By Paula H. Dickenson, USN, Retired Crime Prevention Specialist
Alpine & Rural Crime Prevention, San Diego Sheriff's Alpine substation
November 22, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--Travel safety and prevention tips have taken on a new meaning during tough economic times. Opportunistic thieves may be looking for unprotected homes or pre-occupied travelers.
The Alpine Sheriff's Deputies wish you a safe Thanksgiving Holiday with these following safety tips to avoid problems during the start of the busiest travel season of the year.
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November 5, 2010 (Santee) – The Sheriff’s Santee Station and Santee Fire Department invite you to the 12th annual Santee Pancake Breakfast this Saturday at Fire Station #4, 8950 Cottonwood (corner of Mission Gorge and Cottonwood) this Friday and Saturday, November 5th and 6th.
Money raised from the breakfast will be split. The Sheriff’s Santee Station will use its half to help families in need through the nonprofit “Spirit of Giving” organization. The Fire Department will buy automated external defibrillators for Santee schools, community centers and churches.
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November 4, 2010 (Spring Valley) – Detectives at the San Diego Sheriff’s Lemon Grove substation seek the public’s help to locate a heavy set Hispanic man in his 40s driving an older two-door blue or green car. According to detective Monica Sanchez, the man attempted to expose himself to a young girl walking t La Presa Middle School on October 28 between 8 and 8:15 a.m. He later grabbed the arm of a second girl walking to school and made sexually suggestive comments.
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November 1, 2010 (La Mesa)--The FBI and San Diego Sheriff’s Department announce the arrests of Christopher James Cuerden, age 26, and Caleb Gene Halcomb, age 20, as a result of the investigation into the robbery of the US Bank, located inside of the Vons grocery store at 3681 Avocado Boulevard in the unincorporated area of La Mesa on Friday, October 29, 2010.
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Update November 1, 2010: The San Diego Medical Examiner's office has found that the baby was stillborn and that no homicide occured. The mother, who is mentally disabled, may not have been aware that she was pregnant and her family attempted to hide the body of the baby after she gave birth, authorities report.
October 29, 2010 (El Cajon) – The body of a full-term baby boy was found in a plastic bag in a backyard storage shed last night at 6:30 p.m. A woman resident found the bag while walking her dog in the backyard of her home in the 1100 block of Flamingo Avenue in rural El Cajon, ECM news partner 10 News reports.
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October 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Timothy Allen Bliss of Ramona has been arrested following a chase through Lakeside, Poway and Ramona on State Route 67.
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October 19, 2010 (Alpine) – A SWAT team has been called to a home at 19515 Japatul Road in Alpine, where an armed suspect has barricaded himself in his home after firing shots at his wife.
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October 13, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Most people take out a modest cash withdrawal when they stop by a Automatic Teller Machine. But according to Sheriff’s officials, Brandon Jamaul Baker, 27, took out the whole ATM machine—three times.
Yesterday morning, detectives from the Lemon Grove Sheriff substation and East County Gang Enforcement arrested Baker, 27, at his workplace in the 400 block of Cypress Lane, El Cajon.
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October 7, 2010 (El Cajon) – San Diego Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter crew assisted El Cajon Police in apprehending a suspected drunk driver following a high speed chase through La Mesa and El Cajon early Tuesday morning.
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15-Year-old faces felony arraignment Sept. 28 for carrying hunting knife while jogging in rural area where kids were stalked by mountain lion
East County News Service
“My 12-year-old daughter was put against the car and she was searched by an adult male officer; the kids said they were touching their butts. My son said they put their hands up between their legs. They were crying and they were all shocked…No one in my household has ever been involved in illegal activities.” – Carmen Gomez Villeda Wagner , mother of two children stopped, including a 15-year-old boy charged with a felony
"I would never in a million years say that wearing camouflage clothing constitutes reasonable cause for anything." -- Rebecca Jones, president, Criminal Lawyers Defense Club, San Diego, who questions the legality of the stop made by Sheriff's officers.
“If they were three white children, would it have happened at all? I think it’s racial profiling.” – a concerned mother in the neighborhood who asked that her name not be published.
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September 29, 2010 (Alpine) – “Alpine is experiencing Auto Burglary and Window Smashes,” Paula Dickenson, USN Ret., crime prevention specialist with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Alpine substation said in release sent to media and area residents. “It's an opportunity for the thief…When it occurs, contact Sheriff's Dispatch, 1-858-565-5200, for our Alpine Deputy to take a report,” she said, also offering tips to protect your vehicle.
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September 18, 2010 (Santee) – A San Diego Sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded Pedro Galarza, 26, a documented gang member on parole. Deputies responded to a call shortly after 8 p.m. last night from his mother, who said her son was armed with a knife and was attempting to abduct a child.
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September 14, 2010 (Campo) 12:35 p.m. Updated September 16th – A San Diego Sheriff’s deputy was attacked by a pit bull at 30031 Quail Road in Campo, sustaining moderate injuries. The deputy shot the dog in self defense, according to the Sheriff's Department.The deputy was attempting to serve a warrant on a juvenile when the dog attacked and bit his arm. The officer was knocked to the ground and fired one shot, striking the dog in the mouth.
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Update 6 p.m.: This dispute ended peacefully with no injuries following a four-hour standoff. The man, Stephen Gainder, 45, surrendered to deputies and was taken to Pomerado Hospital for evaluation. Pomerado News reports that a neighbor called the Sheriff following a loud dispute between Gainder and his elderly mother. After deputies attempted to subdue him with a taser and beanbags, he armed himself with a crossbow. September 14, 2010 (Poway) 12:56 p.m. -- Negotiators from the San Diego Sheriff’s office are attempting to talk a man armed with a crossbow into surrendering. According to ECM news partner 10 News, deputies performing a welfare check in the 14000 block of Tobiasson Road were told by the man that he is armed with a crossbow and refusing to come out.
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September 13, 2010 (Lakeside) -- San Diego Sheriff’s deputies rescued three hikers on El Cajon Mountain (El Capitan) in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley last night. The rescued proved challenging due to rugged terrain and conditions.
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September 12, 2010 (Lakeside) – Joseph Cantorna, 54, was arrested today in the 8800 block of Cherry Road in Lakeside for lewd acts involving a child. According to Sgt. Brent Strahm with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, a witness intervened and called Sheriff’s deputies after observing the man inappropriately touching a 9-year-old boy and attempting to expose himself.
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Sheriff and East County Family Justice Center host event, invite all who want to help victims escape violence
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August 29, 2010 (San Diego) – Sheriff Bill Gore announced last week that the Search and Rescue Unit and added a new component: an Urban Search and Rescue division. Urban search-and-rescue is considered a multi-hazard discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of hazards including earthquakes, storms, tornadoes floods dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases.
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August 27, 2010 – Murder charges have been filed against Michael Richardson, who is accused of staging a June 29, 2010 car accident on Highway 67 in Lakeside to cover up the deaths of his wife and mother-in-law.
The bodies of his wife, Thao Richardson, and his mother-in-law, Phan Lai, were found in wreckage down an embankment, days after their deaths. As ECM previously reported.
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August 27, 2010 (Spring Valley) – San Diego Sheriff’s ASTREA-3 helicopter assisted Lemon Grove gang suppression deputies in the apprehension of a parolee at large on Wednesday night at 9:44 p.m. on Eileen Street in Spring Valley.
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August 21, 2010 (Lakeside) -- As East County Magazine reported earlier, a San Diego Sheriff's helicopter rescued two people trapped on the face of El Capitan (El Cajon Mountain) when the fast-moving Monte fire encroached below them.
Now the Sheriff and Cal-Fire have released details of the harrowing ordeal, revealing how two deputies risked their own lives to save others. They narrowly escaped, as flames burned so close that one rescuer leaped onto a landing skid and hung on as the chopper descended 3,675 feet to the valley floor.
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Police and Sheriff officials to arrest all DUI drivers
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August 15, 2010 (Jamul) –A U.S. Border Patrol agent checking a brushy area just east of Honey Springs Road happened across a body last night at 6:25 p.m. The male victim and significant signs of trauma, which appeared inconsistent with a natural death. San Diego Sheriff homicide detectives are investigating and the Sheriff’s Crime Lab responded.
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August 10, 2010 (San Diego) -- Sheriff Bill Gore announces the promotion of Commander Ed Prendergast to Assistant Sheriff, Law Enforcement Services. Assistant Sheriff Prendergast is currently assigned oversight for the Alpine, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, and Santee Stations, as well as Rural Law Enforcement and Crime Analysis.He is a 29-year veteran with the Sheriff's Department who has served with distinction in every assignment throughout the organization, said Gore.
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August 6, 2010 (El Cajon) – Emergency room physicians described the condition of Jeremy Marlow, 28, as the worst case of neglect that they had ever seen. Paramedics brought Marlow, who lived on Graves Avenue in El Cajon, to Grossmont Hospital on January 21. He was unconscious, suffering from infections, covered in open pressure wounds, and weighed less than 100 pounds, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. He died five days later of pneumonia.
Last night his mother, Deborah Marlow, 58, and his brother, Christopher Marlow, 26, were arrested. Both are charged with elder abuse, a crime that can be filed against caregivers for abusing a person of any age.
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August 3, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) America's Night Out Against Crime is in its 26th year. The national event provides opportunities for Neighborhood Watch participants, communities, and law enforcement agencies to celebrate effective crime prevention practices and partnerships. San Diego Sheriff's Department supports Neighborhood Watch, Crime-Free Multi-Housing, Start Smart, and other programs targeting crime and safety, and has crime prevention specialists at all patrol stations dedicated to community education and support.
Sheriff's Department National Night Out events in East County will take place at Lakeside, Santee, and San Diego near La Mesa/Lemon Grove Details:
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July 22, 2010 (Pine Valley) -- Sheriff Bill Gore announced that the body of a man has been located south of Interstate 8 and just west of the Pine Valley Bridge. The discovery was made this morning shortly after 9:00 a.m. by Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers.
A video released late today by the Sheriff indicates the remains are those of a “previously missing person.” The video shows a cadaver-sniffing beagle apparently locating the body amid rubble and boulders at the base of a steep, rocky slope. View the video. www.youtube.com/watch
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Two women’s bodies found at site of car crash in Lakeside yesterday with "suspicious" evidence
By Miriam Raftery
Photos by Dennis Richardson
June 30, 2010 (Lakeside) – San Diego Sheriff’s Department today announced that it is investigating the deaths of two women found yesterday as homicides. The bodies were found approximately a mile and a half north of Slaughterhouse Canyon off the eastbound side of Highway 67 in Lakeside after a neighboring property owner reported that he had found a dark blue vehicle that plunged 200 to 300 feet down an embankment.
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June 28, 2010 (Escondido) - San Diego Sheriff’s Department has issued details on the freak injury of a nine-year-old boy in Escondido. On Thursday, a Sheriff’s deputy, along with Escondido Police, responded to a call on San Pasqual Road in the unincorporated portion of Escondido. “
"The deputy learned that the nine year old, who had been shot with the arrow, had previously told his brother to shoot an arrow at him so he could catch it. He missed catching the arrow and was subsequently struck in the head, right above the eye,” a Sheriff’s media release stated.
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June 25, 2010 (El Cajon) – An undercover operation by the El Cajon Police Department yesterday targeted males soliciting acts of prostitution from women on the streets of El Cajon. With assistance from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, 14 individuals were arrested yesterday during the six-hour operation.
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November 5, 2010 (Santee) – The Sheriff’s Santee Station and Santee Fire Department invite you to the 12th annual Santee Pancake Breakfast this Saturday at Fire Station #4, 8950 Cottonwood (corner of Mission Gorge and Cottonwood) this Friday and Saturday, November 5th and 6th.
November 4, 2010 (Spring Valley) – Detectives at the San Diego Sheriff’s Lemon Grove substation seek the public’s help to locate a heavy set Hispanic man in his 40s driving an older two-door blue or green car. According to detective Monica Sanchez, the man attempted to expose himself to a young girl walking t La Presa Middle School on October 28 between 8 and 8:15 a.m. He later grabbed the arm of a second girl walking to school and made sexually suggestive comments.
November 1, 2010 (La Mesa)--The FBI and San Diego Sheriff’s Department announce the arrests of Christopher James Cuerden, age 26, and Caleb Gene Halcomb, age 20, as a result of the investigation into the robbery of the US Bank, located inside of the Vons grocery store at 3681 Avocado Boulevard in the unincorporated area of La Mesa on Friday, October 29, 2010.
October 7, 2010 (El Cajon) – San Diego Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter crew assisted El Cajon Police in apprehending a suspected drunk driver following a high speed chase through La Mesa and El Cajon early Tuesday morning. 
“My 12-year-old daughter was put against the car and she was searched by an adult male officer; the kids said they were touching their butts. My son said they put their hands up between their legs. They were crying and they were all shocked…No one in my household has ever been involved in illegal activities.” – Carmen Gomez Villeda Wagner , mother of two children stopped, including a 15-year-old boy charged with a felony
September 29, 2010 (Alpine) – “Alpine is experiencing Auto Burglary and Window Smashes,” Paula Dickenson, USN Ret., crime prevention specialist with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Alpine substation said in release sent to media and area residents. “It's an opportunity for the thief…When it occurs, contact Sheriff's Dispatch, 1-858-565-5200, for our Alpine Deputy to take a report,” she said, also offering tips to protect your vehicle.
September 18, 2010 (Santee) – A San Diego Sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded Pedro Galarza, 26, a documented gang member on parole. Deputies responded to a call shortly after 8 p.m. last night from his mother, who said her son was armed with a knife and was attempting to abduct a child.
September 14, 2010 (Campo) 12:35 p.m. Updated September 16th – A San Diego Sheriff’s deputy was attacked by a pit bull at 30031 Quail Road in Campo, sustaining moderate injuries. The deputy shot the dog in self defense, according to the Sheriff's Department.The deputy was attempting to serve a warrant on a juvenile when the dog attacked and bit his arm. The officer was knocked to the ground and fired one shot, striking the dog in the mouth.
September 14, 2010 (Poway) 12:56 p.m. -- Negotiators from the San Diego Sheriff’s office are attempting to talk a man armed with a crossbow into surrendering. According to ECM news partner 10 News, deputies performing a welfare check in the 14000 block of Tobiasson Road were told by the man that he is armed with a crossbow and refusing to come out.
September 12, 2010 (Lakeside) – Joseph Cantorna, 54, was arrested today in the 8800 block of Cherry Road in Lakeside for lewd acts involving a child. According to Sgt. Brent Strahm with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, a witness intervened and called Sheriff’s deputies after observing the man inappropriately touching a 9-year-old boy and attempting to expose himself.
victims escape violence
August 27, 2010 – Murder charges have been filed against Michael Richardson, who is accused of staging a June 29, 2010 car accident on Highway 67 in Lakeside to cover up the deaths of his wife and mother-in-law.
August 27, 2010 (Spring Valley) – San Diego Sheriff’s ASTREA-3 helicopter assisted Lemon Grove gang suppression deputies in the apprehension of a parolee at large on Wednesday night at 9:44 p.m. on Eileen Street in Spring Valley.
August 21, 2010 (Lakeside) -- As East County Magazine reported earlier, a San Diego Sheriff's helicopter rescued two people trapped on the face of El Capitan (El Cajon Mountain) when the fast-moving Monte fire encroached below them.
Police and Sheriff officials to arrest all DUI drivers
August 15, 2010 (Jamul) –A U.S. Border Patrol agent checking a brushy area just east of Honey Springs Road happened across a body last night at 6:25 p.m. The male victim and significant signs of trauma, which appeared inconsistent with a natural death. San Diego Sheriff homicide detectives are investigating and the Sheriff’s Crime Lab responded.
August 6, 2010 (El Cajon) – Emergency room physicians described the condition of Jeremy Marlow, 28, as the worst case of neglect that they had ever seen. Paramedics brought Marlow, who lived on Graves Avenue in El Cajon, to Grossmont Hospital on January 21. He was unconscious, suffering from infections, covered in open pressure wounds, and weighed less than 100 pounds, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. He died five days later of pneumonia.
August 3, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) America's Night Out Against Crime is in its 26th year. The national event provides opportunities for Neighborhood Watch participants, communities, and law enforcement agencies to celebrate effective crime prevention practices and partnerships. San Diego Sheriff's Department supports Neighborhood Watch, Crime-Free Multi-Housing, Start Smart, and other programs targeting crime and safety, and has crime prevention specialists at all patrol stations dedicated to community education and support.
East County News Service
Two women’s bodies found at site of car crash in Lakeside yesterday with "suspicious" evidence
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