Two suspects have been sentenced in a series of hot prowl burglaries in Carmel Valley and Scripps Ranch as the victims were inside their homes. 

Antonio Kresic and Keith Lashaun Thomas previously pleaded guilty for their roles in at least nine burglaries, mostly in Scripps Ranch, which started on Sept. 27, 2015. 

A judge sentenced Kresic to nine years and eight months in prison; probation was denied. He was ordered to pay restitution to victims listed in the probation report.

Thomas' parents addressed the court during the sentencing Tuesday and requested probation. The judge stayed an eight year and four month prison sentence and granted probation for five years.

Thomas was ordered to pay restitution to the victims listed in the probation report, along with Kresic and the juvenile defendants. 

Two juveniles were also charged in connection with the crimes last year. 

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe took its fight to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday in a bid to gather international opposition to the project, NBC News reported.

Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault II addressed the 49-member Council in a brief two-minute testimony where he called "upon all parties to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline."

Archambault said the U.S. government had failed to abide by signed treaties with the tribe — referring to the 1851 Treaty of Traverse de Sioux and 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, two legally-binding treaties ratified by the U.S. Senate that recognize the Sioux's national sovereignty.

A local man was sentenced to 10 years behind bars on Monday for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children in San Diego and Oceanside.

Eric Watkins, 21, also known as “Crank Moe” and “Cali Made Crankk” and Ricardo Borjor quez (24) would approach young girls and women on the trolley or on social media to recruit them for prostitution. Between Sept. 11-13 in 2014, Watkins and Borjorquez conspired to commit sex trafficking crimes against two 15-year old girls.

The men held a girl against her will at Borjorquez’s apartment in San Diego, forced her to call her father and say she would not be coming home before taking away her cell phone. They then threatened the girl and told her she would be working for them as a prostitute. A second girl, who had a long history of prostituting herself for Watkins, was also present in the apartment.

On Sept. 13, the men took the girls to Oceanside to make money by prostituting them. One girl was able to run a bar in Oceanside and call her father to pick her up.

Borjorquez was sentenced to six and a half year in jail on April 25 of this year while Watkins was sentenced on Monday to 10 years.

Both will need to register as sex offenders upon their release from jail and will be placed on eight years of supervised release.

A local woman told NBC 7 that she knows the suspect who led deputies on a chase through the North San Diego County on Tuesday morning—saying he’s a “good man.”

Fugitive Task Force Officials arrested Brian Leigh, 53, after he drove his car into the brush near Bonsall Tuesday morning. Leigh was wanted in a connection with a kidnapping.

Caroline Christensen, told NBC 7 she knew Leigh and the family whose car he is accused of stealing.

“He was in a sober living place for 2 years. He was a security guard in a woman's shelter and doing landscaping,” Christensen said. “He was doing good.”

She said Leigh came to her before the chase because he did not have anywhere else to go, adding that it hurts her because he was trying to get his life back on track.

Meanwhile, the family who had their vehicle allegedly stolen by Leigh says do not know the suspect but the incident scared them.

“It’s kind of scary because you don’t know how safe the streets are now for our children, especially if you take them to public parks and libraries,” said Adriana Garrido.

Garrido said her aunt had parked their Toyota 4runner in the street to catch a bus when it was stolen.

“It’s pretty important,” she told NBC 7, referring to the SUV. “It’s related to church, take the kids to school—do their family activities.”

She said her uncle is worried because the SUV is stuck in bushes and they don’t know how to get it out.

Meanwhile, investigators have not released more information about the kidnapping case that led to the pursuit. They say Leigh faces kidnapping, domestic abuse, possessing a stolen vehicle and narcotics charges.

Christensen said she cannot believe the charges he is facing.

August was a good month for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, both of whom reported reported their best fundraising yet,NBC News reported.

Clinton Brought in $59.5 million and Trump $41 million, according to new Federal Election Commission filings released Tuesday.

While Clinton raised more than her Republican rival, she also spent more than him. Clinton spent $49.6 million in August compared to Trump's $29.9 million.

The fundraising totals are less than the amounts the campaigns announced earlier this month as those sums included money raised for their joint fundraising committees to help their respective parties and down-ticket candidates. Those fundraising numbers won't be released until October.

An police chief in Ohio voiced his anger after the recent shooting of unarmed black man Terence Crutcher in Oklahoma, NBC News reported.

Rodney Muterspaw took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon and wrote, “As an officer I am so sick and drained of some cops doing things like this. You are making us all look bad. STOP."

The 26-year veteran of the Middletown, Ohio, police force told his local paper that he could not longer stay silent following the “questionable” shooting of Crutcher in Tulsa.

These types of incidents, Muterspaw told his local newspaper, “set us back every time and it’s hard to get a grip on what we are trying to do.”

Donald Trump promised to "rebuild our inner cities" at a rally on Tuesday, telling a North Carolina crowd that “places like Afghanistan are safer than some of our inner cities.”

Violent crime in American cities is expected to rise by 5.5 percent in 2016, according to New York University's Brennan Center. According to the United Nations, 5,166 civilians were killed or maimed in Afghanistan during the first six months of the year. Trump did not back up his comparison with statistics. 

In an effort to win African American communities, Trump has recently pitched himself as the candidate to vote for those who have nothing to lose, NBC News reported.

Despite exaggerating disparities in black communities  -- lack of quality education, safety concerns, absence of jobs -- Trump has made minor gains. An ABC/Washington Post poll average from August to September showed Trump polling at five percent with African Americans, compared to previous zero or one percent.

The number of immigrants in the U.S. illegally has changed little since the Great Recession began, dropping to 11.1 million in 2014 from 11.2 million in 2012 and 11.3 million in 2009, according to a study released Tuesday by Pew Research Center.

The population peaked at 12.2 million in 2007. Pew, which reached conclusions by subtracting the estimated number of legal immigrants from census data on the foreign-born, found that a declining number of Mexicans has had a profound impact in parts of the country.

WHERE ARE THEY FROM?

The number of Mexicans in the U.S. illegally has dropped sharply since the Great Recession began to 5.8 million in 2014, unchanged from 2012 but down from 6.3 million in 2009 and a peak of 6.9 million in 2007. Last year, Pew said more Mexicans were returning to Mexico than arriving.

The drop in Mexicans is nearly offset by an increase in Asians, Africans and Central Americans. The number of Central Americans in the U.S. illegally hit 1.7 million in 2014, up 110,000 from 2009. The number of Asians in the country illegally jumped by about 130,000 during the five-year period to 1.4 million, with notable increases of people from India, China, the Philippines and South Korea.

Mexicans still account for 52 percent of people in the U.S. illegally in 2014 down from 56 percent in 2009 but still the largest nationality by far.

WHICH STATES ARE SEEING THE BIGGEST CHANGE?

The number of people in the U.S. illegally dropped in seven states from 2009 to 2014 due to fewer Mexicans-- Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Nevada and South Carolina. California had the biggest numerical drop, down 190,000 to 2.3 million.

The number of immigrants in the country illegally grew in six states during the same period -- Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington. Louisiana saw an increase from Mexico. Increases in the five other states were due to higher numbers from countries other than Mexico. New Jersey and Pennsylvania had the biggest numerical increases, up by 50,000 each.

Mexico was still the leading birth country for people in the country illegally in at least 38 states. El Salvador is the leading birth country for those living illegally in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. The Philippines is the leading source in Alaska and Hawaii. Brazil is the top sender for Massachusetts, India in New Hampshire, and Guatemala in Rhode Island.

Most people in the country illegally lived in six states -- California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois -- in that order. Nevada had the highest share of its population made up of people in the country illegally (7.2 percent), followed by Texas (6.1 percent), California (6 percent) and New Jersey (5.4 percent).

HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN HERE?

People in the country illegally are more likely to have been here a long time. That's particularly true in western states with deeply established Mexican populations.

The median length of time in the country for those in the U.S. illegally was 13.6 years in 2014, up from 7.1 years in 1995.

The median length of time in the U.S. for residents there illegally was 15.6 years in California.

Only five states had a median length of stay shorter than 10 years -- Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri and Ohio.

Registered San Diegans voting in the Presidential General Election this November will get a two-card ballot for this first time. 

County officials are making the change because of the large number of state and local propositions on the ballot come this Nov. 8.

The ballot will also include the presidential election, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives elections and the California Legislature election, in addition to the propositions. 

Because of the length of the ballot and the expected high turnout, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters is urging residents to plan ahead to save time at the polls. 

One way to do so is to vote by mail. You can sing up to be a permanent mail ballot voter by clicking here. You will need 67 cents in postage because of the weight of the two-card ballot. 

Another way to save time for voters heading to the poll is to mark your selections on a sample ballot pamphlet before going to the polls. 

On Nov. 8, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find your polling place, use the County's polling place locator online by clicking here. 

A Coca-Cola delivery truck driver was taken to the hospital after being injured in a hit-and-run in Southcrest on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident occurred at approximately 3:07 p.m. on S 36th Street and National Avenue.

"The guy was unloading Coke, taking in into the store and I guess [the driver] came around the corner and plowed into him," said witness Linda Baker.

According to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD), the victim was taken to UCSD Hospital. He suffered a dislocated wrist.

Police say the driver of the suspect vehicle also sheared a water hydrant.

As of 3:58 p.m., a possible suspect vehicle found at Ocean View Boulevard and Olivewood Terrace, just few blocks away from the scene of the incident. A man was also detained by police in connection to the hit-and-run.

Police say the 23-year old may have been driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Rain is not considered to be a factor in this incident.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

A suspect wanted in connection with a kidnapping lead authorities on a pursuit through North San Diego County before he was taken into custody, according to San Diego Sheriff's Officials (SDSO). 

The pursuit began around 10:23 a.m. Tuesday in Valley Center; the suspect lead deputies through back roads off the 395, over towards Vista on Gopher Canyon Road. 

Fugitive Task Force officials attempted to stop Brian Leigh, 53, wanted in connection with a kidnapping. 

As the pursuit went through risky terrain, vehicles backed off, but the Sheriff's ASTREA copter remained overhead to purse the suspect. 

At one point, deputies laid out a spike strip, but it did not stop him. 

The pursuit ended near Bonsall, when Leigh drove his car through brush, deputies said.

Deputies say Leigh resisted arrest and suffered minor injuries, including a bump to the head. Two other members of law enforcement also suffered minor injuries: scrapes and bruises. 

Leigh was taken into custody. No one was reported to be with him. 

It was unclear if Leigh was armed. 

No other information was immediately available.

Fallen San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officer Jonathan "JD" De Guzman was honored during a ceremony celebrating San Diego's heroes on Tuesday. 

The tribute was part of the "Honoring our Regions Heroes" ceremony at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.

Officer De Guzman and Officer Wade Irwin were gunned down during a traffic stop in July. De Guzman was shot multiple times, at point-blank range in his patrol vehicle and died from his injuries. Officer Irwin continues to make a recovery from his injuries.

Officer De Guzman's son, Jonathan Jr. De Guzman, was watching as his father was honored posthumously. 

“It’s hard, of course,” said Jonathan. “There are days I think I’m fine, totally fine. There are times in class when I'm at home where it just feels weird and I know my dad isn’t there anymore.”

A two minute video tribute during the ceremony showed slices of Officer De Guzman's life, from childhood to having his own family, to his time as a SDPD officer.

De Guzman's family took to the stage accepting a plaque and a donation to help the family.

His 17-year-old son Jonathan talked about how much he appreciates his father's brothers in blue becoming an extended family.

“Even though my dad is gone they're like, it’s like another way I can have my dad’s presence with me," he said. "So the police department means a lot.”

Jonathan made the audience laugh as he talked about how they often check on the family, offering rides even when they're not needed.

His family talked about how difficult the past two months have been for their family. 

"I try to stay strong. I try to stay motivated and determined on what I want and my goals are to continue my dad’s legacy," Jonathan said. 

Jonathan says he does not think he wants to be a police officer, but he definitely is interested in a career helping others.

He says he has learned a lot about his dad in the two months since his death.

Now he’s hoping people in the community learn police are people too.

“I want everyone to know every police officer is a person too. Everyone always has negative views toward cops and people don’t understand that they're people and they have families and their own goals," he said. "They're not just people in uniform.”

Home prices and rent continue to rise in San Diego County, as competition for housing gets fiercer.

Recent reports highlight how difficult it is to find a home or apartment to rent or own in San Diego: The average cost of rent has increased 8 percent since March, according to a MarketPointe Realty Advisors report released last week.

Then, a report this week by real estate analyst CoreLogic detailed how the median home price has reached its highest point in nearly 11 years: $498,000, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The all-time peak for home prices in San Diego was $517,500 set in November 2005, the U-T reports.

The recent trends show home prices steadily climbing since 2008, and analysts told the U-T that prices will likely exceed the 2005 record.

The rent report is equally as eye opening. KPBS reports that the average rent for is $1,743, with a two-bedroom apartment costing $1,821 a month.

That’s a sharp increase from earlier this year and 33 percent rise since 2010, KPBS reports.

Have you experienced this stifling rise in housing prices? Leave a comment below.

With a new $2.3 million grant, a stem cell program to aid Parkinson’s disease patients that’s being researched at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla is one step closer to FDA approval.

The program, called Summit Stem Cell, launched three years ago. The team plans to start its clinical trial in 2018, depending on the level of funding needed for the work.

How it works: researchers take a skin sample from a patient, and, using DNA, create millions of stem cells.

And while performing surgery, those cells are injected into the brain to create dopamine neurons, which are destroyed by Parkinson’s disease.

The process has worked in numerous tests with animals, though it’s never been tested on humans.

But those working on the project are confident.

“We’re going to give these people back the neuron that is going to respond to their level of activity,” said Sherrie Gould, a Scripps Clinic nurse practitioner who has worked on the project from the beginning.

One of the patients taking part in the clinical trial, Cassandra Peters, said the program could be her saving grace.

“This project – this blessed, amazing project – is my reason for being,” she said. “It would mean that I could have my life back, that I could have my body back, that I could look in the mirror and actually recognize the person and begin to reclaim some of the things this disease has stolen.”

San Diego County Sheriff's officials (SDSO) have released more information about a deputy-involved shooting last month that left a documented gang member dead. 

The pursuit that lead to the deputy-involved shooting happened on Aug. 11, when SDSO Deputy Peter Myers and Deputy Christopher Villanueva spotted Sergio Weick, a documented gang member wanted in connection with a SWAT stand-off in 2015. Officials said they had a warrant out for his arrest. 

Deputies say they spotted Weick driving near the intersection of North Santa Fe Avenue and Knapp Drive. Deputies recognized the driver of the Lexus as a known gang member who had an active felony warrant for his arrest.

Investigators say Weick refused to pullover for the deputies, leading them on an 8-minute chase that ended in a town home complex in the 100 block of Bronze Way. 

Authorities say Weick crashed and continued on foot and “at some point along the narrow walkway, the suspect and deputies became involved in a confrontation,” the original press release stated.

At one point during the foot pursuit, Weick "stopped and was beginning to turn to face them (the deputies)," said SDSO Lt. Nelson. 

Deputies could see a metal object in Weick's waistband and "could see him reaching for it and trying to pull it out of his waistband," Lt. Nelson said.

The deputies made that "split second decision" and fired multiple rounds, according to Sheriff's officials. Deputies said at that time, Weick was "less than 20 feet" away from them, Lt. Nelson said. 

The metal object turned out to be a knife, Lt. Nelson said.

Shortly after the incident, detectives completed their search of the car Weick was driving. They found “a sawed-off shotgun, multiple knives, a sword, additional ammunition for the shotgun and drug paraphernalia” inside the car.

 Weick went to the hospital in critical condition and later died. Homicide investigators say the autopsy report showed the cause of death was “trauma from multiple gunshot wounds.”

Lt. Nelson did not have an exact number of times Weick was shot, but did say authorities removed seven bullets from his body during the autopsy. He did not have additional information on where the bullets were or exactly where he was shot. 

However, Weick’s cousin Johnny Hoyt, said Weick’s body was riddled with 26 gunshot wounds.

Sheriff's officials are still waiting on the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office to complete an autopsy report. They will then hand the case over to the District Attorney's office for review. 

At a rally on Saturday, loved ones remembered Weick as a husband and father of five children who had kids as young as 18 months old and as old as 14 years old.

“What they did was wrong,” Weick’s widow, Nena, said of the deputies involved. “They have killed, they have murdered their father. They will go on with life without their father.”

Myers is an 8-year veteran of the department. Villanueva had been with the department for two months at the time, in addition to two years’ experience as a police officer with another law enforcement agency.

The deputies were placed on administrative leave following the shooting, but have since been cleared to come back to work. 

Lt. Nelson said there were no body worn cameras during the incident, and authorities did not find any video of the incident. 

Detectives are working on a "thorough, transparent investigation" to then present to the DA, Lt. Nelson said. The goal is to have the reports in and presented to the DA within 90 days of the incident, in mid-November, Lt. Nelson said.

Heavy showers fell in San Diego early Wednesday, the third day of a storm system spurred by tropical weather moving north from Baja California.

The storm, according to NBC7’s Whitney Southwick, will weaken by late morning producing just partly cloudy skies for the afternoon in most areas.

The exception could be some possible thunderstorms in our local mountains.

Conditions will feel tropical, rain or not; muggy and hot with 70s at the coast, 80s valleys, 60s in the mountains and low to mid 90s in the deserts.

Throughout the day on Tuesday, Southwick added, much of the county saw showers, heavy at times, all originating from what was Hurricane Paine.

“The mountains were the big winners on Tuesday, where we saw many places get more than 1.25” Southwick said.

On Wednesday the heavier rain fell nearer the coast and over the valleys, he added.

The rare, summer storm caused numerous problems on the roads with dozens of accidents the past two days.

Surveillance video obtained exclusively by NBC 4 New York shows the moments before suspected New York and New Jersey bomber Ahmad Rahami dumped luggage containing a pressure-cooker bomb on a Manhattan street Saturday night, authorities say. 

Rahami is seen walking down West 27th Street in Chelsea at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, around the time another device allegedly planted by Rahami exploded on West 23rd Street. 

Rahami appears calm as he wheels the piece of luggage behind him. He stops, appears to unzip and fidget with something inside the bag -- a pressure-cooker bomb, according to authorities. He gets back up and continues walking down the street.

Moments later, two men who happened to be walking on the same side of the street behind Rahami find the suitcase. It's not seen in the video obtained by NBC 4, but police said they opened the suitcase, removed the pressure cooker and walked off. Those men are not considered suspects, only witnesses, and police want to speak to them and recover the bag. 

The bomb that exploded on 23rd Street injured 31 people. Rahami has been charged in federal court with planting those devices and several more in two locations in New Jersey.

He is still recovering from gunshot wounds he received in a Linden, New Jersey shootout when he was arrested Monday, and faces more charges for allegedly wounding two officers.

A two-alarm fire damaged a liquor store in La Mesa early Wednesday.

Heartland Fire and Rescue crews responded just after 11:15 p.m. Tuesday to the La Mesa Market and Liquor on Lake Murray Boulevard.

Jonathan Boutros was at home when he noticed smoke in the sky.

He arrived and found a lot of fire crews fighting a fire in the liquor store that has been in the neighborhood for years.

“It was pretty crazy. We weren’t expecting it to be this big,” Boutros said.

Boutros captured video of flames shooting through the roof and witnessed the side of the building collapsing.

Crews had a handle on the fire in approximately an hour after it was reported.

Multiple people called 911 to report the fire, Sonny Saghera, Public Information Officer with Heartland Fire and Rescue said.

One San Diego Fire-Rescue firefighter was taken to the Sharp Grossmont Hospital however his injuries do not appear to be fire-related, according to Saghera.

Fire investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads Republican Donald Trump by 6 points among likely voters heading into the first presidential debate on Monday, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

The survey, conducted after Clinton's return to the campaign trail following her bout with pneumonia, shows a bigger advantage for the secretary of state than did polls taken during the heightened scrutiny of her health.

"Despite arguably the worst few weeks of her candidacy, the fundamentals still point toward a Hillary Clinton victory," says Democratic pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates, who conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.

In a four-way horse race, Clinton gets support from 43 percent of likely voters and Trump gets 37 percent, while Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson is at 9 percent and the Green Party's Jill Stein is at 3 percent.

A letter carrier from San Diego will be awarded for his heroism Wednesday: the time he saved an elderly woman from a house fire as he delivered mail during his shift.

El Cajon resident David Crestik is one of eight mail carriers being honored by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) at the 2016 Heroes Awards in Washington, D.C.

On July 12, 2014, as Crestik was working overtime, he noticed smoke coming from the front door of a mobile home unit in a retirement community on Mission Gorge Road in Santee.

At first, Crestik thought a resident was barbecuing. But, as he walked up to the home to investigate, he heard a beeping sound and was met with thick, heavy smoke and flames.

Crestik told NBC 7 he dropped his mail bag and ran inside the burning home. The dining room – including a table and chairs – were engulfed in flames.

He heard an elderly woman’s faint voice coming from deeper inside the home and knew someone was in trouble.

As he walked to the back bedroom, he found a woman lying on the ground, pleading for help.

“I took a big breath of smoke, and told her, ‘We gotta get out of here,’” he recounted in an interview with NBC 7 Tuesday.

“It was a very surreal moment. Everything just seemed to be going slow. You hear the crackling of the back window from the heat,” he recalled, describing the frightening scene as eerily calm and silent.

With the woman, Sharon Branden, in his arms, Crestik made his way to the front porch and then over to a neighbor's house to call 911. He waited by Branden’s side until emergency crews arrived.

Crestik, a 21-year veteran of the postal service, said he never hesitated that day, and knew he had to help.

The letter carrier said he was not working his regular route that day, and feels that he was placed by God at the right place at the right time.

“There was no thought process. You heard the voice, and God said, ‘Hey, son, get in there and do this for me.’ I feel honored and blessed that He used me as a tool,” Crestik said.

Over the past two years, Crestik has kept in touch with the woman he saved. Branden's home was destroyed by the fire, but she survived.

Crestik said Branden has nicknamed him her “Little Angel.”

And, while he’s grateful to be honored at the 2016 Heroes Awards for going above and beyond the call of duty, he’s even more grateful for the outcome on that fateful day.

“The timing was impeccable; I was right next door,” he said. “My gut is she would’ve perished – but she’s here.”

The NALC named Crestik its "Western Region Hero of the Year" and commended his awareness on the job.

"He placed himself in incredible danger and put his life second to others," the association said Wednesday. "A house can be rebuilt—a life cannot."

In addition to the NALC award, Crestik received a plaque from the mayor who also declared a day in San Diego in his honor. Crestik said the experience has been humbling, and added, "I just take it in stride."

Other letter carriers from across the U.S. being recognized at Wednesday’s Heroes Awards luncheon at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill include a letter carrier from York, Pennsylvania, who saved a boy with autism who darted across a busy highway and a letter carrier from Rock Hill, South Carolina, who saved a girl being mauled by a dog.

The NALC said this year's class of honorees, including Crestik, represent the letter carriers who not only deliver mail daily, but “often assist in situations involving accidents, fires, crimes or health crises.”