Author: Andrew Blankstein

Two men were arrested after authorities found hundreds of marijuana plants and seeds in a remote section of Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains, authorities said.

Arturo Molina, 37, of Van Nuys and Victor Magana, 23, a Mexican national, were booked Sunday on suspicion of marijuana possession, possession of a concealed firearm, and destruction of plants and geological features, said Darrell Readyhoff, a peace officers supervisor with the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Park authorities were conducting a routine search for possible pot cultivation sites in the park about 8 a.m. Sunday when they found the marijuana near Malibu Canyon and Piuma roads.

Molina and Magana, who had been tending to the operation, fled the scene, Readyhoff said. Sheriff’s deputies helped California State Park rangers track down the pair, authorities said.

One of the men was treated for unspecified injuries after falling off a 15-foot rock face.

Officials recovered approximately 900 marijuana plants and 3,000 seeds, Readyhoff said.

— Andrew Blankstein

Los Angeles police have arrested a woman for allegedly stealing the car of a good Samaritan who had been giving medical aid to a crash victim, dragging her 60 feet and leaving her unconscious in the street after she tried to prevent the theft, authorities said Monday.

The victim, a nurse whom police did not identify, was filling up her car about 3 a.m. Sunday at a gas station at Pico Boulevard and Western Avenue when she saw a light pole fall on a pedestrian when it was struck by a vehicle.

The nurse was aiding the pedestrian when she noticed a woman — whom the LAPD later identified as Deserie Marie Guzman, 28 — get into the nurse’s car and start the engine. The nurse ran to her car and tried to reach inside for the keys but got stuck on the steering wheel.

Guzman began driving away, and the nurse was dragged about 60 feet before falling into the street and temporarily blacking out.

Two men who saw the crime unfold followed Guzman, who eventually collided with another car near Western Avenue and 20th Street, police said. The men pulled up to Guzman, who was attempting to leave the scene, and asked if she needed a ride.

They drove to a nearby CHP station, and when they did not see any officers, they drove Guzman back to the original crime scene, where they flagged down officers.

The nurse later identified Guzman. Paramedics treated the nurse at the scene for cuts to her head and leg. The pedestrian who was hit by the light pole was pronounced dead. A man identified as Jasen Jack, 25, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, causing injury, in connection with the light pole incident.

— Andrew Blankstein

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office on Tuesday rejected
claims by Roman Polanski’s attorneys that the office hid communications
between top prosecutors and the judge in Polanski’s j1977 sex assault case. Polanski’s lawyers described "communications" that involved Laurence
J. Rittenband, the original judge in the case, and two top officials at
the district attorney’s office, Michael Montagna and Stephen Trott.

After the discussions, Trott and Montagna then blocked an effort by the
prosecutor on the case, Roger Gunson, to have Rittenband removed,
according to the 68-page court filing.

But on Tuesday, prosecutors fired back, accusing Polanski’s lawyers of
making it appear as though the district attorney’s
office withheld information when officials had fully disclosed information
about the meetings and Gunson’s recollections.

“The only deception propagated in this matter is that created by
Polanski, who continues to present only a part of the truth, omits the
people’s role in uncovering that truth, then engages in rank speculation
that the information was not provided sooner because of that cover up,”
prosecutors said.

Polanski’s attorney said the contacts between Rittenband and the
prosecutors present further proof the director was treated unfairly
during the trial and should not be extradited to L.A. from Switzerland
for sentencing.
Rittenband’s conduct was the subject of an HBO documentary, which
presented evidence that the judge acted inappropriately.

Polanski had agreed to plead guilty to unlawful intercourse with a minor
in exchange for the other charges being dismissed. 

He agreed that Rittenband would determine the sentence. Rittenband
sent the filmmaker to the state prison in Chino for a 90-day "diagnostic
evaluation" that he said would "enable the court to reach a fair and
just decision."
Prison officials released Polanski after 42 days and advised the judge
that testing indicated his sentence should not include additional prison
time.

Rittenband labeled the prison report "a whitewash" and said he
planned to send Polanski back to prison for an additional 48 days if he
voluntarily agreed to deportation. Informed of this by his attorney,
Polanski left the country, seeking refuge in France.

–Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Polanski in court in 1977. Associated Press

Police are searching for a man who withdrew the life savings of a 97-year-old woman using her stolen ATM card, authorities said Wednesday.

The thief, whose image police say is captured on bank security surveillance video stills released by the LAPD, used the card to withdraw $300 to $500 a day from the woman’s account between Aug. 16, 2009 and Nov. 30, 2009.

Records show that the man made the withdrawals from 1 to 2 p.m. on those days, alternating between two Bank of America branches: one in the 100 block of Rosecrans Avenue in Gardena and another in the 300 block of East Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood. 

The man is described as black, 25 to 30 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, and about 170 to 180 pounds.  He was seen driving a silver or gray 2000 to 2003 Mercedes-Benz C230 Coupe.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Newton Division burglary detectives at (323) 846-6579.  After hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to (877) LAPD-24-7 or anonymously to (800) 222-TIPS (222-8477). Tipsters can also text to phone numbers 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cellphone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompt.

— Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Suspect. Credit: Los Angeles Police Department

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Authorities are investigating the death of a Kern Valley State Prison inmate as a possible homicide.

Angel Ramirez, 30, an inmate from Los Angeles County who was serving a seven-year, four-month sentence for drug possession for sales, was pronounced dead Tuesday morning while being transported to a local hospital. He had been serving time at the prison since September 2007.

Officials with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said the death is being investigated by the Kern County district attorney’s office. The incident was also reported to the Office of the Inspector General’s Bureau of Independent Review.

State corrections officials did not specify the injuries suffered by Ramirez. They said the suspect in this case is a 30-year-old inmate serving a 50-years-to-life sentence from Los Angeles County for first-degree murder.

Kern Valley State Prison, opened in 2005, houses nearly 4,800 inmates who range from from minimum- to high-security inmates. 

–Andrew Blankstein

Actor Robert Culp, best known for his role as an international tennis star and globe-trotting secret agent in the hit 1960s television series "I Spy," died Wednesday morning after a fall at his Hollywood home, authorities said.

The 79-year-old actor was rushed to Queen of Angels hospital shortly after 11 a.m. after hitting his head while taking a walk outside his home in the 1800 block of El Cerrito Place, said LAPD Lt. Bob Binder. He was found by a jogger who called 911, and paramedics, patrol officers and detectives responded to the scene.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. A preliminary investigation found "that his death is accidental and there appears to be no sign of foul play," Binder said. An autopsy by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office is pending.

Culp broke into Hollywood in the late 1950s but catapulted to fame playing Kelly Robinson in the hourlong 1965-68 espionage series "I Spy," which was shot in exotic locales around the world.

Besides its popularity, the show also broke the color barrier for dramatic television series as the first noncomedy series to star an African American actor, Bill Cosby.

Off screen, Culp has been active in civic causes, most recently in his efforts to oppose construction of an elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. 

In 2007, the actor joined with real estate agent Aaron Leider in filing a lawsuit against zoo director John Lewis and the city to stop construction of a $42-million elephant exhibit and bar the zoo from keeping elephants there, accusing authorities at the facility of withholding medical care from the animals and keeping them cramped in small places.

Last year, after temporarily halting construction on the elephant exhibit amid a fierce debate, the City Council voted to go ahead with the project as planned.

A full obituary is coming shortly from The Times.

— Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Robert Culp in the action-adventure television series "I Spy."

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Los Angeles police released a composite sketch Tuesday of a suspect in a kidnap-for-robbery incident earlier this month in downtown Los Angeles.

Detectives with LAPD Central Division arrested Erika Orenday last Friday in El Monte in connection with the kidnapping-robbery of a 46-year-old jewelry store employee, said Lt. Paul Vernon

Her accomplice is decribed as a Latino man in his late 20s or early 30s, who goes by the name “Pacho,” and wears a goatee and closely-cropped hair, Vernon said. The suspect is known to cross over the Mexican border frequently, police said. 

According to police, the victim was leaving her job in the jewelry district March 5 around 6 p.m. when Orenday, a former employee, approached her car and told her she had information about her children, but did not elaborate.  

When the victim let Orenday in her car, she allegedly called the accomplice. The victim was tied up and put in the backseat while the two suspects drove to one or more motels, Vernon said.  

He said the suspects told the woman they had accomplices with her children and that the children would be harmed unless the woman paid them.

When the suspects realized the woman’s children were not at home, they left the victim in a motel room, Vernon said. The woman, who was not injured, reported the crime the same night. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Central Division Robbery Unit, at (213) 972-1245.  Anonymous tips can be called into Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cellphone.  All text messages should begin with the letters“LAPD.”  Online tips may be placed at www.LAPDOnline.org, click on “web tips” and follow the prompts.

— Andrew Blankstein

Photo: A composite image of the suspect, who goes by the name "Pacho." Credit: LAPD

A lawyer representing a Westlake Village man who was charged Tuesday in the fatal shooting of a Pasadena art college instructor said his client had become upset after hearing his wife subjected to "a racial and sexual slur."

Dmitry Gorin, whose law firm is representing Steven Ronald Honma — arrested Sunday in connection with the weekend slaying at a Persian new year’s party — said the 54-year-old engineer had been traumatized from years of insults targeting his Japanese heritage.

"This is a textbook heat-of-passion incident, which a jury would consider in deciding whether Mr. Honma is guilty of murder or a lower-level homicide such as a manslaughter," Gorin said. "While the sequence of events are still under investigation, there was someone at the party who made a derogatory racial and sexual slur about his wife. As a Japanese American growing up after World War II, Mr. Honma had experienced great trauma as a victim of racial bias, and that experience scarred him since childhood."

Honma and his family "feel great sorrow and extend their condolences" to the family of Norman Schureman, 50, an instructor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Gorin said. "Mr. Honma has never hurt anyone before in his life. Mr. Honma has been married for over 18 years and is respected, beloved by his friends and family."

Honma was a guest at a party Saturday when the alleged taunt occurred; the source of the slur was unclear. Honma became enraged and left, returning minutes later carrying a knife and two guns, authorities said.

There was a fight, and when Honma was tackled, he allegedly pulled a handgun and fired, killing Schureman.

Gorin said his client was severely beaten in the incident and was in critical condition at a local hospital, having possibly suffered a brain injury.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office charged Honma on Tuesday in the slaying.  He is being held in lieu of $2-million bail, faces one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

He was scheduled to appear in a Van Nuys courtroom Tuesday afternoon, but his injuries may cause a postponement.

— Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Norman Schureman was a professor at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Credit: Steven A. Heller / Art Center College of Design

Inglewood will pay $2.45 million to settle a civil lawsuit brought the families of three men who were shot, one of them fatally, by police officers who mistakenly believed gunfire was coming from the vehicle the three were riding in, according to a tentative settlement.

Michael Byoune died from his wounds, and driver Larry White and passenger Chris Larkin were injured in the shooting by Inglewood officers on May 11, 2008 (Mother’s Day) outside a Rally’s restaurant. Jacqueline Seabrooks, chief of the 190-member police department, described the incident at the time as "a very tragic outcome."

Carl Douglas, an attorney representing the victims and their families, said he was pleased by the settlement, adding that it brought "some measure of justice" to the victims. "Three young men who had done absolutely nothing wrong had their lives changed forever," he said.

"No amount of money will ever bring back Michael Byoune to his family, but hopefully, through his death, the city will make changes that will help all of the citizens of our community," Douglas said. "For that reason, his death will not be in vain."

Inglewood spokesman Ed Maddox confirmed the tentative settlement "pending the completion of final documents."

The Byoune case was the first in series of fatal shootings of unarmed suspects that year that drew community rebuke and calls for reform. leading to an inquiry by the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review and to changes in training at the police department. Most significantly, the U.S. Justice Department launched a civil rights probe. Federal officials told the city they are continuing with their probe and plan close scrutiny of specific incidents.

On July 1, 2008, Ruben Walton Ortega, a 23-year-old alleged gang member, was shot and killed by an Inglewood officer when police said he reached into his waistband as he ran from an officer. Police said at the time that the officer believed Ortega was armed. Seabrooks later said he was not.

Three weeks later, police shot and killed Kevin Wicks, 38, on July 21 after officers said Wicks raised a gun at Officer Brian Ragan, who was responding to a report of a family disturbance at Wicks’ apartment complex. Ragan was one of two officers involved in the Byoune shooting.

Then on Aug. 31, 2008, police shot and killed of Eddie Felix Franco, a 56-year-old homeless man who had a realistic-looking toy gun in his waistband. Officers fired at least 47 rounds at Franco when he appeared to reach for the gun. A nearby motorist was struck and grazed in the head by one of the bullets. 

A Times investigation, published more than two months before the federal inquiry began, found that Inglewood officers repeatedly resorted to physical or deadly force against unarmed suspects. According to law enforcement records reviewed by The Times, Inglewood police shot and killed 11 people, five of them unarmed, between 2003 and 2009.

— Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Candles stand at a memorial for Michael Byoune shortly after he was shot and killed by Inglewood police in 2008. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times [Updated at 12:49 p.m.: A previous version of this post contained a photo that was misidentified.]

More: A Times Investigation: Deadly Force at the Inglewood Police Department. By Times staff writers Jack Leonard, Ari B. Bloomekatz and Victoria Kim.

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Los Angeles police on Monday were investigating a shooting that left four people wounded during an altercation in Los Feliz.

One man remained in critical condition after the Sunday afternoon incident that involved as many as eight people in the 1900 block of Hillhurst Avenue near Los Feliz Boulevard.

A group was congregating in a parking lot next to a two-story office building about 4 p.m. when a fight broke out, police said. Four people were shot, including one who also was stabbed.

"We don’t know at this point what the fight was over," said LAPD Capt. Bill Murphy of the northeast community police station. "We believe they know each other."

Several people were detained at the scene and questioned. No arrests had been made, but the investigation was continuing.

— Andrew Blankstein

Map: The location of the shooting. Click for the Los Feliz Mapping L.A. Neighborhoods page to learn more about the area.

A judge on Thursday dismissed the case by one of the plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit brought by five minority officers who sued the Burbank Police Department alleging the department allowed a pattern of discrimination and sexual harassment and retaliated against those who complained about it

In throwing out the case of Jamal Childs, Burbank Superior Court Judge Joanne O’Donnell ruled that discriminatory comments alleged by Childs were inadmissible because they fell outside the statute of limitations.

"We strongly disagree with the court’s decision today and plan on appealing, said attorney Solomon Gresen, who is representing Childs and four other Burbank officers.

Childs, "observed and reported numerous instances of racial and gender-based discrimination, harassment and retaliation" and when he complained he "was subjected to retaliation and ostracism, and denied promotional opportunities" Gresen said.

Officials with the Burbank city attorney’s office did not immediately return calls for comment.

Last May, Childs joined Lt. Omar Rodriguez and Officers Cindy Guillen-Gomez, Steve Karagiosian and Elfego Rodriguez in the suit that sought damages of up to $10 million against the Burbank Police Department.

The plaintiffs noted that in the nearly 100-year history of the department, no African American has been promoted above the rank of police officer. They described an environment in which racial slurs, including the "N" word, the "C" word, "taco vendor" and "towel head," were commonplace.

The plaintiffs also allege that officers reported this and other illegal acts to their supervisors, who "threatened, demoted, ordered them to shut up."

— Andrew Blankstein

A 20-year-old man accused of shooting a Thai Town business owner who complained about tagging was sentenced to 42 years to life in state prison for attempted murder, prosecutors said Monday.

Arvin Ghazalian was sentenced Friday, nearly four months after a jury convicted him of attempted murder and vandalism stemming from the June 2008 shooting, said Shiara Davila-Morales, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

A co-defendant, Edward Savtyan, 18, was acquitted of the attempted murder but convicted of vandalism, earning a two-year sentence behind bars. And a third man, Oganes Davtyan, 19, was acquitted of one count each of robbery and witness intimidation.

The shooting took place as Ghazalian and Edward Davtyan were seen painting 6-foot-high black letters on the wall of an east Hollywood auto body shop. The shooting victim and his employees were writing license plate information when the accused taggers got out of their car and returned to the business.

When the owner told the men not to tag his property, Ghazalian pulled out a handgun and shot him in the chest, got back in the
car and drove away. The victim, then 50, survived the shooting.

–Andrew Blankstein

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca will not be opposed in his bid to win election to a fourth term, a department spokesman said Friday.

As of the 5 p.m. Friday filing deadline for the June 8 primary, no one other than Baca had completed the necessary paperwork to participate in the election, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore.

Baca last ran for — and won — a third term in 2006, defeating two Sheriff’s Department employees.

The apparent de facto victory comes as Baca announced that he is cutting $128 million from his budget over the next 16 months, through reductions in overtime and drastically reducing the number of inmates at the north facility of the Pitchess detention center in Castaic.

As result, the department is releasing hundreds of nonviolent offenders from the county’s jail system. It was unclear how long the releases would continue, but the sheriff said inmates incarcerated for crimes including check-kiting, petty theft and drunk driving will serve only 50% of their time compared to 80% before the cuts.

In addition, the department is forcing supervisors to go out into the field to cover the shifts of officers who are taking days off. Whitmore said Baca would be among those pitching in. His first patrol will be from 2 to 10 p.m. March 19 in East Los Angeles.

–Andrew Blankstein

A fugitive and convicted drug dealer who allegedly helped a "bling ring" sell off luxury items stolen from the homes of young celebrities including Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, pleaded no contest Friday to several felonies, authorities said.

Jonathan Ajar, known as "Johnny Dangerous," was the fence for the items stolen in at least 10 burglaries that also targeted the residences of Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom, Brian Austin Green, Megan Fox, Audrina Patridge and Ashley Tisdale, authorities said.

Ajar, who previously served 37 months in federal prison beginning in 2002, pleaded no contest to three felony counts, including possession of cocaine for sale, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and receiving stolen property, authorities said.

In an interview in the January issue of Maxim magazine, Ajar admitted he had committed the crimes.

Originally charged with 12 felony counts with the possibility of a 15-year minimum sentence in state prison, Ajar now will be sentenced April 15 to three years behind bars.

"It should be noted that Mr. Ajar was not involved in the residential burglaries and was found to be in possession of some of the items that were later returned," said Michael A. Goldstein, Ajar’s attorney. "Unfortunately, because of his prior criminal history, my client was left with little choice but to reach a negotiated agreement with the district attorney to avoid the potential of more than 15 years in state prison,"

Authorities said Ajar was a peripheral player in the so-called bling ring, largely composed of young women who attended Indian Hills Continuation High School in Agoura Hills and had a taste for the luxury goods and accessories worn by young celebrities.

More than half a dozen defendants, including a 19-year Calabasas woman who is featured on the E! reality show "Pretty WIld," are awaiting trial in the case.

Police said they recovered from Ajar’s Winnetka apartment illicit drugs and a stash of weapons including a Sig Sauer handgun belonging to Brian Austin Green, who starred in the original "Beverly Hills 90210."



Other items seized from Ajar, a former part-time club promoter at Les Deux nightclub in Hollywood, included a diamond-encrusted Cartier Tiger watch, gold and diamond bracelets and cut diamonds weighing more than 42 carats.



Additionally, investigators found a handwritten inventory that listed more than 42 carats of hand-cut diamonds, high-end watches and several diamond-encrusted bracelets consistent with merchandise reported stolen by celebrities.

— Andrew Blankstein

Image of a "Bling Ring" burglary via security video. LAPD

Two people charged in a hit-and-run accident that killed a USC student and severely injured another each pleaded no contest Thursday to a single felony, prosecutors said.

The defendants, Claudia Cabrera, 31, and Josue Luna, 33, entered the plea just before their trial was to begin in the death of 18-year-old Adrianna Bachan, who was hit early on the morning of March 29 as she crossed Jefferson Boulevard near Hoover Street.

The couple also admitted the allegation of inflicting great bodily injury to Bachan’s friend, Marcus Garfinkle, who was in the crosswalk with Bachan when the vehicle hit them after running a red light. Garfinkle suffered severe injuries, including two broken legs, after being hit and carried 300 to 400 feet on the windshield.

Prosecutors allege that Cabrera stopped the car and Luna pulled Garfinkle off the car. Luna got back in the car and held the windshield in place as his wife drove off.

Cabrera also pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. The couple return to court May 24 for sentencing before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Perry. Cabrera faces a maximum of eight years in state prison while Luna could get up to seven years behind bars.

Authorities said Cabrera was driving with a driver’s license that had been suspended because she had failed to pay traffic tickets. The couple’s 7-month-old baby was in the back seat at the time of the accident, police said.

— Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Carmen Bachan holds a photo of her daughter
Adrianna Bachan, who was killed in a hit-and-run near USC this weekend.
Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Map: The location of the hit-and-run accident. To learn more about this area, see the University Park Mapping L.A. Neighborhoods page.

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A member of the pop group Girlicious was charged Thursday with drug possession with the intent to distribute or sell after Glendale police said they found more than a dozen plastic bags of cocaine in her Gucci purse.

Natalie Mejia, 21, of Diamond Bar was arrested Tuesday night during a traffic stop in Glendale near the Ventura
Freeway. She was a passenger in a 1998 Ford Mustang that police said was speeding.

The singer had just dined at a Burbank restaurant and was running late for an airplane flight, police said. A search turned up the baggies of cocaine, police said, although the singer told police that the drugs were not hers and that she
did not know how they got there.

The driver, Peter Asencio, 28, of Burbank, whom Mejia said she had met only days earlier, also was arrested.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office charged him with drug possession to distribute or sell and driving with a suspended driver’s license, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Glendale police are continuing their investigation, Lorenz said.

— Andrew Blankstein

Photos: Peter Asencio and Natalie Mejia. Credit: Glendale Police Department

State corrections officials questioned Thursday claims by the L.A. police union that the recent arrest of a man with a long criminal history showed shortcomings in a new law designed to ease prison overcrowding.

Ezra Hooker Sr., who was arrested Jan. 5 after allegedly pointing a rifle at a
prostitute and leading LAPD officers on a high-speed chase in South L.A., was being monitored at the highest level of parole supervision before the incident, said Oscar Hidalgo, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation.

Hidalgo also took issue with the assertion that Hooker, who had 19 previous arrests and four convictions, would have been subject to less scrutiny under the new law. He said Hooker served time in state prison in 1988 for voluntary
manslaughter, making him ineligible for "non-revocable parole" that eliminates contact with a parole agent if the parolee has committed only nonviolent offenses.

"The purpose of the law is to allow agents to focus their attention on the most violent individuals and those who pose the most risk to re-offend," Hidalgo said. "So a person like this [Hooker] would have received more intensive supervision rather than less as suggested by the Los Angeles Police Protective League."

Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents nearly 10,000 officers, maintained the
Hooker case reflects what could become a growing problem for law enforcement agencies.

"Parole once meant that failure to follow rules and remain law-abiding meant a swift return to finish a sentence," Weber said. "Apparently, in the Department of Corrections’ new world, parole is a game designed to see if law enforcement can manage to solve the new crimes committed by these parolees and then obtain convictions."

Last year, union officials expressed "deep concerns" about a risk assessment database used at selected state parole offices to classify and manage parolees. They warned the system would be unable to accurately sift through criminal histories and identify differences between low- and high-risk offenders.

Officials with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have touted their computer risk-assessment tool as a way to better identify lower-risk offenders, whom parole agents would spend less time monitoring and who might be eligible for targeted programs instead of being put back behind bars.

State officials said their aim is to prevent “a revolving-door effect” by providing incentives to local law enforcement to charge parolees with new crimes, potentially resulting in longer prison sentences.

The average caseload for parole agents statewide before the law was passed was 70 parolees per agent. When fully implemented, the new law is expected to drop the figure to 48 parolees for each agent.

— Andrew Blankstein

Actor Corey Haim, who was pronounced dead at a Burbank hospital early Wednesday morning, likely died of an accidental overdose involving prescription drugs, law enforcement sources told The Times.

The 38-year-old actor, best known for his role in the movie "The Lost Boys," was taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center after
being found unresponsive at his home. He was officially pronounced dead
at 3 a.m. at the hospital.

Sources familiar with the death investigation — who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing —  said detectives recovered prescription drugs from the home. It did not appear that foul play or illegal drugs were involved, the sources said.

Even so, they stressed that the investigation, which is now being handled by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, will take weeks to determine an official cause of death. In addition to an autopsy, the coroner will conduct toxicology tests that take six to eight weeks to complete.

Police learned of Haim’s death when staff at the hospital called authorities between 4 and 4:30 a.m., said Sgt. Frank Albarren of the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood Station.

"It was an apparent overdose,” Albarren told reporters. "Unknown what type of medication."

The coroner’s office is also handling the death investigation after
taking over from Los Angeles police detectives, who determined there was
no foul play.

Haim also starred in "Lucas" and appeared in other movies as a child but had struggled with drugs as an adult. He recently starred in a reality TV show focusing on his efforts to restart his acting career.

.–Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Corey Haim, left, and longtime friend and costar Corey Feldman. Credit: Albert L.
Ortega / WireImage

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The union representing Los Angeles police officers said Wednesday that a parolee with 19 arrests and four convictions underscores how laws meant to ease prison overcrowding could pose a serious — and ongoing — threat to public safety. Ezra Hooker Sr. was arrested Jan. 5 after allegedly pointing a rifle at a prostitute and leading LAPD officers on a high-speed chase on South Los Angeles freeways.

During the pursuit, which LAPD investigators said hit 100 mph, Hooker threw a brick at officers and discarded a rifle before crashing his car. Hooker was found to be wearing body armor at the time of his arrest, police said.

Sources familiar with the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about Hooker’s criminal record, said the 43-year-old South L.A. resident had 19 prior arrests dating back to the 1970s, including murder and manslaughter. He served time in state prison for narcotics and gun possession.

Yet he was classified by the state Department of Corrections and Parole as a low-level offender and had most recently been paroled in February 2009, according to sources.

A new law that went into effect this year aimed to cut the state inmate population by about 6,500. The reductions, targeting low-level offenders, are achieved in part through good-behavior credits but also by revising parole rules to stop police agencies from returning nonviolent offenders to prison for minor parole violations.

[Updated at 2:04 p.m.: Oscar Hidalgo, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said the new system is designed to prevent “a revolving-door effect” by providing incentives to local law enforcement to charge parolees with new crimes, potentially resulting in longer prison sentences.

He said the system actually would allow parole agents to concentrate more time on individuals such as Hooker, who he said would not have been eligible for the new system of parole because he served time in state prison in 1988 for voluntary manslaughter, which is considered a violent offense.

“Every parolee and probationer has levels of supervision,” Hidalgo said. “This new system does provide a new category of parole, in which many individuals are placed on ‘non-revocable parole,’ allowing agents to focus their attention on the higher-risk population that they oversee.”

The average caseload for parole agents statewide before the law was passed was 70 parolees for every agent, Hidalgo said. When fully implemented, that caseload will drop to 48 parolees to every agent.]

But some law enforcement officials are warning that there could be more incidents like Hooker’s because the new law allows for even less scrutiny of an inmate’s criminal record than before.

Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents nearly 10,000 officers, said that despite assurances by state corrections officials who say they are monitoring parolees, the Hooker case is indicative of what could be a growing problem for law enforcement in the coming months.

"This latest case further underscores the message that we have been hammering home the past few months – that felon parolees released early from prison pose an avoidable danger to our communities," said Weber. "Combine the invalidation of laws tailored to lessen the danger that felons can pose once they are released with the budget cuts, court orders and legislation giving felons additional ‘good time’ credit, and we are going to see thousands of Ezra Hookers on the streets."

More than 1,500 nonviolent inmates have been released from county jails across California since Jan. 25 as a result of the interpretation of the new formula by which prisoners receive time off for good behavior, speeding up the timetable for their release.

But some police officials say more attention needs to be placed on how parolees, both violent and nonviolent, will be monitored. The law has long required different levels of monitoring for those released from state prison, with violent offenders subject to more rigorous checks, including more frequent visits with parole agents.

With the new law, those defined as nonviolent will not meet with a parole agent. Nor will they have to go back to prison for violating "terms and conditions" of their parole, although they could be arrested and tried for new crimes.

LAPD Deputy Chief Pat Gannon said Hooker had been arrested and sent back to state prison multiple times on parole violations. But with the new law, police may no longer return people like Hooker to prison for violating "terms and conditions," thereby eliminating "a valuable policing tool."

"For example, in most cases where you have a gang member who is selling drugs, you could ‘violate’ him if they were at a location where drugs were being sold," Gannon said. "Now, that option will no longer be available to us."

–Andrew Blankstein

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A Burbank middle school teacher has been arrested for allegedly having unlawful sex with one of her students, police said Tuesday.

Amy Beck, 33, surrendered at the Burbank Police Department headquarters Monday and was booked on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child of 14 or 15. She was apparently overcome by guilt, Burbank police officials said.

Burbank police investigators allege that Beck, a teacher at David Starr Jordan Middle School, had a relationship with one of her male students from March to September 2009.

The boy was 14 at the time, said department spokesman Keith Sterling. Beck was being held on $400,000 bail and was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Superior Court in Burbank.

Police said the investigation is continuing and anyone with information is urged to call Det. Wally Schilling at (818) 238-3254.

[Updated at 4:03 p.m. Prosecutors charged the middle school teacher Tuesday afternoon with five counts, including four counts of unlawful sex with a person under 16 and one count of oral copulation with a person under 16. If convicted on all counts, she faces up a maximum sentence of up to seven years in state prison. 

Prosecutors asked that bail for Beck be set at $175,000.]

— Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Jordan Middle School sixth-grade teacher Amy Beck joined her colleagues in togas for the celebration of annual Greek Day in April 2009. Credit: Scott Smeltzer / News-Press

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