He is apparently a homeless man who lives in a tent near where the fire started at San Gabriel Canyon Road and Ranch Road.
The case against Palencia also includes allegations that he was previously convicted of dissuading a witness in 2015, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Palencia faces a possible maximum of 23 years in state prison if convicted as charged. Palencia is scheduled to return to court December 9. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Unstable, humid air from Tropical Storm Genevieve may create flash flood hazards as firefighters make gains on the Ranch 2 Fire containment Sunday.
All flanks of the fire remain stable and acreage did not increase overnight. The fire has scorched 4,237 acres and is 63 percent contained, according to the US Forest Service. While the chance of rain in the fire area is only 10 percent, crews remain vigilant as heavy rain may impact trails, access roads and communities below the mountains, the US Forest Service said. Crews continue to work the rugged mountain terrain, seeking out pockets of heat. The western edge of the fire remains a challenge, with persistent heat generated by the weather and the terrain making containment difficult. 412 personnel remain on scene, along with four water tenders, one fixed-wing aircraft, seven engines, four hand crews and three helicopters, according to the US Forest Service. |
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