East County News Service

Nov. 4, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police officers on Sunday rescued a woman who called 911 on Sunday afternoon to report that her husband had assaulted and strangle her, holding her hostage in an El Cajon motel room located at 1368 East Main St.

After police evacuated the victim, the suspect, later identified as Ruben Castro, 44, barricaded himself inside the motel room.

East County News Service

October 30, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – The hopes and dreams of Nadia Charles, 19, and Junior Joseph Juste, 20, cousins who came to America from Haiti seeking a better life, were snuffed out on New Year’s morning when two vehicles collided in Lemon Grove. The crash pushed one of the vehicles into the two cousins, who were pedestrians crossing the street at Buena Vista and Broadway.

Now, 10 months later, charges have been filed against Victor Zuniga, 20. Authorities allege that he was on his phone at the time of the crash. He is charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, as well as reckless driving that resulted in serious injury to another driver. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up eight years in prison.

Judge had threatened sanctions over 55 hours of deleted video

By Alexander J Schorr

Photo: The late Hayden Schuck

October 29, 2025—San Diego County Supervisors have voted to approve a historic settlement to resolve the in-custody wrongful death of Hayden Schuck. In the case of Estate of Hayden Schuck v. County of San Diego, et al. (Case 23-cv-00785-DMS-AHG), they approved a record $16 million payout and deputy training reforms to address the ongoing jail death crisis, according to the civil rights law firm  McKenzie Scott PC.

Schuck was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and drug possession back in March 2022, two months after Kelly Martinez was appointed Undersheriff, overseeing the department until she was elected Sheriff and sworn in the following January.

The 22-year-old was taken into custody at San Diego’s Central Jail, where he died six days later in his cell due to dehydration. 

 By Alexander J. Schorr

October 28, 2025— A San Diego County Sheriff deleted 57 hours of video footage that may have shed light on a 22-year-old man’s death in a San Diego County jail. US District Judge Dana Sabraw and Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard  have sanctioned San Diego County for erasing this footage, which could have shown whether deputies or medical staff ignored the inmate William Hayden Schuck in the days before he died.

Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard, who has sharply criticized the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office failure to retain the footage, called this “shocking in the height of negligence.”

By Miriam Raftery, with additional reporting by Karen Pearlman

Photo: LMPD Officer Lauren Craven, courtesy of La Mesa Police

Updated Oct. 21, 4 p.m. with comments from Chief Ray Sweeney,  City Manager Greg Humora, and Governor Gavin Newsom

October 21, 2025 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven, 25, was struck and killed last night after stopping to assist motorists involved in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 8 east at Fairmount Avenue at 10:24 p.m. last night.  One of the motorists also died, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officer Craven was on duty returning from Central Jail when she stopped at the scene of the crash, where one vehicle had lost struck another, then lost control and rolled over, according to the California Highway Patrol.  A third vehicle then struck the disabled vehicle, 10 News reports.

The CHP told 10 News that after LMPD Officer Craven got out of her vehicle to assist the motorists, she was struck by an oncoming vehicle, after which a fifth vehicle struck those involved in the original crash.

East County News Service 

October 8, 2025 (San Diego) -- In the wake of recent high-profile incidents across the nation, Sheriff Kelly Martinez and local law enforcement agencies held a press conference yesterday to advise the community that they are prepared and ready to respond to any emergency in San Diego County.

Source: Border Patrol

October 1, 2025 (Boulevard) – Border Patrol agents thwarted a drug smuggling attempt Sunday afternoon, seizing over 52 pounds of methamphetamine concealed within the spare tire of a side-by-side utility terrain vehicle in San Diego’s East County.

Source:  U.S. Customs and Border Protection

September 26, 2025 (San Diego) - The U.S. Customs and Border Protection San Diego Field Office has released its monthly recap for August 2025, highlighting CBP’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding the nation’s borders. A reported 155 seizures, including nearly 10,000 pounds of narcotics valued at $24 million and more than $340,000 in unreported currency, were successfully intercepted by CBP officers. These seizures represent the tireless efforts of CBP personnel to disrupt illegal activity at the border and throughout the region.

East County News Service

September 16, 2025 (Ramona) – Felipe Ascencio, the pastor at Templo Monte Horbe church in Ramona, was shot and killed Sunday afternoon, Sept. 7, inside his home on Eighth Street.

East County News Service

September 15, 2025 (Santee) – A driver suspected of being intoxicated was arrested September 9 for a hit-and-run collision that caused injuries in Santee as well as for reportedly striking multiple vehicles in El Cajon and Santee.

East County News Service

September 8, 2025 (Ramona) –The Sheriff’s Homicide Unit is  investigating a deadly assault with a deadly weapon in Ramona yesterday afternoon.