BRIEFLY PAINTER MUST FACE TRIAL IN RAPE CASE.A Van Nuys painter was ordered Friday to stand trial on charges that he kidnapped and raped a 13-year-old girl while she was on her way to school last October. Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Jessica Silvers ordered Ulrich Mejia, 33, to return to court April 23 for arraignment A criminal proceeding at which the defendant is officially called before a court of competent jurisdiction, informed of the offense charged in the complaint, information, indictment, or other charging document, and asked to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or as otherwise permitted . Mejia was charged in October with seven counts, including kidnapping and rape, in connection with the Oct. 16 attack. The teen was walking to Robert Fulton Middle School Fulton Middle School is a school in Fountain Valley, California, in the US, serving grades 6-8. The principal is Chris Christensen, and the assistant is Chris Mullen. in Van Nuys when she was forced into a van, police said. She managed to flee after being raped at another location. Police later circulated a composite drawing of a suspect, along with a security photo of the van used in the crime. Mejia was arrested soon afterward. - City News Service Motorcyclist dies after crash GRANADA HILLS - A motorcyclist was killed Thursday when he crashed into the side of a car that apparently cut him off, police said. The motorcyclist, Kory Funk, 43, of Porter Ranch, was traveling south on Balboa Boulevard near Lisette Street about 6 p.m. when another motorist going north turned into his path, said LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Lt. Steven Allen. The accident remained under investigation Friday. - Daily News Tax man accused in audit scheme A North Hollywood accountant has been accused of defrauding clients out of more than $100,000, in part by offering to represent them in bogus IRS An abbreviation for the Internal Revenue Service, a federal agency charged with the responsibility of administering and enforcing internal revenue laws. audits, prosecutors said Friday. David Scott
Prosecutors said he owned Halcrow & Co. in Studio City and also used the name David Tate Scott. He allegedly had fake Internal Revenue Service audit notices sent to some of his clients, then persuaded them to pay him for representing them in IRS hearings that never occurred. - City News Service Ex-SPCA official arraigned in theft A former executive of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is any of a number of animal welfare organisations whose operations include protecting and providing shelter to animals in danger. , Los Angeles, was arraigned Friday on charges of stealing nearly $940,000 in donations to the organization. Kenneth Brookwell, a former vice president and chief financial officer, pleaded not guilty to one count of forgery, two counts of grand theft and three counts of filing false California tax returns. Brookwell, 63, of Rancho Mirage was arrested Thursday by Los Angeles police on a warrant issued April 1. - Associated Press 15 post offices to stay open late Fifteen post offices in Southern California will stay open until midnight Thursday for those filing income tax returns, postal officials said Friday. Among those staying open late are the post offices at 15701 Sherman Way in Van Nuys; 1961 North C St. in Oxnard; and 760 N. Main St. in Los Angeles. To find the nearest open post office, tax filers can call (800) ASK-USPS. Most facilities will have uniformed postal employees stationed curbside for motorists' convenience, the release said. - Daily News Man held in thefts from news racks SANTA MONICA - A Los Angeles man was arrested on suspicion of stealing newspapers from racks in downtown Santa Monica, police said Friday. Lt. Frank Fabrega of the Santa Monica Police Department said a surveillance team was put together after reports of racks being emptied started coming in during the first week of April. At 5:50 a.m. Thursday, the surveillance team stopped Miguel Martinez, 37, of Los Angeles, after he removed a stack of Santa Monica Mirror The Santa Monica Mirror is a weekly community paper which covers Santa Monica, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Venice, and Marina del Rey in the U.S. state of California. It circulates 25,000 papers weekly. newspapers from a news rack outside the courthouse, Fabrega said. Martinez had 400 copies of the Mirror, 213 copies of the Daily News, 160 copies of the Santa Monica Daily Press The Santa Monica Daily Press is a free microdaily newspaper founded in Santa Monica in 2001 by Dave Danforth, Carolyn Sackariason, and Ross Furukawa. Currently, the Santa Monica Daily Press is the only daily newspaper in circulation in Santa Monica, California. , 26 copies of City Beat, 16 copies of the Daily Bruin and 11 copies of La Opinion, the lieutenant said. - City News Service Motorcyclist who died is identified ENCINO - A motorcyclist who died in a solo crash on the Ventura Freeway was identified Friday, a California Highway Patrol officer said. Thomas Guerrero, 42, of Yorba Linda, crashed about 10:15 p.m. Thursday on the eastbound 101 Freeway near the White Oak Avenue off-ramp, said CHP CHP Chapter CHP Combined Heat and Power CHP California Highway Patrol CHP Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Turkish: Republican People's Party) CHP Chemical Hygiene Plan (OSHA) CHP Community Health Plan Officer Bruce Gaines. He died shortly after midnight at a nearby hospital. ``It appears no other vehicles were involved,'' Gaines said. - City News Service Prisoner suspect in string of rapes A man already serving prison time is a suspect in 11 rapes that took place in various cities along the 710 Freeway, officials said. Daniel Sanchez, 23, was arrested last October by El Monte police and convicted of burglary. He was sentenced in February to 10 years in prison. Sanchez was linked to the rapes by DNA evidence Among the many new tools that science has provided for the analysis of forensic evidence is the powerful and controversial analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, the material that makes up the genetic code of most organisms. collected via a mouth swab after his arrest on burglary charges, Sheriff Lee Baca of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. said Friday. The alleged rapes occurred between Aug. 17, 2001, and last October in Bell, Bell Gardens, Compton, El Monte, Lynwood, Paramount and Long Beach. The assaults took place in homes along the freeway corridor. The female victims ranged from age 11 to 40 and many were severely beaten, according to Baca. - Associated Press |
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