Police Search for Possible Westminster Rapist

Police in the Westminster area are following up on a report from a 45-year-old woman who said she was beaten unconscious during an attempted rape.

According to authorities, the alleged incident took place early Wednesday morning on Main Street between Hoover and Olive Streets.

Police, who say the suspect's sketch draws similarities to a sketch of another suspect in two reported assaults on women last summer, report the suspect in this incident kidnapped the woman and threw her into his vehicle. The woman escaped, but was again grabbed and then reportedly attacked in a bushy area.

The attacker is described as a white or Latino man, about 20 to 25 years of age, with a thin build and dark hair.

Anyone with information on these attacks can call Westminster police detectives at (714) 898-3315, ext. 336 or 340.

Former Transit Officer Arrested in Deadly Shooting

A former Bay Area transit police officer who allegedly killed an unarmed man on a train platform has been arrested.

According to authorities, Johannes Mehserle, 27, was in custody Tuesday evening in Nevada under a fugitive warrant issued from California.

Witnesses reported that Mehserle fired into the back of 22-year-old Oscar Grant on Jan. 1 while the man was lying facedown on a train platform at a station in Oakland.

Grant and others had been removed a train after reports of fighting, as New Year's Eve revelers were heading home after midnight celebrations.

Dozens of Taggers Arrested in Police Sweep

Law enforcement arrested dozens of taggers during an early morning sweep today in the San Gabriel Valley and southeast Los Angeles County. Authorities also confiscated weapons, narcotics and tools used for tagging.

In all, 51 people were arrested for a variety of crimes, including weapons and drug possession, while another 36 were detained for probation or parole violations, officials said.

The raids involved more than 300 law enforcement officials and included personnel from the Sheriff’s Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the California Department of Corrections, the California Highway Patrol, the County Police and officers from the cities of Azusa, Downey and Whittier.

Man Allegedly Was to Sell Daughter Into Marriage

A Greenfield man is under arrest after police say he allegedly tried to sell his 14-year-old daughter into marriage in return for $16,000, 100 cases of beer and several cases of meat.

According to police, authorities only got wind of the deal after Marcelino de Jesus Martinez, 36, went to them to get his daughter back because payment wasn't made as promised.

Martinez was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, while 18-year-old Margarito de Jesus Galindo was in custody on suspicion of statutory rape. Investigators think the daughter went willingly with Galindo, but she's under California's legal age of consent and can't legally marry.

According to police, arranged marriages involving underage girls have become a problem in this small Central Coast farming community.

Murder Trial Witness Dies in San Diego Area

National City police are investigating the death of a man who was a key witness in the murder trial of a Ramona man who strangled his wife and buried her in the backyard.

Sean Turner, 25, was found dead Sunday night at the San Diego area home he shared with his grandmother in National City.

Turner, who is the stepson of defendant Keith Harold Turner, suffered from acute diabetes and had been in the hospital almost once a week for the past year.

Turner testified for the prosecution in the trial of his stepfather, convicted last month of voluntary manslaughter in the death of his wife, Toby Turner, 44. Jurors discredited Sean Turner's testimony, noting his variation of stories and a prior drug history.

The elder Turner is to be sentenced later this month.

Woman Puts Her Virginity Up for Sale

Just how much is a woman's virginity worth these days? For one San Diego woman, she hopes the answer is many dollars.

A 22-year old woman is putting her virginity on the auction block to pay for college.

Natalie Dylan, which is not her real name, already has a degree in women's studies. Now, however, the woman hopes to pay for an advanced degree in family and marriage therapy with the proceeds from the auction. According to the most recent bid, one man is willing to pay $3.7 million for a night with 'Natalie.'

Dylan said she got the idea from her sister who paid for her college education by prostituting herself for three weeks, according to the London Telegraph.

"I think me and the person I do it with will both profit greatly from the deal," Dylan informed the paper.

State Offices Closing Twice a Month Starting in February

Many state offices will be closed on the first and third Fridays of each month, beginning in February, as a money-saving move to help ease California's growing budget deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told state agencies Friday.

The announced closures come after Schwarzenegger's executive order last month that state workers must take two unpaid days off each month between February and the end of June 2010.

Mandatory furloughs are part of Schwarzenegger's demands to help correct the state's estimated $40 billion budget deficit over the next year and a half.

State services requiring 24-hour operation, such as prisons and hospitals, will remain open, but employees there will be required take unpaid time off on other days.

Man Nabbed for Bringing Guns to LAX

Bringing guns to the airport proved a no-no for a local man on Friday as he was arrested without incident.

According to the police, the man was stopped on his way to LAX with an SUV loaded with handguns, rifles and loaded ammunition magazines.

Airport Police officers halted the vehicle shortly before 11 a.m. at a checkpoint on westbound Century Boulevard at Sepulveda Boulevard. In all, police intially reported there were three dozen guns in the vehicle.

San Diego Mom Admits Stealing from Girl Scouts

A former volunteer bookkeeper with the Girl Scouts did more than just see how cookie sales were going.

Janet Daily, 36, of Rancho Santa Fe, pleaded guilty Thursday in a San Diego court to a felony embezzlement charge for stealing some $10,000 over an 18-month period from troops in North County. She faces the maximum of a year in jail when she is sentenced in March.

Daily, the mother of two young girls and a Girl Scouts volunteer for the last seven years, was charged with two felony grand theft counts by an employee.

After investigators began to question some missing money in the Girl Scouts accounts, Daily admitted to them that she had taken the money over the past year and a half because her family was having financial problems.

Moderate Quake Hits Southern California

A moderate earthquake hit Thursday evening at 7:49 p.m. in San Bernardino, with shaking noted from Los Angeles 55 miles to the west and south to Orange County.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, with the quake initially being reported as a 4.5-magnitude quake. The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported it at 4.9, then 5.0.

According to the USGS, the quake struck near the San Jacinto fault, which is part of the San Andreas Fault system.

State May Issue IOUs Instead of Tax Rebates

As if California's budget crisis is not bad enough, now comes this little tidbit from the state.

State officials say they are bracing for the possibility of delaying tax refunds to millions of Californians, along with student grants and payments to vendors, as the latest round of budget negotiations between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislators fell apart.

With a budget gap reported at just under $42 billion, State Controller John Chiang has said that as early as Feb. 1, his office may begin issuing promissory notes if lawmakers have not resolved the budget crisis. California has done this only once before since the Great Depression -- in 1992.

According to California's Constitution, schools and bondholders get first rights to any cash in the state's coffers. The initial folks to receive IOUs instead of payments would be business and individual taxpayers who are expecting refunds, local governments and recipients of grants from the California Student Aid Commission.

Last year, more than 10 million taxpayers obtained state refunds totaling $8 billion.

El Monte Police Search for Pair who Abducted Woman

The search is on for a pair who reportedly tried to con a female shopper at a local mall in El Monte, then abducted her and required her to withdraw money from an ATM when that did not work.

According to police, the female suspect may be wanted for countless crimes in both Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Police report the most recent crime took place five days before Christmas at the Valley Mall, when a male suspect dropped a bag containing a gold chain, and the female suspect then told the victim to retrieve it so they could sell it. The victim reportedly refused to get involved.

When the woman would not comply, the female suspect reportedly pulled out a knife and forced the victim into a white Ford Explorer, where she was driven to her home, ordered pick up her bank card, then driven to a Bank of America in nearby San Gabriel. The woman withdrew $400 dollars from an ATM and passed it on to the female suspect.

According to police, the female suspect in the crime is Hispanic, approximately 45 years of age, 5' 8" tall, and weighs over 200 pounds.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact police at (626) 705-1981.

State Notes Settlement with Blue Shield

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that the California Department of Insurance (CDI) has reached an agreement with Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company to offer new health insurance to 678 consumers whose policies were rescinded between Jan. 1, 2004 and May 31, 2008, reimbursing them for out-of-pocket medical expenses and implement significant changes in its underwriting and claims practices.

Under the terms of the settlement covering allegations of unfair claims handling and improper rescission practices, Blue Shield will immediately offer coverage to 678 consumers whose individual, family, or short-term health policies were previously terminated without subjecting them to medical underwriting or exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Any medical expenses that would have been covered under the rescinded policies that are not covered by another source will be reimbursed or paid by Blue Shield. An expedited independent arbitration process has been established to resolve any disputes regarding these expenses.

As part of the settlement, Blue Shield has agreed to make significant changes to its application forms, underwriting process, agent/broker training, notification to consumers and providers of an investigation regarding information in the application and oversight of its claims handling. It has also agreed to establish an independent third party review process for rescissions going forward. Blue Shield is subject to up to a $5 million penalty if corrective actions are not implemented in the prescribed timeline.

For details about eligibility under this settlement, call Blue Shield at 888-575-3439.

Bell Gardens Councilman Offers Guilty Plea

A Bell Gardens Councilman accused of embezzling campaign funds has pleaded guilty to multiple counts, the District Attorney’s Office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Max Huntsman of the Public Integrity Division said Mario Beltran, 31, pleaded to four misdemeanor counts including failing to file campaign disclosure forms and failing to deposit cash contributions, all violations of the Political Reform Act.

The charges stem from the defendant’s reported failure to report to authorities how he was spending campaign funds entrusted to him and his failure to deposit and account for cash given to him.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George Lomeli ordered Beltran back for sentencing on Feb. 12. The defendant must resign from office prior to sentencing.

Beltran is expected to receive four years of probation during which time he may not hold elected or appointed office and may not seek elected office or lobby. Seven counts of grand theft, one count of perjury and one count of failing to deposit cash will be dismissed at sentencing as part of a negotiated plea agreement.

In a previous prosecution in 2007, the defendant was convicted by a Downey jury of a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report.

The current indictment came after a hearing in which political and business leaders testified before the grand jury that Beltran told contributors that he was using the money he was raising for his re-election when, in fact, he used it to pay for his legal defense. The defendant also reportedly used campaign funds to pay for a cell phone under another person’s name and failed to report it, prosecutors said.

Locklear Gets 3 Years Probation

Actress Heather Locklear had a DUI charge dismissed today after pleading no contest to a lesser charge of wreckless driving..

Under the terms of the plea deal with prosecutors, Locklear, 47, will serve three years' informal probation, pay $700 and complete a 12-hour DMB road safety class.

Locklear, who has starred in such shows as T.J. Hooker, Dynasty and Melrose Place, was charged with driving under the influence of drugs in November after her September arrest.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Locklear at the time of her arrest showed "obvious impairment" when an officer spotted her car parked on a highway and blocking a lane in Montecito.