SHERIFF REVISES ACCOUNT OF KARDIAN MURDER: MANHUNT NABS SUSPECT RICHARD DEAN NEFF; EYEWITNESS TELLS HER STORY
Printer-friendly version UPDATE: NEFF ARRESTED: The suspect was apprehended this afternoon(Sept. 17) by the San Diego Fugitive Task Force, the Sheriff’s Department reports. He was arrested at 425 W. Beech Street in the Little Italy neighborhood of San Diego and will be booked into Central Jail. San Diego News Network reports that Neff surrendered peacefully.Below is our story including interviews with an eyewitness and family member of the victim shortly before Neff’s arrest. By Mick Roberts September 17, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)—A wanted bulletin issued by the San Diego Sheriff’s office on September 8 has been revised to remove language suggesting that a fist-fight occurred prior to the death of Ronald Kardian, who was beaten on Labor Day at a home in the 4100 block of Avoyer in La Mesa. An eye witness has informed East County Magazine that the victim was beaten without provocation while awakening from sleep; two sources reveal that the victim was weakened from medical treatments. The suspected killer, Richard Dean Neff, is a former boxer with a criminal record, ECM has learned. “There was no evidence of a fight,” Lt. Dennis Brugos, homicide detective for the Sheriff’s office, told East County Magazine. “We are convinced based on witness statements that this was not a mutual combat. We interepret this as murder.” Brugos expressed disappointment that a Sheriff’s communication officer sent out erroneous information, which multiple department representatives have suggested may have been based on initial radio calls. “People shouldn’t say anything about homicide cases, because we know what we can release and what we can’t.” Sheriff’s officials declined to discuss Neff’s background. But a check of court records in El Cajon and San Diego revealed multiple criminal records for a Richard Neff. In addition, a 2000 San Diego Union-Tribune story reported back in 2000 that Richard Neff, then 37, had “escaped again” and described him as “one of the most wanted suspects in San Diego.” The story described Neff as a parolee eligible for a life sentence under the three strikes law if apprehended. It also detailed efforts by a law enforcement task force and SWAT officers to apprehend Neff. Raids were conducted on residences in Spring Valley and police subsequently chased Neff through El Cajon, but pulled off when he drove through a school zone. Neff, now 47 (born June 6, 1962) is 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 220 pounds, has brown hair and blue eyes, and multiple tattoos , according to the Sheriff bulletins, which also stated he could be driving a white BMW convertible. ECM has received a tip that he may have since obtained a white van. A June 1986 article in the Union-Tribune provides further details into Neff’s past. Neff, a boxer who represented the state in 1984 at the Golden Gloves Nationals and won most of his 40+ amateur fights, attended Monte Vista and San Diego high schools, according to the article. He also suffered serious injuries in a car accident on Highway 94 that threatened to end his boxing career, suffering two broken legs, a broken right arm and severe concussion. He’d been slated to fight in July 1986 at Jack Murphy Stadium (now Qualcomm Stadium) and was considered a “can’t miss” pro prospect by Mike Altinger, president of Golden Star Promotions. But according to the article, Neff blocked the pathway of another vehicle and got into an altercation, when he was struck and injured by a third vehicle. Additional corrections were made from the Sheriff’s original bulletin, sent to the media, http://apps.sdsheriff.net/press/Default.aspx?FileLink=57d03663-c573-4178-90f2-675cd82626f4 in a revised bulletin which was posted at the Sheriff’s website following our inquiry, but which was not sent to media http://apps.sdsheriff.net/press/Default.aspx?FileLink=6ac10156-1b06-46f9-be17-56b00181f11b. The original version also stated that Neff was a known methamphetamine user known to carry a handgun. Those details have been removed from the revised bulletin, which still describes the suspect as “armed and dangerous.” Oddly, the revised version also has removed the name of the victim. Both bulletins state that Neff is a transient who may be driving a white BMW convertible. In addition, the original bulletin stated that Kardian returned to his residence after the attack, dying at 7 a.m. after he was taken to Grossmont Hospital. Kardian’s girlfriend, however, says he came to her home after the beating. In an exclusive interview with East County Magazine, Katz Rhoads said Kardian was her boyfriend and that he came to visit her the night of the killing. “I used to live at this house on Avoyer and I wanted nothing more than to get out of there,” said Rhoads, who claimed she had money and a check stolen. According to Rhoades, multiple tenants were ordered evicted without notice after two others were arrested on unrelated charges. She said the female landlord called Richard Neff for assistance to oust a male tenant who objected to the eviction. “I still had a vehicle parked at this address, so the next night I came over with the intention of moving the vehicle; it had three flat tires,” she said. “I was waiting for a friend to come bring me a tire.” Around 3:30, “Ronnie” Kardian came to visit but wasn’t feeling well. “Ronnie has hepatitis,” she said. “He was going through interferon and rivavirin treatment. These are chemotherapy drugs; they make you feel very ill. He was still working seven days a week, pushing himself…usually he’d lay down each day, he would get muscle cramps, bone aches real bad and nausea.” According to Rhoads, Kardian smoked marijuana to ease his nausea, then fell asleep on the couch while she was rubbing his legs. Rhoads also fell asleep. Kardian “dropped his weed pipe on the floor,” sparking a vocal objection from a woman who began yelling and summoned Neff. “Richard put his hands above his knees and got in Ronnie’s face,” she recalled. “Ronnie had just put his feet on the floor. Richard said `What are you doing brother?’ and Richard blind-sided him
CONGRESSMAN FILNER HOSTS SMALL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE SEPT. 18
Printer-friendly version September 17, 2009 (San Diego) — Tomorrow, Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) will be joined by key federal, state, and local officials, as well as government agency and business leaders, for a roundtable discussion on overcoming obstacles to access Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. Roundtable event will provide a brief overview on finding solutions to benefit local small businesses. WHEN: Friday, September 18th, 2009, 1:00 p.m. WHERE: Tubman Chavez Center 415 Euclid Avenue, San Diego WHAT: Discussion on Accessing Stimulus Act Funding WHO: Attendees also include representatives from the following – The Small Business Administration San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) San Diego Unified School District Printer-friendly version
TEA PARTIES & MAD HATTERS TAKE TO STREETS IN EAST COUINTY
Printer-friendly version Political protesters and counter-protesters raise voices at Sept. 12 rallies September 17, 2009 (El Cajon and Ramona)—Last Saturday, conservative supporters turned out at T.E.A. (Taxed Enough Already) rallies nationwide, including East County. About 150 to 200 attended a T.E.A. party rally in El Cajon, where Republican Senate candidate Chuck DeVore addressed the crowd and a debate among Sheriff’s candidates was held afterwards. Attendees held signs protesting a range of issues from cap and trade to healthcare reform. Some criticized President Obama, labeling his policies “socialism”. In Ramona, liberals from the Ramona Forum (www.ramonaforum.com) staged a “Mad Hatter Tea Party” counter-protest across the street from a T.E.A. party event to “demonstrate the hypocrisy of the Tea Party gang,” said Dave Patterson. The group played the song “We don’t need no education” on a CD player, carried facetious signs, and urged passersby to sign a petition to end socialism. “It was a pledge to end welfare, medical, emergency room use by the uninsured and illegal aliens, Medicare, Social Security, VA, police, library and many more [government services] including CalTrans,” Patterson told East County Magazine in an e-mail. “Needless to say, we didn’t have one signer!” He believes the messages provoked some people to think independently instead of relying solely on conservative leaders or media. “One kid asked me who would fight crime if we did close the police stations?” Patterson recalled. “I told him to ask the nuts across the street.” Speakers at T.E.A. Parties reflected the conservative crowds’ discontent. “I know why T.E.A. parties got formed—because you are sick and tired of political elites ramming stuff down your throat,” Sheriff candidate Jim Duffy said at the El Cajon event. “You have a voice and you are using it.” In Washington D.C., the T.E.A. Party movement drew a substantial crowd, though initial reports on crowd size appear to have been inflated. ABC News has issued a statement saying ABC was misquoted by some news organizations and that it estimated crowd size in the “tens of thousands,” not 600,000 to 700,000. Most news agencies confirm the tens of thousands estimate, though some have ranged upwards to the millions. The conservative Washington Times confirms that “some photographs showing immense crowds that appeared on some conservative Web sites turned out to be pictures of a demonstration 10 years ago.” In any case, the T.E.A. Party rally in Washington, while substantial, was likely far smaller than the Million Man March (which drew an estimated 400,000 marchers), the 2005 anti-war march (200,000 to 500,000) or the Obama inauguration (1.5 to 1.8 million, by most estimates). In El Cajon and across the nation, some demonstrators on both sides waved flags and bore patriotic messages. But there was a dark side to the rallies, with some T.E.A. Party protesters carrying signs with racist messages or images, profanity, and veiled threats. In El Cajon, one sign depicted Obama as an African tribesman with a message reading “Bend Over, This is Gonna Hurt”; another sign read “F**k Obama with a red X across the President’s face. Patterson, a Viet Nam veteran and leader in the peace movement (http://www.sdvfp.org), expressed concern about the decline in respectful civil discourse regarding political issues. “What we don’t see is people dealing with the issues. They are dealing with all these emotional innuendos,” he observed. “What happens is that people’s actual ideas are discounted regarding the specific problem, such as healthcare. From the other side, they would look at us as some kind of socialist liberals and discount us, and we would see them as racists and discount them. As a result,” he concluded, “everybody winds up yelling at each other, nothing gets done, and the politicians take us to the cleaners.” Printer-friendly version
FREECYCLE: SAVE MONEY WHILE SAVING THE EARTH
Printer-friendly version Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages with tips to save money and improve their lifestyle! September 17, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)–According to the EPA, the U.S. generated 251 million tons of trash in 2006–and 67% of that trash ended up in landfills. But much of the trash in landfills is not really trash at all. It is so easy to throw items away when they are no longer needed – even if they are still usable – that it happens every day. However, there is a growing population of people who think that there must be a better solution. Have you ever walked in your neighborhood early in the morning of trash pick-up day? You would be amazed what your neighbors are throwing away. Things that appear perfectly usable but no longer wanted. There is a better way to dispose of unwanted items–and get items you actually want free–all through Freecycle! Freecycle is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 by Deron Beal, and has grown to a community of over 7 million members. Their goal statement reads, "Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community." What this means is you can find just about anything on Freecycle for no more cost to than the cost of your gasoline to drive to pick it up. You no longer need to make trips to drop off donations when you clean out your garage – simply post the items on-line and someone will come pick them up for you! To get started, visit the official site at www.freecycle.org and locate a group near you. Next sign up for the local group (free, of course) and as soon as the moderators add you, you will start receiving emails. When Dawn first signed up, she requested a daily email because she was trying to cut down on the amount of mail in her inbox. What she found was that the items she wanted were gone by the time she got her digest, and switched to the “individual email” option. The reason this makes a difference is that most items posted on Freecycle are gone within an hour or two. If you see something you really want, you need to act fast! If you have kids, you know how quickly they grow! Some other websites designed to help you reduce your clothing bills and keep more usable items out of the landfills Check out Zwaggle or UandITrade; both sites facilitate the exchange of gently worn children’s clothing. Along the same line, there are sites dedicated to the exchange of adult-sized clothing as well. Swapstyle was launched in July 2004 by fashion designer Emily Chesher as a way to make "designer fashion accessible to women everywhere," and Rehash Clothes launched in the summer of 2007 as a way to "shop for clothes without spending a penny, all while helping the environment." Using these simple ideas you can get free items, save time and gasoline on shopping and keep more usable items out of the landfills. Next week’s column is about how to save money as you “Play the Grocery Game.” Nancy Clement is an east county Realtor@, mortgage broker and freelance writer and can be reached at 619-563-4184 or Dollar-wiseDivas@Cox.net. Dawn Clement is a stay-at-home mother of three, a freelance writer, and creative shopper. Printer-friendly version
2 MOTORCYCLISTS KILLED IN EAST COUNTY
Printer-friendly version September 18, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – A pair of motorcycle accidents this week have claimed two lives in East County. The County Coroner’s office has released the names of the victims, who died from crashes in Ramona and Descanso. Mark Anthony Taylor, 46, of Ramona died after his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle that failed to yield right-of-way. The accident occurred on Hobson Lane in Ramona. Sheriff Deputies, California Highway Patrol and medics responded, but vigorous attempts to revive the victim failed. Taylor, who was married, was pronounced dead at the scene. Charges were not filed. Marleea Anne Gerfen, 21, perished on September 13th of a fractured cervical spine sustained in a motorcycle accident on southbound Highway 79 near Lookout Road, Descanso. Gerfen, an active duty servicewoman stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, struck a dirt berm as she approached a curve in the road. 9-1-1 was called but despite an aggressive resuscitative effort, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Printer-friendly version
SALAS SENDS SEVEN BILLS TO THE GOVERNOR
Printer-friendly version Bills address education, water, crime-fighting, and veterans needs Sesptember 15, 2009 (San Diego)–Assemblymember Mary Salas (D-San Diego) last week sent seven bills to the Governor’s desk as the Legislature completed its work of the first year of the 2009-10 biennial legislative session. Assemblymember Salas and fellow lawmakers worked all night Friday and into the early morning Saturday to tackle critical issues and complete their work. “I am very pleased with the results of this year’s legislative session, and I am confident that Governor Schwarzenegger will look favorably at the results of our collective work and my set of bills,” said Assemblymember Salas. “I’ve worked hard to send to the Governor a package of bills that improves the lives of all Californians. Because of our budget crisis, these bills either have no cost or save the state money.” Below is a brief description of bills authored by Assemblymember Salas awaiting action by Governor Schwarzenegger. • Assembly Bill 261 – Strengthens privacy protections of student records by conforming state law to federal law. The bill will ensure California continues to receive over $1 billion in federal education funding. • Assembly Bill 286 – Extends successful city and county intra-agency vehicle theft abatement and prosecution programs. San Diego County operates the Regional Auto Theft Taskforce (RATT), a multi-agency team of detectives and prosecutors which in 2008 recovered 319 stolen vehicles valued at over $3 million. The bill continues funding for RATT and similar programs in 46 other counties by extending local authority (until 2018) to place a $1 surcharge on vehicle registrations. • Assembly Bill 1328 – Authorizes homeowner associations (common interest developments) to enter into multi-year energy and water efficiency contracts. The measure promotes high efficiency energy and water use programs that result in savings for homeowner associations and reduce water and energy use. • Assembly Bill 1330 – Authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a cooperative housing pilot project. • Assembly Bill 1567 – Requires that military veterans be added to the list of target populations in the Employment Training Panel’s (ETP’s) strategic plan. The plans include training goals, strategies, and objectives. • Assembly Bill 1568 – Provides disaster relief to homeowners suffering losses due to the 2008 and 2009 wildfires in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and San Bernardino counties and creates a special deposit account to preserve and fund the Healthy Families program. • Assembly Bill 1571 – Requires that all county mental health plans include veterans and/or veteran organization in their stakeholder planning process. Also requests that the Department of Mental Health inform the Department of Veterans Affairs whenever a local plan includes outreach or service program specifically for veterans and their families. In August, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 348 by Assemblymember Salas which removes the landownership requirement from the list of qualifications to serve as a director of the South Bay Irrigation District. In May, lawmakers joined Assemblymember Salas in recognizing water as a valuable natural resource by adopting House Resolution 10 which proclaimed May 3-9 as Drinking Water Week. Printer-friendly version
FIRE DOUSED ON PALOMAR MOUNTAIN
Printer-friendly version September 16, 2009 (San Diego)—A fire that began early this evening has been contained at a half acre near Doane Pond on Palomar Mountain. Nine engines, four crews, three helicopters, two air tankers and tha Martin Mars were dispatched initially. As of 10:30 p.m., a single engine remains at the scene for the night, the U.S. Forest Service has confirmed. Printer-friendly version
AFTER MASSIVE OUTCRY, SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS SONIC WEAPON SWITCH “DISABLED”; CONCERNS REMAIN
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery September 16, 2009 (San Diego) – San Diego County Sheriff’s Department notified media today that it would hold a demonstration of its highly controversial “sonic weapon.” What was demonstrated, however, was only the loudspeaker capability of the device—a feature which has effectively been used in search-and-rescue operations and to broadcast messages during a sandcastle contest. The sonic weapons switch, capable of emitting tones loud enough to damage ear drums or worse, has now been “disabled,” Sheriff’s Lieutenant Ed Musgrove informed the media at the end of the event. (View our video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulkl5Lw5gm8) But concerns remain. “If you accidentally flip that switch and someone is within a 30-foot range, they can have their eardrums burst, bleeding in the inner ear, and it can result in an aneurysm or death,” reporter Kim Dvorac from Examiner.com said in an interview on KCBQ radio’s Rick Amato show last night , citing a source in the Department of Defense http://www.amatotalk.com/podcasts/AMATO-09-15-09-HR1.mp3 . “The officers shown at this town hall meeting (for Susan Davis) were using this within 30 feet of townhall attendees and other officers,” she added. Dvorac published two stories on the Sheriff’s deployment of LRADs (long-range acoustic devices) after East County Magazine) broke the story on Friday http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/1874 , creating a firestorm of controversy. As we reported, LRADs have been used to repel insurgents in Iraq and to prevent piracy of ships aboard the high seas. Dvorac, who said she has spoken to various sources who have served in the Middle East and who are familiar with the use of LRADs, added this clarification. “They are also using this over in Iraq and Afghanistan to target terrorists in crowds, to take them out and save people around them…This can be pointed directly at you and it will burst your eardrums, but the person on the right or left will not be harmed by this.” She added that she could find no support in her research or among experts interviewed for use of LRADs as crowd control devices—the use for which Sheriff Gore says he purchased the device. Our story, a joint investigation with Liberty One Radio, sparked a flurry of comments critical of the Sheriff, drawing national media coverage. USA Today picked up the story, along with major conservative and liberal blogs. At a Sheriff’s debate Saturday co-hosted by ECM editor Miriam Raftery and KCBQ Radio’s Rick Amato, the crowd turned unruly when a question about the sonic weapons was posed by Dvorac. Three other candidates for Sheriff condemned Sheriff Bill Gore for approving LRADs at public rallies. In the debate, Gore confirmed that “the crowd was purchased as a crowd dispersal” that was “held in reserve” as “a non-lethal type of device to disperse crowds should there be the need…” Other alternatives would include pepper spray – an analogy that quickly drew references to the recent pepper-spraying of guests by a Sheriff’s deputy at Democratic Congressional candidate Francine Busby’s fundraiser. Gore also stated in the debate that the LRAD “doesn’t burst eardrums” and said volume and frequency are controlled on the side of the device. At a demonstration today held at a Sheriff’s station in San Diego, however, Musgrove told the media that “essentially what this is is just a voice amplification system.” He said the device has been used to broadcast information in English and Spanish at a sandcastle building event in Imperial Beach and its directional sound capabilities have been used to successfully locate missing people during search and rescue efforts in East County’s canyons and mountains. The LRAD is more effective than a hand-held microphone for broadcasting messages, he added, because it can reach beyond 300 meters. Asked if there has been much opposition to the device, he replied, “We’ve gotten really little feedback from the public,” adding that feedback from law enforcement personnel has been positive. “I don’t think this thing is controversial,” he stated later. Asked if the LRAD could hurt someone’s eardrums, the Sheriff’s representative confirmed, “Absolutely, any device that amplifies sound can…When you get into the red area, the manufacturer recommends not having someone in front of it for 75 meters, 200 feet.” He defended the device as a “good acquisition” and confirmed it was purchased with a Homeland Security grant. Asked by another reporter if it could be used to disperse crowds, he replied, “This particular device can do that, however ours, we’ve disabled that and taken it out completely.” Whether that meant the switch has been removed, or merely turned off, however, was not clarified. Musgrove insisted the device is only being used for good. "So, it will never be used in San Diego as a weapon?" asked 10News’ Ariana Duarte. "No, not by the Sheriff’s Department, no," Musgrove replied. http://www.10news.com/news/20931535/detail.html All three candidates running against Gore for Sheriff criticized the Department for purchasing the LRAD. “They are very, very lethal weapons,” said Jay LaSuer. “they are military weapons. They have no place in law enforcement. Why in the name of God you would take one when a United States member of Congress has invited people to come speak about health debates that’s going on right now, I don’t know. Probably the majority of these people are Medicaid recipients, so you probably have terrorists on walkers,” he quipped, then turned to Gore: “You have deployed a weapon to be used potentially against American citizens…shame on you.” “I don’t think it belongs in our arsenal,” said Jim Duffy. “Why was it at that forum? It should never have been purchased and secondly, should not have been deployed in that environment.” He further criticized the $40,000 cost (including a training program) as a waste of taxpayer money. Bruce Ruff, the third candidate, faulted Gore for buying “whiz-bang gadgetry with your money.” He noted that deputy sheriffs were not protected (a photo showed deputies close to the device with no protective earphones). KCBQ