Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor WHITTIER – A police presence will be felt at Dexter Middle today after a threat of violence surfaced on social media.
A student allegedly threatened to show up to Dexter Middle School, 11532 Floral Dr., with a handgun. Phone calls came into the Whittier Police Department starting at 9 p.m. December 12, according to the Whittier Police Department. Officers located and spoke to the student and his parents. “Upon concluding this in-depth investigation, it was determined that the student did not have access to any firearms. The school has been notified, and we will also have an officer standing by at Dexter School tomorrow,” according to the Whittier Police Department in a written statement. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - US Forest Service personnel notified deputies of a dead body discovered along Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountains Thursday morning, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s sergeant said.
The body was found off the side of the road along mile marker 21. The body is listed as a John Doe, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Law enforcement was called to the scene around 9:30 a.m. Homicide detectives were called to investigate. Initially, detectives believe this to be a natural death, according to Sgt. Patrick Gadut of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. The coroner will determine cause of death. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION – Authorities continue to search for six men wanted in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking organization.
The six fugitives are among 13 others named in four separate indictments and charged with various offenses related to drugs and weapons. The crimes were carried out in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Harbor Division, according to the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. Pomona man Hector Yair Sanchez, 25, is among the six fugitives charged in Operation “Wipe Out,” initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force in 2020. Four indictments were unsealed November 16. From April to July 2021, undercover officers conducted numerous operations that helped identify the 13 suspects from California and Arizona. Officers seized 250 pounds of methamphetamine, one pound of fentanyl, six handguns and one rifle, according to the FBI. Arrested were: Adrian Abasolo, 26, from San Diego Alejandro Mendoza, 45, from Los Angeles Hector Valentin, 28, from Long Beach Rodolfo Ulyses, 61, from Bullhead City, Arizona Juan Antonio Aguilar-Bravo, 45, from Calexico Gabriela Contreras, 42, from Gardena Marisela Sanchez, 43, from Wilmington Those arrested were scheduled for initial court appearances Tuesday in the nearest federal district court to where the arrests occurred. Still sought are: Hector Yair Sanchez, 25, from Pomona Christian Garcia, 29, from Long Beach Jorge Luis Perez Sandoval, 36, from Victorville Luis Fernando Verdugo, 25, from Pacoima Alexander Guerrero, 42, from Los Angeles Oscar Humberto Gallegos, 35, from San Diego Among the charges are: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of firearm and ammunition; conspiracy; unlawful sale, transport, and transfer of a firearm by an unlicensed dealer; conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine; and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, according to the FBI. If convicted as charged, the suspects face a range of statutory maximum sentences ranging from five years to life in prison, according to the FBI. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES – Four men are slated to appear in court this month on a one-count indictment in which they are accused of conspiring to launder proceeds of wire fraud that were stored on Target gift cards.
Chinese nationals Bowen Hu, a 26-year-old Hacienda Heights man, and Tairan Shi, a 27-year-old Diamond Bar man, were arrested September 28, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. citizen and 33-year-old El Monte man Blade Bai and Chinese national Yan Fu, a 58-year-old Chino Hills man, were previously issued a summons to appear in federal court after having been arrested November 17, 2020. Bai pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering having been named in a criminal information filing. All four men are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. “The indictment alleges that Bai, Hu and Shi obtained more than 5,000 gift cards from a group that called itself the “Magic Lamp” and sold gift card information via an online messenger application,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement. Investigators estimate the four men laundered more than $2.5 million in gift cards from June 2019 to November 2020. The four men often targeted, no pun intended, older adults across the U.S. and induced them to purchase the gift cards based on various fraud schemes, including posing as government officials demanding the purchase of gift cards to resolve an issue; and tech support scams, in which victims pay a substantial amount through gift cards to fix a computer issue, or be granted account access, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Bai, Hu and Shi oversaw the distribution of the gift cards to “runners,” whom included Fu. The cards were used primarily on Los Angeles and Orange counties to buy electronics, more gift cards and other items, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Bai, Hu and Shi obtained gift card numbers from the Magic Lamp, often the same day the victims purchased the cards, and Fu travelled to up to 17 Target stores in a single day to buy the merchandise. Bai resold the merchandise and used some of the cash to pay the Magic Lamp, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “This case offers an important reminder to consumers that gift cards are for presents to friends and loved ones – they should never be used for payments to any government or corporate entity,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison in a written statement. “Don’t be fooled by callers claiming to be with a government agency, a bank or any other institution demanding that you purchase gift cards. There is no reason to purchase a gift card to resolve a problem with an account, your Social Security number or a supposed criminal case,” Wilkison added. All four men face a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted as charged. This case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. Countless other local agencies across the U.S. assisted with the investigation, including the Brea Police Department, Fontana Police Department and Gardena Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A man admitted Friday to supplying drugs that ultimately killed a woman who ingested them.
Edwin Oliva, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing Fentanyl resulting in death and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Oliva admitted in a plea agreement to providing several lines of a drug for his victim to snort and he neglected to tell her that the drug was Fentany, which he was aware of. “Oliva did not call 911 or otherwise seek medical care for the victim until nearly six hours after texting a friend that the victim was not breathing,” the US District Attorney’s Office. In that nearly six hours, Oliva cleaned his apartment by removing the fentanyl and other drug trafficking evidence, which was put in the trunk of his significant other’s car and driven away from the apartment in attempt to hide it, the US District Attorney’s Office. After serving a search warrant, Montebello officers on the car and located 1.9 kilograms of heroin, 21 grams of fentanyl, 1.4 kilograms of marijuana, 0.4 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a loaded .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, a blue flip phone he used to conduct drug transactions and a notebook he used as a pay/owe ledger, the US District Attorney’s Office said. Oliva has been in federal custody since March 2019. After being taken into custody that month, Oliva ordered his significant other to destroy evidence and to tell authorities that the blue flip phone was a toy for their children. Oliva is scheduled to be sentenced January 7, 2022 and faces a statutory maximum of life in prison. The fentanyl distribution charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The heroin possession charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A 62-year-old bicyclist died along Angeles Crest Highway above La Cañada Flintridge Saturday morning, the California Highway Patrol said.
Initially, officers believed that the bicyclist along the northbound lanes of Angeles Crest Highway at mile marker 27.55 died from some medical emergency, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs. Officers responded to the scene around 8:19 a.m. July 17. They requested that all northbound lanes be shut down while firefighters performed CPR to revive the bicyclist, but he died at the scene, according to CHP traffic logs. The bicyclist was identified as Steve Gerdes, a Glendale resident, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. 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. LOS ANGELES - A $10,000 reward will be announced Friday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of a man in the San Gabriel Mountains March 25. San Dimas Sheriff’s Station Captain Walid Ashrafnia will be flanked by Homicide Bureau personnel, Sheriff Alex Villanueva and a representative of Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Kathryn Barger to discuss the shooting death of Gerald Purdue. Described as an avid hiker, 63-year-old Gerald “Myles” Perdue was found dead along Mt. Baldy Road near mile marker 3.09. Deputies were notified at 1:45 p.m. An overview of a coroner report noted Perdue died on a hiking trail, the victim of a gunshot wound to the chest. “Deputies from San Dimas Station responded to the location regarding an unresponsive male who was found in a culvert about 60 yards off the road. Upon their arrival, deputies located the victim, a male White in his 60’s who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso and pronounced deceased,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau in a previous statement. Purdue’s vehicle was located at the scene. Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously 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 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Described as cold, tired, but otherwise uninjured, a 45-year-old hiker was plucked off the mountainside in the rugged terrain far above the San Gabriel Valley Tuesday.
The hiker, identified as Rene Compean, was found around 3:45 p.m., south of Mt. Waterman near an area described as Twin Peaks East and Triplet Rocks. Tactical medics from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau hoisted Compean and dropped him off at the Chilao Campgrounds. Compean was reported missing by a friend at 6 p.m. Monday, April 12. Compean messaged his friend and said that he was lost and his cell phone battery was dying. Earlier in the hike, compean sent a text message showing where he had been hiking. Rescuers with multiple search and rescue teams sat out overnight Monday and throughout Tuesday to try and find a hiker. “Unfortunately, Rene did not have his "location" on for his phone, so team members were unable to get his location code from the photo. We were able to send the photo out to the media and on social media platforms hoping someone would recognize the area in the photo and call us to help,” According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Using that photo, deputies enlisted public help possibly identify the locale were Compean was possibly stranded. With a stroke of luck, a ham radio operator was able to surmise several possible locations were Compean could have been stranded, aiding rescuers. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor VERNON - Investigators helped recover a stolen military Humvee that was taken from a National Guard Armory in Bell.
A community tip overnight, in addition to information developed by the FBI, helped lead to the abandoned $120,000 Humvee found under a freeway overpass near South Downey Road and Bandini Boulevard in Vernon January 20, according to Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “The vehicle was processed for evidence by our Evidence Response Team and returned to the custody of the military,” Eimiller told SGV CityWatch. The FBI, Los Angeles Police Major Crimea Task Force and military police arrived to the scene around 6 a.m., according to Vernon Police radio traffic. The Humvee was reported stolen January 15 from the armory around 8:15 a.m. The vehicle was upgraded to combat-ready and had received upgrades, the FBI said. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person, or group responsible for the theft. Anyone who can help identify the suspect is urged to call 310-477-6565. |
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