The family of an unlicensed teenage driver who lost control of a car in Rolando, hitting a mother and two children, says the teen is extremely distraught over the accident.

On Thursday afternoon, 18-year-old Shanisha Smith lost control of her vehicle at the intersection of 62nd Street and Acorn Street after police say she reached for a drink that had fallen from her console. Her coffee, cup and all, went under the foot pedals.

She struck several people walking on the sidewalk, including a mother in her 40s and two young children. One of the children, a 6-year-old girl, was hospitalized Friday with a fractured femur.

Fire officials say Smith jumped the curb in the green BMW she was driving, taking out a fire hydrant before slamming into the pedestrians. One of the children became trapped underneath the vehicle following the collision. Good Samaritans rushed to pull the child out from under the car.

Smith stayed at the scene and cooperated with police. No charges were immediately filed.

On Friday, Smith’s uncle Brian Ritchey spoke exclusively with NBC 7. He said his niece was so distraught and saddened over the accident, she experienced chest pains and anxiety attacks, and was admitted into Sharp Hospital and later released.

“She can't sleep this morning. She was having chest pains. She's saddened. She's terribly saddened,” Ritchey told NBC 7.

Smith’s uncle says his niece took a teenager’s chance, driving without a license. Now, she’s suffering the emotional consequences of her mistake.

“She's not the bubbly little girl we know. She’s just sitting there, tearing up. She's more scared than anything,” Ritchey said.

The scene following Thursday’s accident painted a picture of the seriousness of it all, with a child’s stroller and other remnants from the crash left behind at the Rolando intersection. The BMW Smith was driving, which belongs to her mother, was stalled on the curb.

Ritchey says Smith feels remorse for the accident, especially for those who were hurt.

“She feels sorry for them and wants to do something for them. At least buy them a new stroller,” he said.

Still shaken from the accident, Ritchey says Smith is now home with her family.

Ritchie says the teen was cited for driving without a license, a traffic violation. Though the penalty for the citation is minor, the long term impact could be far greater for all of those involved.

“It's going to be hard for her to move on until she finds out what is going on with those kids,” Ritchey said.

The teen’s uncle says Smith didn’t take her driving test seriously, and failed the exam not once but two or three times before the accident.

Portions of F Street will close for construction starting Monday as city workers begin repairs on a deteriorating 102-year-old water pipeline.

According to the City of San Diego, the “F Street Emergency Water Main Project” will impact traffic on F Street between 14th Street and Park Boulevard Monday through Friday.

Daily construction hours run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and to facilitate the construction work, some surrounding roads and parking lots will be temporarily closed. (For a map of the impacted area, see below).

Traffic detours will be set up in the area until the pipeline construction project is completed. The City wants to remind motorists to use caution when driving through the construction zone and abide by posted detour and “No Parking” signs.

The $1 million pipeline project will repair a 16-inch diameter cast iron main located near 10th and F Street that ruptured this past February, causing flooding and significant property damage.

The City says the pipeline is more than 102 years old and has reached the end of its service life.

Workers will replace around 1,600 linear feet of cast iron water main along F Street and 20 water connections. Once that’s done, workers will install curb ramps and resurface the streets.

The City says the date of completion for this project is undetermined, due to unforeseen conditions below ground. For more information on this construction project, click here.

This story was first published on May 11, 2013

After two weeks of searching for a killer described as a man with long gray hair, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department announced an arrest in the gruesome stabbing death of an 8-year-old girl: Her 12-year-old brother, the same boy who reported her death and described the suspect for authorities.  

Sheriff Gary Kuntz said officers arrested Leila Fowler's brother at 5:10 p.m. Saturday at the Valley Spring's substation. The sheriff did not explain what caused investigators to determine the boy was a suspect.

MORE: Calif. Town Says Goodbye to 8-Year-Old Girl

 A large crowd of residents and media from across Northern California had gathered outside the sheriff's office to hear what he had to say on Saturday. The small rural community east of Sacramento has been on edge since the third-grade girl was found stabbed to death in her bed on April 27 in the small town of Valley Springs. Her brother had been watching her while their parents were out. 

Kuntz's words were brief and he did not go into any details. "Citizens of Calaveras County can sleep a little better tonight," Kuntz said.

He concluded: "This is an ongoing investigation. While we know you may have many questions, I will not be providing information about the investigation at this time.” 

• Read Complete Statement

When he finished speaking, some of the gathered community members applauded. 

After Leila was brutally killed, her 12-year-old brother told authorities that he found her stabbed to death at their family's home after an intruder entered the home.  He described the killer as a tall man with long gray hair. An extensive manhunt had been conducted looking for the suspect the 12-year-old described. Since then, the sheriff's department and the FBI have canvassed the area around the family's home, and dive teams also searched two reservoirs near the home. Another man's name came up as a possible suspect, and after showing the man's mug shot and sending off DNA samples, realized he was not the killer.

At her funeral, another, older, brother, uttered emotional words about Leila:  "I am not going to say goodbye to my sister," he told the crowd. "Only see you later. Up in heaven, make it good for my sister."

Power outages in the East County left more than 2,000 residents without power on Sunday.

According to SDG&E, nearly 900 customers were without power in the Lakeside area beginning at 1 p.m. Restoration in that area was expected by 3:30 p.m.

SDG&E said the power was shut off for “safety reasons while repairs are being made,” but no further information was given.

Meanwhile, at around 1:10 p.m., approximately 1,132 customers in the Crest, Alpine, Dehesa, Granite Hills and Harbison Canyon areas had their power shut off by SDG&E, also for safety reasons.

Full restoration was initially expected by 3:30 p.m. in those East County communities as well, according to SDG&E.

By 4 p.m., all but about 445 customers in Dehesa, Alpine and surrounding areas had their power back. SDG&E expected to to restore the power in the remaining areas by 5:40 p.m.

On Sunday, just before noon, a brush fire sparked off Olde Highway 80 in the East County. The fire engulfed at least one structure.

It is unconfirmed if the power outages are directly related to Sunday's Olde Highway 80 fire.
 

The 2013 Amgen Tour of California kicked off in downtown Escondido on Sunday, drawing a massive crowd of cheering spectators.

The multi-city, eight-day professional cycling event began with a 103-mile road cycling race around Escondido, beginning and ending at Grand Avenue and Broadway.

Sunday marked the first “stage” of the 2013 Amgen Tour, which now goes on to other cities across California, including Murrieta, Palm Springs, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Santa Barbara, Avila Beach, San Jose, Livermore, Mt. Diablo, San Francisco and Santa Rosa, where the eight-day race will finish on May 19.

For the Escondido portion of the event, thousands of spectators gathered on the sidelines to cheer on 16 of the world’s top professional cycling teams as they made their way through the local route.

One of those spectators was Escondido resident Micah Trujillo, who said it was exciting to see so many people gathered for such a positive event.

“[There’s] a lot of excitement, a lot of people coming together for a great event like a bike ride and something that’s good for the body and the soul,” Trujillo told NBC 7.

Escondido resident Ben Mangaoang said he couldn’t wait to see the professional cyclists at work.

“It’s a great day with this race. I’m excited, I want to watch these guys climb up the hill, I know it will be exhausting. I want to see them close by,” said Mangaoang.

Audrey Johnson said she was impressed by the endurance of the cycling teams -- especially in the Escondido heat.

“It’s exciting to be here and watch them. I’m happy for all of them, but it is so hot -- I feel bad for them,” she said.

Portland resident Todd Shew, who used to live in Escondido, also came out to watch the grueling race.

“They’ve got a lot of hard climbing before they finish,” he said.

The Escondido stage of the Amgen Tour of California wrapped up at the finish line at Grand Avenue and Broadway around 3:30 p.m. A festival was held throughout the day for spectators and participants featuring live entertainment, vendors and food.

For more details about the 2013 Amgen Tour, including which cities the cycling teams are headed to next, visit this website.

With the hot temperatures across San Diego County on Sunday, fires followed.

Just before noon a brush fire sparked along Olde Highway 80 near Lakeside, engulfing several mobile home structures. A woman was badly burned in that fire, according to Lakeside Fire Chief Andy Parr. It was contained within an hour.

At around 2:40 p.m., a brush fire ignited near Euclid Avenue in Valencia Park. That blaze was quickly extinguished.

Just after 4 p.m., a canyon fire sparked behind an apartment complex in Rancho Bernardo in the 10000 block of Poblado Road.

At 4:45 p.m., a two-alarm house fire was reported in the 1000 block of Billings Street in El Cajon.

The cause of each fire is under investigation.

For the latest local weather updates by zip code, click here.
 

A suspicious vest with wires and a switch that was found earlier this week among items a northern New Jersey thrift shop purchased from a California storage locker originally belonged to a movie production crew, police confirmed.

Authorities said they were able to track down the original owner of the vest, who informed them that it had been sold to a freelance soundman who worked for movie- and music-related productions. Police said the man had died and his belongings wound up in a storage facility and were eventually auctioned off.

The husband and wife who own New 4 U Thrift and Vintage Shop on Lakeview Avenue said they buy the contents of unclaimed storage units and sell those items in their shop. 

When they opened a recently purchased package Thursday, they said they found what looked like a "bomb vest" with wires and a hand switch attached.

"I really thought it was a prop," Renee Dimitros said. As her husband was holding it, Dimitros said she started to think it looked more like a vest. Then he appeared to trigger something.

"All of a sudden I see lights going off on it," Dimitros said. "I said, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute.' I look a little closer. I said, 'Oh my God, this is a bomb, holy crow.'"

The couple then called police, who responded to the store and took the vest outside. A four-block area was evacuated as bomb squad members detonated the vest, and witnesses said the explosion could be heard from miles away.

No one was injured. 

Sweep or get swept has become a common theme for the 2013 Padres. Of the twelve series they have played this season, seven have ended in sweeps. Unfortunately for the Friars, this one ended in Tampa Bay's favor.

Eric Stults (3-3) took the loss, going five-plus innings for the Padres, giving up three earned runs and walking five. The Rays took the lead for good in the sixth on Yunel Escobar's RBI double off of Brad Brach, who relieved Stults one batter earlier.

The Rays hung on to win the game 4-2. They have now won five straight. The Padres are off Monday and play a short two game series in Baltimore beginning Tuesday.

A scuba diver who lost consciousness in shallow waters off La Jolla Shores Saturday has died, officials confirmed.

According to Lifeguards, the man was making his way back to shore near Spindrift Drive with his diving partner when, for unknown reasons, he ran out of steam in the water just before noon.

San Diego Lifeguards Lt. John Everhart said the diver ended up pinned against some rocks. His diving partner didn’t have the strength to get him out of the water on his own, so he signaled for help from some nearby divers.

Lifeguards were quickly alerted and they brought the victim to shore.

Lt. Everhart says the diver was not breathing and in critical condition when lifeguards pulled him from the water. Medics administered CPR and transported the man to Scripps La Jolla.

On Sunday morning, San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Greg Buchanan confirmed the diver died a short time after his rescue. The victim’s name has not yet been released.

The county medical examiner will identify the diver at a later time and determine the man’s cause of death.
 

A canyon fire burned behind an apartment complex in Rancho Bernardo on Sunday afternoon.

Officials said the vegetation fire sparked just after 4 p.m. in a canyon in the 10000 block of Poblado Road, just behind the La Terraza apartment complex.

Fire crews quickly mobilized and a full response, including a fire helicopter, moved in on the blaze.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

Commander Chris Hadfield gave new meaning to the song "Space Oddity" when he bid farewell to the International Space Station with his own music video rendition of the David Bowie classic.

The Canadian astronaut ended his five-month stint on the I.S.S. by tweeting his over 821,000 followers the YouTube video on Sunday. He is seen "floating in a most peculiar way" through the space station with guitar in hand, as spectacular views of Earth loom in the background.

The video has gone viral with over a million views as of Monday morning.

With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here's Space Oddity, recorded on Station. A last glimpse of the World. youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9d…

— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) May 12, 2013

Hadfield has been tweeting a series of YouTube videos from the space station to drum up awareness and excitement for space travel. He's demonstrated how to open a can of soda, clip your nails and make a peanut butter sandwich in space  -- and what crying looks like in zero gravity.

The 53-year-old space traveler is scheduled to return to earth on Monday.

The most embarrassing or sensitive text messages and photos that ever crossed one of your discarded cell phones - even the ones you deleted - could be in someone else's hands, a computer forensics expert said.

"I don't know if there is such a thing as a totally secure phone," said Patrick Paige, a former computer forensics detective who cofounded of Computer Forensics LLC.

Extraction devices that can recover even deleted data can be bought online, some for as little as $8. Beyond the invasion of privacy, the data can be especially useful for identity thieves.

A reporter purchased several used cell phones from a thrift store and gave them to Paige for analysis. Within minutes, he found photos, names, phone numbers, text messages and videos.

"This person's identity, I could probably steal pretty easily," he said.

So what should people do with their old cell phones to ensure their privacy?

"I'd break it in half," he said. "Yeah, that's what I would do. Snap it in half."

If that seems too extreme, he recommended performing a factory reset that wipes most information from many phones, removing passwords from apps and removing the memory card before getting rid of your phone.

San Diegans can expect the heat to return Monday with temperatures reaching in the 90s by noon in areas like Escondido and El Cajon.

Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said Monday will be similar to Sunday but some areas of the county will be even warmer.

“Yesterday, toasty temperatures and today – we’re going to top that,” Kodesh said.

Get San Diego's Most Accurate Forecast

As of 7 a.m., some spots of the inland valley were experiencing temperatures in the 70’s.

Triple digit temperatures were expected in the deserts.

San Diego Gas & Electric suggests you use fans instead of central air conditioning to save money on cooling costs. They also suggest setting your A/C thermostat to 78°F or higher.

For those San Diegans who want to get out of the heat without using air conditioning, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency offers a number of tips to stay cool. Here are just five:

• Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine
• Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increases metabolic heat.
• Avoid using the oven.
• Stay indoors as much as possible. Keep shades down and blinds closed, but windows slightly open.
• Be your most physically active during the coolest part of the day, usually between 4-7 a.m.
• Never leave children or pets inside vehicles at any time, even with the windows cracked.

See how many of the tips you’re doing on a regular basis by checking the list here.

Check the list of 2012 Cool Zones here

 

Fire crews rushed to the East County Sunday after a brush fire on Olde Highway 80 burned several structures and left one woman injured.

CHP officials said the fire sparked just before noon in the 13000 block of Olde Highway 80 near the Los Coches exit off Interstate 8.

As an NBC 7 news crew arrived at the scene, smoke could be seen billowing from the impacted area. Viewers told NBC 7 they could also see and smell smoke from their homes in Lakeside and other parts of the East County.

Air tankers made water drops on the blaze as crews from Heartland Fire & Rescue, Cal Fire and other agencies tackled the fire on the ground.

Lakeside Fire Chief Andy Parr said about 10 different agencies helped battle the fire. CHP and Sheriff’s Department officials assisted in providing traffic control, blocking off the area so firefighters could work.

Heartland Fire officials told NBC 7 some structures were threatened by the brush fire. Once crews arrived, they discovered several structures engulfed in flames.

Chief Parr said area contains a mix of commercial and residential structures, including a mobile home park. The area is also surrounded by heavy vegetation, including a highly-flammable, bamboo-like plant called “arundo.”

“Arundo burns very readily once it gets going,” explained Parr.

He says some arundo plants caught fire and the blaze then spread to a nearby mobile home park. From there, several mobile structures caught on fire and were significantly damaged or destroyed.

Chief Parr said one woman sustained serious burns in the blaze and was transported to a local hospital. Her name was not released, and her current condition is unknown.

Within about an hour, firefighters had knocked down the fire and were mopping up hotspots.

Chief Parr says the cause of the fire is under investigation. He says there’s a homeless encampment in the area, and the fire could have originated near that site.

The weather was very hot in the East County on Sunday, with a high of 93 degrees in Alpine. As of 2 p.m., it was 99 degrees in Lakeside.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Former Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell was convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies authorities said were born alive before having their necks cut with scissors. A jury found Gosnell not guilty of first-degree murder in a fourth baby’s death.

In addition to the murder charges, the 72-year-old was found guilty Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the overdose death of former patient Karnamaya Mongar.

Gosnell was also found guilty of several other crimes including one count of infanticide, two counts of conspiracy, 21 of 24 counts of abortion of an unborn child of 24 weeks or more and 208 of 227 counts of violation of informed consent of an abortion.

In all, Gosnell was found guilty of 237 crimes. He will now face the death penalty in the sentencing phase, which will begin a week from Tuesday.

"Obviously, the jury has spoken," said Jack McMahon, Gosnell's attorney, following the proceedings.

"As I said to the jury as I closed to them, whatever verdict they gave I would respect and would be the right verdict."

McMahon said he did not regret not putting Gosnell on the stand during the proceedings and says he hadn't decided whether Gosnell will take the stand during the penalty phase. He also commended the prosecution. The veteran attorney not able to say much more as a gag order remains in place until the penalty phase is completed.

According to court observers, as the verdict was read by the jury foreman, Gosnell didn't react at first. However, once the full charges had been announced, he shook his head from side-to-side, trying to make eye contact with members of the jury.

Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore cried as she hugged a member of the Philadelphia Police Crime Scene Unit following the verdict. She and fellow ADA Ed Cameron did not speak as they left the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center in Center City Philadelphia.

The jury of seven women and five men weighed a total of 263 crimes against Gosnell with the most serious being four counts of first-degree murder.

The courtroom was locked down and reporters told to turn off all electronic devices when the jury foreman, juror number 5, read the verdict aloud.

Earlier in the day, the jury had told the court they were deadlocked on two counts. It is unclear on which charges the jury was deadlocked, however the group told the court it had reached a consensus on all other counts.

At approximately 10 a.m. Monday, the jury passed a note to Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart explaining their situation. The admission came on the 10th day of deliberations.

Full Coverage: "House of Horrors" Abortion Doctor Trial

By law, according to attorneys for both sides, Judge Minehart was required to re-instruct the jury to deliberate on the two charges a second time and attempt to reach a verdict.

Judge Minehart brought the jury into the courtroom on the third-floor of the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center around 11:15 a.m.

Over a five minute meeting, he reminded the jury they must be unanimous on all counts and asked the group to return to the jury room and discuss the charges further. The group was grim-faced as they were led from the court.

Judge Minehart called the jury sincere, considerate and serious. The judge also said he wanted to make sure the group was not confused over the charges.

Gosnell, a resident of West Philadelphia, was charged on January 14, 2011 with 263 crimes, including first-degree murder in the deaths of four babies. Prosecutors allege Gosnell delivered the babies alive during abortion procedures and then killed them by snipping their spinal cords with scissors.

Gosnell was also charged with third-degree murder in the of former patient Karnamaya Mongar.

Mongar, 41, died after she was given a lethal dose of pain killers and anesthesia during a 2009 abortion procedure at Gosnell's West Philadelphia clinic, the Women's Medical Society.

The former doctor's defense attorney has argued Gosnell would inject a drug into his patients' uterus to stop the fetuses' hearts before they were delivered.

The majority of the 263 charges levied against Gosnell are related to alleged Pennsylvania abortion-law violations. Prosecutors say Gosnell regularly performed late-term abortions on babies older than 24 weeks -- the cutoff age in Pennsylvania.

The jury also ruled in the case of  Gosnell's co-defendant Eileen O'Neill -- finding her guilty of conspiracy, conspiracy to commit corrupt organization and two counts of theft by deception. She was found not guilty of five additional counts.

Prosecutors said O'Neill deceived patients and insurance companies by pretending to be a licensed physician and billing for those services.

Her defense said while O'Neill was not licensed, she did have a medical degree and would always have Gosnell sign off on her recommendations and prescriptions. O'Neill's attorney also said there is no evidence of the 56-year-old charging for her services.

O'Neill covered her face as she left court. As reporters peppered her with questions, O'Neill only said she was under the gag order. She is currently on house arrest.

THE DISCOVERY OF A "HOUSE OF HORRORS" AND TRIAL

The alleged crimes came to light on February 10, 2010 after investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Agency raided the inner-city clinic at 3801 Lancaster Avenue following a tip that a prescription pill mill was operating inside.

Agents were met, not with an illegal narcotics drug operation, but rather, unsanitary conditions. Investigators testified they found blood-stained rooms, filthy and old equipment and untrained staff. Aborted fetuses were stored in a basement freezer in plastic food containers and bags next to employee lunches. Severed feet from aborted babies were found preserved in jars around the clinic.

The conditions found inside the clinic led Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams to call the clinic a "house of horrors" in a 2011 grand jury report.

Over the course of the trial which started on March 18 and lasted two months, former clinic employees testified against Gosnell.

Adrienne Moton was first to testify. Moton, 35, recalled several abortion procedures in court including one where the mother delivered the baby into a toilet.

The 35-year-old described how the baby seemed to struggle in the bowl before she snipped its neck with scissors. She admitted to cutting 10 babies' necks, calling the snipping  "common practice" at the clinic.

Moton also took a picture of one of the babies Gosnell is accused of murdering. Referred in court as Baby A, Moton says the boy was nearly 30 weeks old when he was aborted.

She claims Gosnell even joked about the baby’s size saying he was so big the baby could have walked to the bus stop. The graphic photo, was among others, shown to the jury.

Lynda Williams testified how she would administer pain killers and anesthesia acting as the clinic's anesthesiologist. The 44-year-old had no formal training and only an 8th grade education.

Williams was the person who delivered four doses of drugs to Mongar during her procedure. She described how the woman's skin turned gray and her breathing slowed following the last dose.

She also admitted to snipping the neck of one of the babies Gosnell is charged with murdering, referred to in court as Baby C.

Both women pled guilty to third-degree murder in exchange for their testimony against Gosnell. They face 60-120 years in prison.

Other workers described babies being born alive, watching them breath and seeing their limbs move before being "snipped." Some described the babies as "aliens" who made odd noises, others said it would "rain fetuses" in the clinic.

Kareema Cross was last to testify. The 28-year-old used a fake name when she alerted the DEA to conditions inside the Women's Medical Society. She took a series of photos of her working environment, eventually turning them over to authorities.

Several medical experts also took the stand during the trial. Among them, Philadelphia's Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sam Gulino.

Dr. Gulino testified he examined 47 fetuses and while three had the possibility of viability, he could not say for certain if any were born alive.

Prosecutors Joanne Pescatore and Ed Cameron spent five weeks presenting their case calling 36 witnesses. In contrast, Gosnell's attorney Jack McMahon only spent one day and called none.

McMahon did not call any witnesses when it was time for the defense. The bullish attorney instead stood up and rested his case. He did, however, spend hours reliving testimony in the trial during his closing arguments -- trying to use the prosecution's case to create doubt.

The 60-year-old attorney maintained babies were never delivered alive. He says Gosnell would inject the drug Digoxin into the womb to stop the fetus' heart. Labor would then be induced and the dead baby delivered, he said.

McMahon was previously successful in getting Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart to throw out several charges, including three counts of first-degree murder for a lack of evidence.

THE TALE OF TWO DOCTORS

Both sides painted very different pictures of the former doctor. The prosecution claimed Gosnell took advantage of poor, vulnerable, desperate women all while making millions. They claimed he also preyed on his staff.

During her opening arguments on March 18, Pescatore told jurors that for Gosnell, his abortion practice was all about the money. "He had high volume and maximum profit," she said. Police found $250,000 in cash during a 2010 search of his home.

Prosecutors claimed Gosnell would upcharge for pain killers and let the patients choose the amount of anesthesia they wanted. They were broken down into four categories -- local, heavy, twilight and custom.

Pescatore also said Gosnell would treat patients differently based on their race. White women would be taken to cleaner exam rooms and be treated directly by Gosnell. Black women would get dirty rooms and unlicensed workers, they alleged.

McMahon angrily discounted the claims calling the prosecution "elitist" and "racist" adding the case had become "a prosecutorial lynching."

He said Gosnell was a family man who gave up lucrative opportunities at medical centers across the country to serve the depressed West Philadelphia community.

Gosnell operated his three-story clinic for more than 31 years. McMahon says Gosnell treated thousands of patients and performed thousands of abortions inside the clinic over the years.

THE JURY

The jury consisted of seven women and five men. Most of the jurors are blue collar workers with four working for public transit agency SEPTA. All said they were either pro-choice or had no opinion on a woman's right to choose.

The group were subjected to graphic images and testimony over the course of the trial. Some visibly flinched at the evidence, while others teared up. They also got a glimpse at some of the equipment used inside the clinic.

Pescatore said she wanted to take the jury to the clinic, but was unable. So she had an exam table, ultrasound machine and other equipment placed in the middle of the third-floor courtroom at the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center. The equipment sat there for nearly the entire trial, just feet from the jury box.

NATIONAL ATTENTION AND THE AFTERMATH

The case sparked national attention with national media outlets, cable news channels and conservative bloggers descending on Philadelphia to cover the trial.

President Barack Obama said he was aware of the trial and pro-life bloggers claimed there was a lack of media coverage in the case. A claim outlets, including NBC10.com, rebuked.

The case also brought light to deficiencies in state oversight. The Pennsylvania Department of Health admitted the clinic went nearly two decades without being inspected.

Legislators later passed a law to require more stringent rules for abortion clinics in the Commonwealth.

Gosnell won't be done with court once this trial is adjourned. He still faces federal charges for allegedly running an illegal narcotics operation out of the clinic.

As he was led from the courthouse in shackles and a gray prison outfit, Gosnell smirked to the waiting media, before being loaded by sheriff deputies into a van and returned to jail.

NBC10's Yoni Greenbaum, Emad Khalil, Daralene Jones, Doug Shimell and Lu Ann Cahn contributed to this report.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

A power outage shut down gaming at a popular San Diego casino on Mother’s Day.

Sycuan Casino boasts thousands of slot machines and video poker but many of them went dark Sunday around 1:30 p.m.

“I'm sitting in the dark at Bingo,” Angel Patterson posted to Facebook around 2 p.m. Sunday.

Gamers on the top level of the two-story casino were stuck at their machines for more than a half hour because they had money in the machine and couldn’t retrieve it until power was restored.

Gamblers swarmed employees on the floor to get their slot tickets redeemed one witness told NBC 7 San Diego.

The gambler said the casino could not cash any ticket over $100 so employees told customers to come back another day and get their tickets redeemed for cash.

Eventually, bank managers opened the casino vault and began cashing tickets the witness explained.

“Had to leave because atms and cashier closed,” Judy Butson Gray posted Sunday. “Lucky we got to eat! SUCKED!!!!”

The casino was offering a special Mother’s Day promotion in its bingo hall and buffet.

Comments on the casino’s Facebook page suggest some of their customers who were there to celebrate were really frustrated about the outage. 

“My wife is there stuck. Blackout,” Mike Marsch posted on Sycuan’s Facebook. “And not a winning blackout.”

Sycuan Casino is located 30 minutes east of San Diego in El Cajon.

San Diego Gas & Electric reported that power was shut off Sunday for approximately 1,132 customers in the Crest, Alpine, Dehesa, Granite Hills and Harbison Canyon area for safety reasons.

A sensor detected a fault in an SDG&E line so crews de-energized it and sent workers to trouble shoot.

An SDG&E spokesperson said the outage at the casino lasted from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The outage was connected to an entire circuit linked to several customers, not just the casino the spokesperson said.
 

A suspicious package was reported at a satellite campus of Southwestern Community College officials said Monday.

National City police responded to 880 National City Boulevard after 9 a.m. for a package spotted near the Higher Education Center.

They cleared the area around 11 a.m. officials said.

The main Southwestern Community College campus is located near Otay Lakes Road and H Street.