Update 6:45 p.m. - The fire destroyed one home and damaged a neighboring residence before fire officials were able to douse the blaze.  Authorities have not yet disclosed the fates of the homeowner and his wife, however the investigation has been turned over to the Homicide Unit.  Neighbors have told other media that the homeowner was despondent because he and his wife had lost their jobs, faced foreclosure, and because the wife had cancer.

January 1, 2010 (El Cajon)--The FBI and local law enforcement are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the man responsible for robbing the Wells Fargo Bank, 2366 Jamacha Road, El Cajon, on Monday, December 20th. The suspect entered the bank at around 3:05 p.m. carrying a black umbrella in his right hand to conceal the right side of his face. Once at the teller counter, the robber pulled out a demand note using his left hand.

January 1, 2011 (La Mesa) Updated 8 p.m.– Dana Lohner, 48, of La Mesa has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after she struck and killed Kelly McPherson, 53, a pedestrian from Mission Valley.  McPherson died at the scene.  

Lohner, who was driving a Ford Mustang was booked into the Las Colinas Jail.

December 30, 2010 (El Cajon)—An El Cajon man turned himself into the El Cajon Police Department around 11:30 a.m. today, stating that he was the driver of a hit and run vehicle. According to El Cajon Police Detective Tim Roberts, the driver is John Senati, 46, of El Cajon.

The collision occurred Monday evening in the 500 block of North Mollison Avenue when a vehicle struck and  injured a pedestrian who was crossing the roadway. The pedestrian remains hospitalized in critical condition.

December 22, 2010 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police are seeking a suspect who attacked a woman, 30, this evening in Aztec Park at 5400 Aztec Drive. The attack was reported at 6:19 p.m. The woman was walking her dog in the southeast area of the park when she was grabbed from behind and hit on the right side of her head.

DNA match found in cold case leads to conviction

December 20, 2010 – Jorge M. Gutierrez has been convicted of attempted murder for shooting Javier Carillo, over four years ago during an attempted robbery in Spring Valley. Carillo suffered serious injuries to his lower torso when he was shot in March 2006 in the 900 block of Harness Street in Spring Valley. The victim was in and out of the hospital for the next six months, but has since recovered.

December 20, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) – Josephine Mary Ring, 66, was taken into custody by Sheriff’s deputies last night after she called authorities to report that she had shot her son, Vincent Bonfiglio. Sheriff’s deputies found Ring outside the home and her son lying on the floor inside the home at 2214 Tina Street in the unincorporated area of El Cajon.  Paramedics were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

December 17, 2010 (Jamul)-Jamul Drive was shut down this afternoon after a passerby found a dead man at 1:45 p.m. The body , which had blood on its face, was lying face-down in the 14000 block of Jamul Drive. California Highway Patrol officers responded and determined that the death did not result from a traffic accident, then summoned Sheriff’s homicide detectives.

December 16, 2010 (San Diego) --The FBI and several local banks are offering a combined reward of $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the “Geezer Bandit.” 

The “Geezer Bandit” is believed to be responsible for robbing 12 banks since August 2009 throughout San Diego County, including East County, and most recently, in Bakersfield.

December 15, 2010 (San Diego)-- The FBI today announced the arrest of Sammy William Thomas,  27.  Thomas was taken into custody on December 8 by Agents and Officers from the FBI, San Diego Police Department, El Cajon Police Department and the California Department of Corrections. 

He is charged with nine bank robberies, including several banks in East County.

December 13, 2010 (San Diego) – Hundreds gathered in front of Michel David’s College-area apartment Saturday night at a candlelight to remember the slain student after David was identified as the victim in a murder-suicide that occurred on Friday. David, 22, was a senior at SDSU. Her former boyfriend, Daniel Shoemake, is believed to have murdered David with an assault rifle before killing himself with a handgun.

“She was just an angel. She always had a positive outlook on life,” April Hernandez, aho traveled to Costa Rica with David in a study-abroad program, told ECM News partner 10 News.

December 9, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego Police arrested Jorge Pando, 22, for impersonating a police officer. According to Sgt. Ray Battrick, Pando had been drinking at Vallartas Bar at 4125 El Cajon Blvd. around 1 a.m. when he told a woman that he was a police officer and insisted that she had to give him personal information. She refused, telling him her boyfriend was present, and Pando then flashed a badge twice.