Two Child Protective Services' (CPS) employees were placed on administrative leave after a 2-month old baby was kidnapped by his mother and taken to Mexico, a spokesperson with San Diego County confirmed with NBC 7.

Baby Maximus Garcia was taken by his 36-year old mother Erika Ramos Saucedo last Thursday. The 2-month old had been dropped off at the South Bay Womens Recovery Center in National City by a CPS employee for a supervised visit.

But the baby was left alone with Saucedo, according to the National City Police Department (NCPD).

In that span of time, Saucedo took Maximus and fled to Mexico via the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

According to police, CPS reported the kidnapping to the NCPD at 11:53 a.m. Tuesday, more than two hours after Maximus was taken.

After a three-day search, the baby's father, received a tip from Facebook from one of Saucedo's ex-boyfriends, which led authorities to both the mother and son.

Documents from Child Protective Services regarding Ramos also show the agency was worried that Saucedo would flee with her child based on past behavior. She also has a long list of domestic violence cases against her.

NBC 7 spoke with the Garcia on Tuesday. He told us he has seen Maximus but its unclear, at this point, whom the baby will be released to.

The baby boy is currently being held in a foster home in Mazatlán, Mexico.

In an interview last week, Garcia said he was angry that the employee left his son alone with Saucedo when it was supposed to be a supervised visit.

The county is now "investigating the incident" to find out exactly how the baby was kidnapped.

Donald Trump has taken the unprecedented step of requesting that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, receive top-secret clearance to join him for his Presidential Daily Briefings, which began Tuesday.

Multiple sources tell NBC News Trump received his first briefing on Tuesday and designated both Kushner and Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn as his staff-level companions for the briefings going forward.

While Flynn has the necessary security clearance, Kushner does not, and it could take weeks — or even longer — for him to receive it.

It's the latest in a series of unorthodox developments in Trump's transition process that have cast a pall over his first week as president-elect.

The San Diego City Council approved an update to the so-called Uptown Community Plan on Monday.

Maybe you’ve never heard of that plan, but it’s been the single focus of many residents in Mission Hills, who have worked for seven years to preserve the character of the neighborhood. It also impacts several other San Diego communities.

The update will, in part, re-zone residential areas of Mission Hills by lowering density to the single-family character of it’s neighborhoods. Previously it had been zoned multi-family, which could have potentially meant homes built in the 1920’s could be replaced by condos.

Jim Reily, president of the community group Mission Hills Heritage praised the change.

“This is the affordable housing in Mission Hills, so if these are replaced by fancy condos, they price folks right out of the market," Reily said.

But the council’s decision is a mixed bag for residents because it also provides discretionary review for building or development in the commercial areas of Mission Hills in excess of 50 feet in height. Reily is concerned that could eventually mean buildings as tall as 150 feet in the neighborhood’s business district.

Councilman Todd Gloria said the passage of the community plan update brings the Uptown community plan into conformance with the City’s General Plan and the Climate Action Plan as well as prudently addressing issues surrounding urban design.

But one developer monitoring the developments has a different opinion. He says to meet the Climate Action Plan goals of reduce car travel, we need to increase density and create more housing near work centers.

The updates also includes several other changes, including: Closing the gap in the University Avenue Bike Lane to improve bicycle/pedestrian safety and increase bicycle infrastructure in accordance with the City’s Climate Action Plan, and maintaining and expanding a 30-foot height restriction west of Park Boulevard in University Heights to preserve community character.

“With this update, we will be able to foster vibrant, walkable, and transit-oriented communities in Uptown that reduces automobile dependency, protects the integrity of our historic resources, and embraces new urban growth,” said Gloria.

According to a press release by Gloria’s office, Uptown consists of some of the oldest and distinctive neighborhoods in the City of San Diego including Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, Middletown, Mission Hills, and University Heights, all of which are in Council District Three. Councilmember Gloria has served as representative of the Third Council District since 2008.

Women can hold any job in the U.S. Military under the Obama Administration, a policy that may change under the Trump Administration. 

Last year, after a series of intensive studies that took years to complete, Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the military to open all combat jobs to woman, allowing them to serve in some of the military's most demanding and difficult jobs, including special operations forces, such as the Army Delta units and Navy SEALs. 

Some female veterans, including Marine Veteran Kelsey Hampton, say they hope all jobs in the military will remain open to women.

“I think that if a woman and serve in combat and keep up with all the men that they should be able to - I don't think that they should withhold the opportunity," she said.

However, others, like Congressman Duncan Hunter, whose name has been reportedly short-listed for Secretary of Defense in the Trump Administration, says combat roles should not be open to woman. 

"It doesn't do anything to make us more effective or efficient at getting the job done and killing our enemies and protecting our allies. It's just a distraction," he told the Washington Times. 

Hunter says agrees with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford,  on reversing the decision to open direct land combat jobs in the infantry and special operations to women.

Steve Diamond, Navy veteran and F-14 mission commander, said the rules are different in combat.

“The rules of a civilized society do not and should not apply to the savage world of combat," Diamond said. "What matters there only is who survives and who wins, so any notion of equality doesn't matter.”

Diamond says the U.S. should mirror the Israel Defense Forces, where women are placed in combat roles based not just on testing, but actual field experience.

“Hence there are certain roles that they are prohibited from and there are certain roles they are encouraged to be in because they do them well,” Diamond said.

Some other women veterans we spoke with, some of whom had been in combat situations, say the issue is complicated, and there are times when it doesn’t make sense to have women fighting side by side with men.

Some estimates say that if all combat jobs were closed to women, it would mean there were approximately 300,000 fewer jobs for women in the military. 

Others, like some officials on Congressman Hunter’s staff, say that number is overstated and it is likely that not all combat jobs would be limited.

Diamond said women could still reach the highest ranks in the military, even if combat roles were limited. 

“There is no reason at all why women who are in the rules they perform cannot reach the highest level that's a completely different animal than whether not they should be and every single combat role," he said. 

Hampton says she thinks keeping all jobs open for women is a motivating factor, and she has enjoyed the competitive nature of being a Marine.

“It did push me to want to do it more to keep up with the guys and do everything that they were doing but I didn't have the opportunity back then, so I think it's a great thing for women to get the opportunity,” Hampton said.

She says the preparation in the Marine Corps ensures women can achieve new heights.

“If you train the same, if you can keep up, you can mentally do it, why not?” Hampton said. 

A woman was trapped inside a vehicle that had flipped over after a crash in Bay Ho Tuesday night.

The crash happened around 7:38 p.m. on Morena Boulevard and Balboa Avenue. 

Two vehicles collided, causing one of them to flip over, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).

The woman was extricated and trasported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

SDPD says she was conscious and breathing.

No other information was immediately available.

A San Diego family took the District Attorney’s office to court this week in the continued fight to get their seized money back after a raid at a medical marijuana distribution company.

In January, law enforcement officers raided Med-West Distribution, a former medical marijuana company - before authorities seized everything, including $100,000 from the family’s bank accounts.

“I haven't been arrested, I haven't been charged. And I didn't do anything wrong, by the way,” said the company's former CEO James Slatic in early November.

Now, nearly ten months after the raid, the District Attorney’s office tells NBC 7 they believe James Slatic was manufacturing concentrated cannabis and then transferring the revenue into his family's bank accounts.

“This case was never about policing, it was about policing for profit,” attorney Wesley Hottot said outside of the courthouse Tuesday. “It was a cash grab from an innocent family and the money has to be returned.”

Hottot is an attorney with the non-profit law firm Institute for Justice and is representing the Slatic family.

“It is crazy," Hottot said. "It's the dirty little secret of the American justice system. It’s called civil asset forfeiture.”

In October, he filed a motion for the return of the Slatic’s money from their personal bank accounts.

Tanya Sierra with the D.A.’s office explained in a statement to NBC 7 San Diego the idea behind the civil asset forfeiture.

“The primary mission of the asset forfeiture program is to enhance public safety by removing the proceeds of crime and other assets relied upon by criminals to perpetuate their criminal activity. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office follows nationwide policies, procedures and guidelines set up by the Department of Justice regarding the seizure and spending of asset forfeiture funds," the statement read. 

But Hottot says the civil forfeiture laws are “broken."

“This case just illustrates that when police can disregard crime fighting and go after money instead then were all in danger," Hottot said. "They should be out on the street looking for criminals to put away in jail, not looking for cash to take away from people.”

Sierra says the investigation is ongoing and the case remains under review for potential criminal charges, adding that "a neutral judge found probable cause that Mr. Slatic's wife's and his daughters' assets are all tainted by criminal conduct.”

Sierra also says the D.A.’s office “has yet to see a license or a permit for Slatic’s business to conduct a marijuana lab or a marijuana dispensary, as required by the San Diego Municipal Code.”

City and state Judge Bloom is taking all of this into consideration and will submit a written ruling in the near future.

In the meantime, Mr. Slatic has not filed a asset forfeiture claim to have his personal funds returned. The DA’s Office has also not filed an asset forfeiture petition.

Mr. Slatic’s attorneys filed a motion to have his computer equipment sealed, citing the existence of documents on the devices that may be covered by attorney-client privilege. This had the unfortunate effect of halting some parts of the investigation and slowing down the overall investigation considerably, he said, and had they not filed this motion, the investigation would likely have been much further along at this point.

Hottot says it could be days or even weeks before the judge makes a decision whether the Slatic family will get their money back.

SAN FRANCISCO - Faced with record high enrollment and the need to hire faculty, the University of California and California State University systems are considering raising tuition for the first time in six years.

The proposed annual hikes _ $270 at the 23 Cal State schools and $280 at UC's nine undergraduate campuses _ are being discussed this week by the governing boards of both systems at separate meetings on budget plans.

Leaders of both institutions say they need more funding to maintain the quality of the nation's largest public university system.

Rates have remained frozen despite declining state support, officials said. The current in-state undergraduate tuition at Cal State schools is $5,400 a year and $12,300 a year at UCs.

About two dozen students protested Tuesday outside the CSU Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach.

They placed fake tombstones on the lawn outside the meeting, wore zombie face paint and held signs saying, "We are the Walking Debt" to symbolize the "dying CSU system" that used to be free and fully state-funded, said Courtney Yamagiwa, a member of activist group Students for Quality Education.

Yamagiwa, a senior at Cal State Long Beach, urged the board to push for more state funding.

The proposed hikes could take effect for the 2017-18 school year unless the state provides more funding.

"Tuition increase is a decision of last resort," said Toni Molle, spokeswoman for California State University. "The university's highest priority is to secure full state funding."

CSU's Board of Trustees is asking for an additional $168 million in state funding, Molle said.

A vote on possible CSU tuition hikes would not happen until next year. Officials say that if it takes effect, the majority of students would likely have the costs covered by financial aid.

At Cal State schools, 61 percent of students are fully covered by financial aid, Molle said.

At the University of California, 57 percent of California undergraduate students are fully covered, said spokeswoman Claire Doan. State spending has dropped from covering 72 percent of the cost of educating a student in 2000 to 41 percent last year, she said.

The UC Board of Regents meets Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the 2017-18 budget, with details to be finalized in January.

Both institutions say they're faced with record numbers of California high school graduates qualifying for admission and the added challenges of finding dorms, classrooms and instructors.

Critics say the tuition proposals would put too much of a burden on students already struggling to finance their educations and force more students to drop out of college.

After Measure C was defeated on Election Day, Chargers fans were left wondering what the future held. Team Chairman Dean Spanos said he knew what his options were but would not be making any decisions until after the regular season.

That strategy has Bolts fans feeling like they’re back in a state of limbo similar to what they experienced last year when it was unknown whether or not the team would be leaving for Los Angeles. Of course one of the current options is heading to L.A. but another is formulating another plan in San Diego.

On Tuesday the ball got rolling on the latter scenario. Representatives from the Chargers met with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer to discuss what might come next on the San Diego stadium front. As for what was specifically discussed … that is a mystery for now.

“Today the Mayor's Office and Chargers representative met in person for the first time since Election Day to keep the lines of communication open as the Chargers use this time to review their options,” said Craig Gustafson, Senior Press Secretary for Mayor Faulconer, in a statement. “The tone was positive and collaborative and we look forward to remaining in touch.”

Chargers Special Advisor Fred Maas was among those in the meeting. He, too, declined to elaborate on the meeting’s content.

“We are not commenting on discussions with the Mayor or anyone else. We are open to all solutions, however we will not be providing public comments at this time,” said Maas in a statement.

The fact that it took just one week from the day the team’s convadium plan received a mere 43% vote from San Diego City residents should be seen as a positive development for folks who would like to see the team remain in its home of the last five and a half decades.

A family in City Heights is grieving after their mother and father were shot and killed while trying to protect their 21-year old daughter. 

Isabel Gonzalez and her grandfather were also shot by her ex-husband Juan Carlos Fernandez.

The shooting, which led to a standoff with law enforcement, occurred on Sunday around 9 p.m. on Marlborough Avenue in City Heights.

Gonzalez’s brother, Julian Gonzalez explained that his sister had divorced Fernandez, two years ago. She had also filed a restraining order against him in December, 2015 because he was violent with her.

On Sunday night, Fernandez showed up to the family home after learning that Gonzalez was dating someone else. Her family and boyfriend began fighting with Fernandez because he had been attempting to take Gonzalez away.

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Fernandez returned to his car and took out a gun from his car’s glove compartment.

Gonzalez’ father tried to take the gun away from Fernandez but was shot in the head. He was in the hospital in critical condition and died from his injuries on Tuesday.

Gonzalez's grandfather was also shot but is expected to recover.

The 21-year old's mother had hugged her in an attempt to protect her from the bullets and was fatally shot. A bullet went through her mother and hit Gonzalez, fracturing a rib.

When negotiations with the suspect by police were unsuccessful, an officer, a 12-year veteran, fatally shot him.

The family told NBC 7 that Gonzalez has been blaming herself for the incident.

“She kind of feels that it's her fault that the guy just went out there and started shooting,” said Joel Lopez, Isabel’s brother-in-law. “We've been trying to calm her down, the guy was straight up crazy."

The family will be planning a funeral for their mother and father. If you would like to make a donation to help with funeral costs, go to their GoFundMe page.

A North County woman was kidnapped and robbed by two men who claimed they needed help to find a local immigration office. At the end of the two hour kidnapping, the men got away with hundreds of dollars cash.

Now, San Diego County Crime Stoppers needs the public’s help to find the suspects who investigators believe have done this before. Among their other victims is one woman who lost her life savings.

Investigators are looking for three men who may be using a dark colored minivan, possibly a Toyota Sienna.

A woman, 73, told law enforcement authorities that she was approached by two men while shopping inside the Walmart on Vista Way on Wednesday, August 24.

The men convinced her to drive them to a nearby immigration building after one of the men told her he was not from San Diego but was from Costa Rica. The men spoke Spanish and got into the woman's car.

NBC 7 spoke to the victim's daughter on Tuesday, who only wanted to identifed as Ms. Garcia.

“At first it was the sob story. 'Could you help us?' Once they were in the car , my mom still felt like she wanted to help them out,” Ms. Garcia said.

Once in the car, the men told her they had a winning lottery ticket, according to investigators. The men said they needed her help to collect the money and promised her $40,000 in exchange.

The woman grew suspicious.

Then, one of the men took the woman's phone.

“She was just focused in doing whatever they said because she was scared. She was just scared,” Ms. Garcia said.

When the men demanded she withdraw $1,800 from her bank, she was frightened but went along with it, investigators said.

“They just kept telling her , remember you have a family. Remember you have a family,” her daughter said.

Eventually, she dropped them off in downtown Oceanside with $1,800 from her bank account.

“This is their social security, there social security money that was saved up for two or three months,” her daughter told NBC 7.

Investigators said the dark-colored van was following the woman's car during the incident.

Now, investigators hope to hear from anyone who recognizes the men or who may have had a similar experience but did not file a police report.

They've released photographs of three suspects. One of the suspects is pictured in two separate images.

Police confirmed that there have been three to four similar elder abuse cases around the county reported this summer.

Anyone with information can call the Oceanside Police Department’s Crimes of Violence Unit at (760) 435-4572 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.

An old fire station in Chula Vista might see some relief after residents vote to pass Measure P, which will provide the fire department with millions of dollars in funding over the next 10 years.

Station Five is one of nine fire stations in Chula Vista, and one of three buildings that has asbestos. There are also bullet holes through a front window.

"That happened nearly 25 years ago," said Darrell Roberts, President of Chula Vista Firefighters Local 2180.

"The community, they come by often and say we thought this station was closed just by the way it looks," he added.

"We see asbestos issues, we see issues with termites, issues with rotting, roof leaks," said Chula Vista Fire Department (CVFD) Chief Jim Geering.

Chula Vista's City Manager Gary Halbert says these problems are very real and the station is in "desperate need" of being fixed.

But the station isn't just falling apart.

Firefighters told NBC 7 that there are major health concerns that come with working inside, including a broken pipe that is being held together with zip ties and duct tape.

It's designed to carry exhaust from the engine outside but instead is part of the evening meal.

"All that exhaust that was supposed to go to the outside of the fire station was actually getting dispersed above the kitchen where our folks were eating," Roberts said.

But it’s not just Station Five that appears to be falling apart. Next to City Hall, Station One has warning signs of asbestos plastered on the back door.

"We defer that maintenance off year by year and those problems just get bigger and bigger," Geering said.

Meanwhile, Station Nine appears to be closed but firefighters are actually camped out in the back in trailers after a plumbing issue uncovered asbestos.

"It's certainly not what the Fire Chief wants to provide for the employees," Chief Geering said.

Measure P could offer some relief from these issues, giving the CVFD $48 million over the span of 10 years for equipment and building repairs.

"This measure is aimed at the infrastructure itself, it does not include soft costs or personnel costs," Halbert explained.

But firefighters say not adding more hands on deck is a problem that is hurting the community and lengthening response times.

According to Geering, the national response time goal is arriving within four minutes, 90 percent of time. The City of Chula Vista has a response time goal of arriving in seven minutes, 80 percent of the time. 

But they've failed to meet that goal now for six years in a row, according to the City’s Growth Management Oversight Commission.

"We want to get to people in time, but without having more firefighters and stations, we're not going to be able to do that," Roberts said.

During a call for a fire, most of the time firefighters are also forced to wait for back up because the national standard says four firefighters should be on every engine.

An issue in the City of Chula Vista, since every fire engine operates with only three firefighters.

"We can't engage in an interior fire fight, unless there's somebody inside or a known rescue, until a second engine shows up. That delays all of our actions. We're not getting to people in time, and ultimately that's the difference between life and death,” Roberts said.

Halbert told NBC 7 that the City will not start getting the money from Measure P until April, 2017. In the meantime they will be meeting with the City Council to work out a spending plan.

He added that the priorities for the CVFD include updating equipment and replacing fire stations, such as Station Five.

Crews were responding to a house fire in Carlsbad Tuesday night, according to the North Comm Fire Department.

The fire started at approximately 10:30 p.m. on the 700 block of Magnolia Avenue.

According to fire officials, there was heavy smoke coming from the home.

It's unknown if there is anyone inside the home.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story.

For over 80 years the House of Pacific Relations (HPR) in Balboa Park has been a local spot with a global view. That wordly view is now expanding.

"The number of cottages in Balboa Park is increasing by nine, which is nearly 50% of the existing cottages," boasts George Novinger, Chairman of the International Cottage Committee.

There are currently 19 cottages, representing 34 nations. The San Diego City Council approved the building of nine new cottages. The nations on the list for new cottages are Mexico, Colombia, India, Lebanon, Palestine, Panama, Peru, the Philippines and Turkey.

Novinger said the nine new cottages, "Will be doing things to share and spread their nations arts, cuisine and culture."

The new member cottages will join in the tradition of Sunday lawn programs featuring music, dancing, food and drink from each nation.

"It's an opportunity to come in Sunday's and basically tour the world culturally," Melvin Weekley, Chairman of the House of Pacific Relations, told NBC 7.

The expansion is welcome by other nations in the HPR.

“I think it’s great that we’re expanding our international family,” said Suzy Hegstrom, a member of the House of Sweden. “We have a number of organizations that are promoting their country’s language, traditions, history, culture, music, folk dancing. Some of these organizations have been waiting for a cottage.”

“The more the merrier,” Hegstrom added. “We’re a mini United Nations, promoting understanding, peace and harmony. We can all appreciate each other’s cultures and traditions and, in doing so, we learn we have more in common.”

The new cottages will be built on existing open spaces, so as to not disturb the area's natural beauty.

Novinger said construction plans were approved by key stakeholders, "So that everybody would be happy with where the cottages are and be approximate size to the rest of the cottages around the area."

Like the existing cottages, all new cottages will be filled with authentic decorations from the home nations.

Eugenie King, President of the House of Pacific Relations said "There is a demand for this kind of fun, free, culturally involvement, with an organization that has no other goal than to  promote peace, tolerance and goodwill among all people."

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Saturday; construction is set to begin after next month's 2016 December Nights holiday celebration.

The goal is to have the new nine International Cottages ready to open by the 2017 December Nights celebration in Balboa Park. 

County health officials plan to hand spray a section of a Spring Valley neighborhood after a resident returned from a trip abroad, where they were infected with the Zika virus.

The Spring Valley resident recently returned from a trip to a country where tropical, mosquito-borne illnesses, including the Zika virus, are active. 

Mosquitoes and larvae that could carry the virus were also found near the Zika patient's residence. Officials went door-to-door to residents' homes on Tuesday and leave notifications for people living where the spraying will occur.

The spraying marks the ninth area sprayed this year.

On Thursday, County officials will spray the area, bordered by San Bernardino Avneue to the west, Apple Street to the south and just east of Sangamon Avenue to the east. The area has 49 homes in the 13-acre area. 

Aedes species of mosquitoes, which are known to carry Zika, are not native to San Diego County. Officials said they prefer to live close to people, which is unlike most native species. A female mosquito can lay anywhere from 100 to 300 eggs at a time.

When spraying the County will use Pyrenone, an insecticide derived from chrysanthemums, that poses low risk to people and pets. The chemicals dissipate in about half an hour.

To avoid exposure to the spray, officials are encouraging residents to stay inside with any pets, close doors and windows, cover fishponds, rinse fruits and vegetables from their gardens and wipe down outdoor items. Beekeepers are advised to cover their shelter hives and habitats.

Rebecca LaFreniere, Deputy Director with Department of Environmental Health San Diego County, suggested residents help the county control the aedes species of mosquitoes by routinely removing breeding areas around their home.

She said something as small as a toy, a lawn ornament or a saucer could provide a perfect amount of water for mosquitoes to multiply.

The man shot and injured by a San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy in Encinitas Monday aimed a handgun at deputies before one deputy opened fire, officials said.

Robert Parkin, 53, was armed with a .45 handgun when deputies tried to pull him over, detectives with the Sheriff's Homicide Detail said Tuesday.

Deputies believed Parkin matched the description of an armed robbery suspect when they spotted him riding a blue motorcycle near Birmingham and El Camino Real just before 6 a.m.

The motorcycle did not stop until it crashed at the corner of El Camino Court and El Camino Real in front of the Pacific Pines Apartments.

As Parkin ran toward the apartment complex, he pulled the handgun from his waistband and "began to point the gun" at deputies, officials said in a written news release.

Three deputies chased the suspect. One deputy fired and struck the suspect, SDSO Lt. Kenn Nelson said.

Even after Parkin suffered multiple gunshots to the lower portion of his body, he refused to follow commands and reached for his gun, officials said.

The deputy then fired his weapon again.

Parkin was struck six times including in both thighs, his scalp and his buttocks, deputies said. Twelve rounds were fired.

Nelson said deputies recovered money and a weapon on the ground.

Parkin is facing charges of armed robbery for an incident at a taco shop on Birmingham as well as assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and felony evading. 

Nelson said there was no deputy-worn body camera footage of the incident.

No deputies were injured in the pursuit or shooting.

An Imperial Beach woman contacted NBC 7 Responds after she said she paid a man thousands of dollars for a sliding door order and installation, only to never hear from him again. 

Sheri Gilmore said she was fighting a losing battle with termites around her house, so she decided to replace her wooden door. 

“I thought six weeks to order the door and he’d put it in when it came,” Sheri said. 

Sheri hired Pacific Home Remodeling for projects around her home. She was happy with their work so when one of the subcontractor employees, John Ferraro, offered to replace her sliding glass door on his own, separate from the remodeling company, she agreed. 

“And he said, ‘I’ll order it, you pay for it.’ And he gave me these prices and picked out the screen for me,” Sheri said. 

Sheri said she paid Ferraro more than three quarters of the cost of the project upfront, three checks totalling $2,595. When the agreed upon installation date passed with no word from Ferraro, Sheri said she gave him a call. 

“Several phone calls, then his mailbox was full and I couldn’t get ahold of him,” Sheri said. Despite this, she said she decided to give him one last chance and managed to reach him on the phone. 

“He said ‘Ok I’ll be there Saturday, I’ll call you Friday night to confirm,’” Sheri said. “Well he didn’t call Friday night and he didn’t show up on Saturday.” 

Sheri contacted NBC 7 Responds. We searched state records and found Ferraro is not a licensed contractor. The Contractors State Licensing Board confirmed with NBC 7 Responds that neither Ferraro nor his business, Gemini Pacific Home Remodeling, are licensed in California. 

In California, a contractor must be licensed when hired for work worth more than $500. 

We reached out to Pacific Home Remodeling and a representative told us Ferraro had no right to solicit personal business while working on the original project. They also said, Ferraro was not one of their employees, he was hired by a subcontractor. 

“I don’t have my money and I don’t have my door,” Sheri said.

NBC 7 Responds reached Ferraro by phone. Ferraro told us he would return the money to Sheri but almost a month later, Sheri hasn’t received a penny. 

Pacific Home Remodeling was not responsible for Ferraro’s actions but told NBC 7 Responds that if Sheri paid for a new door, they would install it for free. 

“It’s clean and beautiful and has no termites,” Sheri said, observing her new door being installed. 

When NBC 7 Responds asked Ferraro for an interview, he said he would only talk to us if it was live. NBC 7 Responds said we could record an interview or Ferraro could provide a written statement but we have not heard back from him. 

Unfortunately, problems with contractors can be common. If you’re planning to hire contractors to have work done around the house, here are some things you should know to protect yourself: 

• Never put down more than 10% or $1,000, whichever is less, to get the project started. According to the Contractors State License Board, it’s illegal for a contractor to ask you to put down more than that.

• Make sure everything is in writing. You want to have a formal contract drawn up, even if the contractor you’re doing business with is a friend or family member.

• Always verify that you’re working with a licensed contractor. The state’s website has an easy-to-use tool to search by name or business. To see the state’s website, click here

To read more advice from the Contractors State Licensing Board, click here

Another naval official had pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar bribery case involving foreign defense contractor “Fat” Leonard Glenn Francis.

Retired U.S. Navy Captain Michael Brooks, 57, of Fairfax Station, Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

According to his plea agreement, Brooks used his office to benefit Francis’ company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA). The company, based in Singapore, provided husbanding services to U.S. Navy ships and submarines, such as fuel, tugboats and trash removal.

While serving as the U.S. Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, Brooks admitted to allowing Francis to write up official U.S. Navy documents, which he then submitted to the embassy as his own. In exchange, Francis bribed Brooks with travel and entertainment expenses, hotel rooms and prostitute services.

In January 2015, "Fat" Leonard pleaded guilty to bribing senior naval officials in exchange for specific U.S. Navy warship movements so his company could overbill the Pentagon.

Sixteen individuals have been charged in the case so far, 11 of whom are current or former U.S. Navy officials, including Brooks—he was charged in May, 2016. 

He retired from the Navy in 2011.

Rear Admiral Robert J. Gilbeau is the highest-ranking U.S. Navy officer to have been charged in the case so far. He pleaded guilty to one felony charge in June, 2016.

Gilbeau is also believed to be the first active-duty Naval flag officer to ever be charged in a federal criminal court, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's office in San Diego. He is still awaiting his sentence.

Five GDMA executives have also been charged in the case, including Neil Peterson and Linda Raja.

If convicted, Brooks faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

NBC 7 has been following this investigation since September 2013.

Public Justice, an advocacy group that battles secrecy in the courts, just assembled a searchable online database with more than 13,000 files on internal company documents that have led critics to conclude Remington's Model 700 rife is unsafe, CNBC reported.

The group won the rights to make the documents public domain last year. Gun owners can now see the millions of pages of court documents. 

Lawsuits alleged that Remington knowingly covered up a design flaw that allowed the guns to fire without the trigger being pulled. The company has denied this allegation.

The design first went on the market in the 1940s. The documents show that as early as 1947, before the Model 700 even went on sale, the company’s engineers found themselves in a “very dangerous” situation when the company decided altering the design was not worth the added cost.

Remington attorneys did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment about the new database.

Word wizards and spectators will gather at the San Diego Central Library Wednesday evening for a spelling competition just for adults.

The “Spelling Bee for Grownups” takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Neil Morgan Auditorium at the Joan A. Irwin Jacobs Common at the Central Branch Library located at 330 Park Blvd. in San Diego’s East Village.

The competition doubles as a fundraiser for the San Diego Press Club, San Diego Council on Literacy and San Diego Public Library. The event will be moderated by wordsmith Peter Sokolowski, editor at large of Merriam-Webster. Sokolowski will be bringing the words.

Two judges will also oversee the spelling bee: Grant Barrett of the radio show, “A Way with Words,” and San Diego Public Library Director Misty Jones.

The event is open to the public and free for spectators. The first two hours of parking is free in the downtown library’s garage. Participants must pay $10, which includes a complimentary beverage. Stellar spellers can register here to secure themselves a spot on that spelling stage.

Finalists will win prizes and, of course, bragging rights as a San Diego super speller. F-U-N.

A shiny new Dunkin' Donuts location in National City will officially open its drive-thru window for business early next month.

Part of the popular chain of eateries headquartered in Massachusetts, this new Dunkin’ Donuts store is slated to open on Dec. 6. It is located at East Plaza Boulevard and Interstate 805, and is highly visible from the freeway.

Boardwalk Development, Inc., signed a lease with Dunkin' Donuts to create the new restaurant. The site has been under construction for several months, with sweet signs of the shop's opening grabbing the attention of locals.

Now, the opening date is so close, National City residents can practically taste it.

In late July, Ron Bamberger, president of Boardwalk Development, Inc., told NBC 7 the shop's proximity to the freeway is a substantial benefit and will be convenient for morning commuters who want to pop in and out of the location quickly as they grab a doughnut on their way to work.

Bamberger said the business is on the morning side of the freeway -- the side of the street where the bulk of morning rush hour traffic occurs.

"The expectations are that it will be a very busy location," said Bamberger.

According to Sonya Modi, public relations specialist from Havas Formula, the company representing the project, this store will be the second Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in San Diego County. She said a grand celebration was in the works for the big opening day, and those details are forthcoming.

The first local Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru is in Ramona, though that location is a Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins combo store, so this National City shop will be the first freestanding local Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in San Diego County.

In late July, Modi told NBC 7 the National City location is expected to create about 100 new jobs for local residents. Bamberger said positions would include front and back-of-the-house, as well as management.

The new restaurant is locally owned and operated by a disabled U.S. veteran who lives in San Diego County, Modi said.

Two years ago, Dunkin Donuts announced it planned to open its first traditional restaurants in California over the coming years. This plan included 14 restaurants San Diego County, with the first opening in 2016.

Modi told NBC 7 that after the National City location opens, there are two other San Diego County Dunkin’ Donuts slated to open this year: one in El Cajon and the other at Naval Air Station North Island.

Currently, San Diego County is home to four Dunkin’ Donuts locations: an outpost at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown San Diego (601 Pacific Highway); a shop at Naval Medical Center San Diego’s Building 1 (34800 Bob Wilson Dr.); a shop at MCAS Miramar’s Building 5305; and the Ramona Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins location (1410 Main St.).

Dunkin' Donuts was founded in 1950 by Bill Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts. Today, the company has a cult following as the world's leading baked goods and coffee chain, serving more than 3 million customers daily and selling 52 varieties of doughnuts.