The producer of an HBO series and another man are facing federal narcotics charges in the drug overdose death of a Long Island dermatologist who was found unconscious in the vestibule of a Manhattan apartment complex last fall, according to a criminal complaint.

Marc Henry Johnson, who was a producer on an HBO series called "The Deuce," and James Holder were arrested at their homes in Manhattan late Tuesday by a team of Drug Enforcement Administration, NYPD and New York State Police investigators, sources said.

Their arrests come eight months after the death of Dr. Kiersten Cerveny, a Manhasset dermatologist who was found in the vestibule of Holder's apartment building on West 16th Street in Chelsea on Oct. 4.

Sources have previously said Cerveny and Johnson were in a relationship at the time of her death.

According to the complaint, Johnson, 51, met Cerveny and another individual at a bar on the Lower East Side after texting about meeting Holder, 60, for "a pickup." While at the bar, he allegedly told Cerveny, who had been using cocaine before he arrived, he had more of the drug and offered to share it with her and the other person. 

Later that night, Cerveny and Johnson left the bar together in a taxi and went to Holder's apartment, according to the complaint. They went upstairs and weren't seen again for hours. 

The complaint alleges that Holder and Johnson emerged four hours later and dragged the unconscious Cerveny along the hallway to the first-floor vestibule. Holder left afterward and Johnson called 911.

Johnson allegedly refused to give the dispatcher his identity and didn't say what had happened to the 38-year-old. He left after paramedics got to the scene, according to the complaint. 

Emergency medical technicians attempted to resuscitate Cerveny as they loaded her into the ambulance and took her to the Lenox Health emergency room in Greenwich Village. She died at the hospital.

Medical examiners ruled her death resulted from acute cocaine and alcohol intoxication. 

According to the complaint, Holder had allegedly sold drugs out of his apartment since about 2013. He generally sold "hundreds," bags of cocaine costing $100, the complaint says.

"We believe Mr. Holder has been selling drugs in this city for a long time," said NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. 

Cerveny, originally from Washington Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, had been an assistant professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College, according to a Dec. 12, 2009 announcement of her marriage to Andrew Cerveny Jr., also a dermatologist, in The New York Times. She graduated magna cum laude from Duke University and earned her medical degree at Tulane University.

She met her husband in 2004 while both were residents at the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans. They had three children together. 

Johnson and Holder were expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan later today.

Information about whether the men had obtained attorneys who could comment on the charges wasn't immediately available. 

Southern Californians will be the first in the nation to check items off their grocery lists at Whole Foods' new 365 market, which opened in Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighborhood Wednesday with the promise of lower prices and a "streamlined customer experience."

The high-end grocery chain's smaller quality-meets-value store at 2520 Glendale Blvd. will feature product selections from Whole Foods Market's 365 Everyday Value brand and a curated mix of products from Friends of 365 including Allegro Coffee Company, teaBOT and by CHLOE, plus partners Loomstate and Instacart.

"It's an awesome thing," Silver Lake resident Joseph Tan said. "If they actually have lower prices, well see."

Doors opened at 9 a.m. following a cake-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the Austin-based company's first 365 store in the nation. Grand opening deals, including discounted food items, will be offered.

The 365 store boasts a different look than typical Whole Foods stores. The space is airy and accented with blues, reds and yellows. All price tags are digital and fewer printed signs are displayed.

A loyalty program offering personalized offers and deals will also be launched.

More locations are planned for Southern California, including in Long Beach, Santa Monica, North Hollywood, Claremont and Los Alamitos. Two locations in the Bay Area — San Francisco and Concord — are also planned.

The company says two more stores are slated to open this year in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and Bellevue, Washington, and up to 10 more are expected to open next year.

The ex-husband of a missing Florida woman has been arrested and charged with her murder, the Martin County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday.

Steven Williams, 30, is facing second-degree murder and child neglect charges. He has been ordered held without bond and court recrods don't indicate whether he has hired an attorney.

At a news conference Wednesday morning, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said Williams confessed to killing 30-year-old Tricia Todd and disposing of her body in a wooded area near Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

Todd's body hasn't been found. Snyder said Wednesday crews were searching a 15-mile wide area, redoubling their efforts to find her remains.

Todd was last seen at a Publix grocery store in Martin County on April 27 prompting a large-scale, multi-agency search, NBC affiliate WPTV reported.

Officials said Todd was killed the night of her disappearance and that her 3-year-old child was nearby when she was killed. He had no accomplices in the killing or in disposing of the body, officials said. 

Williams had been cooperating with authorities and even agreed to a polygraph test on May 3.

"Nothing in (William's) lengthy interview — and it was a long and detailed interview — nor his polygraph exam indicated that he was involved or had any additional information about Tricia Todd's disappearance," Snyder previously said.

He was also interviewed by a lieutenant, two detectives and an assistant state attorney in North Carolina, where he was stationed at an Air Force Base.

Williams was seen on camera buying gas at around 1 a.m. on the day Todd went missing, later telling investigators that she asked him for it because the fuel in her car was running low, NBC News reported.

Officials said Williams was taken into custody Tuesday in North Carolina and was brought back to Martin County.

Williams had been assigned as a field training detachment instructor with the Air Force's 372nd Training Squadron. The Air Force said in a written statement Wednesday they are "cooperating fully with civil authorities in this case."

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.

Jorge Parra wanted an SUV that would fit his grandchildren. But when he looked at a car he found on Craigslist, something didn't seem right.

"The guy is saying that the car had 91-thousand miles but the seat is beat up," said Parra.  That got him thinking that someone may have tampered with the car's odometer.  Parra checked out the car on Carfax.com and discovered it had been sold at auction and now the man who bought it was selling the car.

"And between that sale and his sale, they rolled it back 100-thousand miles," said Parra.

That doesn't surprise Christopher Basso with Carfax.  He says odometer tampering is a problem across the country and the worst in California.  When odometers were analog, rolling back the numbers had to be done by hand but not anymore.

"It can be easier to roll back a digital odometer because it is now computerized," said Basso. "A simple device plugs into the car's computer and can change the mileage on the odometer within seconds."

A search online shows a collection of devices that will "re-calibrate" a car's odometer. And the reason people do it is simple, "You're artificially inflating the car's value," said Basso.

What can you do to protect yourself?  

Basso suggests inspecting the car for wear and tear that is not consistent with the state mileage. Check the car's seats, brake pedal and other items that show wear over time.

Always take a used car to your mechanic for an inspection before you buy it.  The inspection will cost $50 to $100 dollars but should uncover any questionable claims.

And check the car's history, Basso suggests Carfax where you can find information on previous owners, locations and mileage.

Jorge Parra did not buy the first car he found but eventually purchased a car where the odometer reading was not in question. But he says you should always investigate a car where the mileage claims are sketchy.

"You're going to buy a used car because you want to save money," said Parra, "You don't want to become a victim of fraud."

Memorial Day weekend marks the anniversary of historic flooding that swept across much of Texas, claiming lives and ravaging the region.

One year later, Jonathan McComb still remembers with incredible precision the night his family slipped away in the floods of Wimberley.

"It was sunshine, we were in the river playing, barbecuing, radio playing, girls are laying out in their swim suits," McComb recalled.

Nightfall brought epic rains.

"In an instant it was on us, and there was nothing you could do and no way out," McComb said.

The Blanco River swelled 28 feet in an hour and a half, pulling the family's vacation home, where they were staying with the Carey and Charba families, from its foundation. The house was floating down the river.

"When we hit the bridge, it took the whole second layer off. It was an awful, awful sound," McComb said.

In the chaos, the families got split up. McComb remembers being alone in the cold river and praying.

"I'd been under long enough and I said, 'I'm going home, I know what happened to everybody else and I just, you know, I'm too tired. I have nothing left in me,' so I just went limp underwater," he said.

McComb said he struck a hard object, possibly a rock, and began fighting again and made his way toward shore. A stranger helped him and called an ambulance.

McComb spent several days in the hospital while search crews began looking for the bodies of his family and friends.

"There was always hope, but I knew the second that I wasn't with them, they were gone," he said.

McComb has spent the last year recovering at the family's home in Corpus Christi. His children's drawings and play table are set up just as they were. Their book bags still hang from hooks in the mudroom. Framed memories are everywhere and he has added some, too.

"They were all incredibly unique and beautiful and I miss them," McComb said of his family.

He said his young daughter, Leighton, came to him in a dream one night and brought him a sliver of peace.

"I said, 'What happened?' She said, 'We're OK. We got picked up by a man on the river and it was Jesus.' That was huge for me, hearing that," McComb recalled, choking back tears.

Honoring them, he said, means moving forward. McComb is renovating the master bedroom and bathroom — something he and his wife Laura had planned to do.

"A new start. Unfortunately. It's not replacing anything. It's starting over and beginning again. We are here for a reason. You don't really know what that reason [is]; you just continue to have faith and it will be presented to you at some point," he said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has not yet decided whether to endorse presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, NBC News reported.

"I haven't made a decision," Ryan told reporters in an off-camera briefing Wednesday. "I don't have a timeline in my mind." 

A spokesperson for Ryan shot down accounts that an endorsement was imminent.

Ryan announced earlier this month he was “not ready” to endorse the party’s presumptive nominee. But he says his team is working closely with Trump’s campaign, saying the two staffs meet “virtually every day.”

The second-largest school district in the state of California has been put on notice by the federal government - raise the price of school lunches or lose funding for its meal reimbursement program.

The price change for school lunches was approved Tuesday by trustees of the San Diego Unified School District.

Following an audit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the district learned the cost of paid school lunches must be raised for the 2016-2017 school year.

The cost of a school lunch will rise $.25 beginning in the fall. For elementary school students, each meal will jump from $2.00 to $2.25. For middle and high school students, meal prices will increase from $2.50 to $2.75.

For the entire school year, the additional cost per student will be $45, Gary Petill, Director of School Nutrition Services said.

According to the USDA's paid meal equity lunch calculation, the district is not taking in enough revenue from students who can afford to pay for their lunches.

Each free student reimbursement claim is $3.19.

"The government doesn’t want to see taxpayers subsidizing the paid meals," Petill said.

This would be the first rise in meal prices in eight years, he added.

The school board approved the price increase at Tuesday night's meeting.

School lunches are regulated by the USDA, overseeing how much sodium, protein, fats and carbohydrates are served per meal.

A North County doctor’s medical license has been suspended after accusations of sexual misconduct targeting female patients.

Dr. Manuel Tanguma III has resigned from Graybill Medical Group, according to the company. He worked out of their San Marcos office on Rancheros Drive between September 2008 and November 2015, they said.

In a civil complaint filed in May, one of his former patients accused him of asking sexually inappropriate questions about her sex and dating life.

According to court documents, after a number of doctor visits, Tanguma “kissed her for what felt like ten minutes. When Tanguma stopped kissing [the patient], he unzipped his pants and exposed [himself] to her and commented ‘Look what you do to me. Touch it.’ [The patient] froze and was horrified.”

In a complaint to the California Medical Board, another former patient accused Tanguma of inappropriately touching her breast, lingering over a scar on her stomach and kissing her cheek.

Both women said the incidents happened during private doctor visits with Tanguma in 2013.

NBC 7 spoke to Tanguma over the phone. He did not want to comment on the allegations or his license being suspended and referred us to his attorney.

In a statement, his attorney Robert Frank wrote, “Tanguma is a kind, generous and caring physician who has been ambushed by the unfounded complaints of several former female patients, one of whom attempted to extort money from the medical clinic at which he worked and who went public about her untruthful accusations after her extortion attempt was rebuffed by the clinic.”

Frank said the extortion involved the patient and her daughter threatening to sue the practice and asking for money. Jessica Pride, the attorney representing that woman, said the extortion claim is without merit.

Pride also represents several other women who have accused Tanguma of similar misconduct. As of Tuesday, one has filed a civil claim. Pride said she plans to file the rest by the end of the week.

Pride explained her clients are “emotionally traumatized. They lost their faith in doctors. They don’t trust male practitioners."

“This is definitely been a breach in their confidence and trust because they place doctors in a special position of trust. When going to get help for medical treatment, they expected the doctor to act professionally,” she said.

Pride believes there are more victims.

“Dr. Tanguma displayed a very confident persona that in my opinion is indicative that he’s a serial offender,” she said.

Pride said her clients are waiting for the District Attorney’s office to file criminal charges. As of Tuesday, no criminal charges were filed.

Tanguma’s attorney acknowledged his client’s license was recently suspended and added, “without Dr. Tanguma at that time having had the chance to present any counter evidence. He looks forward to clearing the air about the untruthful accusations.

Also named in the civil complaint is Tanguma’s former employer, Graybill Medical Group.

In a statement, the company told NBC 7, “The allegations reported recently are very disturbing to us. We strive to provide all of our patients with a safe environment, and we empathize with any patient who feels his or her trust may have been violated. We will provide our full assistance and cooperation to the California Medical Board in its investigations.”

When the principal of Serra High School was hired in 2014, the San Diego Unified School said Vincent Mays had received his Doctorate at Stamford Hill University. According to Mays’ resume found online, his Ph.D. is in Administration and Supervision.

But three teachers who are also union leaders at Serra High School question the legitimacy of Mays’ doctoral degree. They filed a complaint last week with the District’s Office of Quality Assurance asking the District to look into the matter.

In the complaint, they say Stamford Hill University does not have a faculty and it doesn't offer classes, and is a known diploma mill.

“The Code of Ethics for the teaching profession states you cannot misrepresent your professional qualifications,” Ralf Uebel said.

“We really did not want to believe that potentially this is not a real degree. We looked at academic data bases, we looked at any person employed by Stamford as a researcher, and we didn’t find anything.” teacher Peter Oskin said.

Oskin says even if the school had closed, there would be evidence of its existence.

NBC 7 did find a Stamford Hill University website, and we searched records in Florida, where the website says the school is based. The Florida Department of Education says that university is not licensed and never has been.

The department is preparing to issue a cease and desist order for the university's website. A search of the state’s business licensing website found no records, past or present. A search of the U.S. Department of Education website also showed no records.

NBC 7 also searched online claims that Stamford Hill University could be based in the United Kingdom. A spokesperson from the U.K’s Higher Education Governance, told NBC 7, a university with the name Stamford Hill has never existed.

“If the Ph.D. does not exist, that constitutes academic fraud and we’re in the business of education. We’re trying to teach our students the value and importance of education,” Uebel said.

Since last week, NBC 7 has been asking Mays and the district for comment. The district says Mays will not talk about this, because he feels it is the doing of disgruntled employees.

The district issued this statement: "These vicious personal attacks on Dr. Vincent Mays are shameful. He has devoted his life and professional career to the service of children, including more than a quarter century as a classroom teacher and an administrator. He has every necessary certification and more importantly the skills necessary to lead Serra High School. He has and will continue to have the full support of the district."

“We are not disgruntled. We are looking out for the students,” Nicholas Cincotta said, a teacher at Sierra High School.

There have been two new threats against U.S. Navy facilities in San Diego, the latest in 21 threats received over the last six months, officials said Wednesday.

Messages were left in a portable toilet on a ship at Pier 7 on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for Navy Region Southwest.

The threats first appeared on November 6. In May alone, Navy investigators say six threats have been left at Pier 7 and  BAE Systems Ship Repair at Naval Base San Diego.

Four other similar threats were reported on May 1, May 2, May 11 and May 17.

"The deliberate attempts to interrupt maintenance and operations on our nation's warships are a serious matter and will ultimately cost the U.S. taxpayer hundreds of thousands of dollars," Special Agent in Charge Gunnar Newquist said in a written news release.

The culprit or culprits responsible for the threats have not been arrested. Officials have now doubled the reward -- set at $10,000 -- for information leading to an arrest and prosecution of the suspect or suspects. Anyone with information can call NCIS at (619) 556-1364.

Since November, 21 separate hoax bomb threats have occurred at Naval Base San Diego, BAE Shipyards and NASSCO, according to the U.S. Navy.

The modus operandi is always the same: a handwritten threat on the wall of a ship or written on the wall inside a portable toilet on a pier.

According to the U.S. Navy, the other threats occurred as follows:

• Nov. 6, 2015: a threat written inside a portable toilet on a ship at NASSCO
• Nov. 16, 2015: a threat written inside a portable toilet on Pier 13 at Naval Base San Diego
• Nov. 23, 2015: a threat written inside portable toilet on a pier at BAE Systems Ship Repair
• Dec. 9, 2015: a threat written on wall inside a portable toilet at BAE Systems Ship Repair
• Dec. 11, 2015: a threat written inside a stairway on a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair
• Dec. 15, 2015: a threat written on the wall of a bathroom stall on a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair
• Jan. 19, 2016: a threat written in a portable toilet at Pier 6 at Naval Base San Diego
• Feb. 4, 2016: a threat written on a wall inside a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair
• Feb. 9, 2016: a threat written on a wall and desk of a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair
• Feb. 17, 2016: a threat written on a portable toilet at Pier 5 at Naval Base San Diego
• Feb. 22, 2016: a threat written on a wall inside a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair
• April 7, 2016: a threat written in a portable toilet at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego
• April 12, 2016: a threat written in a portable toilet at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego
• May 1, 2016: a threat written in portable toilet on ship at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego
• May 2, 2016: a threat written inside a wall of a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair
• May 11, 2016: a threat written in portable toilet on pier at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego
• May 17, 2016: a threat written in portable toilet on pier at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego
• May 24,2016: a threat written in portable toilet on ship at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego
• May 25, 2016: a threat written in portable toilet on ship at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego

Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is located at 3455 Senn St., across 1,600 land acres and 326 acres of water. The facility is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 46 Navy ships, one Coast Guard cutter, seven Military Sealift Command logistical support platforms, several research and auxiliary vessels.

Some sort of fight between a father and son at a home near a high school in north San Diego County prompted a lockdown at the campus Wednesday, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) confirmed. 

The SDSO told NBC 7 Twin Oaks High School, located at 158 Cassou Rd. in San Marcos, near North Twin Oaks Valley Road, was placed on a precautionary lockdown around 9:15 a.m.

Police officers and deputies were called to the area around the school after a father and his son allegedly got into an altercation at a residence near the campus. An SDSO official told NBC 7 there was a report that weapons may have been involved in the fight, though further details were not given.

The SDSO said deputies asked the school to go on lockdown, as a precaution, until the situation was resolved. Just before 10 a.m., the SDSO said the incident had been resolved.

A communications coordinator for the San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD) told NBC 7 Twin Oaks Elementary School -- located at 1 Cassou Rd., about a half-mile away from the high school -- had been placed on "hard lockdown" due to police activity in the area. That lockdown had been lifted as of 10 a.m.

The SMUSD spokesperson told NBC 7 deputies were in pursuit of a suspect in the area surrounding the school but that suspect had been taken into custody.

The district spokesperson said there was never a lockdown at Twin Oaks High School, only at the elementary school. The lockdown was issued at the request of deputies.

As of 10:30 a.m., no further information had been released by the sheriff's department or other officials. No injuries were reported.

Twin Oaks  Elementary School and Twin Oaks High School are part of the San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD). 

A retired U.S. Marine who pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend and dismembering her body with a machete while the couple was on a trip to Panama will be sentenced for the grisly crime Wednesday.

Brian Brimager, a retired U.S. Marine formerly based at Camp Pendleton north of San Diego County, pleaded guilty in February 2016 to second-degree murder in the Nov. 27, 2011, death of his girlfriend, Southern California resident Yvonne Baldelli.

His sentencing hearing began at 10 a.m. Wednesday in a San Diego courtroom that was packed with members of Baldelli's family, many of them in tears.

A member of Baldelli's family told NBC 7 the sentencing was expected to last at least two hours. About 50 of the victim's loved ones filed into the courtroom, waiting to learn Brimager's fate.

Baldelli vanished five years ago when she traveled to Panama with Brimager. Her remains were found two years after her disappearance on a remote island near Panama.

The couple left from Dana Point, California, in September 2011 to stay on Isla Carenero, an island off the Panamanian coast accessible only by boat. Baldelli was last seen at a restaurant with Brimager on Nov. 26, 2011.

Upon entering his guilty plea this year, Brimager admitted he stabbed Baldelli in the back on Nov. 27, 2011, and then used a machete to dismember her before dumping her remains in the jungle. According to prosecutors at Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Brimager beat and drugged Baldelli, too.

Brimager also admitted to using a computer to communicate with Baldelli’s family members to cover up that she was dead.

Authorities said Brimager sent emails from Baldelli's laptop in an effort to convince her family members that Baldelli was not only still alive, but was happy and had traveled to Costa Rica with another man.

According to court documents, Brimager used the laptop to search for information on how to remove blood stains from a mattress. He’s also accused of stuffing Baldelli’s belongings into garbage bags and disposing of the bags on a dock outside the hostel where the couple had been staying.

Prosecutors also said Brimager withdrew money from Baldelli's bank account and used her money to buy drugs and alcohol.

Prosecutors said Brimager lied to investigators about Baldelli’s disappearance and told them she took her laptop while traveling. In 2012, he was found with the computer in his possession, at which point Brimager changed his story but said he never used it to send emails.

Baldelli’s remains were found in 2013 on a small island off the Isla Carenero coastline. Scientists identified her body using DNA analysis on her skull and bones.

Brimager has been in U.S. custody since June 2013 on charges of obstruction of justice, giving false statements to a federal officer and falsifying records.

In April 2015, he was indicted by a federal grand jury in San Diego on a charge of foreign murder of a U.S. national. Brimager initially pleaded not guilty.

In mid-February 2016, court documents were filed revealing a machete was the weapon in Baldelli’s brutal slaying, and that blood found under the handle of that machete contained Baldelli's DNA.

Prosecutors also said Brimager made a post on social media about the machete used to dismember Baldelli, writing that it was "hardly used."

The disturbing post read: "....I bought it in the states before I moved down there...don't worry I only dismembered one stripper with it so it's hardly used:)"

Prosecutors said Brimager lacks remorse in the slaying.

Many of Baldelli’s loved ones, including her mother, addressed the court and Brimager directly at his sentencing.

“Your life would have been easier if you just sent Yvonne home,” Baldelli’s mother said. “You will have to answer to a higher power and I will never forgive you.”

A San Diego dental assistant accused of sexually assaulting women while they were sedated has pleaded guilty to 13 criminal charges.

Luis Ramos, 36, will be sentenced Aug. 26 and faces a maximum punishment of 15 years.

Ramos entered his guilty plea on Wednesday morning during his preliminary hearing.

He admitted to sexually touching nine women while they were under sedation and also penetrating several woman.

Ramos was initially arrested on Feb. 4 on suspicion of inappropriately touching a 17-year-old girl while she was undergoing a procedure at the Park Boulevard Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Office in University Heights, where he worked.

Prosecutors later said they had identified another 12 victims. Ramos is accused of touching their breasts, buttocks and groin between January 2015 and January 2016. One of the victims was in a wheelchair, the DA’s office said.

Ramos was charged with multiple counts of felony sexual battery of an institutionalized victim, which means he allegedly had skin-to-skin contact with an intimate part of the victim while she was unconscious due to anesthesia.

According to Podstreleny, at least one of the assaults was caught on security cameras posted around the office. The surgeon said he had the cameras installed in 2009 to provide an “extra layer of protection” for patients and as “an effort at transparency.”

Since Ramos’ arrest, San Diego police have been combing through more than 500 hours of surveillance video from the office’s recovery room where the assaults allegedly took place.

More than half of downtown Seattle was left in the dark Wednesday because of an equipment failure, NBC News reported.

The power outage forced employees in the city’s commercial district to stop working and powerless traffic signals caused delays.

About 60 percent of downtown Seattle was affected, according to the city’s public transportation system.

Crews were still investigating what caused the outage.

A renewed funding strategy to pay for lights across the San Diego Coronado Bridge wouldn’t use public money according to a plan approved by the Port of San Diego Board.

Port Commissioners recently voted to allow anyone making a donation to the San Diego Art Foundation or Port to select the bridge lighting project as the source for their donation.

Waterfront developers required to pay into a public art fund could pay significant portions.

The conceptual rendering developed by Peter Fink gives a futuristic vision with vibrant LED lights spanning the two-mile long bridge.

NBC 7 showed the rendering to county residents who had mostly positive reactions.

One woman called it “gorgeous” and another said “it enhances the area”, but suicide prevention activists worry the lights will only bring more problems.

"And there's no reason to have money for lighting which is going to be maybe a suicide magnet to bring more people and not put either a fence or nets to prevent suicides and prevent bridge closures," said Wayne Strickland, president of the Coronado San Diego Bridge Collaborative For Suicide Prevention.

Strickland wants the port to work with his group to find a way to get nets or fences built along with the lights.

He says it's time to save lives and put traffic nightmares associated with the closures behind because they threaten military operations and emergency response times.

Studies show the fences and nets would require much more money, putting the more feasible lights project on a more indefinite hold.

"I think it’s totally irresponsible to do one without the other," said Strickland.

Port spokeswoman Tanya Castaneda says the lighting project is still very much in early stages and even with funding through donations, a feasibility study needs to be performed along with a long list of other items before the lighting becomes reality.

A San Diego County Grand Jury is recommending changes to the City of San Diego’s police oversight board that include revisions to the board member recruitment process, independent legal counsel for the board and compensation for board members. 

The city’s police oversight board, the Citizens’ Review Board (CRB) on Police Practices serves as watchdog designated to hold San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officers accountable for alleged misconduct and protect police from unfair discipline.

Last year, two former board members told NBC 7 Investigates, the board has a “fixed” and ineffective review process. They said the process subverts the board's intent, something that’s detrimental not just for citizens but for SDPD officers as well.

The Grand Jury report was initiated after it received several citizen complaints related to police officer behavior in San Diego, according this news release.

“The issue of independent review and openness of the review process was a common thread in all of those complaints,” Melinda Richards, Foreman for the San Diego County Grand Jury said in an email to NBC 7 Investigates.

The recommendations outlined in the report for the Citizen Review Board include:

• Provide independent legal counsel to the CRB
• Prepare and submit annual reports of its actions
• Revise the recruitment and appointment processes for board members to encourage broader citizen involvement
• Provide limited compensation for board member time and involvement

The City of San Diego has until August to respond to the Grand Jury's recommendations.

San Diego City Council members and the City of San Diego’s Charter Review Committee have been discussing changes similar to the recommendations included in the Grand Jury report released Wednesday.

The Board was approved by voters in 1988 to help relieve tensions in the city after the shooting death of a police officer by a young black man in southeast San Diego.

According to the Grand Jury report, all local cities meet the state requirements for reviewing police behavior complaints but not all cities have a formal citizen oversight board.

“There is no mandate by the state that an oversight board exist,” Richards said. “The state requires a written procedure for complaint review. The Grand Jury believes a citizen oversight board ensures a more open process and increases trust in local law enforcement.”

In San Diego County, the Citizens Review Board handles cases within the City of San Diego and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board, CLERB, handles cases from Santee, Vista, Lemon Grove, Poway, San Marcos, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Imperial Beach, Encinitas, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department including all deaths inside county jails and juvenile detention facilities.

The police agencies in El Cajon, La Mesa, Escondido, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, and Coronado review complaints internally and do not have a review process that involves the public, according to the report.

Click here to read the full report.

In the report, the Grand Jury recommendations for CLERB include:

• Review CLERB recruitment and appointment processes to encourage broader citizen involvement.
• Provide limited compensation for board member time and involvement.

The Grand Jury recommendation for the cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Escondido, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Chula Vista and Coronado include:

• Establish a Citizen Review Board or Commission or consider the formation of regional review boards that serve more than one jurisdiction

According to its report, the Grand Jury interviewed members of CLERB, the CRB, San Diego City Council members, police chiefs and Sheriff's Department staff’; it also surveyed the seven cities in the county that do not have independent review boards.

All cities provided a response, according to the report.

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At least two people were injured in a head-on crash in Alpine Wednesday night, according to Cal Fire.

The crash happened at approximately 8:25 p.m. on the 18000 block of Japatul Road, just southeast of Taylor Creek.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) says they got initial reports that a pickup truck and a sedan had collided head on.

Cal Fire says one person pinned beneath a vechile is being flown to local hospital.

One other person is not being transported at this time.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

A self-described YouTube prankster was arrested Wednesday after climbing the Hollywood Sign and waving a white flag that read, "I'm Back."

The man, identified as Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, was discovered on the letter "D" of the sign at 6 p.m. The Los Angeles Police Department said he had been there for about 20 minutes.

LAPD said officers were en route as the man, dressed in all camouflage gear, climbed up and down the sign and began a slow descent down the rugged hillside. He was eventually detained by park rangers at 6:40 p.m. after climbing down the hill.

LAPD officers arrived and took over the investigation. The "I'm Back" flag was likely a reference to a past visit to Mount Lee. 

"The reason for that, I believe, is that a year ago this individual had been arrested for trespassing on the property," said LAPD Capt. Cory Palka.

Jail records indicate Zdorovetskiy, 24, was released late Wednesday on bond after his arrest on suspicion of trespassing. A court date was scheduled for June 15.

The man was linked to the stunt via a Snapchat video he posted as he climbed the sign.

"I'm all the way up, nothing can stop me now," Zdorovetskiy boasted into the camera from atop the sign. 

The street up to the sign from the Beechwood Canyon area has several signs indicating restricted access to the property. Security personnel are assigned to the area, Palka said. 

A second man detained at the scene and questioned by officers told NBC4 he was just out for a run and ended up too close to the sign. 

NBC4's Irene Moore and Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.