By Robert Gehr

November 30, 2024 (El Cajon) – A man was taken into custody for smashing windows on an MTS bus on November 26 around 6:30 a.m. He was transported by American Medical Response to a hospital.

East County News Service

November 27, 2024 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Yesterday, sexually violent predator Merle Wakefield was conditionally released from Coalinga State Hospital as a transient.  He has been temporarily placed at a home at 42920 Desert Rose Ranch in Jacumba Hot Springs.

He will have 24-hour supervision by Liberty Healthcare,  a private company contracted by the state. There are several conditions for his release, including that Liberty Healthcare will provide a security employee to accompany Wakefield on a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week basis.

East County News Service

November 27, 2024 (San Diego) – The suspect in a 1991 Emerald Hills murder investigated by San Diego Police Department was extradited from El Salvador and booked into the Sheriff’s custody on Sept. 23.  On November 15,  while incarcerated at the George Bailey Detention facility, he developed shortness of breath and was transported to a hospital, where he was treated in the intensive care unit.

Yesterday morning, Sheriff’s homicide investigators were notified that the man passed away at the hospital. His name has not yet been released while authorities try to locate and notify his family.

Source:  San Diego Sheriff's Department

November 22, 2024 (Alpine) - On Thursday, November 21, around 5:30 p.m., the San Diego County Sheriff's Office was notified by the administration of Shadow Hills Elementary School in Alpine about threats made by two students against a group of students and teachers.

East County News Service

November 21, 2024 (El Cajon) – A 70-year-old man using a walker was struck and  killed on November 19 shortly after 6 p.m.  According to police, the victim was jaywalking across Jamacha Blvd. near Pointe Parkway when he was struck by the SUV.  The pedestrian died at the scene.

By Miriam Raftery

File photo: San Diego Sheriff’s Department

November 17, 2024 (Spring Valley) – Seven sheriff’s deputies opened fire on an armed man who fired shots in the backyard of a home on Leland Street in Spring Valley on Friday evening, ECM news partner 10 News reports.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, law enforcement indicated that a woman called report that her boyfriend, armed with a gun, had entered the home and was acting in an erratic manner with four children present. She told authorities that he had mental health issues and was under the influence.

East County News Service

November 13, 2024 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Grand Jury is accepting applications for grand jurors now through January 10, 2025.  The Grand Jury investigates citizens’ complaints and serves as a watchdog over government agencies, but does not conduct criminal investigations.

Source:  San Diego County Sheriff

November 8, 2024 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office has unveiled its plan to install more ALPR cameras in unincorporated areas of San Diego County during a presentation Oct. 22 to the Board of Supervisors. The presentation outlined the proposal to potentially install about 60 new ALPR cameras in key communities, including Alpine, Borrego Springs, Campo, Fallbrook, Julian, Lakeside, Ramona, Rancho San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch, Spring Valley and Valley Center.

East County News Service

October 22, 2024 (Spring Valley) -- A juvenile has been arrested on suspicion of threatening another student and bringing a replica firearm (BB gun) to an East County magnet school yesterday.

By Rachel Williams

October 17, 2024 (El Cajon) — In the seam of Benedict Ave’s 800 block at around 9:15 p.m. on Oct. 5, a chilly Saturday night two weekends ago, El Cajon police officers responded to a 911 call reporting the stabbing of a 71-year-old man, Steven Barron, who suffered a wound to his torso. He was quickly transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. 

Photo:  This panel of local peer support specialists spoke about their jobs and training at a job fair.

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

September 23, 2024 (San Diego) -- San Diego County recently teamed up with the San Diego Workforce Partnership to hold a job fair for people who have a history of incarceration.

Serving time in jail, drug or alcohol use or mental health challenges may not sound like something that a job applicant would highlight. But in the peer support field, that background is called lived experience and is considered an asset, when paired with specialized training to help people who struggle with similar challenges.

By Miriam Raftery

September 21, 2024 (San Diego) – San Diego County’s Sheriff’s department has been under scrutiny for years over its high rate of jail deaths. Despite numerous reforms implemented by Sheriff Kelly Martinez that have reduced the overall number of prisoner deaths, yet another shocking death has sparked a lawsuit against the County—this time, a diabetic man who pleaded for insulin, as did fellow inmates on his behalf. His empty insulin pump beeped for nearly 24 hours before the man was found dead in his jail cell.

Keith Galen Bach, 62, of Chula Vista died in San Diego’s Central Jail a year ago, on Sept. 28. He was arrested Sept. 25 on charges of vandalism and making criminal threats. He was hospitalized briefly due to diabetic-related illness before being jailed; at the time of his arrest he had informed staff he would run out of insulin the next day, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

By Miriam Raftery

September 20, 2024 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police are seeking tips to identify the killer of a homeless woman, 52, last night. Officers responded to a 9-1-1 call at 10:33 p.m. reporting an  unconscious woman with a serious head injury inside a solo encampment in the 8000 block of High Street in La Mesa. 

“Responding officers found the female and sought to render first aid, but unfortunately the victim was deceased,” says Sergeant Jose Gaytan.  A white male adult with a beard was seen leaving the area a few hours prior to the initial call and is a person of interest, but there is no further description.

“Initial information gathered by investigators revealed the victim, a 62-year-old white female known to be homeless in the La Mesa area, was inside her encampment when the attack occurred. Evidence at the scene indicates that the attack likely occurred within hours of the victim being discovered," Sgt. Gaytan says.

East County News Service

September 20, 2024 (San Diego's East County) --  Motorists should expect a delay traveling on eastbound Interstate 8 (i-8) Saturday, September 21 between 7:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. from Interstate805 to Greenfield Drive in El Cajon for the Funeral Procession of San Diego Police Officer Austin Machitar, who died of injuries sustained when a suspect crashed into his patrol vehicle during a chase. The procession will also affect the following ramps:

Eastbound I-8 at Interstate 15 (I-15)

Southbound I-15 to eastbound/westbound I-8

Northbound I-15 to eastbound I-8

Eastbound I-8 off-ramp to Mission Gorge Road/Fairmount Avenue

Southbound State Route 125 (SR-125) to eastbound I-8

Northbound SR-125 to eastbound I-8

Southbound State Route 67 to eastbound I-8

East County News Service

September 13, 2024 (Ramona) –Yesterday morning before 9 a.m., the Ramona Sheriff's Substation was notified by Olive Pierce Middle School about a threat of a possible school shooting. After an investigation, authorities have concluded the threat was unfounded.

Deputies arrived at the school within minutes. For the safety of students and staff, school administrators made the decision to place the school on a limited lockdown while deputies investigated the incident.    

After a thorough search of the entire campus, deputies did not find anything suspicious at Olive Pierce Middle School. No one was hurt.

Out of an abundance of caution, deputies also conducted security sweeps at Ramona High School and Ramona Community Montessori School and provided extra patrols at all three campuses until the end of the school day.