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Region

High School Teacher in Monrovia Accused of Sexually Abusing Minor

9/6/2023

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Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A high school teacher employed in the Monrovia Unified School District was arrested Wednesday after an investigation into sexual contact with an underage female.

Chad Robert Miller, a 38-year-old Altadena resident, was arrested in Rancho Cucamonga and booked on suspicion of contact with a minor to commit a sex offense, sexual penetration of a minor and oral copulation of a minor, according to the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department.

Miller allegedly met with the 16-year-old girl on social media and corresponded with her over five months. He also allegedly met the girl and engaged in several illicit sex acts with her, according to the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department.

Miller is a teacher at Canyon Oaks Middle School and Mountain Park Independent Study School in Monrovia. The girl is not a Monrovia Unified student, according to Monrovia Unified authorities.

“The teacher was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation and is not allowed on a school campus at this time,” according to the Monrovia Unified School District in a written statement.

Investigators believe there are more victims. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Rancho Cucamonga Police Detective Bureau at 909-477-2893.

Miller is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail in the West Valley Detention. He is scheduled to appear in Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court September 8.
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Crews Search for Missing Hiker above Monrovia

7/18/2023

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Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

MOUNTAINS - A South Pasadena man who set out on a hike July 15 above Monrovia has not returned home, authorities said.

Colin Brian Walker, 53, was las seen on a Monrovia resident’s security camera in the 900 block of Ridgeside Drive heading to a hiking trail around 6:23 a.m. July 15. He has not been heard from since, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

Members of the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team and the Montrose Search and Rescue Team have been searching by ground. A helicopter has also searched the area.

Walker is white, stands 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds. He was last seen in a gray t-shirt, dark shorts, gray socks, brown boots, a brown hat, carried hiking sticks and a large green backpack.

Anyone with information on Walker’s whereabouts is urged to call the South Pasadena Police Department at 626-403-7297.
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​Bobcat Fire Grows Slightly as Firefighters Finally Gain Some Upper Hand

9/11/2020

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Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION – The stubborn Bobcat Fire tearing its way through the San Gabriel Mountains is 6 percent contained Friday, the U.S. Forest Service said.

26,368 acres have burned in the steep, rugged mountain terrain since the fire’s inception five days ago. 540 firefighters from surrounding agencies, assisted by helicopters and some fixed-wing aircraft, continue to focus work on the south and north flanks of the fire that continue to grow.

Firefighters achieved containment on the eastern flank where the Bobcat Fire ran into the burn scar etched by the Ranch 2 Fire, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Two air tankers were able to perform drops of fire retardant Thursday after dense smoke on the south flank above Monrovia lifted. A helicopter and two groups of camp crews were also sent to bolster fire lines there, the U.S. Forest Service said.
Overnight, two Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopters equipped with night vision were able to tend to flames on the south flank.

Winds continue to push the fire north towards Crystal Lake. Flames have reached the into the upper ridges near Angeles Crest Highway where fire retardant line have been laid by aircraft, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Ground crews will continue to patrol the foothill communities and conduct structure protection and triage efforts, the U.S. Forest Service said.

The City of Monrovia has established road blocks along planned evacuation routes and bolstered the areas with additional police patrols to push non-residents and unnecessary traffic out of the area, Monrovia city officials said.

Unnecessary vehicle traffic created what Monrovia officials considered public safety concerns and apparently even delayed fire trucks from being able to move from location to location, Monrovia city officials said.

Firefighters estimate the Bobcat Fire may be contained by October 15.
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Zero Containment: Bobcat Fire Chars Nearly 24,000 Acres, Burns Deeper Towards Crystal Lake

9/10/2020

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Written by AARON CASTREJON
​CityWatch Editor

REGION - Weather conditions and poor visibility are keeping firefighters from gaining an upper hand on the Bobcat Fire.

23,890 acres have burned in the parched and steep terrain of the San Gabriel Mountains since the fire’s inception four days ago. Firefighters have 0 percent containment, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

More than 530 firefighters continue to work on keeping the fire from spreading further south.

On the bright side, voluntary evacuation orders for Sierra Madre and Arcadia were lifted Thursday. However, Arcadia residents north of Foothill Boulevard and East of Pasadena remain under evacuation warnings.

Evacuation warnings remain in effect for Pasadena, Monrovia, Duarte, Bradbury and Duarte Mesa.

The Angeles National Forest remains closed for recreation.

Overnight, the Bobcat Fire jumped San Gabriel Canyon Road as it burned heavily northeast.

Angeles Crest Highway (State Route 2) is closed eastbound from Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road to Big Pines. San Gabriel Canyon Road (Highway 39) is closed at Old San Gabriel Canyon Road, according to Caltrans.

The fire has cast a morbid orange haze over the Southland as the smoke mixes with cloud cover. An unending drizzle of ash and dirt from the burn site continues to sprinkle over the urban landscape.

Burning up is mostly old-growth chaparral and tall grass in areas with little to no fire record.

Firefighters have no estimate on containing the fire.
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Bobcat Fire Burns Past 10,000 Acres as More Communities Consider Evacuations

9/9/2020

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Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - The stubborn Bobcat Fire surpassed 10,000 acres Tuesday.

So far, 10,344 acres have burned. Firefighters have yet to set any containment figures on the fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

A Red Flag warning, which went into effect at Noon Tuesday, remains in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 8 for the mountains and valleys of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Cities that could face great danger should Santa Ana winds drive the fire further south now include Pasadena and Altadena, in addition to Arcadia, Bradbury, Duarte, Monrovia and Sierra Madre.

Arcadia officials announced Tuesday night that residents north of Foothill Boulevard and east of Santa Anita Avenue should consider voluntarily evacuating.

“Although there is no immediate threat of fire to Arcadia residences at this time, predictive modeling of both the weather and the Bobcat Fire suggests that circumstances could become more concerning overnight,” Arcadia officials said in a written statement.

Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto has issued a Declaration of Local Emergency allowing for emergency provisions to be enacted in response to the fire.

The Red Cross has established a temporary evacuation point at Santa Anita Park, 285 W. Huntington Dr., Gate 5, in Arcadia. It is now open for anyone affected by the Bobcat Fire.

COVID-19 safety measures are in place & Red Cross volunteers are ready to help evacuees into safe lodging, the Red Cross announced.

A hotline has been established at 626-574-5463 for the most current and up-to-date information regarding the fire’s impact on Arcadia.

Fire crews in Monrovia performed preventative work Tuesday, cleaning hazardous vegetation, per-treating areas and improving access points in the event flames reach foothill neighborhoods, according to Monrovia city officials.

Containment has been made even more laborious due to poor visibility and the treacherous terrain.

The Bobcat Fire is burning in steep terrain of the West Fork area of the San Gabriel drainage. Flames continue to move north into the wilderness and south towards Mt. Bliss.
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Russian National Arrested in Monrovia, Accused of Vegas Malware Plot

8/26/2020

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Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - The FBI announced the arrest of a Russian man who, along with co-conspirators, sought to release malware at a Las Vegas company in an effort to extract sensitive data and extort ransom money.

Egor Igorevich Kruichkov, 27, was charged in a complaint with one count of conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer. He was arrested August 22 at a Monrovia residence after FBI agents in Vegas learned of the suspect’s travel plans to Los Angeles, according to Laura Eimiller of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office.

He made an initial appearance in federal court August 24. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alexander F. MacKinnon ordered Kriuchkov detained pending trial.

The criminal complaint alleges from July 15, 2020, to August 22 Kruichkov and his co-conspirators sought to hire an employee of the unnamed company to infect the company’s network to steal the data.

“After the malware was introduced, Kriuchkov and his co-conspirators would extract data from the network and then threaten to make the information public, unless the company paid their ransom demand,” according to the Department of Justice in a written statement.

After entering the US with his passport and tourist visa, Kruichkov spoke with the employee multiple times to discuss the conspiracy and promised the employee $1 million upon successful deployment of the malware, the Department of Justice said.

Kruichkov drove from Reno Nevada to Los Angeles after being contacted by the FBI. He then asked an acquaintance to purchase an airline ticket for him to flee the country.

“Agents located his vehicle at a residence in the city of Monrovia and he was taken into custody by agents with the assistance of officers with the Monrovia Police Department. Kriuchkov made an initial appearance in federal court on Monday and was remanded to federal custody pending trial,” Eimiller said.
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​Chantry Flats Fire Above Arcadia Stopped at Seven Acres

7/21/2020

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Written by AARON CASTREJON 
CityWatch Editor 

MOUNTAINS - Multiple agencies worked to suppress a brush fire that ignited in the mountains above Arcadia Monday.
Firefighters from the US Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Arcadia Fire Department, Monrovia Fire Department, Pasadena Fire Department, Sierra Madre Fire Department and Glendale Fire Department held the brush fire to seven acres.

The fire was first dispatched just before 12:30 p.m. July 20.

No structures were threatened.

Sierra Madre firefighters were first on scene, according to the Sierra Madre Fire Department.

There were a number of hikers in the area when the fire ignited near the restroom area at Chantry Flats. The hikers were asked to shelter in place during the fire fight, according to the US Forest Service.

The cause is under investigation.
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Not Guilty Plea for Monrovia Kidnapping Suspect Accused of Murdering Ex

10/13/2019

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Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - The man accused of capital murder in the slaying of his estranged girlfriend entered a plea October 10.

Robert Anthony Camou, 27, pleaded not guilty in the death of Amanda Custer, 31, who disappeared July 29. She was last seen being placed in the rear hatch of a Toyota Prius outside a Monrovia home. Blood was found inside the home.

Custer has not been seen or heard from since.
Camou faces a count of murder with a special circumstance allegation of killing a witness and an allegation that he was out on bail when he committed the crime. He is also charged with one felony count each of first-degree burglary, person present; injuring a girlfriend; and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. The charges also include one misdemeanor count of battery, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Deputy District Attorney Melanie Drew alleges while Camou was out on bail for a previous assault, Camou killed Custer on or around July 29.

Camou was out on bail connected to an April 22 assault in which Camou allegedly battered his girlfriend, strangled her and threatened her with a stun gun, Drew said. Custer fled to a nearby home where Camou chased her into and battered a male resident who tried to stop him.

If convicted as charged, Camou faces life in prison  without parole or death.
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​Detectives Still Seek Help in 2017 Slaying of Monrovia Teen

10/11/2019

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Written by AARON CASTREJON 
CityWatch Editor 

LOS ANGELES - Homicide detectives are again asking for public assistance in identifying the gunman who killed an 18-year-old in a friend’s garage.

Oscar Garcia, 18, was shot and killed in a garage in the 100 block of West Cypress Street April 22, 2017 by a still-unidentified shooter. A 17-year-old boy was also hit by gunfire, but survived. A teen girl escaped injury.

The gunman is a Hispanic male 20 to 25 years, stands 6 feet tall, has a medium build, light skin, has black hair and brown eyes.

A $20,000 rewards is offered to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
The three teens were in a detached garage when the gunman approached and stood at the doorway and pointed a gun at the teens. There was a brief verbal exchange and gunfire erupted.

The shooting was reportedly unprovoked.

Anyone with information on the gunman is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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​Man Charged With Murder of Missing Monrovia Woman

9/5/2019

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Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - The county DA slapped a capital murder charge against the domestic violence suspect who rapped about killing and burying his girlfriend.

Robert Anthony Camou, 27, faces one count of murder with a special circumstance allegation of killing a witness and an allegation that he was out on bail when he committed the crime, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The case against Camou, originally filed May 29, also charged him with one felony count each of first-degree burglary, person present; injuring a girlfriend; and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. The charges also include one misdemeanor count of battery.
While investigators have searched for the missing 31-year-old Amanda Custer, Deputy District Attorney Melanie Drew alleges Custer was killed by Camou on or about July 29.

The May 29 charges stem from an incident when Camou allegedly strangled Custer and threatened her with a stun gun. Custer fled to a neighbor’s home where she was chased inside by Camou who also attacked the resident within for intervening.

If convicted as charged, Camou faces life in prison without parole. A decision to seek the death penalty will be made at a later date, Santiago said.

Custer’s body has yet to be found.
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