By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  A Probation Officer administers a test that checks for alcohol on an offender.

November 1, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Probation Department will use a half-million dollar grant to keep high-risk DUI offenders from getting behind the wheel again.

Nationally, nearly one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of drunk driving are repeat offenders and 50 to 75 percent of convicted drivers continue to drive on a suspended license, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

East County News Service

October 29, 2017 (Otay Mesa) – A hiker found the body of a man near Upper Otay Lake Sunday morning, though authorities believe the person died at least a day earlier.  According to the Sheriff’s department, the body was discovered in the 12000 block of Proctor Valley Road.

The Sheriff’s Department is investigating the cause of death.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: the Hope Rally in El Cajon drew attention to domestic abuse

October 27, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Domestic abuse impacts over 16,000 victims a year in our region, scarring families and sometimes, claiming lives. The San Diego District Attorney’s Office has provided statistics on domestic violence incidents locally from 2012 through 2016.

By Miriam Raftery

October 26, 2017 (Spring Valley) – The AM/PM gas station at 9065 Campo Road was robbed at gunpoint yesterday at 5:29 p.m. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant Michael Hettinger, the suspect pointed a handgun at a cashier and a second employee, ordering them not to move. He took an undisclosed amount of money and is believed to have fled in a black Ford Explorer driven by an accomplice.

Source:  San Diego County Sheriff's Department

October 24, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - Looking to get rid of unwanted and expired prescription drugs?  The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department will collect and dispose of these medicines during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.  

Source: FBI

October 19, 2017 (San Diego) -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), announced today that 84 minors were recovered and 120 traffickers were arrested as part of Operation Cross Country XI, a nationwide effort focusing on underage human trafficking that ran from October 12-15, 2017. 

By Miriam Raftery

October 15, 2017 (Alpine) – Jack Wadel, 60, was arrested yesterday after the Alpine Sheriff’s department received calls that the suspect “reportedly was threatening to shoot people in the crowded library, and was pointing a toy gun at people,” says Sergeant Alex Navarro with the Sheriff’s department.

East County News Service

October 14, 2017 (Sacramento) -- Governor Jerry Brown has signed SB 625, legislation by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) that will reestablish the “honorable discharge” program for juvenile offenders who have completed supervision and have demonstrated an ability to be successful.

By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2017 (San Diego) – Carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer drug 5,000 times stronger than heroin, is turning up in street drugs marketed as opoid  narcotic painkillers such as Oxycodone, as well as in tainted heroin.  

The drug is so deadly that just a couple of granules the size of salt crystals will cause death, even with medical intervention, authorities warn. It’s turning up in street drugs locally and nationally, including drugs sold by dealers and on the Internet’s dark web—and deaths are skyrocketing as a result.

East County News Service

File photo: Sheriff SWAT officers

October 9, 2017 (Boulevard) – Brian Ellis, 34, was arrested around 11 p.m. last night for arson and assault with a deadly weapon following an overnight SWAT stand-off in Boulevard.

Deputies responded to a call reporting assault with a deadly weapon in the 38000 block of Tierra Real Road around 5:38 p.m..  According to San Diego Sheriff’s Sergeant William Hout, the suspect “had struck a female relative in the face with a baseball bat and injured a male relative with a sword.”

By Miriam Raftery

October 7, 2017 (San Diego) – Campus police at San Diego State University are asking for public help to identify a suspect accused of attacking a female student Sunday around 10:30 p.m. 

The victim told police she was walking in the 4900 block of Campanile Drive when a man threw water in her face, then wrestled her to the ground. She managed to fight off the assailant, who fled in a faded, dark blue car. The suspect was described as a Hispanic man, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 180 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He wore a dark, long-sleeve shirt and dark pants.

 Residents Eligible for Mental Health Treatment, Medical Expenses, Funeral and Burial and More

 The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) is encouraging residents impacted by the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on Sunday, October 1 in Las Vegas to contact them at 1-800-777- 9229 for assistance, guidance and aid.  

The massacre killed 58 people and injured over 500 victims.  San Diego attorney Jennifer Irvine was among those killed; several other San Diego County residents were injured, NBC 7 reports.

Help is available for survivors of those who were killed, anyone who was injured and those in attendance at the concert, as well as their immediate family members.

By Miriam Raftery

October 4, 2017 (La Mesa) -- The FBI has classified the San Diego area as a high intensity child prostitution area. San Diego ranks among the worst 13 cities for child prostitution, an 810-million-dollar criminal enterprise locally.

By Miriam Raftery

October 2, 2017 (La Mesa) – A La Mesa resident allegedly shot a man in the head at Glen and Mariposa Streets, near State Route 125 above Lemon Avenue elementary school Sunday afternoon around 4:45 p.m. The street is also close to La Mesa Village where the Oktoberfest was ongoing at the time.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: @TonyBland04 on Twitter

September 29, 2017 (San Diego) – Former San Diego State University assistant basketball coach Anthony “Tony” Bland helped propel the Aztecs to the NCAA tournament for all four years at SDSU from 2009 to 2013, before moving on to coach at the University of Southern California.  But this week, the U.S.  Attorney’s Office in New York’s southern district announced the arrest of four Division I Coaches including Bland and six others in a college basketball and corruption scheme.