Man Who Stole Sheriff’s Cruiser Arrested 50,000 Bail Bond

POWAY, Calif. — A 30-year-old man is behind bars Monday after stealing a sheriff’s cruiser and leading law enforcement personnel on a 38-minute pursuit from Poway to Carmel Valley, authorities said.

Sean Michael Webber stole the white cruiser from Midland and Twin Peaks roads about 9:45 a.m. Sunday, said San Diego County sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Vengler.

The vehicle is used by the department’s senior volunteer patrol, which was in the area assisting with traffic control for Poway’s annual “Tour de Poway” cycling event. Two members of the volunteer patrol were standing near the cruiser when Webber stole it, Vengler said.

A sheriff’s deputy spotted the vehicle minutes later and a pursuit ensued, according to Vengler, who said Webber led deputies out of Poway toward the coast.

San Diego police assisted with the pursuit until authorities decided to back off and let a sheriff’s helicopter crew follow the stolen cruiser. The California Highway Patrol also assisted by closing intersections for the pursuit.

Webber eventually drove to the end of a cul-de-sac in the Carmel Valley area, stopping briefly before barreling through a fence to get to another street, Vengler said.

He then drove backward slowly toward sheriff’s, San Diego police and CHP vehicles that had converged on the area, but then bounded out of the still-moving cruiser and surrendered, Vengler said.

The vehicle came to a stop on its own and the only property damage was to the fence Webber crashed through and the cruiser, Vengler said, noting no one was injured in the 23-mile, 38-minute pursuit.

Webber was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of felony evading, felony theft of an on-call emergency vehicle, misdemeanor drunken driving and misdemeanor driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $50,000. He could be arraigned as early as Wednesday afternoon, according to jail records.

Police Arrest Man Linked To Craigslist Thefts $50,000 Bail Bond

SAN DIEGO — A Mission Valley man was in custody Thursday and facing armed-robbery charges in connection with three holdups of people trying to sell Apple iPads on Craigslist this week.

San Diego police arrested Keith Randall Smith, 34, at his home Wednesday, SDPD Lt. Andra Brown said.

The first of the robberies occurred about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, when Smith allegedly pulled a gun on an iPad owner at the victim’s Talmadge apartment, stole the tablet-style computer and fled, Brown said.

The other two holdups played out in similar fashion the next night, according to police. The first occurred about 8:30 p.m. in the backyard of a Mount Hope woman’s home, and the second roughly 90 minutes later, near another victim’s Corridor-area residence.

During the first and third robberies, the thief was accompanied by an accomplice described as a thin, roughly 5-foot-4-inch blonde in her early to mid-20s, wearing a hooded sweat shirt and dark-colored pants. She remained unidentified and at large.

In each case, the bandit was responding to a for-sale notice placed on the Craigslist classified-ad website, according to Brown.

At the time of Smith’s arrest, detectives recovered two of the stolen iPads along with the pistol the suspect allegedly pulled on the victims, the lieutenant said.

Smith was being held in county jail on $50,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Man In Custody Dies At San Diego Police Headquarters

SAN DIEGO — A 36-year-old man in police custody died Wednesday night at the San Diego Police Department’s downtown headquarters while being processed into jail, police said.

The death occurred about a quarter to midnight at 1401 Broadway, according to San Diego police.

Earlier in the evening, at about 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, the man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to burglarize a North Clairemont apartment after some residents tackled him and held him until police arrived, said SDPD homicide Lt. Ernie Herbert.

“The preliminary investigation has revealed the suspect was discovered in an enclosed patio area of the apartment, looking into windows,” Herbert said. “The resident of the apartment was walking home, saw the suspect on the patio and questioned what he was doing.

According to Herbert, the suspect responded by punching the resident and running away, but the resident caught up with him and other people rushed in to help hold the suspect until police arrived.

He complained of leg pains and was taken to a hospital where he was given the OK before being taken to headquarters, where he again complained of leg pains and difficulty breathing, Herbert said, adding that he died while being seen by paramedics.

“San Diego police officers did not use any force on the suspect when taking him into custody or transporting him for processing,” the lieutenant said. “The cause of (his) death is not known.”

His name was withheld pending family notification.

Arrest Made In 1975 Massage Parlor Slaying

SAN DIEGO — Authorities announced an arrest Friday in connection with a 1975 killing at a massage parlor in a then-seedy downtown area now known as the Gaslamp Quarter.

San Diego police detectives traveled to Parchman, Miss., on Thursday to take custody of 57-year-old Leon Johnson, who had been arrested on a warrant charging him with murdering 27-year-old Luz Borrayo in 1975, San Diego Police Department Lt. Ernie Herbert said.

Borrayo’s body was found inside the Twilight Massage Parlor on Nov. 22, 1975 in the 600 block of Fifth Avenue. The victim had been beaten and strangled.

Two years ago, investigators with the SDPD Cold Case Team reopened the case and resubmitted “viable evidentiary items” to the department’s crime lab for renewed analysis. Those reviews resulted in the identification of Johnson as Borrayo’s suspected killer, according to Herbert.

Herbert declined to disclose the type of evidence that allegedly implicated the suspect.

Johnson is being held in county jail in downtown San Diego pending an arraignment scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Shawne Merriman and Tila Tequila: NFL Player Arrested

San Diego Chargers star outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested Sunday and accused of choking and restraining his girlfriend, reality TV star Tila Tequila, as she tried to leave his suburban home.

Tequila, 27, signed a citizen’s arrest warrant, charging Merriman with battery and false imprisonment, San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Gary Steadman said.

Both are felonies.

Deputies responded about 3:45 a.m. to Merriman’s house in Poway, north of San Diego, after a woman called to say she was choked by the player and thrown to the ground when she tried to leave, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jan Caldwell said at a news conference.

Merriman’s attorney, Todd Macaluso, disputed Tequila’s story and said he’s confident Merriman won’t be charged by the District Attorney’s Office.

“There was absolutely no wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Merriman,” Macaluso told The Associated Press by phone. “He essentially was doing what was appropriate under the circumstances in trying to protect the safety of Miss Tequila. There were numerous eyewitnesses that will support his version of the events that transpired at his home.”

Merriman, 25, was taken into custody and booked into the central jail at about 8:30 a.m. He was released shortly after 11 a.m.

Tequila was taken to a hospital. Her condition was not immediately available.
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Caldwell said deputies determined Tequila had been drinking.

Asked if Merriman was trying to keep Tequila from driving drunk, Macaluso said: “We don’t want to comment on her conduct. The bottom line is, he did everything in his power to ensure her safety. He hopes she comes forth and tells the truth.”

Caldwell said she wasn’t sure if Merriman had been drinking. Macaluso said witnesses he spoke with said Merriman had ordered water three or four times when his group was at a downtown San Diego club before going to his house. The attorney said none of Merriman’s teammates were at his house.

Tequila, whose real name is Tila Nguyen, is best known for “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” which ran for two seasons on MTV. The bisexual dating show featured men and women vying for Tequila’s affections. She has also modeled for Playboy and other men’s magazines.

Scott E. Leemon, an attorney for Tequila, said in a statement that neither she nor her representatives would comment publicly.

Merriman didn’t return two e-mails seeking comment. His agent, Tom Condon, said he hadn’t heard about the arrest when contacted by The Associated Press.

There had been considerable Twitter chatter between Tequila and Merriman during the last two months. She tweeted several times about going to the Chargers’ game Friday night and a party she held afterward at a downtown club, including:

_ “Im the Head Cheerleader Prom Queen and (at)shawnemerriman is the Prom King! hahaha! LETS GOOO! LIGHTS OUT! SAN DIEGO I WILL SEE U TOMORROW!”

Merriman was the 12th overall pick out of Maryland in the 2005 draft, and had 39 1/2 sacks in his first three seasons. The three-time Pro Bowl selection has been getting back into shape after missing nearly all of last season following knee surgery.

The Chargers, picked by some as Super Bowl favorites, open the regular season a week from Monday night at Oakland. Players had been off since after Friday night’s exhibition finale against San Francisco. They are due back at practice on Monday.

“It’s disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman,” Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said in statement. “We’ll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course.”

Smith didn’t return a call seeking further comment.

Smith often speaks of signing “character” players, yet the Chargers have had their share of embarrassing off-field problems in recent seasons.

In 2006, there were seven run-ins with the law by San Diego players, including linebacker Steve Foley’s shooting by an off-duty police officer who suspected him of drunken driving.

Merriman was suspended four games for testing positive for steroids in 2006, and linebacker Stephen Cooper was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2008 season after testing positive for a banned stimulant.

Smith reportedly has been unhappy with Merriman’s extracurricular activities, and there’s been speculation the Chargers will let him leave when he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. Merriman has various business ventures and is enamored with the Los Angeles social scene. While on injured reserve last year he flew back and forth to Los Angeles once a week to appear on a football preview show.

Accused Serial Rapist Commits Suicide In San Diego Central Jail

A Tierrasanta man accused of seven sexual assaults on women in San Diego over the past year died by hanging today in his cell at the San Diego Central Jail in an apparent suicide, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office and sheriff’s officials.

The body of Thomas James Parker, 39, was found hanging from a sheet around 7 a.m.

by deputies conducting a security check, according to the coroner.

Deputies, the jail’s medical staff, firefighters and paramedics attempted lifesaving measures, but he was soon pronounced dead, said San Diego sheriff’s Sgt. Roy Frank.

Parker was not on suicide watch, said sheriff’s Lt. Julie Sutton.

The husband and father of two children was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly tried to rape a 33-year-old Mission Valley woman in her garage, threatening her with a knife and grabbing her.

The Escala Circle resident screamed and fought back, and the assailant fled.

Parker was captured by police at a shopping center a few blocks away with help from passersby, including two off-duty Border Patrol agents.

Police said he had been linked through DNA and other evidence to seven sexual assaults.

Genetic evidence implicated Parker in at least three of seven home-invasion sexual assaults and robberies that began in June 2008, San Diego police said.

The assaults occurred in Carmel Valley, Tierrasanta, the College area and near UC San Diego, as well as Mission Valley.

Based on DNA evidence and other similarities in the assaults, authorities said they planned to charge Parker with all seven assaults.

Most of the victims were young Asian women, and in all of the attacks, the assailant demanded money before sexually assaulting the women, police said.

Getting the man responsible had been a high priority for the San Diego Police Department.

“Our efforts paid off (Wednesday) when (the) victim decided she was going to fight back against her attacker,” said SDPD Capt. Jim Collins.

Parker had been scheduled to be arraigned Monday.