California
Man accused of pretending to be a priest to steal money across US arrested in California
Police have arrested a man who they say posed as a priest to commit serial thefts across the country, from Southern California to Texas and New York.
Malin Rostas, a 45-year-old New York resident with an outstanding felony burglary warrant in Pennsylvania, was arrested on April 10 by Riverside County sheriffs deputies after investigators say Rostas had tried to steal from a church in the Moreno Valley, about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Rostas was arrested on the outstanding warrant and charged on Tuesday with intent to defraud and stealing stolen property in connection with the Moreno Valley incident, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY on Wednesday.
Rostas has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Mike Flory, declined to comment on his client’s behalf on Wednesday.
Authorities say that Rostas is behind a series of thefts at churches across the country and posed as a visiting priest to gain access to private areas.
Rostas’ ties to New York, Texas
In October, a person calling himself “Father Martin” and identifying himself as a visiting priest visited six parishes in the Dallas area and was able to steal several hundred dollars from a parish in Houston, Diocese of Dallas spokeswoman Katy Kiser told the Catholic News Agency.
Rostas is accused of taking $500 from a priest’s wallet at the Houston church, according to the New York Times. “He claimed he was a visiting priest from Chicago and that he had been staying in the rectory and left his keys in one of the rooms,” a Houston police spokesperson told the Times.
Rostas is also accused of stealing $6,000 worth of jewelry from a woman at the Holy Name Retreat Center in Memorial Villages, Texas, according to KHOU-TV, and $900 from a person at American Martyrs Church in New York.
California
Amber Alert issued for 3-year-old out of California City in Kern County
CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KABC) — An Amber Alert was issued Friday by the California Highway Patrol for a 3-year-old child out of California City believed to be in imminent danger.
Emaria Peel, 3, was last seen Friday at about 7:17 p.m. in the area of Redwood Boulevard and 83rd Street in California City, according to police.
Authorities believe 31-year-old Charnay Mclin took Emaria. Investigators have not yet said what relationship, if any, Mclin has to the child.
The suspect was described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, 185 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
The child was described as being 1 foot 6 inches, 20 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Police believe they’re traveling in a gold-colored 2021 Kia Sorento with the California license plate: 36095DV
Mclin is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities wants anyone who sees them to call 911.
No further details were immediately known.
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California
Northern California high school graduation shooting suspect arrested in Texas
A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested in Texas in connection with the deadly shooting after a high school graduation ceremony in Fairfield, California last month, police said.
Fairfield police said U.S. Marshals, accompanied by department detectives, served search and arrest warrants Friday morning at a home in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The teen was taken into custody without incident on suspicion of murder and related offenses.
Investigators said the suspect fled California and traveled to Texas within days of the June 3 shooting. He will remain in custody while awaiting extradition to Solano County.
The shooting happened after Sem Yeto Continuation High School’s graduation ceremony, which was held on the Fairfield High School campus.
Police said 18-year-old graduate Jamario Baker died at the scene. Three others – an 11-year-old child and two adults, ages 20 and 25 – were wounded.
Authorities have not released the suspect’s name because he is a minor.
Although an arrest has been made, police said the investigation remains active and detectives continue to pursue additional leads.
“While today’s announcement may provide a measure of relief to some, it does not lessen the pain felt by our community,” the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District said in a statement.
Police plan to hold a news conference Monday at 4 p.m. to discuss the case and arrest.
Fairfield is a Northern California city about 40 miles northwest of San Francisco.
California
California bill would let insurers monitor driving data for discounts
A California bill would let insurers monitor customers’ driving data in exchange for discounted premiums.
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, the author of AB 311, said the digital monitoring, known as telematics, rewards good driving and would improve safety. In real time, telematics technology would track data such as speed, location and how a vehicle is being driven.
“We have to slow people down,” McKinnor said. “That is the whole purpose for this bill, is driver safety.”
A voter-approved law from 1988, Prop 103, required insurance rates to be based mainly on driving record, miles driven and experience. It made California the only state in the country to prohibit telematics.
McKinnor believes the law is outdated. She argued that her bill would also help good drivers who pay higher rates because of where they live.
“Where I live definitely brings my insurance up,” McKinnor said. “If we both drive the same way, we’ll get charged the same way, instead of by our ZIP code.”
California’s Department of Insurance and consumer groups oppose the bill, citing privacy concerns.
“We can’t look behind the algorithm and see what weight it’s giving to different criteria, which is a big problem,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog. “Auto insurance, otherwise, is transparent. This is why the Department of Insurance is opposed, because of the lack of transparency in the algorithm.”
The proposed savings in exchange for good driving might not be guaranteed. Telematics data from the Maryland Insurance Administration showed that 31% of drivers who opted into the program saw a drop in rates, 24% saw an increase and 45% saw no change to their premiums.
“This collects an awful lot of data about people, more than they know, and it’s like having Big Brother in your back seat,” Court said.
McKinnor insisted that drivers will not be forced to enroll in the program.
“It’s still opt-in in the other 49 states,” she said. “We’re not going to make this mandatory. It’ll be a per-volunteer situation.”
McKinnor’s bill passed through the legislature’s insurance committee. It’s expected to be presented to the full Senate in August.
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