January 16, 2024 – Residents countywide are warned to be vigilant for imposter water agency “workers” knocking on doors and requesting entry to homes to test water quality or making sales pitches, the San Diego Coiunty Water Authority warns.

Similar scams pop up every few years. A spate of incidents has been reported by several water agencies across the region in recent weeks, including in the City of San Diego, South County and East County.

By Miriam Raftery

January 11, 2024 (La Mesa) – La Mesa police seeks public help to solve the murder of 22-year-old Corneilius Donte Brown.  His family is offering a $9,000 reward, in addition to a $1,000 Crimestoppers award, for information leading to the identification and arrest of suspects in his murder, which occurred on April 24, 2021 around 12:26 a.m.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via ECM news partner 10 News

January 5, 2024 (San Diego) – The body of an elderly woman found Dec. 22 in a chest freezer at an Allied Gardens home has been identified as Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones, who formerly lived there. According to Lt. Jud Campbell with San Diego Police, she may have been missing or  dead for as long as nine years and would have been 81 years old if she had survived.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via WTVT pool video: Donald Santini is led into a Tampa courtroom before pleading guilty in the 1984 slaying of Cynthia “Cindy” Ruth Wood.

December 28, 2023 (Lake Morena, CA) – A Florida judge has sentenced Donald Santini to 50 years in prison, with 15 years parole, after he pleaded guilty to the 1984 strangulation murder of Cynthia Wood, the mother of three young children, the Tampa Bay Times reported in November. A fugitive for 40 years, Santini 65, lived under the alias  Wellman Simmonds in Campo’s Lake Morena community and even held public office. He served on the Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group and as president of the Lake Morena Views Mutual Water Company.

His arrest in June by federal marshals for the murder of a Florida woman decades ago since shockwaves through the Lake Morena Community, as ECM reported.

East County News Service

December 22, 2023 (San Diego)—The Neighborhood Market Association (NMA) held a press conference on Dec. 18 outside the Emerald Convenience Store in La Mesa to announce that it is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects in a series of armed robberies.

“A dangerous gang of gun-wielding criminals is terrorizing local small businesses in a series of armed `take-over’ style robberies at more than a dozen locations in the city and county of San Diego. Police have expressed concerns that these violent robberies could cause serious injury or death to innocent store employees,” a press release from the NMA states.

Last week, at least 13 convenience stores across  San Diego County were robbed; new surveillance video shows thieves yanking out cash registers and fleeing with the cash.

By Miriam Raftery

December 8, 2023 (Ramona) – Angel Jauregui, 35, of  Ramona has been identified as the victim of a deadly shooting that occurred on December 5th. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call around 11:24 p.m. reporting gunshots and found Jauregui  at the intersection of State Route 78 and Haverford Road in Ramona.

Source:  Superior Court of California

December 7, 2023 (San Diego) - The San Diego Superior Court has received complaints about individuals trying to scam members of the public by pretending to be court officers or officials.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Erik Talavera at rally; screenshot from video by ECM media partner 10 News

View deputies’ body camera footage of the shooting (warning, disturbing content):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WErLDy2sSzc 

November 30, 2023 (Lakeside) – A Lakeside man who suffered permanent injuries from being shot 16 times has filed a lawsuit against San Diego County and two Sheriff’s deputies who opened fire. 

The civil lawsuit filed by Erik Talavera alleges that deputies David Lovejoy and Jonathan Young gave conflicting commands and used excessive force and negligence during the incident in El Cajon on Feb.16, 2022. The deputies were cleared of criminal wrongdoing following an investigation by the District Attorney.

November 21, 2023 (Santee) -- A woman has been arrested in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a child in Santee.

On Monday, November 20 just before 6 p.m., a woman tried to remove a one-year-old child from a shopping cart in the 100 block of Town Center Parkway. The suspect was not successful, since the child was secured in the cart with a lap belt. She then took off on foot heading south toward Mission Gorge Road. Despite a thorough search of the area by Sheriff's Deputies and a Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter, the suspect was not located.

Detectives from the Santee Sheriff's Station immediately began investigating the incident. On Tuesday, November 21 around 7:30 p.m., detectives arrested Isela Ortega, 21,  in the 400 block of Orsett Street in Chula Vista.

East County News Service

November 21, 2023 (San Diego) – Imanol Aparicio, suspected of injuring a woman in City Heights on November 13, has died in a hospital after being shot by San Diego Police officers.

SDPD officers responded to a report of a shooting around 11 p.m. in the 4500 block of Polk Avenue and found a woman with a minor wound to her forehead. The suspect had fled the scene, but was located nearby in the 4000 block of Wightman Street.

“Officers identified themselves and gave the suspect multiple commands, including to take his hands out of his pockets. The suspect said, `Go for it’ and ran while reaching in his waistband. Officers told him to stop but he did not comply,”says Lieutenant Joseph Janjura with the Sheriff’s homicide unit.  According to Lt. Janjura,  the suspect turned towards the officers while continuing to reach and manipulate something in his waistband. Officers gave the suspect multiple warnings and commands.

East County News Service

Update November 21, 2023: The victim has been identified as Leona Guevara, 63.

November 19, 2023 (Borrego Springs) – Jacob Guevara, 41, is under arrest for the murder of his mother.

The victim’s daughter had requested a welfare check on her mother, 63, due to living conditions in  her residence, according to the Lieutenant Joseph Jarjura with the San Diego County Sheriff’s department.

By Miriam Raftery

Screenshot of video from  ECM news partner NBC 7: Authorities transport an injured patient from the scene.

November 19, 2023 (Spring Valley) – Five people were taken to a hospital last night with gunshot injuries after being shot in the backyard of a home in the  9000 block of Ildica Street in Spring Valley.  Two children were also injured, suffering burns that authorities believe were caused by the shooter throwing fireworks to mask the sounds of gunshots.

The dead-end street was cordoned off last night while authorities searched for a male suspect, who remains at large. No description was provided by authorities; scanner traffic indicated the suspect was wearing black clothing.

By Miriam Raftery

November 12, 2023 (Campo, CA) – A former Los Angeles Police Department officer convicted of rape was arrested by Border Patrol agents on November 6 in Campo for human smuggling. The convicted felon was also in possession of a ghost gun.

A local resident reported seeing human smuggling near the border involving an older model SUV. A agent responded and found a vehicle matching the description. The driver told the agent that he was an LAPD lieutenant and presented what appeared to be an LAPD badge, according to a press release from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Department’s San Diego sector.

The agent saw four people in the back seat of the SUV and conducted an immigration inspection. The individuals, three women and a man, told the agent that they had recently crossed the U.S./ Mexico border illegally. The agent placed the driver and passengers under arrest and transported them to a nearby Border Patrol station.

Source: U.S. Customs and Border Patrol

November 4, 2023 (San Diego) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from the San Diego Field Office this past weekend seized nearly $10 million worth of dangerous drugs including fentanyl at the San Ysidro, Tecate and Otay Mesa ports of entry.

East County News Service

October 27, 2023 (Santee) – The Santee Fire Department and the San Diego Sheriff’s department invite the public to a pancake breakfast on November 11 from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The event will be held at 8950 Cottonwood Ave, Santee.  Tickets are $5.

For information, call 619-258-3038.