#Court Records San Bernardino County

[longeko]

San bernardino county court records smart search

Once freed from prison, however, the former inmates have trouble getting hired professionally because of their criminal records, despite a first-in-the-nation, 18-month-old law designed to ease their way and a 4-year-old training program that cost taxpayers at least $180,000 per graduate. Two state programs designed to get more former inmate firefighters hired professionally have barely made a dent, according to an Associated Press review, with one $30 million effort netting jobs for just over 100 firefighters, little more than one-third of the inmates enrolled.Ĭlad in distinctive orange uniforms, inmate crews protect multimillion-dollar homes for a few dollars a day by cutting brush and trees with chainsaws and scraping the earth to create barriers they hope will stop flames. Yet one homegrown resource is rarely used: thousands of experienced firefighters who earned their chops in prison. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.SACRAMENTO - As wildfires rage across California each year, exhausted firefighters call for reinforcements from wherever they can get them - even as far as Australia. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. This cookie is installed by Google Universal Analytics to restrain request rate and thus limit the collection of data on high traffic sites.Ī variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It does not store any personal data.Īnalytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The JSESSIONID cookie is used by New Relic to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.

[blaze-papers]

Mexico Launches Ambitious Overhaul of Judicial System

In a sweeping move to reform its judicial system, Mexico has made a historic decision to replace its current appointment-based model with an electoral system for selecting judges. This radical overhaul, approved by the majority of the country's state legislatures, aims to address pervasive issues of corruption and inefficiency within the justice system.

On Thursday, Mexico’s states moved swiftly to back the amendment to the Constitution, marking one of the most extensive judicial reforms ever attempted by a large democracy. The new system will allow voters to elect judges, a shift that proponents believe will enhance transparency and public trust. However, critics argue that this move risks politicizing the judiciary and potentially undermining the rule of law.

Judge Michael Sachs of San Bernardino County has issued a preliminary injunction, halting the enforcement of a related policy and striking down most of the district’s original plan, save for provisions requiring notification when a student’s name or pronouns are formally recorded in school documents. This decision follows recent legislation, AB 1955, which prohibits schools from mandating such notifications.

The legislation has received praise from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups for its protective measures for transgender and gender-nonconforming students. Tony Hoang, Executive Director of Equality California, hailed the reform as "critical" for ensuring that students are not outed to potentially hostile home environments.

In contrast, conservative groups such as the California Family Council argue that the law infringes on parental rights. Jonathan Keller, President of the Council, condemned AB 1955 as a violation of parental authority and a potential threat to children’s safety.

The overhaul represents a significant shift in Mexico’s judicial landscape. By June 2025, voters will choose members of the Supreme Court, an oversight tribunal, and approximately half of the nation’s 7,000 judges. The remaining judges will be elected in 2027.

The amendment has been met with both support and opposition. Protests and strikes by judges and court workers have erupted, with some demonstrators storming the Senate to halt debate on the measure. Despite the unrest, the Senate has passed the amendment, which now awaits final approval from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a strong advocate of the reform.

López Obrador has defended the overhaul, asserting that it reinforces democratic principles by allowing citizens to elect their judicial representatives. However, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, has warned that the reform could jeopardize judicial independence and exacerbate issues of corruption within the judiciary.

The reform plan also includes significant structural changes, including the separation of the judiciary from its oversight body, the Federal Judicial Council. Current investigations reveal issues of nepotism and inadequate disciplinary actions within the council, highlighting the need for reform.

Despite the controversy, many Mexicans see the reform as a chance to address long-standing issues within the judicial system. Government surveys indicate widespread distrust of judges, with perceptions of corruption and nepotism remaining high.

While the reform’s ambitious scope raises questions about implementation and judicial independence, it also brings much-needed attention to the state of justice in Mexico. As the nation prepares for a new era of judicial elections, the debate continues to unfold, reflecting the complexities of balancing reform with safeguarding democratic values.

[midnightbailsan]

1 Percent Bail Bonds San Bernardino

Address: 165 W Hospitality Ln Suite 19B San Bernardino, CA

Phone: (909) 637-3574

Email: 1Percent@midnightbail.com

Website: https://midnightbail.com/services/1-percent-bail-bonds/

Description: Understanding 1 Percent Bail Bonds with Midnight Bail Bonds In the dynamic landscape of bail bonds, a term that’s creating a buzz and enabling a cost-effective path to freedom is “1 Percent Bail Bonds.” To unpack this term and understand its role in jail releases, let’s look at the following key points: A 1 Percent Bail Bond is a type of bail bond where you only need to pay 1 percent of the total bail amount set by the court to secure the release of a detainee. This lower payment option makes bail accessible to a wider population, helping them secure the release of their loved ones without imposing a substantial financial burden. Now, how does Midnight Bail Bonds come into the picture? Midnight Bail Bonds: Your Go-to 1 Percent Bail Bonds Provider in San Bernardino At Midnight Bail Bonds, we are committed to keeping families together during tough times. With our headquarters in San Bernardino, CA, we have cultivated a robust reputation for our compassionate services and commitment to our clients. Here’s how we stand out: We offer 24-hour bail bonds services, ensuring we’re available whenever you need us. We offer 1 Percent Bail Bonds in San Bernardino and the surrounding areas. This means you only pay a fraction of the total bail amount, enabling quicker and more affordable jail releases. We have a decade-long track record and a robust team of 10+ bail agents ready to assist you at any time. We offer finance plans for select bail offenses, making our services even more accessible and accommodating. We have bailed over 1,000 people out of jail in San Bernardino and LA County, reflecting our experience and reliability. Our Google reviews attest to our kindness, compassion, and dedication to getting clients out of jail in less than 24 hours. 1 Percent Bail Bonds with Midnight Bail Bonds is not just about affordable bail solutions. It’s about getting your loved ones back home swiftly and with as little stress as possible. If you’re looking for a reliable and affordable bail bonds service, you know who to call – Midnight Bail Bonds, always at your service.

Keywords: 1 Percent Bail Bonds San Bernardino, Cheap Bondsman, Low Income Bail Bonds, 1% Bail Bonds, $500 Down Bail Bonds, 3 Percent Bail Bondsman, Zero Down Bail Bonds Near Me, No Money Down Bail bonds, $500 Down Bail Bonds Near Me

Hour: 24 Hours A Day

Year of Est.: 2010

No. Of Employees: 10

[recentlyheardcom]

Two people were charged in a multi-million dollar embezzlement and tax fraud scheme in San Bernardino County, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday.Clayton Thom, who operated a high-end automobile dealership, was allegedly involved in the theft of over $4 million from 35 victims. Thom is the owner of the shuttered Upland-based CNC Motors Inc. and Lotus of Upland, LLC., according to court records.Thom and his business manager, Valerie Tanaka, were charged with 13 counts of tax fraud for allegedly defrauding the state of more than $4 million in taxes. Thom was charged with an additional 37 counts of grand theft and one count of elder theft, the Department of Justice stated.“My office is committed to protecting hardworking Californian consumers from financial crimes,” Bonta said. “Fraud against Californians and against the state will not be tolerated by the California Department of Justice.”What we know about CNC MotorsThom ran his alleged embezzlement scheme from 2018 to 2021 by stealing from customers at his dealership in Upland.Thom encouraged victims to place high-value vehicles on consignment, sometimes persuading them to leave their titles at the dealership. These victims signed contracts that promised payment within 20 days of their vehicle’s sale, the DOJ said.However, after selling the victims’ consigned cars and collecting the proceeds, Thom did not pay the victims. In many cases, he also used these consigned vehicles to settle his debts and obtain loans.Thom also allegedly prevented customers who bought consigned vehicles from receiving legal ownership. He did not endorse, date, and deliver the certificates of ownership and registration, or in some cases, deliver forged titles.A Youtuber brought attention to Thom's business dealings.Daniel Hurlbert’s YouTube channel Normal Guy Supercar got attention with his CNC Motors video playlist, which includes many of his subscribers sharing their stories about CNC Motors. Hurlbert's channel also includes a 2021 video interview with Thom, who spoke of business challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Department of Motor Vehicles was investigated complaints against CNC Motors, according to the DOJ.“Our Inland Area office worked closely with local law enforcement, (California Department of Tax and Fee Administration) and other agencies to thoroughly investigate these complaints and bring these individuals to answer for their actions,” DMV Investigations Chief Christina Michel said.Thom and Tanaka were arraigned on Tuesday afternoon at San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga.Thom, 50, remains at the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Department’s West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, with bail set at $8.7 million. He is due back in court on Monday, Nov. 6, booking records show.Tanaka, 61, who was arrested on Oct. 30, was released the following day. No court date has been scheduled, according to sheriff’s officials.Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruzThis article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Duo charged after suspected $8 million embezzlement, tax fraud scheme

[reasoningdaily]

A California appeals court tossed a reputed gang member’s murder conviction, ruling that prosecutors unfairly used a rap video as evidence and citing a new state law that curbs such practice.

Travon Rashad Venable, 34, remains at Calipatria State Prison pending possible review by the state's high court or a potential retrial for his role in the March 5, 2014, slaying of Enon “Bubba” Edwards, who was shot in the head.

Venable was convicted of first degree murder, after prosecutors said he was behind the wheel of the drive-by shooting near Medical Center Drive and West Union Street in San Bernardino, which is about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

Jurors were showed a YouTube rap video that featured Venable’s younger brother, “Young Trocc" and included appearances by Venable and other members of California Gardens Crips gang, court records showed.

"They could be seen flashing gang signs and displayed guns, drugs, and money," according to the state's Fourth Appellate Division ruling issued on Feb. 17.

"At one point, Venable held a rifle with an extended magazine. One of the lines in the rap was: 'Got word from a bird[] that they did that [racial slur] dead wrong/Slid up Medical and left that [racial slur] head gone.' ”

A gang expert testified that the video showed that "a California Gardens member shot someone else in the head on Medical Center" and that the group was “claiming ownership” of the slaying, the court said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom this past fall signed into law restrictions on how prosecutors could use such music in their cases.

Rappers Killer Mike, Meek Mill, Too $hort, Ty Dolla $ign, YG, E-40 and Tyga were at a virtual bill signing ceremony to support Newsom's action.

"There’s no question the trial judge’s admission of the rap evidence in this case did not comply with the new requirements for admission of creative expression," the appeals court said.

"There’s also substantial concern that admitting the evidence may have had the precise effects the Legislature sought to avoid. The rap video contains offensive language, including frequent uses of the n-word, depictions of guns and drugs, and references to violent gang activities. Most of the people who appear in the video are young Black men."

This could the first time a conviction could be erased due to that new state law.

"As far as I know this is the first published appellate decision addressing this new state law," Venable's attorney Joshua Siegel said in a statement to NBC News on Friday.

Venable had been sentenced to 129 years to life behind bars, according to the appears court. State prison record show he would have been eligible for parole as soon as October of 2048.

Reps for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office, San Bernardino Police Department and California Attorney General's Office could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday morning.

Venable’s attorney said his client is aware of the ruling but the lawyer declined any further comment.

[efile-expert]

Alameda County E-filing Court Services

Don't waste your entire day filing court documents at the Alameda County Superior Court.

You can electronically file your documents using E-FILE Expert™ as your electronic service provider (EFSP) or we can file your documents in-person ourselves.

E-FILE Expert™

Call Us 800-765-6920

efileexpert.com

#california#efiling#CourtFiling#Filingdocuments#alamedacounty#SuperiorCourt#CourtFilingServices #efilingservices#instantefiling

Upload and Go

Filing legal documents anywhere in California couldn't be simpler.

CLICK HERE TO START E-FILING NOW

Why Choose E-FILE Expert™?

The fastest way to file court documents in all 58 California counties.

CLICK HERE TO START E-FILING NOW

Deadline coming soon?

We'll do your work in person at the courthouse ASAP.

CLICK HERE TO START E-FILING NOW

Every Court E-Filing Assignment Features:

A Real Person Is Behind Every Phone Line.

All Laws and Requirements Are Followed Step-By-Step.

Get Stamped and Conformed Copies Of All Successful Filings.

Customer Support Is Available With All Assignments Monday Thru Friday During Normal Business Hours and During Weekends by Email.

No Hidden Fees - Ever.

Get Real-Time Status Updates On Your Assignment's Progress.

Get Detailed Reports Of Account Activity And History Of Requests.

We Offer Work-From-Home Legal Solutions For Law Firms, Insurance Companies, Governments Agencies, Businesses.

How to File Legal Papers in California

We make physical court filing a thing of the past now that California Courts are mandating electronic filing (or eFiling). By working with E-FILE Expert™, businesses can connect and communicate with clerks of the court faster than ever.

We’re a major part of modernizing the legal system for law firms, insurance companies, businesses, and government agencies in California by making it possible to file thousands of forms at once, no matter how big the submission. Digitally submit your documents to any participating California courthouse without worries about file sizes or resolution. 

E-FILE Expert™ has been experts of court in-person, on-site filing since 1986, long before court eFiling was an option in California, and we still run to and from the courthouse in counties that don’t accept documents online yet. Same-day priority is available for in-person assignments as well. See our list of e- filing and in-person options below:

Court E-Filing is Allowed in the Counties Below

Alameda County

Butte County

Calaveras County

Contra Costa County

Fresno County

Imperial County

Kern County

Kings County

Los Angeles County

Mendocino County

Merced County

Monterey County

Napa County

Orange County

Placer County

Riverside County

Sacramento County

San Bernardino County

San Diego County

San Francisco County

San Joaquin County

San Luis Obispo County

San Mateo County

Santa Barbara County

Santa Clara County

Santa Cruz County

Shasta County

Sierra County

Sonoma County

Stanislaus County

Sutter County

Tehama County

Trinity County

Tulare County

Ventura County

Yolo County

Yuba County

CLICK HERE TO START E-FILING NOW

Same-Day In-Person Filing is Available in the Counties Below

Alpine County

Amador County

Colusa County

Del Norte County

El Dorado County

Glenn County

Humboldt County

Inyo County

Lake County

Lassen County

Madera County

Marin County

Mariposa County

Modoc County

Mono County

Nevada County

Plumas County

San Benito County

Siskiyou County

Solano County

Tuolumne County

We Offer Same-Day Service for All Filings

Small Claims

Bank Levies

Cross Complaints

Record Subpoenas

Personal Subpoenas

Wage Garnishments

Writs of Execution

Restraining Orders

Evictions & Foreclosures

Summons & Complaints

Notices & Letters

Probate Matters

Family Law Matters

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST SAME-DAY IN-PERSON FILING NOW

[sanbernardinocounty1-blog]

Court Records San Bernardino County There are Californian rules that keeps a mandate on the availability of court records of San Bernardino County. https://california.staterecords.org/sanbernardino

[coochiequeens]

Another story about a Trans Identified Male doing something that never happens.

A man who molested a 4-year-old girl was amongst the males transferred to a women’s institution in California following the implementation of S.B 132 despite the fact he was denied a gender change, Reduxx has learned.

Levi Page McNeese was arrested in 2015 after a 4-year-old girl reported to her mother that she had been sexually molested by him. McNeese was charged on four counts of Lewd or Lascivious Acts with a Child, to which he initially pleaded not guilty.

In 2016, McNeese agreed to a plea deal in which he was found guilty on two of the four counts. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison, and was sent to the California Institution for Men in Chino.

Reduxx obtained documents from the Superior Court of California in San Bernardino indicating that in June of 2021, shortly after S.B 132 went into effect, McNeese filed for a gender and name change, claiming he identified as a woman named Laura Isabell McNeese.

S.B 132 was legislation signed into effect in January of 2021 by California Governor Gavin Newsom. The law provides inmates housing based on their gender identity status. Almost immediately after the legal guideline went into effect, California correctional centers were hit with hundreds of transfer requests from male inmates seeking movement into women’s facilities.

During the time of McNeese’s petition and the legal document exchanges associated with his attempt to change his gender and name, he was still being housed in a men’s facility.

To his petition, McNeese affixed a single letter from the internal corrections health services noting that he was approved for gender affirming procedures. The letter had been acquired just prior to S.B 132 being signed into law.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) promptly filed an objection, noting that McNeese would be on the sex offender registry for 20 years following his eventual release, and that granting a name change was “not in the best interests of justice, and would pose an adverse effect on public safety.” While the Department of Corrections opposed the name change, it did not, ultimately, oppose the legal gender change request.

But on August 27, 2021, the San Bernardino County Superior Court issued a verdict denying McNeese both the name and gender change. McNeese did not file any additional petitions after the denial.

Despite this denial, McNeese was still moved to a women’s prison at some point afterwards, with his current location being the California Institution for Women in Corona. Inmate records show he is up for parole in November of this year.

Reduxx reached out to CDCR for comment, a spokesperson for which confirmed that a biological male did not need to have a legal gender change to be moved into a women’s prison, and that S.B 132 relied entirely on a Gender Identity Questionnaire that could be issued during reception or requested by the inmate at any time during their incarceration. 

The Questionnaire is form with a short series of questions in which inmates can declare their pronouns, honorifics, and gender identity.

Speaking to Reduxx, Amanda Stulman of women’s rights advocacy group Keep Prisons Single Sex USA said she was “outraged” that males were being permitted entry into women’s correctional facilities on any basis, but not surprised by the outcome of McNeese’s case.

“The California law explicitly does not require social, legal, or medical transition. So it’s not surprising that CDCR has transferred a man to a women’s prison without a ‘legal gender change,’ or one who was even denied his application to legally change his name and gender, but it’s no less revolting.”

Stulman says the majority of the public likely isn’t aware of just how vague SB-132 is, noting that it does not require a male inmate to be in the process of medical transition or even want to transition to begin with.

“It would satisfy the law to say, ‘I’m a man with long hair or a man who likes nail polish every third day; I’m transgender now‘ and for that person to demand special pronouns and to be housed with women,” she says, noting that the ‘transgender umbrella’ CDCR utilizes includes such abstract identities as gender fluid and gender non-conforming, “[To be transferred] the magic words aren’t even ‘I’m a woman,’ it’s basically anything you want.”

In McNeese’s case, Stulman hypothesizes he might have filed for a gender change in an attempt to expedite the process of transfer. As no additional attempts to change his legal gender – something that was not opposed by CDCR – have been initiated since being moved, it calls into question McNeese’s intentions in seeking the changes to begin with.

Stulman notes that the checks and balances CDCR claims to have in place to prevent the transfer of inmates posing safety or security concerns have, so far, lacked any coherence.

“Given the men they have permitted to transfer – rapists, murderers – obvious potential threats to women’s safety do not appear to qualify.”

In 2020, Jason Hann, a man who beat both of his infant children to death, was transferred to the California Central Women’s Facility after declaring he was transgender. The facility housed his ex-wife, a woman he had threatened to murder on multiple occasions. She managed to appeal for a move to another facility just days before Hann was set to be released into the prison’s general population.

“Given the reports of pregnancy, assault and a lawsuit filed on behalf of incarcerated women against the State in the wake of S.B 132, it’s extraordinary that this has not stopped other states from pursuing similar laws,” Stulman says, continuing: “The efforts to push self-identification in law and policy in an arena which will harm even the most vulnerable women seem to just keep steamrolling across the country.”

According to CDCR, as of March 20, 2022, 307 male inmates in the state have requested transfer to a women’s facility, with 46 so far having been fully moved.

Reduxx is a newly-launched independent source of pro-woman, pro-child safeguarding news and commentary. We’re 100% reader-funded! Support our mission by joining our Patreon, or consider making a one-time donation.

[beardedmrbean]

Three people claiming to be "sovereign citizens" were arrested Saturday morning after live ammunition and explosives were found in a vehicle they were driving and at their remote compound, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies had conducted a traffic stop for suspected vehicle code violations Saturday just after 10 a.m. PT on a Ford Taurus near Joshua Tree National Park, a press release from the sheriff's department said. Inside the car were David Russell, 50, and Jeffery Russell, 46, who identified themselves to the deputies as sovereign citizens. Sovereign citizens are a fringe group whose members consider themselves exempt from U.S. law and who sometimes use violent tactics to justify their beliefs, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Authorities said a records check showed that the two men were prohibited from possessing and owning firearms. Deputies found "live ammunition, black gun powder, and an improvised military-grade explosive device" inside the car, they said, adding that the explosive device was safely disposed of.

Deputies then obtained a search warrant for a property in Johnson Valley, California, the community where the Russells reside. They discovered more military-grade explosives and ammunition, as well as firearms, at the compound; a woman at the compound, Venus Mooney, 54, was arrested.

The three were booked at the Morongo Basin Jail for possession of an explosive device and possession of a controlled substance while armed. They are being held without bail pending a court appearance.

It was not immediately clear if the three suspects had an attorney.

Sovereign citizens often retaliate through acts of "paper terrorism," which involves bombarding the legal system with frivolous lawsuits or falsified documents. Violence is the most extreme form of the movement and is typically directed at government officials, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

[96thdayofrage]

Although Brown, who is Black, was 23 years old and 5 feet, 7 inches tall, the subject of the arrest warrant was a 5-foot-11, 49-year-old white man with a “bushy white beard” and blue eyes. Brown spent days in the Henderson Detention Center, and then the Clark County Detention Center, after both Las Vegas and Henderson police officers failed to properly check records comparing the two men, according to the federal civil rights lawsuit.

“It’s pretty hard to make a mistake of that magnitude when you have such different characteristics and races of a suspect,” said attorney Brent Bryson, who wrote the lawsuit.

The suit named the Metropolitan Police Department, Henderson Police Department, the city of Henderson, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and Henderson Police Department Chief Thedrick Andres as defendants.

Brown, now 25, was driving after finishing work on Jan. 8, 2020, when Henderson officers pulled him over. He didn’t have his driver’s license with him, but he gave officers his name, Social Security number and Social Security card, the lawsuit said.

During a records check, the officers confused Brown with the 49-year-old man wanted on a bench warrant, the lawsuit said. The older man faced a charge of ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, court records show.

The weapons charge is typical when someone with a prior felony conviction is arrested with a gun. But 49-year-old Shane Brown had first been convicted of a felony in 1994, before Shane Lee Brown was born, the lawsuit said.

Shane Lee Brown was held in the Henderson Detention Center for two days, although he “repeatedly explained” that he was not the same Shane Brown as the man with the bench warrant.

“Upon information and belief, the unknown Henderson police officers and supervisors failed to perform even a cursory review of the warrant to determine if Shane Lee Brown was the person named in the warrant,” the lawsuit said.

On Jan. 10, Las Vegas police transferred the 23-year-old to the Clark County Detention Center, where his correct date of birth, race and height was recorded, the lawsuit said. He was also given an identification number different from the number assigned to the older Shane Brown.

An “agent of LVMPD” filed court records ordering Shane Lee Brown to appear in front of a judge for the bench warrant, the lawsuit said. The document filed Jan. 10 listed the younger man’s correct race and date of birth, court records show.

“Despite being informed of this mistaken identity, none of the unknown LVMPD police or LVMPD corrections officers bothered to review its own records to determine whether Shane Lee Brown was the subject of the warrant,” the lawsuit said.

The 23-year-old was in the Clark County Detention Center for four days before he appeared in front of District Judge Joe Hardy. After Shane Lee Brown’s public defender showed the judge the two men’s booking photos, Hardy ordered the younger man to be released from jail.

Metro on Tuesday declined to comment on the lawsuit. City of Henderson spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said once city attorneys are served with the lawsuit, they will “address the claims in their response to the court.”

Bryson said Tuesday that if officers have a reason to believe they arrested the wrong person, they’re required to investigate.

“This happens much more frequently then what the public hears about,” he said. “It’s a result of either intentional or unintentional conduct by the officers.”

The suit is asking for compensatory damages of $500,000 under federal law, as well as at least $50,000 under state law, in addition to punitive damages.

Eight days after Shane Lee Brown was released from jail, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office contacted Las Vegas police with the location of the 49-year-old Shane Brown, court records show.

He was in jail in Needles, California, the Sheriff’s Office told Metro. It was unclear Tuesday if the older Shane Brown was in the jail when the 23-year-old was arrested.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Mayumi Komatsu was raped and brutally murdered while fundraising for the UC in California in 1985

Reader advisory: RAPE AND HORRIFIC MURDER

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SBS19850605.1.5

It took the Unification Church FOUR days to report Mayumi missing.

Life in prison sought for suspect in missionary’s death

San Bernadino Sun, Wednesday, June 5, 1985, page B-5

By EDWARD SIMONS Sun Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO — A prosecutor said Tuesday that he Is seeking life imprisonment for a Redlands man charged with sexually assaulting and murdering a Japanese missionary who was last seen alive selling Easter eggs for her church.

David Arthur Spooner, 22, is charged with the April 5 rape or attempted rape and murder of Mayumi Komatsu, 22, in his parents’ house in Redlands.

He was arrested after his parents told authorities, who were searching house to house for Komatsu, about finding bloodstains in their home, including some on their bed.

Deputy District Attorney Larry Balderama filed notice in Municipal Court here Tuesday that Spooner is charged with the special circumstance of murder during the commission of a rape or attempted rape.

The special circumstance carries the possibility of either the death penalty or life imprisonment. Balderama said Spooner’s youth, a clean record and his history of mental problems figured into the decision to seek life imprisonment instead of death.

Spooner was arrested for Komatsu’s death after a house-to-house search in the area where she was last seen. Spooner’s parents told authorities they had found blood in their house a few days before and said their son told them it was from having sex with a woman who was menstruating, said sheriff’s Sgt. Dick Lake.

He said Komatsu was in the Redlands area April 5 selling Easter eggs for the Unification Church, founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. She was last seen on Mulvihill Avenue, he said.

Her body was discovered about midnight that night in the middle of Greenspot Road and was inadvertently hit by a car full of teenagers before the road could be blocked off, said Steve Levine, the deputy public defender assigned to defend Spooner.

Komatsu’s body wasn’t identified until April 9, when her friends filed a missing person report with the Redlands Police Department.

The door-to-door search by sheriff’s deputies led them to 106 Mulvihill Ave., where Spooner lived with his parents.

An April 10 inspection of the house showed “quite a bit” of blood had been sprayed over the pillow cases in the bedroom where Spooner’s parents slept, Lake said. In addition, there was a large bloodstain along one edge of their mattress — the sheets had been washed — as well as spray patterns on two walls of the bedroom, Lake said.

Spray patterns are caused by blows to a body, Lake said.

Blood was also found on the hallway floor of the house and in Spooner’s bedroom, Lake said.

Spooner was arrested at work that day and has been held without bail since, Balderama said.

Balderama was reluctant to give details about the case, but Levine said the prosecution will attempt to show Spooner killed Komatsu by beating her with the butt end of a rifle.

Levine said he believes Komatsu tried to jump out of Spooner’s vehicle while it was traveling on Greenspot Road, hitting her head and causing her death.

The autopsy, both attorneys agreed, doesn’t address the subject of whether she was alive or dead when she was taken to Greenspot Road.

Levine said Spooner was “a troubled young man.”

He said Spooner’s mother gave him up at the age of 5 years, and the boy grew up in numerous foster homes before moving back in with his natural mother and her husband. Spooner has a history of mental health problems, the attorney said.

Spooner was a mental health outpatient at San Bernardino County Medical Center for three years, beginning when Spooner was 13 years oId in 1976, Levine said.

Reports from other hospitals are “trickling in,” he said.

Komatsu, of Nagoyo, Japan, arrived in New York about seven months ago to attend a training seminar for Unification Church missionaries, said Joe Coyne, director of the Artesia branch where she was stationed.

Komatsu and other church members were selling eggs for an Easter fund-raising drive, Coyne said.

Spooner’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 27, Levine said. The hearing will be to determine if there is sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.

________________________________________

May 22, 1986

Murder conviction in Easter egg killing

By Susan Seager  UPI

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A man who said he flew into a rage when a Japanese missionary came to his door selling Easter eggs for the Unification Church was convicted Wednesday of beating, raping and murdering the woman.

Court testimony also showed that the defendant mistakenly thought he had killed the victim, but that she regained consciousness as he was driving her off to bury her and then fell out of his truck and was killed.

David Spooner, 23, of Redlands, was convicted of first-degree murder in the course of a rape in the death of Mayumi Komatsu, 22, of Nagoya, Japan, who came to his door in April 1985 selling eggs to raise money for the Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church.

A psychologist who interviewed Spooner after his arrest said the defendant recalled that he ordered the woman to leave his house because he feared she might try to ‘brainwash’ him. He said he became enraged when she did not go, then beat her over the head with a rifle butt.

He said the frightened woman ran into a bedroom, where he raped her and beat her again. When she responded too slowly to his order to get dressed, he told the psychologist, he flew into another rage and choked her unconscious.

Believing she was dead, Spooner put Komatsu in the back of his pickup truck and drove off to bury her. But as they rode through town, he said, he saw her struggling to stand up.

He stopped to check on her condition – reportedly wondering whether he should ‘take her to the hospital or finish her off.’

The woman had already climbed or fallen off the truck, however, and was run over by a car. She died at the scene, and an autopsy showed she suffocated on her own blood.

Spooner fled, but was arrested later by sheriff’s deputies who found the rifle and traced a check he had written, apparently buying some Easter eggs, before becoming enraged.

The Superior Court jury rejected defense arguments that Spooner’s actions were not premeditated but the result of a spontaneous, uncontrollable rage.

Prosecutor Victor Stull said Spooner, who has been treated since childhood at institutions for the emotionally disturbed, faces a maximum term of life in prison without possibility of parole when he is sentenced June 18.

________________________________________

Los Angeles Times

May 25, 1986

... Thinking she was dead, he put her in the bed of his pickup truck and was driving her away to bury her when—apparently still alive—she either climbed out or fell into the street and was run over by a car. She died at the scene.

________________________________________

Christiane Coste was raped and murdered: Sun Myung Moon said: “Our sister is a glorious martyr in God’s providence”

Montreal girl dies fundraising for the Unification Church

Atsushi Funaki murdered while selling roses in E. Philadelphia

Man charged with strangling Seattle teen fundraising for the UC

Hitoshi Hara was murdered on July 20, 1987 while selling roses for Sun Myung Moon’s church

Rape and trafficking in Bolivia. Eight church members involved.

All these UC members were killed while fundraising for Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Biden Effort to Combat Hunger Marks ‘a Profound Change’ (NYT) With more than one in 10 households reporting that they lack enough to eat, the Biden administration is accelerating a vast campaign of hunger relief that will temporarily increase assistance by tens of billions of dollars and set the stage for what officials envision as lasting expansions of aid. The effort to rush more food assistance to more people is notable both for the scale of its ambition and the variety of its legislative and administrative actions. The campaign has increased food stamps by more than $1 billion a month, provided needy children a dollar a day for snacks, expanded a produce allowance for pregnant women and children, and authorized the largest children’s summer feeding program in history. “We haven’t seen an expansion of food assistance of this magnitude since the founding of the modern food stamp program in 1977,” said James P. Ziliak, an economist at the University of Kentucky who studies nutrition programs. “It’s a profound change.”

Police, communities across U.S. fight back against anti-Asian hate crimes (Reuters) More than a dozen San Jose, California, police officers walked through the white arches of the Grand Century Mall in “Little Saigon” to reassure a Vietnamese-American community fearful over the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States. Across the United States, law enforcement agencies are scrambling to better protect Asian communities amid a wave of violence targeting them since lockdowns to cope with the coronavirus pandemic began about a year ago. A recent report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, showed that while hate crimes overall in the United States had fallen slightly in 2020, crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) had jumped by 145%. A vicious assault last week in which a man kicked a 65-year-old immigrant from the Philippines in New York City multiple times was captured on video and went viral, further stoking fears about anti-Asian hate crimes. New York City has deployed a team of undercover Asian police officers. Other major cities, from San Jose to Chicago, have boosted patrols in Asian neighborhoods and sought to forge closer ties with communities, some of which have sought to fill gaps the police can’t fill.

Florida works to avoid ‘catastrophic’ pond collapse (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that crews are working to prevent the collapse of a large wastewater pond in the Tampa Bay area while evacuating the area to avoid a “catastrophic flood.” Manatee County officials say the latest models show that a breach at the old phosphate plant reservoir has the potential to gush out 340 million gallons of water in a matter of minutes, risking a 20-foot-high (about 6.1-meter-high) wall of water. Authorities have closed off portions of the U.S. Highway 41 and ordered evacuations of 316 homes. Some families were placed in local hotels. Crews have been discharging water since the pond began leaking in March. On Friday, a significant leak that was detected escalated the response and prompted the first evacuations and a declaration of a state of emergency on Saturday. A portion of the containment wall in the reservoir shifted, leading officials to think a collapse could occur at any time.

Demonstrators protest a policing bill in England and Wales (Vox) Thousands of demonstrators marched across Britain on Saturday in protest of a massive new policing bill that would create new restrictions on protest in England and Wales and impose hefty fines for not following police instructions. The bill, officially known as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, was introduced in early March and has been met with widespread pushback in England and Wales since then. It also includes sentencing and court reforms, among other changes, but protesters are specifically incensed by proposed new police powers concerning protests. According to the BBC’s Dominic Casciani, the bill would criminalize violating restrictions that protesters “‘ought’ to have known about, even if they have not received a direct order from an officer,” and “intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance.” This weekend’s “kill the bill” marches aren’t the first. According to the Guardian, Bristol, in southwest England, has been the site of at least five protests over the last two weeks, including one that turned violent and saw at least two police vehicles set on fire earlier in March.

Marine Le Pen’s growing support (Financial Times) It would be a political earthquake as disruptive as the UK referendum vote for Brexit in 2016 and the election of Donald Trump as US president later that year. Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s extreme right Rassemblement National party, is doing so well in the polls that she threatens to foil Emmanuel Macron’s re-election bid and could win next year’s presidential vote to become the country’s first far-right leader since the second world war. Only last week, she likened herself to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the UK’s Brexiters—and by implication former US president Trump—as a politician who could triumph with the support of all kinds of voters. “There’s no more split between left and right, there’s a split between the globalists and the nationalists,” she said.

Polish hospitals struggle with surge of virus patients (AP) Polish hospitals struggled over the Easter weekend with a massive number of people infected with COVID-19 following a huge surge in infections across Central and Eastern Europe in recent weeks. Tougher new pandemic restrictions were ordered in Poland for a two-week period surrounding Easter in order to slow down the infection rate. The country hit new records of over 35,000 daily infections on two recent days, and deaths have been in the hundreds each day. The aim of the new restrictions was to prevent large gatherings over the long weekend culminating with Easter Monday. Meanwhile, the government is also trying to speed up the country’s vaccine rollout, but the pressure on the country’s hospitals is still relentless.

Maoist Insurgents Kill 23 Indian Forces in Ambush, Officials Say (NYT) At least 23 Indian security forces were killed in an ambush by Maoist militants in the central state of Chattisgarh, officials said on Sunday, reviving concerns around a decades-old insurgency that appeared to have been largely contained in recent years. A large force of Indian security personnel had been carrying out a clearance operation in a densely forested area on the edges of the Bijapur district when they were ambushed by the insurgents on Saturday in a firefight that lasted four hours. Avinash Mishra, the deputy superintendent of police in Bijapur, said an additional 31 security personnel were wounded in the attack. The insurgents, who trace their roots to communist politics in the 1960s, use violence against the state in the name of championing the cause of India’s poor and marginalized. Their reach was once so widespread, and their attacks so frequent, that in 2006, India’s prime minister declared them the country’s “single biggest internal-security challenge.”

China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline (The Economist) Its gaze fixed on the prize of becoming rich and strong, China has spent the past 40 years as a risk-averse bully. Quick to inflict pain on smaller powers, it has been more cautious around any country capable of punching back. Recently, however, China’s risk calculations have seemed to change. First Yang Jiechi, the Communist Party’s foreign-policy chief, lectured American diplomats at a bilateral meeting in Alaska, pointing out the failings of American democracy. That earned him hero status back home. Then China imposed sanctions on British, Canadian and European Union politicians, diplomats, academics, lawyers and democracy campaigners. Those sweeping curbs were in retaliation for narrower Western sanctions targeting officials accused of repressing Muslims in the north-western region of Xinjiang.      China’s foreign ministry declares that horrors such as the Atlantic slave trade, colonialism and the Holocaust, as well as the deaths of so many Americans and Europeans from covid-19, should make Western governments ashamed to question China’s record on human rights. Most recently Chinese diplomats and propagandists have denounced as “lies and disinformation” reports that coerced labour is used to pick or process cotton in Xinjiang. They have praised fellow citizens for boycotting foreign brands that decline to use cotton from that region. Still others have sought to prove their zeal by hurling Maoist-era abuse. A Chinese consul-general tweeted that Canada’s prime minister was “a running dog of the us”.      Such performance-nationalism is watched by Western diplomats in Beijing with dismay. Envoys have been summoned for late-night scoldings by Chinese officials, to be informed that this is not the China of 120 years ago when foreign armies and gunboats forced the country’s last, tottering imperial dynasty to open the country wider to outsiders. Some diplomats talk of living through a turning-point in Chinese foreign policy. History buffs debate whether the moment more closely resembles the rise of an angry, revisionist Japan in the 1930s, or that of Germany when steely ambition led it to war in 1914. A veteran diplomat bleakly suggests that China’s rulers view the West as ill-disciplined, weak and venal, and are seeking to bring it to heel, like a dog.

Minorities in Myanmar borderlands face fresh fear since coup (AP) Before each rainy season Lu Lu Aung and other farmers living in a camp for internally displaced people in Myanmar’s far northern Kachin state would return to the village they fled and plant crops that would help keep them fed for the coming year. But this year in the wake of February’s military coup, with the rains not far off, the farmers rarely step out of their makeshift homes and don’t dare leave their camp. They say it is simply too dangerous to risk running into soldiers from Myanmar’s army or their aligned militias. “We can’t go anywhere and can’t do anything since the coup,” Lu Lu Aung said. “Every night, we hear the sounds of jet fighters flying so close above our camp.” The military’s lethal crackdown on protesters in large central cities such as Yangon and Mandalay has received much of the attention since the coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. But far away in Myanmar’s borderlands, Lu Lu Aung and millions of others who hail from Myanmar’s minority ethnic groups are facing increasing uncertainty and waning security as longstanding conflicts between the military and minority guerrilla armies flare anew.

Tropical cyclone kills at least 97 in Indonesia, East Timor (Reuters) Floods and landslides triggered by tropical cyclone Seroja in a cluster of islands in southeast Indonesia and East Timor have killed 97 people, with many still unaccounted for and thousands displaced, officials said on Monday. At least 70 deaths were reported in several islands in Indonesia’s West and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, while 70 others were missing, after the cyclone brought flash floods, landslides and strong winds amid heavy rain over the weekend, disaster agency BNPB said.

Lawyer says mediation resolves feud among Jordan royals (AP) Mediation between Jordan’s King Abdullah II and his outspoken half brother, Prince Hamzah, successfully de-escalated one of the most serious political crises in the kingdom in decades, the palace and a confidant of the prince said Monday. The apparent resolution of the unprecedented public feud capped a weekend of palace drama during which the king had placed Hamzah under house arrest for allegedly plotting with foreign supporters to destabilize Jordan, a key Western ally. The announcement of the successful mediation came after Abdullah’s paternal uncle, Hassan, met with Hamzah on Monday. Hamzah was joined by his brother Hashem and three of their cousins. “In light of the developments of the past two days, I put myself at the disposal of His Majesty the King,” said the statement signed by Hamzah. He said he would remain loyal to the king and to Jordan’s constitution. Malik R. Dahlan, a professional mediator and a friend of the family, then issued a separate statement, saying the mediation has “been successful and I expect a resolution shortly.” He said that “this regrettable incident was the result of the clumsy actions of a senior security official and misrepresentation by a government official,” adding that “it should have remained a family matter.”

Netanyahu’s favours were ‘currency’, prosecutor says as corruption trial starts (Reuters) Israeli prosecutors accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of treating favours as “currency” on Monday at the opening of a corruption trial which, along with an inconclusive election, has clouded his prospects of remaining in office. Netanyahu, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud, came to Jerusalem District Court in a dark suit and black protective mask, conferring quietly with lawyers as his supporters and critics held raucous demonstrations outside. Meanwhile, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin began consulting with party heads on who might form the next coalition government—a toss-up after the March 23 election, the fourth in two years, gave neither Netanyahu nor his rivals a clear mandate.

Pandemic Spreads Isolation (WSJ) A year ago when Japan was under a pandemic state of emergency, Seiji Saejima called his ex-wife for the first time since they divorced a few years earlier. He said she told him she was about to remarry and asked him not to call again. It was an unwelcome reminder of the isolation he was feeling. “I did not have many friends to contact even before,” said the 34-year-old, who works at a city government office near Tokyo. Then the pandemic forced reductions in activities that kept him connected, like going to singles’ mixers. “The coronavirus has made me realize I’m lonely,” he said. Recent data suggest many more people are having the same experience, and that is changing the thinking of some governments. Japan recently named a loneliness and isolation minister, following the U.K.’s example from three years ago. The U.K. named a minister after recognizing the impact of isolation on people’s health and its economy. One study linked deficiencies in social relationships to a 29% increase in heart disease. Another estimated that a chronically lonely person could cost the government, on average, the equivalent of an extra $16,600 over 15 years, owing to higher medical and other costs. “The magnitude of effect of social connection on mortality risk is comparable, and in many cases, exceeds that of other well-accepted risk factors, including smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day, obesity and air pollution,” said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a Brigham Young University professor of psychology and neuroscience, in 2017 U.S. Senate testimony.

[stephsmith321]

Steph Smith, unlike most other landowners, is not after the biggest dollar sign

Originally published on Stephanie-steph-smith-pacific-palisades-los-angeles.gonevis.com Nov 18, 2020

served an underserved niche market and supplied the industry with high quality properties.

Steph Smith shrank from public attention when she was part of a very different scandal a decade ago, legally changing her last name to something that’s as anonymous as it can get. This time, she says she’s fighting back.

Steph Smith sued Palisades News for defamation (libel), false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in Smith v. Palisades News.

Steph Smith sued the city of San Bernardino to overturn its pot regulation ordinance that could bar her from the industry.

Steph Smith thinks one of cannabis' most remarkable powers has been the ability to expose corruption and hypocrisy. The cannabis industry has exposed corrupt practices in every city and county and it’s proven that the real “outlaws” are often the government and the authorities failing to follow the law or trying to extort those that want just laws enacted.

Steph Smith values the relationships with her tenants and chooses the person she feels would succeed in the space. That has been her motto ever since, she says.

Steph Smith wanted to escape the struggling lifestyle that her “liberal hippie family” in Minnesota had endured.

Steph Smith was a commercial real estate developer and landlord who leased her properties to marijuana growers who paid her more than three times the standard rent and produced tens of thousands of weed plants

Steph Smith was making millions of dollars per month running the operation, sources said.

Steph Smith was not arrested or charged, but got plenty of media attention: “Mom accused of running multimillion-dollar pot-growing operation,” said one headline on a local television station’s website.

Steph Smith wasn’t arrested or fined. But headlines the next day painted the 43-year-old as a “queenpin” and the “mastermind” of a multimillion-dollar illegal marijuana-growing operation.

Steph Smith weathered the bad publicity — and then some.

Steph Smith will have properties ready to house those valuable tenants.

Steph Smith wore a gray cotton shirt, jeans and colorful sneakers on a recent Friday evening as she joined a political support team canvassing San Bernardino’s Verdemont neighborhood. The goal is to collect the 8,602 signatures needed to get her proposed cannabis measure on the November ballot.

Steph Smith's first rule in real estate is also her first rule in cannabis: location, location, location.

Steph Smith's home is littered with toys, her schedule revolves around when she has to pick up her kids from school.

Steph Smith's prospective tenants must be professional and “understand that you need a real person to sign a lease, you can’t steal power — you need to act like a real business. Not everyone has the executive skills to step forward into the light.”

Steph Smith's team is collecting signatures for marijuana ballot measures in Colton, Hemet, Upland, Bakersfield and Kern County.

Steph Smith's tenant B-Real is an established businessman who has a downtown studio where he records entertaining cannabis-related YouTube videos as “Dr. Greenthumb.” In a recent recording, he and actress Michelle Rodriguez got high in a classic Chevy he keeps parked there as they discussed movies and marijuana.

Steph Smith, Founding PrincipalSteph Smith manages acquisitions, operations, and finances at IPG. Combining 15 years of real estate development experience with a passion for the environment, Steph pushes IPG projects forward with green building, solar, water reclamation systems. Steph is an advocate for cannabis regulation and land use in California. She is also passionate about women and children's issues and is a member of the Pacific Palisades Woman's Club and is on the Policy Committee of EveryChild Foundation. She is a mother of five and active fundraiser for several child focused foundations. She has a BS in business from Boston College and attended UCLA's Anderson MBA program.

Steph Smith, the Minnesota child who wanted to inspire the world, would be happy with that.

Steph Smith, the owner of a business called Bubba Likes Tortillas, said in the lawsuit filed Friday in San Bernardino County Superior Court that the city's new law could create monopolies and also prevent her from renting property to pot growers and other marijuana operations.

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/local/dc-hate-prosecutions-drop/

D.C. hate crimes: Inside a record year of hatred in the nation’s capital - Washington Post

“Of the 178 suspected hate crimes in 2017, police closed 54 cases involving adults by arrest. Prosecutors charged two cases as hate crimes, and both were later dropped as part of plea deals.”- (Via Washington Post)

ABOUT THIS SERIES

As hate crimes soar across the country, The Post examines those who commit acts of hatred, those who are targets of attacks, and those who investigate and prosecute them.

Hate crime reports

have soared in

D.C. Prosecutions

have plummeted.

Ashly Taylor was shot for being a lesbian. Then she watched as the hatred that fueled the attack was ignored in court.

By Michael E. Miller and Steven Rich  | Published Aug. 21, 2019 | Washington Post | Posted by 21, 2019 12:34 PM ET |

The hatred that day couldn't have been clearer to Ashly Taylor.

She had endured it ever since coming out as a teenager, when strangers said lewd things to her for holding another girl’s hand and one of her own relatives called her a “dyke.” Yet the 27-year-old had never encountered a problem on the construction sites she’d worked since high school, where she was just another laborer in baggy clothes and a hard hat, until a chilly February afternoon in 2018.

She had been sitting in the back of a pickup truck in Southeast Washington during a break from digging a ditch when a new hire sauntered up and began harassing her for being a lesbian.

“Why you dress like you’re a boy?” demanded Enjoli Gaffney, a felon who had been released from prison seven months earlier. Then he launched into a lurid tirade that ended, according to court records, with him vowing to have sex with her and ordering her to climb out of the truck so he could kiss her.

When Taylor got out to confront him, court documents show, Gaffney pulled a small silver and black pistol from his waistband and pointed it at her chest.

Then he pulled the trigger.

Hate crimes are surging across the country, with racist slurs scrawled on schools and houses of worship, assaults on gay and transgender people, and white gunmen targeting Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue and Latinos at an El Paso Walmart.

In Washington, the number of attacks investigated by police as bias-motivated reached an all-time high of 204 last year. The District had the highest per capita hate-crime rate of any major city in the country, according to Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino.

[D.C. hate crimes: Inside a record year of hatred in the nation’s capital]

Yet hate-crime prosecutions in the nation’s capital have plummeted, even as the number of people arrested on those charges — including Taylor’s attacker — has soared, The Washington Post found.

Last year, police made arrests in a record 59 hate-crime cases involving adults. But the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which handles most criminal cases in the capital, prosecuted only three as hate crimes, and one was quickly dropped.

Of the 178 suspected hate crimes in 2017, police closed 54 cases involving adults by arrest. Prosecutors charged two cases as hate crimes, and both were later dropped as part of plea deals.

The Post’s months-long analysis of more than 200,000 D.C. police and court records found that hate-crime prosecutions and convictions are at their lowest point in at least a decade.

Jessie K. Liu, the U.S. attorney for the District, took office two years ago promising local activists that “as a woman of color,” she took hate crimes very seriously. Liu declined multiple requests for an interview to explain why prosecutions have fallen so low. Instead, she released a statement Tuesday defending her record, saying “we provide every potential case with a hate crimes enhancement with the careful attention and commitment it deserves.”

At a community meeting last month, she acknowledged the growing gap between hate-crime arrests and prosecutions in the District, without revealing just how large it has grown.

“The fact that there are more reported hate-bias crimes has definitely not gone unnoticed in our office,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of conversations about it in recent weeks, thinking about how we can revamp our efforts and resources to address it.”

She said she had recently added a second hate-crimes coordinator to ensure cases were prosecuted appropriately.

Activists, legal experts and prosecutors, including two of Liu’s predecessors, said they were troubled by The Post’s findings.

“Wow,” said Ronald C. Machen Jr., who served as U.S. attorney for five years under President Barack Obama, when told of the numbers. “We were really aggressive on these cases. Hate crimes really tear at the fabric of our democracy.”

But Machen also noted it can be difficult to prove that a crime was committed because of hatred. And prosecutors worry, he said, that bringing hate-crime charges can make cases harder to win.

Others said prosecutorial caution isn’t a new phenomenon and cannot explain the drop.

“This is a red flag,” said David Friedman, the Anti-Defamation League’s vice president of law enforcement and community security, who helped create the District’s hate-crime law 30 years ago. “When you have that high of a number of referrals, and you do not have hate-crime prosecutions, you have to be concerned about the statement that makes.”

Ruby Corado, a prominent Washington advocate for LGBTQ rights, and other activists argue that what’s happening reflects the priorities of President Trump, who appointed Liu and has rolled back rights and protections for minorities, especially the LGBTQ community.

The District is the only place in the country where local crimes are prosecuted by the U.S. attorney’s office, whose leader is appointed by the president. The setup makes it hard to hold prosecutors accountable, especially in a city where Trump won just 4 percent of the vote, advocates said.

“There is a disconnect between the people who experience these hate crimes and the people who are in charge of prosecuting them,” Corado said. That has created what she called a “culture of impunity,” in which bigots are emboldened and victims are left feeling “disposable.”

For Ashly Taylor, a bullet to the chest was just the beginning of her ordeal. She would survive the Feb. 2, 2018, shooting, only to watch as the evident hatred that left a scar above her heart was ignored in court.

As hate crime reports have climbed in Washington, D.C., federal prosecutors have brought hate crime charges in fewer

he drop in hate-crime prosecutions in the nation's capital stands in stark contrast to other cities. In Los Angeles, Seattle and the Brooklyn borough of New York City, hate-crime prosecutions have risen along with hate-crime arrests.

In San Diego County, Calif., for example, when police doubled the number of hate-crime cases referred to the district attorney’s office to 51 last year, hate-crime prosecutions rose even more sharply to 30.

Leonard Trinh, a deputy district attorney in San Diego County who specializes in bigotry-fueled crimes, said his office recently hired a second person to help him keep pace with the increasing number of hate-crime arrests.

“If the evidence is there, we should be charging” cases as hate crimes, said Trinh, whose Vietnamese family was the victim of a hate crime when he was growing up in Washington state.

D.C.’s numbers seem “really low,” he said, especially given that its statute protects more groups than California’s hate-crime law.

Mike Hogan, a hate-crimes prosecutor in King County, Wash., which includes Seattle, echoed that assessment.

“If you have a whole bunch of referrals with identified suspects, and you aren’t filing a lot of cases, you’d have to look closely to see if you were following best practices,” said Hogan, who helped persuade the state to amend its hate-crime law in the 1980s after he and a friend were targeted for being gay.

In Washington, D.C., the gap between hate crime reports and hate crime charges stands out among other large cities.

The District’s Bias-Related Crime Act was enacted in 1989 at a time when fear over the AIDS epidemic had led to violent assaults on gay people. The D.C. Council passed the law after three teenagers attacked a gay man with baseball bats near Rock Creek Park.

The act allows judges to enhance sentences by up to 50 percent for crimes committed based on a victim’s race, religion, age, ethnicity or national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or political affiliation, among other categories. (Homelessness would be added in 2009.)

But for a long time, the law was not enforced. In 1994, D.C. police reported only two hate crimes.

“We were getting calls from people who believed they were victims of hate crimes,” recalled Friedman, the ADL’s Washington regional director at the time. “But when they tried reporting it” to the Metropolitan Police Department, “MPD was blowing them off.”

In 1998, the department created a Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit to foster communication between police and the gay community. Reports of suspected hate crimes started to rise, then skyrocketed after Trump’s election.

The District is now one of the nation’s most active police departments in identifying potential hate crimes, and experts say dedicated policing is probably part of the reason the city’s numbers are so high. When officers detect bias while investigating an incident, they are required to call in a supervisor and, in the case of a crime, a detective. A notification is sent to the Special Liaison Branch, whose ranks include gay, transgender and minority officers. Each month, a six-member committee reviews suspected hate crimes, and the department keeps a list of confirmed cases on its website. (The Post sometimes classified the type of suspected hate crime differently than police, and counted the incidents by the year in which they occurred.)

“We are way ahead of the curve,” said Lt. Brett Parson, commander of the Special Liaison Branch, which includes the now-renamed Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Liaison Unit.

Nearly half the District’s suspected hate crimes in 2018 targeted people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Ashly Taylor was one of them.

When she was shot, she fellbackward against the pickup truck’s trailer. As blood began to soak through her sports bra, Taylor said, she wondered whether she was going to die.

But then, to her own surprise as much as her attacker’s, she got up. As Taylor grabbed a two-by-four to defend herself, co-workers wrestled the gun out of Gaffney’s hands.

“He was trying to shoot me [again] in the head,” she recalled.

After Gaffney ran away, Taylor managed to drive herself to a hospital, where doctors found that the bullet had torn through five layers of clothing, pierced her chest, bounced off her ribs and then sliced sideways across her skin. She was treated and released. Then she got back in her car and drove to a police station.

“The complainant walked into the Fifth District Station and reported that she had been shot in the chest by her coworker,” Gaffney’s arrest warrant begins.

The shooting happened in broad daylight along a busy avenue, but the only public mention was a brief online statement by police that they were “investigating this offense as being motivated by hate or bias.”

It would be the last time those words were used in her case.

Taylor lay in bed as her girlfriend tended to her gunshot wound, which had become infected.

But the injury festered in other ways. Even after the pain subsided, she could no longer sleep on her chest. In fact, she could hardly sleep at all. She woke up at the slightest touch, sweating from nightmares of Gaffney smiling and squeezing the trigger.

A therapist diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder, but her insurance wouldn’t cover psychiatric care, Taylor said. She began drinking more, staying inside the couple’s apartment in Hyattsville, Md., and refusing to return to her construction job.

“She didn’t want to be around anyone,” recalled her girlfriend, Briana Phillips. “She didn’t want to go outside.”

When Gaffney was arrested after 14 days, the couple hoped court proceedings would help close the wound.

Taylor was encouraged by her first meeting with Liu��s office, in which the assistant U.S. attorney assigned to the case, Melissa Price, told her prosecutors planned to charge Gaffney with a hate crime, she recalled.

But when she met with Price about a month later, the message was very different.

“She said she had to drop the hate crime and give him a plea” deal, Taylor recalled.

Price did not respond to requests for comment. In her statement, Liu said she could not comment on specific cases.

The decision to drop the hate-crime charge enraged Taylor. Her father had served 10 years in prison for shooting someone, she said, so she expected Gaffney to get at least that much time for what she considered an attempted murder fueled by bigotry.

Gaffney has a long criminal record. He pleaded guilty to four felony drug-distribution charges in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Then, in 2015, a police officer caught him with a loaded .38 revolver, its serial number scratched out. He pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 30 months but released in less than 22, on June 13, 2017.

On May 9, 2018, Gaffney pleaded guilty once more — to assault with a dangerous weapon for the attack on Taylor. As part of the deal, she learned, he would serve 36 months in prison.

Taylor was so angry that she stormed out of the courtroom.

“I felt like it was bull crap,” she said. “The plea was bull crap. The whole system is bull crap.”

Over the past two years, an increasing number of victims of suspected hate crimes in the District have watched in frustration as their alleged attackers were arrested but never charged with a hate crime — or never charged at all.

The U.S. attorney’s office filed hate-crime charges in just four of the 113 bias-motivated cases it received from police for 2017 and 2018.

By contrast, prosecutors filed hate-crime charges in 44 of the roughly 100 cases they received from police between 2012 and 2015. They also filed hate-crime charges in seven additional cases that police did not flag as bias-motivated.

The steep drop-off in hate-crime prosecutions in 2017 did not happen solely under Liu. By the time she took office that September, roughly one-third of the year’s bias-motivated cases had already been resolved without hate-crime charges by her predecessor, Channing D. Phillips.

Phillips, an Obama appointee who charged five cases from 2016 as hate crimes, said his office made decisions on a case-by-case basis and there was no policy shift or pressure to back off hate-crime prosecutions after Trump’s inauguration.

Days before leaving office, Phillips filed hate-crime charges in a case police had not flagged as bias-motivated, in which security guards and supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attacked protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington on May 16, 2017.

The hate-crime charges were dropped against two supporters, both U.S. citizens, in exchange for pleading guilty to assault, but 15 Turkish security guards and two Canadian Erdogan supporters left the country before they could face trial.

The one case from 2017 that Liu charged as a hate crime was an assault on a Palestinian American teacher outside the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference. But the hate-crime charge against Yosef Steynovitz, a member of the militant Jewish Defense League, was dropped in exchange for his pleading guilty to three misdemeanors. He received a suspended sentence.

Liu’s office charged three incidents from 2018 as hate crimes. One case, in which a man allegedly called two women “dykes” before attacking them on the street, was dropped after three months because prosecutors were “not ready to proceed with this matter,” according to court records.

The two others attracted significant media attention. In one, a white cyclist called a black motorist the n-word before attacking him with a bicycle lock in Georgetown. In June, a jury convicted him of two felony assault charges but deadlocked on the hate-crime enhancement. In the other case, which is ongoing, a black man is accused of shouting racist threats at a Hispanic elementary school crossing guard in Chevy Chase.

Machen and Phillips were reluctant to criticize Liu without looking at the cases in detail.

“Charging a case as a hate crime can be a little tricky,” Phillips said. “You are increasing your burden of proof. Not only do you have to prove the underlying offense, such as an assault, but you have to prove that it was committed because of a bias.”

Sometimes, even racial epithets are not enough to prove a racist motive, Machen said. And prosecutors are duty-bound to bring only charges they believe they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the District, juries normally vote once on a crime and then again on a hate enhancement. Nonetheless, the difficulty of proving hate was a motivation can endanger an entire case, Machen and Phillips said.

“You lose credibility if you bring a charge and you can’t prove it,” Machen said. “It does affect your overall credibility and can affect you on other parts of the case.”

Those fears appeared to play a role in a high-profile hate-crime trial earlier this year.

In February, two men went on trial in the fatal shooting of Deeniquia “Dee Dee” Dodds, a transgender woman who was killed during a 2016 armed robbery. But in the middle of the trial, Liu’s office reversed course, asking the judge to dismiss the hate-crime enhancement against one defendant. The judge then threw out the enhancement against the other man, too. The jury wound up acquitting the men of many charges and deadlocking on the murder charge, leading to a mistrial.

Prosecutors say they will retry the case next year, but not as a hate crime.

An analysis of a decade of hate-crime cases calls into question prosecutors’ fears of jeopardizing cases with hate-crime enhancements. The Post found six cases from 2008 to 2017 in which juries considered a hate crime and failed to convict on any charge. In 16 other cases during the same period, juries either convicted the defendants of hate crimes or rejected the hate-crime enhancement but convicted on other charges.

Cases charged as hate crimes also are more likely to result in a conviction. More than 70 percent of the hate-crime prosecutions during that decade ended in some kind of conviction, and 41 percent ended in hate-crime convictions.

By contrast, prosecutors secured convictions in 29 percent of the suspected-bias cases they decided not to charge as hate crimes in 2017, the most recent year for which outcomes are available.

Of the 42 hate-crime convictions since 2008, however, only four resulted in defendants serving additional jail time, The Post found.

Phillips offered two possible reasons. Many misdemeanor hate crimes are committed by first-time offenders, he said, and judges are often reluctant to hand out stiff sentences to people with no previous criminal record. And in serious felony cases, he said, defendants already face steep sentences without hate enhancements.

Frederick M. Lawrence, an expert on hate crimes and a lecturer at Georgetown University Law School, said those numbers suggest the District should change its law to limit judges’ discretion in applying sentencing enhancements.

“If you get the conviction and then the judge doesn’t enhance the sentence, that is very problematic,” he said. “It is extremely important that law enforcement be seen as unequivocally on the side of identifying these crimes for what they are, prosecuting them for what they are and sentencing them for what they are.”

Corado, the LGBTQ rights advocate, agreed. Otherwise, she said, “it gives perpetrators a green light.”

Other activists lament that since Liu took office, meetings of the District’s Hate-Bias Task Force, which includes police, prosecutors and advocacy group leaders, have become less frequent and no longer include statistics or details on hate-crime prosecutions.

“It has been a source of frustration,” said Stephania Mahdi of the D.C. Anti-Violence Project.

Liu acknowledged as much at a meeting of the task force on July 24.

“We have not been as systematic as we could be about keeping data,” she said. “So we’re going to do that, and I’m pledging to you now that I’m going to review those at least once a month so I have a better understanding of what’s going on and how we’re handling these cases.”

In addition to adding the second hate-crimes coordinator, she said, she was considering asking the D.C. Council to simplify jury instructions for hate crimes, which her office blamed for several recent setbacks.

The meeting was the first Liu had attended in almost two years, activists said.

“I’m pledging to be a lot more engaged,” she said.

On a Tuesday morning in March, Enjoli Gaffney walked into D.C. Superior Court accompanied by a federal marshal and the soft rustle of metal chains. An orange jumpsuit hung loosely on his lanky frame as he craned his neck to look at the audience.

Ashly Taylor’s girlfriend, Briana Phillips, sat on the end of a bench near the back. But Taylor was missing.

After she stormed out of the courtroom over the plea agreement, the U.S. attorney’s office had assigned another prosecutor to the case who had tried to rescind the deal, Taylor said. She hoped Gaffney would be charged with a hate crime after all.

But 10 months later, he was back in court to be sentenced under the same agreement. She was too disgusted to attend.

“I’m lucky to be alive,” she said. “I think to myself, ‘What if I died? Then what would y’all charge him with?’ ”

In the courtroom, it fell to Phillips to recount the shooting’s toll. Taylor had become angry, guarded and paranoid, she told Judge Milton C. Lee.

“She is not the same person as before,” Phillips said wearily. “That’s something I have to live with every day.”

In her own statement, written by hand and filed in court a day earlier, Taylor had left no doubt about how she felt.

“I think it is ridiculous and unfair that you can get a simple three years for almost taking someone’s life, just because I’m a proud lesbian woman,” she had written to Gaffney. “And your insecure, biased ways did not give you the right to target me.”

She has not returned to construction and the outdoor physical labor she enjoyed. She’d become too afraid that someone would attack her again.

Instead, she was sitting in front of a computer in a warehouse office when her phone rang after the sentencing.

The hearing was a “waste of time,” her girlfriend told her. The word “hate” hadn’t even come up.

Jennifer Jenkins and Peter Hermann contributed to this report.

[sanbernardinocounty1-blog]

Court Records San Bernardino County

There are Californian rules that keeps a mandate on the availability of court records of San Bernardino County.https://california.staterecords.org/sanbernardino

[ph4z0n]

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has sued the San Bernardino County sheriff over what the advocacy group says is a failure of the law enforcement agency to adequately release public records relating to its use of cell-site simulators, or "stingrays."

The lawsuit, Electronic Frontier Foundation v. County of San Bernardino et al., which was filed in county court on Tuesday, explains how a 2015 state law requires that law enforcement agencies in most cases seek a warrant to use the surveillance devices. Prior to the law's passage, Ars reported that since the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department (SBSD) acquired a stingray in late 2012, the agency has used it 303 times between January 1, 2014 and May 7, 2015, all without seeking a warrant...

[...] As Ars has reported for years, stingrays are in use by both local and federal law enforcement agencies nationwide. The devices determine a target phone's location by spoofing or simulating a cell tower. Mobile phones in range of the stingray then connect to it and exchange data with the device as they would with a real cell tower.

Once deployed, stingrays intercept data from the target phone along with information from other phones within the vicinity—up to and including full calls and text messages. At times, police have falsely claimed that information gathered from a stingray has instead come from a confidential informant.