 Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Investigators seek additional victims of a man accused of threatening at least one person and imprisoning at least one other near a Mt. Baldy hiking trail. Patrick Michael Flynn, 66, was arrested May 16 in the latest incident, charged with false imprisonment by violence, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records. The majority of incidents allegedly perpetrated by Flynn occurred January 12. He was charged with five counts of making criminal threats, and five special allegations of using a deadly weapon, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records. “Suspect Flinn is extremely dangerous, violent, and known to carry large knives on his person,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement. The alleged assaults occurred along the Barrett Stoddard Trail near Mt. Baldy. Flinn has already appeared in West Covina Superior Court May 20 and 21, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 2. He has pleaded not guilty. Detectives with the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station are seeking additional victims who may have been assaulted, attacked, harassed, and/or threatened. Any potential victims, or anyone with information on Flinn is urged to call San Dimas Station detectives at 909-450-2700. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org. ********** 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 REGION - An Azusa man is looking at a maximum of two years in prison, accused of slapping the rump of a male flight attendant. A federal grand indictment was returned May 1 against Dennis Wally Woodbury, 49, of Azusa. He is charged with one count of abusive sexual contact April 13 on a JetBlue plane bound from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Los Angeles International AirPort, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The incident unfolded April 13. While the plane had yet to depart, Woodbury allegedly displayed inappropriate conduct with two male flight attendants. Woodbury allegedly showed one of the flight attendants a photograph of a dog. The picture contained pornographic imagery in the background. Woodbury later told one of the flight attendants that he should go on a cruise with him then made a crude hand gesture, according to the Department of Justice. Just after meal service and while the plane was still in the air, the second flight attendant collected passengers’ meal trays and walked past Woodbury. Woodbury, who had been drinking heavily, then used his left hand to slap the victim’s buttocks. Woodbury then yelled that he loved him, according to the Department of Justice. “Later during the flight, the first flight attendant was in the plane’s front galley when Woodbury entered. Woodbury allegedly then pulled down his trousers and underwear, exposing his genitalia. The first flight attendant told Woodbury that his behavior was inappropriate,” according to the Department of Justice. When one of the male flight attendants denied the already-soused Woodbury’s request for wine, Woodbury again pulled down his trousers and underwear. The flight attendant said, “Enough, go back to your seat,” according to the Department of Justice. Woodbury is a former California Highway Patrol captain who had been dismissed from state service. According to public payroll records, Woodbury recently served as a Riverside County CHP captain. Woodbury voluntarily surrendered his peace officer certification April 3, 2025, according to the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training. The database did not list reasons for the voluntary surrender. He also served as captain for the CHP Baldwin Park office in 2017. Woodbury was charged within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of two years in federal prison, according to the Department of Justice. Woodbury made his initial federal court appearance in April and is free on $50,000 bond. He is scheduled for arraignment May 12 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. ********** 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 RIVERSIDE - A former elementary school teacher who confessed to possessing hundreds of images of child sex abuse material was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison. Steven Pilar, 47, of Las Vegas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sunshine S. Sykes, who also ordered him to pay $115,000 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Pilar pleaded guilty in December 2024 to one count of possession of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since August 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Pilar downloaded images and 444 videos of child sex abuse material from the peer-to-peer file sharing service BitTorrent in April of 2020 to his then home in Victorville. After some time he deleted the material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “At the time of download and possession, Pilar knew these videos and images contained visual depictions of actual children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement. “Many of the videos and images that Pilar knowingly downloaded involved a pre-pubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age, sadistic and masochistic conduct, and sexual abuse and exploitation of an infant and toddler.” Pilar was arrested in April of 2020 on state charges, which were dropped so a federal case could be pursued.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor PICO RIVERA - No injuries were reported after a small tornado tore a brief path through Pico Rivera Thursday morning. The national weather service confirmed that their tornado touched down between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. March 13 in an area just west of the 605 freeway and Whittier Boulevard. Preliminary data shows wind speeds approached 85 mph. The length of the tornado lasted 1 mile with a duration of about two minutes. The width of the twister was 80 yards and caused exterior damage to homes, cars, and snapped multiple trees, according to the NWS. A storm survey team from the NWS is surveying damage.   Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor REGION - Widespread critical fire weather conditions are expected to hit SoCal late Tuesday into Thursday. Strong northeast Santa Ana winds and dry conditions are forcing authorities to issue a Red Flag warning, which will go into effect 4 a.m. Wednesday , November 6 until 6 p.m. Thursday for much of Los Angeles County, according to the National Weather Service. Wednesday will see potentially very high winds from 60 to 80 miles per hour in the Los Angeles County mountains and foothills and isolated wind gusts possibly reaching 100 miles per hour in some areas of the San Gabriels, according to the National Weather Service. In Los Angeles County valley areas, damaging gusts of 50 to 70 miles per hour are expected. Humidity levels from 8 to 15 percent are expected Wednesday and into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor REGION - Residents of Wrightwood and Pinion Hills are under evacuation orders as the unrelenting Bridge Fire continues to consume the San Gabriel Mountains and beyond. Wrightwood residents were ordered to evacuate earlier this evening, including residents of Lone Pine Canyon from Wrightwood to Highway 138 and Lone Pine Canyon Road south to the forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Pinion Hills from Wrightwood north to Highway 18 and Beekley Road west to Los Angeles County are also under mandatory evacuation. Highway 138 is closed from Lone Pine to Beekley Road due to evacuations. Highway 2 is closed from Big Pine to Highway 138, according to Caltrans. At 7:30 p.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for the communities of San Antonio Heights and Upland from the Foothills down to the 23rd Street. Specific areas of the cities of San Dimas, La Verne and Claremont are now under evacuation warnings: San Dimas (E-003-A): North of Sycamore Flats Motorway, south of Johnstone Peak Truck Trail, east of Blue Bird Road, west of Lodi Lateral Mtwy, North San Dimas Canyon Road La Verne (LVN-E001): North of Golden Hills Road, south of San Dimas Canyon Road, east of Charmont Road, west of Sunset Ridge Truck Trail. (LVN-E002): North of Golden Hills Road, Vista De Oro, south of Sunset Peak Motorway , East of Sunset Peak Motorway, west of Stephens Ranch Road, Sunset Peak Motorway. Claremont (CLA-E003): north of Pomello Motorway, south of Cobal Canyon Motorway, Sunset Ridge Fire Road, Palmer Evie Motorway, west of Villa Padova, West Fork Palmer Motorway. (CLA-E-006-A): North of Mount Baldy Road, south of Potato Mountain, east of West Fork Palmer Motorway, west of Mt. Baldy Road. Video from KTLA 5 news showed insatiable flames destroying structures at Mountain High Resort. Video from KNBC 4 news showed what appeared to be a home well involved with fire at Mt. Baldy Village. The Bridge Fire, which ignited Sunday, September 8, has consumed 34,240 acres and remains without containment, according to the U.S. Forest Service. After finding some solace with a little overnight activity on September 9, fire crews had to deal with the mind-boggling exponential growth of the fire throughout Tuesday.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor DEATH VALLEY - A Duarte man suffered of what was described as heat exposure while hiking in the 119-degree heat of Death Valley August 1. Peter Hayes Robino, 57, endured a 1-mile round trip hike on the Natural Bridge Trail before crashing his vehicle while attempting to leave the area. Bystanders told park officials Robino was stumbling and spoke incoherently at the end of his hike, according to the National Park Service. The incident began around 3:50 p.m. Robino apparently refused the help of bystanders. Robino drove off a 20-foot embankment near a parking lot while attempting to leave. The vehicle rolled over and airbags deployed. Bystanders aided Robino out of the vehicle and to shade, but his breathing stopped around 4:10 p.m. just before park rangers arrived. EMTs attempted to revive Robino after moving him to an air-conditioned ambulance. He was declared dead at 4:42 p.m., according to the National Park Service. “An autopsy conducted by the Inyo County Coroner found that Robino died of hyperthermia. Symptoms of overheating can include confusion, irritability, and lack of coordination,” according to the National Park Service in a written statement. This is the second heat-related death this year, according to the National Park Service.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor REGION - A Red Flag warning is in effect with the threat of dry lightning, forecasters said. Wind and relative low humidity, coupled with the recent heatwaves that created rapidly drying fuels, have created and increased fire weather risk, according to the National Weather Service. The risk is highest this afternoon through Friday and closest to Los Angeles and Ventura counties. “Thunderstorms will be high-based, and produce little to no precipitation, with lightning strikes being capable of igniting fires…,” the NWS said. “While still a low certainty scenario in terms of frequency and aerial coverage of any dry lightning … a significant fire-weather risk will exist.” Strong and erratic outflow winds produced by the dry thunderstorms could produce locally gusting winds of 45 to 60 miles per hour. Areas potentially impacted are the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, western San Gabriel Mountains and the Highway 14 corridor, Santa Clarita Valley, Santa Barbara County interior mountains, southern Ventura County mountains, Interstate 5 corridor, western and eastern Antelope Valley foothills, and the Antelope Valley. The Red Flag Warning is set to expire at 8 p.m. August 2.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor REGION - Three San Gabriel Valley residents and a resident of Nevada were arrested Wednesday, accused of organizing what is described as a massive, complex fraud and money laundering scheme targeting seniors. In all, five people are facing charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and criminal forfeiture, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. More than 2,000 seniors across the country were conned out of more than $27 million from 2021 through June of 2024, according to the DOJ. Arrested are:
Gong was the first to be arrested, taken into custody April 9 on state charges. “The indictment said conspirators contacted victims through unsolicited pop-up ads, emails and phone calls designed to get victims to contact scam call centers in India. The conspirators used social engineering techniques to build trust with victims. “In many cases, the conspirators had victims install remote desktop software that the conspirators used to gain remote access to victims’ computers. After building trust with a victim based on fraudulent pretenses, the conspirators used technical support, government impersonation, bank impersonation and/or refund scams to induce victims to send money to other members of the conspiracy, including the five defendants charged in the indictment,” according to the DOJ. The victims sent wire transfers or mailed cash in express packages to specific locations in Southern California, Nevada and elsewhere. Fake names were provided, along with addresses to retail locations, including CVS pharmacies, where the packages were then picked up using fake identification, according to the DOJ. The cash was then laundered through cryptocurrency transactions to co-conspirators based in India. Investigating agencies include the FBI, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, US Attorney’s Office, San Diego Police Department, San Diego Elder Justice Task Force, Chino Police Department, Coronado Police Department, Carlsbad Police Department, Escondido Police Department, Glendora Police Department, Long Beach Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Firefighters have reassessed the burn area left behind by the fork fire that scorched wild land and steep terrain above La Verne and San Dimas. The Fork Fire has burned 301 acres and is now 70 percent contained, according to the US Forest Service. Highway 39 (San Gabriel Canyon Road) has reopened up to the Crystal Lake Campground. Both the Crystal Lake Campground and Coldbrook Campground are now open. East Fork Road remains closed from Highway 39 to Glendora Mountain Road and Glendora Ridge Road. The Fork Fire was first reported around 3:20 p.m. Friday, July 19 in the vicinity of the Bridge to Nowhere near Camp Bonita Prairie Forks Road. The fire burned chaparral in steep terrain in a north east direction towards the Sheep Mountain Wilderness area. Recreationists were evacuated shortly after the fire started, according to the U.S. Forest Service. More than 350 personnel worked to extinguish the fire, personnel from the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department, CalFire, the California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. |
Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed