ANTI-GANG MENTOR HELD IN METH ARREST.Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer A former gang member turned graduate student and intervention worker was arrested Wednesday after police said they pulled over his car and found a pound of methamphetamine, officials said Saturday. Mario Corona, 30, was arrested on suspicion of transportation of narcotics narcotics n. 1) techinically, drugs which dull the senses. 2) a popular generic term for drugs which cannot be legally possessed, sold, or transported except for medicinal uses for which a physician or dentist's prescription is required. , police said. Corona is director of job development for Communities in Schools, a gang prevention and intervention agency in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police said in a brief statement late Friday that the incident occurred about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday when officers pulled over a vehicle in the 7000 block of Cherry Stone Noun 1. cherry stone - the stone seed of a cherry endocarp, pit, stone - the hard inner (usually woody) layer of the pericarp of some fruits (as peaches or plums or cherries or olives) that contains the seed; "you should remove the stones from prunes before cooking" Avenue in Panorama City. Officials said Corona was arrested after officers found a pound of methamphetamine on him. Officials confirmed the arrest Saturday, but had few additional details. Corona's arrest came as a surprise to friends. Corona was honored last year as a model of success -- a member who had turned his life around and decided to give back to the community by helping other gangsters. Once known on the street as "Big Spider", Corona had been shot twice and served time in jail. But he always had an aptitude for school and sought to get out of the gang life through study. He worked his way through community college, undergraduate work and ultimately a master's degree master's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree. Noun 1. in social work from the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission . As director of job development with Communities in Schools, Corona has tried to deter young people from the gang life by helping them find jobs and school programs. Longtime friend and fellow USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. grad Maribel Romero said Saturday that she didn't want to speak about Corona's arrest -- it was too sensitive. "He's a great man," she said. "I'm going to assist him in every way possible." Calls to Communities in Schools directors were not returned Saturday. kerry.cavanaugh@dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Gang prevention worker Mario Corona, an ex-gangster from Pacoima known as "Big Spider," was arrested on suspicion of transportation of narcotics, police said. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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