By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left to right:  Leonard Trinh, Nadia Keilani and Sherry Thompson-Taylor

March 15, 2022 (San Diego) – Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed three San Diego Superior Court judges to fill vacancies created by retirements. 

East County News Service

March 15, 2022 (Spring Valley) – The Sheriff’s Rancho San Diego station will host a coffee with the community on Wednesday, March 16 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Spring Valley Community Center at 8735 Jamacha Blvd., Spring Valley.

Source: Rancho San Diego Sheriff substation

March 10, 2022 (Spring Valley) -- Take a good look at this sketch.  The man you see here is suspected of approaching a student and demanding she get in his car while she was walking to school in the Casa de Oro area of Spring Valley.

By Miriam Raftery

March 5, 2022 (Spring Valley) – State Route 94 is shut down this morning for investigation of a car-to-car shooting that injured a woman who was driving a white Ford Edge. She was traveling west on 94 just east of Kenwood Drive, along with two male passengers, at 5:40 a.m. when an unknown vehicle pulled p behind and opened fire.

“Several of the rounds penetrated the vehicle and the female driver was struck.  This caused driver of the Ford to veer to the left and crash into the center median,” says Officer Travis Garrow with the California Highway Patrol. “The unknown vehicle fled the scene westbound on State Route 94.”

Source:  San Diego County Sheriff

March 3, 2022 (Spring Valley) - Detectives from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station are releasing sketches of the men believed to be involved in at least one of two child luring incidents in Spring Valley.

March 2, 2022 (Spring Valley) -- Detectives from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station want the public's help in identifying and locating a man accused of trying to lure children into his black vehicle near a school in Spring Valley.

One of the children also told detectives the car may have tinted windows and a scratch on the rear bumper.Between February 17 and February 28, there have been at least two incidents of a man attempting to lure children into his car. The children told detectives the person who followed them is a black man between 30 and 40 years old driving a black car, possibly a Dodge Challenger or Charger. 

The children also told detectives the driver had a passenger whom they describe as a white man between 30 and 40 years old. 

Pilot program starts at Las Colinas

Source:  San Diego County Sheriff's Department

March 1, 2022 (San Diego) - Sheriff's Deputies are now using body cameras at Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee. The first body cameras were deployed on Friday, February 25.

Source: County News Service

Photo: close-up of 38 caliber revolver handgun with safety trigger lock.

February 25, 2022 (San Diego) – Starting today, a new County of San Diego ordinance requiring that all guns be safely stored takes effect. It requires all guns in homes or structures near a home to either be secured with a trigger lock or be locked away in a container.

East County News Service

February 21, 2022 (San Diego) –The California Highway Patrol is looking for a grey sedan involved in a “road rage” incident reported at 3:27 p.m. today on the I-805 southbound ramp to 43rd Street in the Mountain View area.  

The grey sedan had a female driver and a male passenger, who fired three shots into a Toyota 4Runner, striking the Toyota’s male driver in the thigh.  The victim was transported to a hospital with non-critical injuries.

By Miriam Raftery

Image: CC via Bing

February 18, 2022 (San Diego) – After revelations that San Francisco police used DNA collected from rape kits to charge a rape victim with a property crime, San Francisco’s District Attorney Chesa Boudin dismissed the charges and called the police actions a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.

So East County Magazine asked the San Diego Sheriff department whether it has submitted rape victims’ DNA collected at hospitals to a database that could be used to link rape victims to other crimes.

Within hours of our request, Lieutenant Amber Baggs, the Sheriff’s Media Relations Director, sent this response:  “No we do NOT do this.  I read the article as well and checked with our Crime Lab Director. We do not match victim's DNA to other crimes. Thank you for asking so this can be clarified.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via ECM news partner 10 News

February 17, 2022 (El Cajon) – A vehicle theft suspect armed with a knife was shot by San Diego Sheriff’s deputies and injured last night in El Cajon. 

A detective from National City Police Department assigned to the Regional Auto Theft Task Force also sustained a minor gunshot wound.

Updated Feb. 15 with additional comments from Jennifer Mendoza.

By Miriam Raftery

February 14, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Thieves broke into the church and  food pantry at St. John’s of the Cross Church at 8086 Broadway in Lemon Grove on February 8 around 3 a.m., vandalizing the property and stealing foods used to feed people in need, according to Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza, who manages the church's food pantry.

Councilmember Mendoza says, "We’re at the food pantry every Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. till noon. Any donations are much appreciated."

According to Mendoza, two of the perpetrators have been arrested. "The sheriff thinks there may be more. They don't think they were after food but were looking for electronic equipment like TVs, computers, speakers etc. or money. They also broke into the church...They caused a lof of damage to the church and pantry. We need to fix broken windows and doors, replace locks, etc.  We are also thinking we now need a security system."

By Miriam Raftery

February 14, 2022 (San Diego) – Less than two weeks after the resignation of Sheriff Bill Gore, Acting Sheriff Kelly Martinez has approved a process for trained Citizen's Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) staff to respond to death scenes in county jails as well as deputy-involved shootings that result in a fatality or where death is likely.

East County News Service

February 11, 2022 (San Diego) – Doyle Nyles Marler, 63, has died while in custody of a hospital guard unit while awaiting palliative care for a terminal illness.

Marler, was arrested on May 2, 2020 and charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Two months later, on July 24, 2020, he was committed to Patton State Hospital but never sent there, due to COVID-19 restrictions at the hospital. 

East County News Service

February 8, 2022 (San Diego) -- On February 25, Commander Theresa Adams-Hydar will be appointed to the position of Assistant Sheriff of the Detention Services Bureau, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department announced in a media release.