3 To Stand Trial In Alleged Santa Rosa Gang Rape
Three Santa Rosa men were held over for trial Wednesday on five felony charges stemming from the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl in April.
Oscar Anibal Magana-Aristando, 20, Salvador Armando Rivas, 18, and
Alejandro Corado, 31, will re-enter pleas to the charges on Nov. 12 in Sonoma County Superior Court.
They are charged with rape in concert by force or violence, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, oral copulation in concert by force, and giving a minor a controlled substance.
The girl, now 16, testified at the preliminary hearing that she was forced into a sport utility vehicle after she twice refused the suspects’ offer for a ride while she was walking on Coffey Lane in Santa Rosa to her aunt’s house on April 6.
The suspects then drove her to nearby Comstock Middle School where
she was held down and sexually assaulted by each of the suspects, the teen
said.
A juvenile boy also was charged in connection with the incident.
His mental competence is an issue in his prosecution in juvenile court.
The girl testified that during the attack she was kicked and a white powdery substance, allegedly methamphetamine, was poured down her throat. The suspects then dropped her off at a shopping center on Farmers Lane and Fourth Street in Santa Rosa and she got a ride to her grandmother’s
house, the girl said.
The girl said she learned a month later she was pregnant and had an abortion.
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Inn closed because of meth contamination
The Island County Health Department temporarily closed the Acorn Motor Inn in Oak Harbor last week after testing showed methamphetamine contamination in a room and hallways.
The motel is the fourth business in the Oak Harbor area that has been shut down and posted with “unfit for use” orders over the last year because of meth contamination.
The motel’s owner will have to go through the expensive process of getting the building decontaminated by a certified clean-up company.
MOTHER SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON FOR KILLING TODDLER AND BOYFRIEND IN HIGH-SPEED CRASH WHILE UNDER INFLUENCE OF METHAMPHETAMINE
A mother was sentenced today to six years in state prison for killing her boyfriend and her 2-year-old daughter in a high-speed crash after falling asleep at the wheel while under the influence of methamphetamine. Tomeka Charee Harris, 29, Fullerton, pleaded guilty to a court offer Oct. 23, 2009, to two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence while intoxicated.
At approximately 10:00 a.m. on Jan. 12, 2008, Harris was speeding westbound on State Route 91 in her Mitsubishi sport utility vehicle with her boyfriend, 27-year-old Alfred Flores, and her daughter, Zharia Keheian, who was one day from turning 2 years old. Harris fell asleep at the wheel and lost control of her car while exiting at the East Street off-ramp at a high rate of speed, driving into a fence and crashing into a steel utility pole. Harris’ baby and boyfriend both suffered head trauma from the impact and were killed. The defendant was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the crash.
Deputy District Attorney Susan Price of the Homicide Unit prosecuted this case
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Parolee accused of holding female companion hostage
A 39-year-old Redding woman with a long history of arrests is back in Shasta County jail after allegedly beating her live-in companion and holding her hostage for a week inside their Olive Avenue apartment.
Cynthia Lynn Eckelman, who was arrested Nov. 10, also is accused of stealing the woman’s car.
She remains in Shasta County jail in lieu of $320,000 bail.
Police said in an investigative report that Eckelman has a lengthy history of violence and arrests, including robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary.
The alleged victim, 45, is also on parole, the report said.
According to the police report, the alleged victim told police that she has had an on-again, off-again intimate relationship with Eckelman for about four years and that there had been no physical abuse until this month.
She told police the relationship turned violent shortly after she caught Eckelman using methamphetamine in the bathroom.
“Victim told her she could not do drugs and if she chose to do drugs they could not be together,” the police report said.
Eckelman then began to “smack her in the face” with both hands and also spat on her, the report said.
The relationship quickly got worse in the days to come, the woman told police.
The alleged victim claimed Eckelman would threaten and attack her at least two or three times a day.
“She stated that she had been beaten so many times her head felt like it was going to explode,” the police report said.
But the woman said she was too scared to leave or call police for fear that Eckelman would find and kill her.
Police learned of the alleged abuse after it was reported to a parole agent by two men who were worried about the woman’s safety, the report said.
Macon girl made to be sex slave, then sold for $500
Two Macon men have been indicted on charges that they locked a 14-year-old girl in a house in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood and forced her to have sex with up to 15 people.
Shuntain N. Griffin, 30, and Marcus Dwayne Henley, 31, are charged with trafficking a person for sexual servitude, according to an indictment returned in Bibb Superior Court on Tuesday.
The girl ran away from her Bibb County home March 8 and walked to the Zebulon Road Wal-Mart, where she met a trucker and spent the night in his truck, said Allie Seckinger, a Bibb County sheriff’s investigator.
The next day, he dropped her off at a CVS pharmacy in the Bloomfield area of Macon, where she camped out in the woods for a couple of nights.
At some point, men in that neighborhood introduced the girl to Griffin, and she spent the night at his house, Seckinger said.
The next day, Griffin and Henley took the girl to a house on Second Avenue, where, in the girl’s words, she was forced to “serve” people, Seckinger said. At one point, there were 10 to 15 people lined up waiting for her.
“They pretty much pimped her out,” Capt. Mike Smallwood said.
After two to three days, Griffin and Henley sold the girl to a Crawford County man for $500, Seckinger said.
Authorities soon received a tip that the girl was in Crawford County, and they returned the teen to her family March 19. It wasn’t until later interviews that investigators discovered the sexual activity, Seckinger said.
Daniel Chestley White, 46, of Grace Road in Crawford County, was arrested in October on charges of child molestation, aggravated sodomy, rape, interference with child custody, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and human trafficking, according to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.
Additional charges may be pending against White in Bibb County, Seckinger said.
Smallwood said the case is the first instance in which the sheriff’s office has worked a human trafficking case that led to charges being filed.
Crawford County investigator Johnny Cleveland said White’s arrest is the first human trafficking case in Crawford County.
White was released on $20,000 bond Nov. 4, according to Crawford County jail records.
Griffin, of a Bloomfield Drive address, is being held at the Bibb County jail on $111,200 bond.
Henley, of a Virginia Avenue address, is being held without bond, according to Bibb County jail records.
Court records showed that Tuesday’s indictment wasn’t Griffin or Henley’s first brush with the law.
Griffin was convicted of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and writing fictitious checks in 2006 in Baldwin County.
In 2003, he was convicted of attempted burglary in Houston County. In 2001, Griffin was convicted of possession of cocaine in Bibb County.
Henley was convicted of possession of methamphetamine in Bibb County in 2007. In 1998, he was convicted of burglary and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in Monroe County, according to the indictment.
Two held on drug charges
A man and a woman are charged with multiple drug offenses following a traffic stop in Marianna Saturday.
According to the Marianna Police Department, Anthony Curtis York, of 2307 Jupiter Road in Alford, and Stacy Hall York of 1131 South Highway 71 in Wewahitchka, were traveling together in a truck at the intersection of Guyton Street and Kelson Avenue when an officer pulled them over for a seat belt violation.
The officer reported that a male was behind the wheel when he first noticed the truck.
However, when the vehicle was pulled over, the officer alleges the driver and his female passenger switched places.
A computer check revealed Anthony York had a suspended license and was identified as a habitual traffic offender, according to Marianna police.
He was placed under arrest for driving with a suspended license.
Subsequently, Stacy York, the owner of the vehicle, consented to a search of the vehicle.
When the truck was searched, officers reportedly found a metal box in the cab of the truck which contained drugs and drug paraphernalia identified as “smoking devices” by police.
Marijuana and methamphetamine were also found in the box, the police department reported.
Officers also reported finding a mesh bag in the cab of the truck which contained additional marijuana, smoking devices and paraphernalia.
A set of digital scales was found in a camera bag. In the bed of the truck, officers reported a metal box was found which contained chemicals and materials commonly used in the manufacture of methaphetamine. Three firearms were found in a tool box, officers reported.
In addition to the driver’s license violation, Anthony York was also charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), unlawful possession of listed chemicals, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Stacy York was charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), unlawful possession of listed chemicals, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and permitting an unauthorized operator to drive.
Authorities did not say if or how the Yorks may be related.
Both remained at the Jackson County jail as of early Monday, awaiting their first court appearance on the charges.
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Naked man arrested at Columbus storage business
Columbus police arrested a wet, naked man on methamphetamine-related charges early Tuesday morning.
Police received an anonymous report at about 2:43 a.m. of a man inside the fence of a storage shed company on Indianapolis Road. When Patrolman Matt Stephenson arrived, he found a man with a flashlight near an open storage unit.
After a short conversation with the officer, the suspect fled deeper into the storage shed complex.
Stephenson called for assistance and police cordoned off the storage complex. Patrolman Chad Lehman and police dog “Rex” began searching the yard when another officer saw a naked man inside the fence.
Lt. Joe Richardson, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department, said the suspect admitted that he stripped off his clothes and hid in a nearby pond hoping to avoid the police dog. However, he got cold and surrendered to police.
A working meth lab was found in the storage unit and Indiana State Police was called in to dismantle the lab.
Police arrested Robert M. Lucas, 37, on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement, manufacturing methamphetamine and two outstanding warrants for unpaid child support.
Utah County man sentenced for fatally shooting uncle during chase
Two dozen family members filed into an inmate holding area to embrace Colton Jesse Louder before he went to prison Tuesday. It was a rare scene for any courtroom, but especially so in this case.
Earlier this year, the 25-year-old Lehi man fatally shot his uncle during a drug-fueled chase in Pleasant Grove. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to five years to life in prison for killing 45-year-old Jeffery Boyd Ackerman on Feb. 27.
But family members have not only forgiven Louder, the slaying has “actually brought us closer,” said his mother, Suzanne Louder.
She made the unusual request for the family to hug Louder because her elderly and hard-of-hearing father has had a difficult time communicating with him during jail visits.
Colton Louder said he got a “fair shake” from the justice system and apologized to his family.
“I was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” he told 4th District Judge Fred Howard. “This was not normal behavior for me. But I did make a horrible mistake.”
For unknown reasons, Ackerman, who lived at his parents’ home in Pleasant Grove, began chasing his nephew. The chase ended several blocks away, when Louder turned and shot his uncle five times in the torso and right arm with a .45-caliber handgun.
Louder, who left the gun on the hood of a car in the parking lot of a medical clinic, was arrested more than an hour later in American Fork.
Ackerman’s autopsy, presented at a September preliminary hearing, showed he had methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine in his system. Louder was also using meth.
The judge said the illegal drug use “exacerbated the victim’s anger and the shooter’s paranoia.”
Jeff Wilson said his nephew was carrying a gun that day because he had cashed an $800 tax return and was afraid someone might steal his money.
Louder’s mother said Ackerman, who started using drugs in high school, had a temper and that younger family members grew up in fear of him.
Louder’s father, Jesse Louder, expressed a common feeling amongst the family: “If only Jeff hadn’t chased Colton, things would have turned out different.”
But prosecutor Jared Perkins countered: “If only Colton hadn’t been high on meth and carrying a gun, Jeff would still be with us.”
Louder was charged with first-degree felony murder. By pleading guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree felony manslaughter, he avoided a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
Police arrest 31, discover 3 meth labs during sweep
Law enforcement agents surprised residents at mobile home parks, houses and apartment complexes while serving 64 arrest warrants throughout Payne County Monday and today.
An estimated 31 arrests were made and at least three meth labs were found Monday, and the warrant sweep continues today, Stillwater Police Department Capt. Randy Dickerson said.
Stillwater police and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control agents teamed up to target people who bought more than the 9-gram legal limit of pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in homemade methamphetamine.
The two departments were assisted by Payne County Sheriff’s Department, Oklahoma State University police, Iowa Tribal police, the Perkins Police Department and the Cushing Police Department. A National Guard Counterdrug Unit helicopter followed the operation overhead.
Those nabbed in the drug sweep are facing a misdemeanor charge of purchasing more than 9 grams of pseudoephedrine, OBN spokesman Mark Woodward said. He said the charge could be upgraded to a felony count of purchasing a controlled substance with intent to manufacture.
This is the second large-scale Stillwater police investigation this year targeting the purchase of ingredients to make meth, Dickerson said.
A similar operation in June netted 15 arrests in Stillwater with 13 of the defendants admitting to purchasing the pseudoephedrine to manufacture methamphetamine, Woodward said. Several meth labs were seized at that time.
“Under state law approved in 2004, customers are limited to 9 grams of pseudoephedrine in a one-month period without a prescription,” Woodward said. “Meth cooks traditionally attempt to acquire as much pseudoephedrine as they can, so they’ll use multiple identification cards, fake I.D. cards, or send several different customers into pharmacies to purchase pseudoephedrine above the 9-gram limit.”
In 2006, Oklahoma was the first state to begin tracking pseudoephedrine sales electronically in real time, Woodward said. Woodward said the system, in which retailers document sales, allows law enforcement to track those intentionally trying to purchase more pseudoephedrine than state law allows.
While meth labs have declined by over 90-percent in the past several years, Woodward says some areas of Oklahoma are seeing increases in so-called “shake and bake” or “one-pot” meth labs, which use smaller quantities of pseudoephedrine. Many of these meth cooks use fake or altered identification cards to purchase pseudoephedrine, Woodward said.
On Oct. 8, Stillwater police arrested a man for driving under the influence of intoxicants and having an active “shake and bake” meth lab in the passenger side of his car in the parking lot of a retail store on West Sixth Avenue, according to Stillwater Sgt. Rodger Wall.
“The issue of methamphetamine use is a huge problem in our state, and Stillwater, unfortunately, is no exception,” Dickerson said. “The warrants our department served in this case should make a substantial impact on the manufacture of methamphetamine in Stillwater and surrounding communities.”
Authorities: Mom gave up baby to suspected dealer
Authorities say a Salt Lake City woman told them she gave her 9-month-old daughter to a suspected drug dealer because she was homeless, addicted to methamphetamine and unable to care for the girl.
Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Don Hutson says deputies found the child Monday while searching a home as part of a drug investigation.
He says a 38-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of distributing methamphetamine told officers that she had been caring for the child for a week. He also says the woman had a document allegedly signed by the girl’s 23-year-old mother transferring guardianship of the child.
The child has been taken into state custody. No charges are pending against the mother but Hutson says an investigation is ongoing.
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Meth Head of the Day 