East County News Service

December 8, 2016 (La Mesa) — Susan Pierce, 59, was shot in the back at her La Mesa home on Keeney Street on December 6th, shortly before 9:30 p.m.  Now Sheriff’s deputies and U.S. marshals have arrested a 17-year-old teenage girl, who is a relative of the victim.

East County News Service

December 4, 2016 (San Diego) – A man shot in the head last night around 11:35 p.m. on the north shoulder of State Route 94 near Euclid Avenue was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after arrival.

The identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of family. NBC News reports that San Diego Police have indicated that an altercation occurred alongside the freeway shortly before the shooting.

East County News Service

November 30, 2016 (El Cajon) – A settlement has been reached in the case of an El Cajon couple accused of keeping a housekeeper against her will as an indentured servant.

The victim, who asked to be identified by her initials, W.M., wanted to go home to Indonesia and did not want to go through the ordeal of confronting her alleged captors in court, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.  So prosecutors negotiated a plea deal.

By Miriam Raftery

November 25, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Proposition 64, approved by voters on November 9^th, not only legalized recreational marijuana for adults in California.  It also provides opportunity for reprieves to people arrested or convicted of certain pot-related crimes.

By Miriam Raftery

November 19, 2016 (El Cajon) — A man who prompted a SWAT standoff after firing shots and taking his 7-year-old son hostage last night is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.  According to Lieutenant Royal Bates, the child exited the residence in the 800 block of Grape Street unharmed shortly before the gunshot was heard.

East County News Service

November 16, 2016 (Alpine) -- Sheriff's Sexual Assault Detectives are investigating a sexual assault at the Ma-Tar-Awa Viejas RV Park, 25 Browns Road, Alpine, CA 91901, on the Viejas Indian Reservation.

According to Lt. Dan Brislin, a 30-year-old woman walked into the campground restroom at 5:30 a.m. yesterday and saw a man facing away from her in a stall. She entered a stall and that same man approached her from behind, said "Hey" and proceeded to sexually assault her. As the assault progressed, she asked him to not hurt her. Immediately after she said this, he stopped and fled the scene.

By Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2016 (San Diego)—Campus police are investigating a hate crime, robbery and vehicle theft that occurred at San Diego State University yesterday at2:28 p.m.

According to Lt. Ron Broussard,  a student was walking to her vehicle in the stairwell at parking lot #12  when “two males, who made comments about President-elect Trump and the Muslim community, confronted her and grabbed her purse and backpack.”  They also stole her car keys and her vehicle.

By Miriam Raftery

November 5, 2016 (San Diego) -- U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino on Friday denied a temporary restraining order sought by the NAACP and protesters. The plaintiffs wanted the court to stop El Cajon Police and Sheriff officers from arresting protesters at the site where Alfred Olango was fatally shot by an El Cajon policeman on September 27^th.

Source: El Cajon Police

November 3, 2016 (Lemon Grove) -- A suspect has been arrested at a Lemon Grove residence for a shooting that occurred in El Cajon on October 28^th at 12:40 p.m.

During the incident, witnesses described an argument occurring between two males and the suspect, near a kiosk in the 1000 Block of Decker Street. The suspect walked away from the argument to a vehicle parked a short distance away and retrieved a handgun. He then walked back to where the kiosk was at and fired numerous shots at the victims striking one of them in the leg. The suspect fled the scene in the vehicle.

East County News Service

Jonathan Goetz and Miriam Raftery contributed to this report

November 1, 2016 (San Diego) – San Diego Superior Court Judge Janis Sammartino heard evidence October 26 in a case filed by the National Association of Colored Persons (NAAC) and seven protesters against the city of El Cajon, the Sheriff’s Department, and El Cajon Police.

Source:  City of El Cajon

October 31,2016 (El Cajon)--The El Cajon Police Department has been awarded a $170,000.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.  The El Cajon Police Department will use the funding as part of the city’s ongoing commitment to keep roadways safe and improve the quality of life through both enforcement and education, according to a release issued today.

“The El Cajon Police Department is looking forward to working with OTS, our partners in Law Enforcement, and our community stakeholders to reduce injury and death related to traffic collisions,” stated El Cajon Police Lieutenant Randy Soulard. “With an emphasis on the prevention of pedestrian and bicycle-related collisions, we will work collaboratively using a multi-pronged approach in addressing education and enforcement aspects of collision reduction.”

By Miriam Raftery

October 30, 2016 (El Cajon) — A man was shot in the leg Friday at 12:40 p.m. outside a cell phone kiosk in the 1000 block of Decker Street in El Cajon.  

According to Lieutenant Steve Kirk, officers responded to reports of gun shots heard. They found evidence of a handgun being fired and contacted the victim at a local hospital.

East County News Service

October 28, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Authorities seek public help to identify two men who robbed gas stations and 7-11 stores Sunday night and early Monday morning.  The two masked thieves threatened clerks with a pistol, then stole cash from numerous locations in Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, Hillcrest, La Jolla and Lemon Grove.

Source: San Diego Community College District

October 27, 2016 (San Diego) – The San Diego Community College District has issued the following alert:  As many of you may already know, families across San Diego are receiving phone calls from “virtual kidnappers” claiming a loved one or family member has been kidnapped.  These criminals then demand a ransom amount (usually a few thousand dollars) that can be dropped off at a remote location (often in Tijuana) in exchange for the safe release and return of the “kidnapped” family member. The criminals’ phone numbers are often untraceable.

Please do not meet their demands!  This is a phone scam that local law enforcement and the FBI are investigating.  

What to do when you or your family member receives a similar phone call:

East County News Service

October 20, 2016 (Santee) — Public help is sought to locate a suspect wanted in connection to an attempted kidnapping of an 18-year-old woman at Mast Park in Santee on October 6th around noon.  Now the San Diego County Crime Stoppers and Santee Sheriff’s station investigators released a sketch of the suspect.