Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office formally charged a Pomona city council member with possessing child pornography and taking photos of girls at two elementary schools. Rubio Ramiro Gonzalez was charged with one felony count of possessing child pornography and four misdemeanor counts of annoying or molesting a child. He allegedly took the illicit photos while as a teacher in the Pomona Unified School District, according to Greg Risling of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The illicit photos were taken at Cortez and Arroyo Elementary schools, but the DA’s office did not state when the photos were taken.
Gonzalez also allegedly had child pornography stored in his email accounts, Risling said. Gonzalez, the 45-year-old who has served the city as District 1 council member since his election in 2016, was arrested at 11 a.m. May 21. He was booked at the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station and held in lieu of $100,000 bail until posting bond, according to Los Angeles County booking records. The County DA was the arresting agency, according to Los Angeles County booking records. According to Gonzalez’s city council bio, he is completing a teacher credential program and Master’s in Education at the University of La Verne. While earning his Bachelor of Arts in English at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Gonzalez worked as a Pomona Unified School District tutor. He reportedly was still employed at Pomona Unified at the time of his arrest. Gonzalez has also worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District, Chaffey Joint Unified School District, Montebello Unified School District, El Monte Union High School District, School of Arts and Enterprise in Pomona and districts in Texas. Gonzalez has also served community organizations, such as the Pony United Baseball League, Ganesha High School Site Council and Arroyo Elementary School Site Council. If convicted as charged, Gonzalez face as a possible maximum of seven years in custody. His arraignment is scheduled for August 28 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Rubio Gonzalez Was Arrested May 21. CLICK TO READ MORE Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor POMONA - City councilmember Rubio Ramiro Gonzalez was arrested Thursday on accusations of child annoyance or molestation and possession of child porn, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Gonzalez, the 45-year-old who has served the city as District 1 councilmember since his election in 2016, was arrested at 11 a.m. May 21. He was booked at the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station and held in lieu of $100,000 bail until posting bond, according to Los Angeles County booking records. The County DA was the arresting agency, according to Los Angeles County booking records. Charges have yet to be filed against Gonzalez, according to DA spokesman Greg Risling in a Los Angeles Times interview. According to Gonzalez’s city council bio, he is completing a teacher credential program and Master’s in Education at the University of La Verne. While earning his Bachelor of Arts in English at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Gonzalez worked as a Pomona Unified School District tutor. He reportedly was still employed at Pomona Unified at the time of his arrest. Gonzalez has also worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District, Chaffey Joint Unified School District, Montebello Unified School District, El Monte Union High School District, School of Arts and Enterprise in Pomona and districts in Texas. Gonzalez has also served community organizations, such as the Pony United Baseball League, Ganesha High School Site Council and Arroyo Elementary School Site Council. Gonzalez is scheduled to appear in Los Angeles Municipal Court May 26. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION – Two separate fires burned within an hour of each other Thursday, killing two in a Walnut home and killing one in a Pomona apartment complex.
Three firefighters were injured during a fire in a two-story, 2,500-square-foot home in the 600 block of Rocking Horse Road in Walnut. The fire was reported at 9:54 a.m. Two people inside the structure were removed and declared dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A total of 49 firefighters knocked down flames by 10:47 a.m. The three firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. One person was displaced by the house fire. A fire was reported in a first-floor unit of a two-story apartment complex in the 1100 block of East Franklin Avenue at 10:33 a.m. Smoke was seen by firefighters several blocks away. One person died in the Pomona fire that was knocked down by 11 a.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. One person was taken to a trauma center, another person was evaluated at the scene for minor injuries. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A Montebello resident was killed on a stretch of the I-10 freeway in Pomona Saturday after he exited his vehicle, the California Highway Patrol said. Christopher Gilpineda, 21, was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Gilpineda exited his 2017 Honda Civic around 11:25 p.m. after getting a flat tire in the No. 3 and 4 lanes on the westbound I-10 freeway just west of Kellogg Drive. A 2018 Honda Civic first struck Gilpineda’s car before striking him, according to the CHP.
Gilpineda died at the scene of multiple blunt force injuries, the county coroner said All westbound lanes at Kellogg Drive were closed, as well as the northbound and southbound 57 freeway and 71 freeway trans roads to the westbound I-10 freeway, according to the CHP. The Sig Alert ended just before 3 a.m. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A Pomona man was identified as a homicide victim found shot in a residential area.
Marvin Watkins, 57, was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. He was found dead on a sidewalk. Officers responded to Viewpoint Circle near Skyview Circle to investigate a gun fire call just before 7 p.m. March 23. Family members of the victim reported the shooting, Pomona Police said in a written statement. The Pomona Police department deemed the death a homicide, but the county coroner has yet to conduct an autopsy, according to public records. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to contact the Pomona Police Department at 909-620-2085. The Cause of the Shooting Has Not Been Shared. CLICK TO READ MORE Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A man convicted of making criminal threats, robbery and witness intimidation, among other crimes, was sentenced to prison Tuesday. John Holmes, 35, was sentenced to 37 years and 10 months in state prison. He was previously convicted on two counts of violating a domestic violence court order, three counts of child endangerment, two counts of robbery, four counts of witness intimidation, bringing narcotics into a jail and criminal threats, Pomona Police said. Holmes terrorized his victim and her children over a period of months starting back on July 21, 2019 when he assaulted his victim and fled the home, leaving three children unattended, Pomona Police said. After moving away, Holmes returned and forcefully robbed his victim of a cell phone, only to return a few hours later when he forcefully took a second phone. He returned to the area once more, but was arrested in a nearby alley.
Cocaine was discovered on Holmes’ person during the booking process, Pomona Police said, during which he threatened two Pomona jailers. “While Holmes was in-custody, he called the victim more than 100 times, threatening her not to go to court,” Pomona Police said in a written statement. Holmes also threatened the victim during the preliminary hearing process, telling her not to take the stand, Pomona Police said. Holmes was convicted on all counts against him. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - 70 federal, state and local agencies across the Golden State worked to put a dent in the human trafficking world, rescuing nearly 100 victims and making hundreds of arrests. Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, the annual operation targeting those who work in sex trafficking and their customers, netted 518 arrests, which included 266 sex buyers, 27 traffickers and 190 commercial sex workers. 87 victims were rescued, including 11 minors, according to the Pomona Police Department. The operation took place from Sunday, January 26 to Sunday, February 1, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Azusa Police, Pomona Police officers from the Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking Team and SETT liaisons arrested four women and three men during enforcement along the infamous Holt Avenue corridor February 1. The operation was coordinated during Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Jury members deliberated for two days, ultimately convicting a former Los Angeles Police officer in the murder of a man in Downtown Pomona. Henry Solis, 31, was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Salome Rodriguez. Solis faces 40 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The shooting took place March 13, 2015. Rodriguez walked past Solis as he stood outside a Pomona bar. Solis pursued Rodriguez and fatally shot him. Solis’ attorney tried to persuade the jury that Solis shot Rodriguez in self defense after being attacked.
Solis said in testimony that the shooting resulted from an arrest gone wrong and claimed he pursued Rodriguez who allegedly sexually assaulted Solis. Solis fled after the murder and took refuge in Mexico until his capture and extradition more than two months later. Solis is scheduled to be sentenced March 11. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Authorities across the country are investigating the overseas source of an emailed bomb threat Thursday. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Police Chief Dario Robinson revealed the campus received a similar threat. A Monrovia business also received the e-mailed threat. “UPD are in touch with local and fed authorities and are conducting sweeps of campus buildings as a precautionary measure,” Robinson said. “The campus remains open and finals will continue as scheduled.” WTC Consulting, 222 E. Huntington Dr., in Monrovia received an emailed threat around Noon Thursday. The business was evacuated as a precaution and nearby businesses were evacuated, according to Monrovia officials.
The author of the e-mail said an explosive device was planted inside the targeted business. A supposed accomplice would detonate the device and wound anyone in the business unless $20,000 in Bitcoin was not delivered. Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The man and woman found shot to death in their Pomona home were identified Monday.
Vernon Jackson, 62, and Sandra Jackson, 59, were identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Vernon apparently shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself. Police discovered the dead couple while investigating a call for a welfare check in the 1400 block of West McKinley Avenue October 6. The couple suffered a single gunshot wound each, according to Sgt. Brian Hagerty of the Pomona Police Department. Police discovered the bodies around 11:20 a.m. |
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