Los Angeles, Ca
Southern California man faces prison for raping sister
A Southern California man was sentenced to prison Thursday for rape and sex crimes against his younger sister.
Stephen Delacruz, 37, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for crimes that he committed when he was 14 and 15 years old against his sister, who was 8 years old at the time, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
In 2019, the victim, identified as Samantha J., walked into the Oxnard Police Department to report the crimes that took place in 2001 and 2002.
During the incidents, Delacruz isolated Samantha in their Oxnard home and threatened to kill her if she ever reported him, court documents said.
Delacruz often displayed a knife prior to the sexual assaults, authorities said.
Charges were initially filed at the DA’s office in juvenile court, alleging Delacruz was a minor when the incidents happened.
However, Senior Deputy DA Erik Nasarenko sought to transfer the case from juvenile court to adult court, arguing the “crimes involved significant sophistication and planning and were especially violent and severe.”
The juvenile court judge agreed and transferred the case. However in 2022, the state legislature amended the criteria that juvenile court judges had to consider when deciding to transfer a case to adult court.
“The new criteria required courts to determine “by clear and convincing evidence that the minor is not amenable to rehabilitation through the juvenile court,” officials noted.
This prompted a transfer hearing before another Ventura County judge applied the new criteria and deemed the case worthy of transferring to adult court, stating the “allegations were horrendous.”
Before the case went to trial, Delacruz pled guilty to all eight felony charges filed against him including three counts of forcible rape, three counts of forcible oral copulation and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object. He also admitted to special allegations that the victim was under 18 years of age.
“Samantha demonstrated great resiliency and determination as she fought for justice and accountability in this case,” Nasarenko said. “Facing her brother during today’s sentencing to give her victim impact statement took incredible strength and courage.”
Delacruz was sentenced to 30 years in state prison.
Los Angeles, Ca
3 seriously injured in fiery sports car crash in Angeles Forest
Three people were transported to a Los Angeles County hospital with major injuries Friday morning after they were involved in a fiery crash on the Angeles Forest Highway.
The crash happened before 11 a.m. and involved at least two vehicles, one of which was a Maserati sports car.
First responders found the Maserati crashed on the side of the road with flames engulfing the vehicle. Firefighters were able to knock down the fire around 11:15 a.m. to rescue the injured patients.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, three people were transported from the scene, including one person in critical condition.
Video from Sky 5 showed the scorched car on the side of the roadway where it apparently hit the hillside. A second vehicle with major damage, a Toyota van, was being loaded onto a flatbed, with California Highway Patrol officials stating that the vehicle was driven by an innocent bystander traveling in the opposite direction of the Maserati.
A third vehicle, which appeared to be a Porsche, was parked near the side of the road not far from the scene of the crash.
Authorities are investigating the possibility that the Maserati and the Porsche were street racing in the moments leading up to the violent crash.
The crash remains under investigation and the roadway was closed to through-traffic for over an hour as crews cleaned debris from the scene. By 12:20 p.m., all lanes of the roadway were reopened to traffic, according to the CHP incident log.
Los Angeles, Ca
Argument leads to gunfire at San Bernardino County grocery store
A man was arrested for attempted murder after an argument led to gunfire at a San Bernardino County grocery store Thursday.
The suspect was identified as William Timoteo Moller, 37, an Apple Valley resident, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The incident occurred at a Stater Bros. market on the 21600 block of Bear Valley Road in Apple Valley shortly before 2 p.m.
Deputies responded to an altercation in which Moller reportedly pulled out a handgun and fired at another person. The suspect was arguing with another shopper, an unidentified 37-year-old man, when a handgun was brought out and one round was fired.
No one was injured during the incident, authorities said. The heated altercation prompted employees to evacuate the supermarket.
A 6-year-old boy was also at the scene when the confrontation took place.
Moller was arrested and booked into the High Desert Detention Center on charges of attempted murder. He is being held on $2 million bail.
The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Deputy K. Mullins with Apple Valley Police at 760-240-7400, or dispatch at 760-956-5001.
Anonymous tips can be provided to We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463 or online at wetip.com.
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman found dead at bus stop in Mid-Wilshire; police investigating
Police are investigating after a woman was found dead at a bus stop in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles Thursday.
According to Los Angeles police, the body had been at a bus stop on Crenshaw and Olympic Boulevards for around 10-12 hours before being discovered in the afternoon.
Emergency medical staff responded to the scene and after investigating, the woman was confirmed dead.
It’s unclear how she died but police said no foul play was suspected at the time.
A canopy was placed around the bus stop and police tape cordoned off the area as the investigation continued.
Her identity was not released and her cause of death will be determined by the coroner’s office.
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