STABBING AT IHOP IN SPRING VALLEY
East County News Service May 17, 2015 (Spring Valley) – Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of a stabbing near the IHOP restaurant on Broadway in Spring Valley around 11 p.m. on Thursday, May 14th. According to Sergeant Jeremy Sheppard, two males were fighting in the parking lot when one began stabbing the other. The suspect fled on foot but was quickly found and arrested a few blocks from the crime scene. The victim was transported to Mercy Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Deputies from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff’s station responded and are handling the investigation.
PURSUIT NABS ALLEGED LAKESIDE RITE AID THIEVES
East County News Service May 17, 2015 (Lakeside) – Lakeside resident Shermal Taha, 23, and Nicole Gonzales, 27 of Spokane, Washington have been arrested and booked on commercial burglary, conspiracy and felony evading of arrest. On May 14th at 1:28 a.m., Deputies responded to a burglary alarm at the Rite Aid at 9532 Winter Gardens Blvd. in Lakeside. Upon arrival, Deputy Mascarenas saw a man walk out the back door and get into a silver Mitsubishi SUV. “Upon seeing the deputies, the vehicle fled and turned back onto Winter Gardens Blvd.,” said Sergeant Tim Chantler, who was with Deputy Mascarenas at the incident. Deputy Mascarenas initiated a traffic stop, but the suspects fled at a high rate of speed southbound on Winter Gardens with deputies in pursuit. According to Sgt. Chantler, the chase continued for about 10 minutes through Lakeside, El Cajon and Rancho San Diego. The Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter and a K-9 dog unit from the Rancho San Diego station responded and assisted in the pursuit. The vehicle finally yielded at Jamacha Road and Vista Del Valley, where the suspects were taken into custody. A search of the vehicle and follow-up investigation by Deputy Eric Garcia found that the suspects had broken into the back door of Rite-Aid and stole 13 bottles of Crown Royal as well as five cartons of cigarettes from the store, according to Sgt. Chantler.
63 ARRESTED IN GANG SWEEP
East County News Service May 17, 2015 (San Diego County) – Yesterday the Sheriff’s Department conducted 71 compliance checks as part of “Operation Surge” countywide, resulting in 63 arrests on charges that included possession of controlled substances for sale, probation violations, auto theft and outstanding warrants. Lieutenant Scott Black states, “Historically, gangs have been territorial, but in recent years have been extending their criminal enterprises to outside jurisdictions. Gang members have been migrating to other North and South County cities and have been identified as suspects in active criminal investigations. Additionally, cities have also seen a rise in offenders being out of custody since the inception of Prison Realignment and Proposition 47.” In order to combat the progression, the State of California, through the Board of State and Community Corrections has provided funds to help monitor Post Release Offenders. On May 16, 2015 the Sheriff’s Department conducted “Operation Surge” throughout San Diego County from 4 p.m. through 2 a.m. on May 17. The sweep included the East County communities of Lemon Grove, Santee, Ramona, Rancho San Diego and Spring Valley as well as North County and coastal communities and the city of Poway. The operation was intended to suppress gang activity through aggressive enforcement as well as target those individuals identified as post release offenders identified through crime and intelligence analysis, as those people most likely to re-offend. In addition to the 71 compliance checks, deputies also conducted focused patrols in areas identified as our current highest crime areas with the goal of contacting, identifying and arresting prolific offenders in those areas. The operation resulted in 51arrests in North San Diego County along with 13 arrests in South San Diego County. A total of 172 field Interviews were conducted and 26 traffic citations were issued. Similar operations are planned for the future, Lt. Black confirmed in a press statement.
PLANE HITS TRUCK DURING EMERGENCY LANDING IN SANTEE
East County News Service Photo: Heartland firefighter Gabe Belloli May 17, 2015 (Santee) – The pilot of a single-engine Cherokee plane made an emergency landing Saturday morning on Prospect Avenue near Cuyamaca Street in Santee. According to ECM news partner 10 News, the pilot and his passenger were traveling from Phoenix, Arizona to Montgomery Field in San Diego when the pilot felt the engine lose power. .He tried to change course to land at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, but couldn’t make it that far. The pilot coasted to a landing on the street, but struck a parked pickup truck, causing minor damage. Fortunately, no one was injured. Heartland Fire & Rescue in El Cajon responded to the crash, along with the Sheriff’s department. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.
FATAL SHOOTING IN LA MESA
East County News Service May 17, 2015 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police responded to a call reporting a man had been shot inside a home in the 8200 block of El Paso Street on Saturday, May 16th at 5:24 a.m. Upon arrival, officers found the unknown victim, who had suffered a gunshot wound, in a bedroom. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No further details have been released at this time as the investigation continues. Anyone with information is urged to call the La Mesa Police Department at (619) 667-1400. You may also call Crime Stoppers’ anonymous toll-free tip line (888) 580-TIPS (or www.sdcrimestoppers.com). You can remain anonymous, and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case
F.A.C.E. SAVES PETS LIVES WHEN OWNERS CAN’T AFFORD SURGERY: KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER
Hear our interview with Brooke Haggarty, executive director of Foundation for Animal Care and Education (FACE) , originally aired on KNSJ Radio. Listen now: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/audio/2019/August/Newsmaker-FACE-Brook%20Haggarty.mp3 May 17, 2015 (San Diego) – “What we do is give families hope when they are about to lose their best friends, their furry family members. We are able to keep them together,” says Brooke Haggarty, executive director at Foundation for Animal Care (FACE). The San Diego-based nonprofit provides funds to help families save the lives or health of pets with life-threatening injuries or conditions. Unlike some other organizations, FACE does not require owners to give up their pets to get help. Instead, FACE partners with over 100 veterinary hospitals countywide to negotiate discounts of 25% or more and pay most of the remainder for families that can’t afford care. The organization started in 2006 after veterinarians saw an increase in euthanasia of pets because owners couldn’t afford life-saving surgeries or treatments. FACE helps with immediate life threatening situations where there is a good prognosis, such as a dog or cat that has ingested a sharp object and needs surgery, or an animal hit by a car that needs wounds treated immediately. FACE will also help when surgery is needed to assure that an animal will not be left paralyzed. The organization cannot help in situations where a positive outcome is unlikely, such as with terminal cancer cases. There is no minimum financial threshold to qualify. Applicants do need to show proof of financial need, but each applicant is reviewed on an individual basis depending on their specific family circumstances and expenses. Owners are asked to pay what they can, typically a small amount, and FACE covers the rest after negotiating a discount with veterinary providers. “We have saved 1,130 pets as of today,” Haggarty told East County Magazine in a radio interview in April. “We couldn’t be prouder of the work we are doing and the good we are doing for the community.” FACE also offers youth humane education programs. For information on how to apply for funding for treatment of an ill or injured pet, or to make a donation to FACE, a 501c3 nonprofit, visit www.FACE4PETS.ORG
SAN DIEGO ENERGY DISTRICT NOW OFFERING MEMBERSHIPS
Hear our interview with Ashley Mazanec, membership manager, San Diego Energy District. Listen now: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/audio/2019/August/Newsmakers-%20Ashley%20Mazanec-SDEnergyDistrctFdn.mp3 May 17, 2015 (San Diego) – If you’re looking for an alternative to SDG&E for buying your electric power, you can now become a member in the San Diego Energy District. In an interview on KNSJ in April, Ashley Mazanec told us a dozen businesses have signed up so far. Ratepayers can enjoy lower rates and know their energy is coming from clean energy sources, according to Mazanec. Locally produced energy can also reduce the need for new power lines, improving wildfire safety. San Diego has a feasibility study underway and Solana Beach has moved forward to become a community choice city. The San Diego Energy District is reaching out to additional communities and hopes to build support in other local cities such as La Mesa, El Cajon , Santee and Lemon Grove as well as with County Supervisors. Individual property owners can sell surplus power back into the grid. Entities such as nonprofit orgnaizations, school districts, Native American tribes and businesses can also join the grid. For more information on the new community choice energy program and San Diego Energy District, you can visit http://www.sandiegoenergydistrict.org/.
OAKS FELLED IN DOS PICOS PARK
By Miriam Raftery Photo: Healthy and diseased oaks, courtesy University of California Riverside May 16, 2015 (Ramona)–A voracious insect has devastated oak trees that once formed a canopy shading visitors at Dos Picos Park in Ramona. In recent months, over 100 mature oaks have been cut down after they were killed by the gold-spotted oak borer, and more are slated to be felled—some up to 200 years old. Drought left the trees weakened, making them susceptible to the destructive insect pest. The dead trees had to be removed to protect the safety of visitors from falling limbs, UT San Diego reports. Gold spotted beetles first appeared in San Diego County in 2004. By 2010, they had killed tens of thousands of trees countywide. Campers can help prevent the spread of the beetle by not moving firewood from one place to another. The park is treating beetle-free trees with an insecticide in hopes of protecting them. In addition, young oaks will be planted along with faster-growing native trees such as sycamores. Though it will take decades for the oaks to mature, the sycamores should be large enough to provide shade in just a few years—though the park won’t be the same without its canopy of heritage oaks.
WHERE ARE THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION?
Iraq: The War That Shouldn’t Be – You Decide, by M.M. Chantiloupe (Xlibris Corporation, 2010, 305 pages). Book Review by Dennis Moore May 16, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Although the Iraq war is over, we are still feeling the residual effects of that controversial campaign, and it is put into perspective by San Diego resident M.M. Chantiloupe in her book; Iraq: The War That Shouldn’t Be – You Decide. Chantiloupe writes a scathing analysis and rebuke of the Bush Administration in this well-written and incisive book. She asks rhetorical questions that gets us all to think about why we actually went into that war and the harm that it has done to America and Iraq, as well as the world itself. Central in her discussion is the false pretenses of weapons of mass destruction. Chantiloupe writes in a scholarly fashion her analysis of this war and its residual effects, such as the current threat of ISIS, or the Islamic terrorist threat. Chantiloupe, a native of Jamaica West Indies, now living in San Diego, is a Certified Financial Planner with the Certified Financial Board of Standards, a retired General Stock Broker with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), formerly National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and Registered Investment Advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which gives her keen insight into some of the financial implications of that war in Iraq that she is not bashful about pointing out in Iraq: The War That Shouldn’t be. She connects the dots between those that would benefit from such a costly endeavor. Chantiloupe’s entrepreneurial father was involved in politics and government. And, these attributes became a part of her life. She always wanted to know what was happening in the government as well as the private sector, not only in the U.S. but other countries as well. Her interest piqued more so during an election year and a new administration. The author points out in her book that after watching the buildings collapsed in downtown Manhattan on September 11, 2001, and the ensuing catastrophe, she started to do some research on Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. She discovered that bin Laden and Saddam Hussein disliked each other so it was unlikely that they would work together. Chantiloupe further states in her book that in 1998 the Clinton administration launched Desert Fox and took out Iraq’s chemical facilities and containment was effective because of the no-fly zone. And in August of 1982, Israel used U.S. Tomahawk missiles to take out Iraq’s nuclear facilities and it was never restarted. The author comes out swinging in this book, pulling no punches. In the very first chapter, Deception Contrived On Both Sides Of The Ocean, Chantiloupe lays out the premise for the war on Iraq, by stating: “It appears that the Bush Administration had long planned an invasion of Iraq prior to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, but not because it believed that Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons and was affiliated with Obama bin Laden.” She further indicates that Britain’s Tony Blair had complicity in this deception. The author states in a very profound way: “But who suffers the most in the attack on Iraq? The U.S soldiers and the Iraqi people tend to be the biggest losers in this conflict, not only in terms of death and destruction, but also the inhumane conditions under which the soldiers have to perform their sometimes impossible tasks without the proper armor, while the Bush administration paid Halliburton billions of dollars on no-bid plus costs contracts.” Some of what the author has written may be considered as revisionist history, but the residual effects of this ill-conceived war in Iraq may be everlasting. This is a well-researched and documented treatise on the Iraq war, with scholarly analysis demonstrated by Chantiloupe. In an emphasis and indication of the brilliant analytical mind of the author regarding the war in Iraq, and the residual effects of it that we still feel, the author profoundly states: “The Bush administration shifted its rhetoric on November 21, 2003, by saying that Osama bin Laden has taken himself out of the leadership position of al-Qaeda; therefore it is no longer important to catch him. What happened to Bush’s earlier remarks that he wanted Osama bin Laden dead or alive?” Ironically, Jeb Bush, a likely candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2016, was pressured this past week into rejecting, in hindsight, his brother’s war. Chantiloupe further states: “On the one hand, Bush and Cheney link Osama and Saddam in the same context of terrorism in just about every speech they make and that they have to be captured or killed to stop the spread of terrorism and to prevent another attack on the United States. On the other hand, before Saddam was captured, they said Saddam Hussein was no longer a threat and that Osama is no longer the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist group. Now we do not know what to believe when U.S. government officials keep flip-flopping on statements regarding their intent to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. This book and its revelations caught the attention of Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who invited Chantiloupe to speak before a committee of Congress on its implications. The author describes in her subsequent book; Driven: When Obstacles Take Center Stage, how Congresswoman Waters would escort her to the forum. In a letter to Chantiloupe prior to this forum, Congresswoman Waters states: “I have reviewed your book, Iraq: The War That Shouldn’t Be – You Decide. It is an impressive body of work that deserves the attention of the public and our nation’s policymakers. As the Founder of the ‘Out of Iraq’ Congressional Caucus, I am interested in having you attend a meeting of our Caucus to discuss your book.” I agree with Congresswoman Waters, this is definitely a book that deserves the attention of the public and our nation’s policymakers! Dennis Moore is the Associate
ESCAPED PRISONER SOUGHT
East County News Service May 16, 2015 (Otay Mesa) – The Sheriff is seeking an inmate who escaped from the East Mesa reentry facility in Otay Mesa Saturday and was found to be missing at 1 p.m. Omar Ramirez Sandoval was an inmate worker at the facility who was last observed around 7 a.m. He was being held for possession, sale and transportation of narcotics and sentenced to nine years in prison. Deportation proceedings were pending. Sandoval, a 37-year-old Hispanic man, was wearing a tan and white worker uniform with SD Jail markings on it. He is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. He was clean shaven with short crew-cut hair when last seen. The method of his escape remains under investigation, says Sergeant Chris Davis with the San Diego Fugitive Task Force. Anyone with information about this case can call the Sheriff’s Department non-emergency line at (858)565-5200. You can remain anonymous and be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477