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San Diego Reader | Pedicab Wars

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:35:10 +0000

Pedicab driver’s not safe or honest?

Thunder Valley Casino employee helps solve California bank robberies

admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:06:41 +0000

On February 12, Roseville Crime Stoppers presented a $500 reward to a Thunder Valley Casino employee who helped law enforcement identify the "Stuffed Shirt Bandit." The robber, nicknamed because of his habit of stuffing bank robbery loot into his shirt, was convicted of the June 11, 2008 robbery of River City Bank in Roseville, the June 23, 2008 robbery of Wells Fargo Bank in Lincoln, and five other northern California bank robberies.

Soon after the robbery in Lincoln, an off-duty Thunder Valley Casino employee saw surveillance footage of the suspect in the news media, and recognized the suspect as a recent visitor to the casino. The casino employee drove to work on his day off, and located surveillance video of the suspect and his vehicle, which helped identify the suspect. Thunder Valley Casino officials provided the information to law enforcement, and Roseville Police investigators located the suspect at a Roseville hotel. On June 26, Roseville Police investigators conducted surveillance on the hotel and arrested the suspect, Scott Stewart Singewald, 42, of Roseville, without incident.

According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release, on September 5, Singewald pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to seven counts of bank robbery. A U.S. Attorney’s Office representative said that on January 9, Singewald was sentenced to 97 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $34,237 in restitution.

Roseville Police Chief Mike Blair said, "This case was a great example of the partnership among local and federal law enforcement agencies, Roseville Crime Stoppers, and the community. We are indebted to Thunder Valley Casino for their outstanding cooperation in this case, to their employee who went beyond the call of duty to help identify a criminal, and to Roseville Crime Stoppers for providing the reward."

The casino employee’s tip lead to Singewald’s arrest and conviction on the following bank robberies:

September 1, 2007, Bank of America, 2400 N. Texas St., Fairfield
May 3, 2008, Bank of the West, 186 Main St., Woodland
May 16, 2008, Central Valley Community Bank, 1919 Howard Rd., Madera
May 24, 2008, Washington Mutual Bank, 2866 W. March Ln., Stockton
June 11, 2008, River City Bank, 3992 Douglas Blvd., Roseville
June 20, 2008, Bank of the West, 3509 El Camino Ave., Carmichael
June 23, 2008, Wells Fargo Bank, 945 Highway 65, Lincoln

The arrest resulted from the casino employee’s tip and a joint investigation by the Roseville and Lincoln Police Departments, and the Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force, comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

Per Roseville Crime Stopper’s policy, the tipster remains anonymous. Anyone wanting to provide information about a Roseville-area crime may call Roseville Crime Stoppers at (91…. Roseville Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards for anonymous tips about crimes in Roseville leading to arrest.

– via Rocklin and Roseville Today

Kirk Andrus signs letter opposing cuts

admin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:07:06 +0000

The California District Attorney’s Association (CDAA), a collection of the 58 district attorneys representing California’s counties, has sent letters of opposition to both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and members of the California Legislature in opposition to certain proposed cuts, according to a release from Siskiyou County District Attorney Kirk Andrus.
The following portion of the letter was included in Andrus’ press release:
“We recognize the magnitude of the unprecedented budget shortfall facing our state and the sacrifices necessary to put California’s fiscal house in order; however, we believe that many of the proposals contained in the governor’s budget disproportionately impact prosecutors, irrevocably damage public safety in California, and serve only to exacerbate our economic problems.”
The CDAA is referencing proposed cuts to programs such as the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) program, Gang Violence Suppression Program and the High Technology Theft Apprehension and Prosecution (HTTAP) program, among others.
The SAFE program was started in 1993 and was responsible for the formation of a multi–agency task force that focused specifically on investigating crimes against children, including sexual exploitation on the internet, tracking sex crime fugitives and juvenile prostitution. HTTAP targets thieves who use computers to commit crimes and those who target computers for crime.
The release states that another letter was sent to Schwarzenegger criticizing the governor’s plan to eliminate parole supervision for all non-serious, non-violent, non-sex offenders and also criticized a proposal to allow certain inmates an additional four-month credit for each rehabilitative program the inmate completes.
The release states that the CDAA believes that crime will increase and a greater burden will be placed on law enforcement if the cuts are made.
“We cannot emphasize strongly enough,” Andrus stated in the release, “that any short–term savings realized from these cuts will be dwarfed by a corresponding increase in ciminal activity in these areas.
“There is no question that these are incredibly difficult times in government – as well as in the private lives of Californians. However, such times inevitably bring an increase in crime. Letting felons out of custody early with no supervision and curtailing local resources to prosecute dangerous criminals are both propositions that will cost more than they will save in both money and suffering of Californians who are inevitably victimized.”
H.D. Palmer, Deputy Director for External Affairs at the California Department of Finance, said that California will face opposition on every cut they look at making, but ultimately cuts have to be made to try to fix the ailing budget.
“This is one of the difficult choices out of many,” Palmer said. “Virtually no department has gone unscathed.”
Palmer cited the cuts to Human Services and education, from Kindergarten all the way to grade 12, and many more.
“The Governor has tried to spread the burden across all departments,” Palmer said.
Palmer stated that cutting the programs in question will save the state 14.6 million dollars, just one portion of the cuts required to make sure California can pay all of its bills in the coming years.
“This is a microcosm of all the difficult decisions we will have to make,” Palmer said.

via – http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x1589176906/Kirk-Andrus-signs-letter-opposing-cuts