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Pesticide Harms Honey Bees' Ability to Fly: UCSD Study

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A study conducted by biologists at UC San Diego suggests a common pesticide impairs the ability of honeybees to fly.

“Our results provide the first demonstration that field-realistic exposure to this pesticide alone, in otherwise healthy colonies, can alter the ability of bees to fly,” said UC San Diego postdoctoral researcher Simone Tosi, a co-author of the study, in a statement.

It was published Tuesday by UCSD Researcher Simone Tosi, Biology Professor James Nieh and Associate Professor Giovanni Burgio, from the University of Bologna, Italy. 

The study describes in detail how Neonicotinoid pesticides hurt honeybees.

Neonicotinoid is a relatively new form of insecticide commonly used on grains, fruit, vegetables and other crops to kill insects, according to the study.

In the past the insecticide was thought to not have a negative impact on honeybees because of its low toxicity levels, but this new research suggests otherwise.

“Honeybee survival depends on its ability to fly because that’s the only way they can collect food. Their ability to fly is also crucial to guarantee crop and wild plant pollination," said Tosi.

For over a decade scientists have been searching for the cause of Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which occurs when worker bees disappear, leaving behind food, their queen bee, bee larvae and not enough nurse bees to care for the hive.

UCSD biologists aimed to test whether neonicotinoids are a possible factor. They used a bee flight testing instrument called a flight mill. This allows the researchers to test the bees' ability to fly under consistent and controlled conditions.

Long term exposure to the pesticide over one or two days showed the distance, duration and velocity of bee flight were significantly altered, according to the study.

Short term exposure caused an increase in activity levels for a short amount of time, but their behavior was erratic and they flew farther from their hive, according to the study.

“Bees that fly more erratically for greater distances may decrease their probability of returning home,” said James Nieh, a UCSD biology professor and co-author of the study.

The decline in honeybee populations is cause for concern because of its close association with the human diet and nutrition, said Nieh.



Photo Credit: Getty Images
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Motorcyclist Killed in SR-52 Crash in Kearny Mesa Identified

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A 49-year-old man from Valley Center was identified as the motorcyclist killed in a crash on the State Route 52 in Kearny Mesa.

Robert Mitchell Briscoe died after he was ejected from his motorcycle, along with a female passenger.

The crash occurred just after 8 p.m. Monday on westbound State Route 52 near Convoy Street, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). 

Briscoe was driving a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle when he rear-ended a Honda Civic.

CHP officials said he had been driving at more than 70 miles per hour. The impact of the collision sent two people on the motorcycle flying off.

The driver of the Honda, who didn't identify himself, told NBC 7 that he heard two loud booms before he was pushed onto the shoulder of the freeway. 

An EMT who was driving by the collision stopped and attempted CPR on Briscoe but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The female passenger was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. The extent of her injuries is unknown.

CHP officials told NBC 7 Monday night, it doesn't appear anyone was driving under the influence and no citations were issued. 

Woman Who Stabbed Boyfriend's Pregnant Ex Sentenced

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A woman convicted of breaking into the home of her boyfriend's pregnant ex-girlfriend and stabbing her multiple times will spend more than 15 years in prison. 

Shagirah Akila Joyce, 28, previously pleaded guilty to attempted murder, residential burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon, with enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury and use of a knife. 

The incident happened in May 2016 when the victim, 10 months pregnant, told officers that she was at her home with her two daughters, ages 1 and 3, when Joyce forced her way inside the apartment on the 1200 block of Petree Street in El Cajon.

The victim was taken to the hospital after suffering multiple stab wounds to her arms, face and chest. The injuries were not life threatening to her or her unborn child, police said.

The suspect, whom police say is dating the victim’s ex-boyfriend, was found shortly after inside a car near the home. 

Coincidentally, the suspect's boyfriend also was with her. A neighbor told NBC 7 that she heard him screaming as the suspect was apprehended by police.

"He didn't know. He was asleep in the car and he was shocked and screaming," neighbor Cheryl Castillo said, noting the man was concerned for the welfare of the children inside the apartment as well as the victim.

On Wednesday, Joyce was sentenced to 15 years and four months in prison.



Photo Credit: SDNV

Missing Man With Alzheimer's Likes Local Beaches, Libraries

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The San Diego County Sheriff's Department asked the public to help locate a missing person at risk Wednesday.

Edgar Cruz, 69, was reported missing by his family on April 17. He has Alzheimer's and other medical conditions. Cruz does not have access to his medications, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Cruz's family says he may end up walking the beaches of Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside. He also likes to hang out at the libraries in Encinitas, Carlsbad and San Marcos.

He was last seen wearing a green shirt, black pants and a green fishing-style hat.

Contact the Vista Sheriff's Station Detective Brendan Cook at (760)940-4308 or call the Sheriff's Department at (858)565-5200, if you have any information on Cook's whereabouts.

No further information was available.



Photo Credit: San Diego County Sheriff

Ammo Explodes in Chula Vista House Fire

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A fire billowed heavy smoke at a family's house in Chula Vista Wednesday afternoon.

Multiple rounds of ammunition started exploding for five to 10 minutes, forcing fire crews to pull all the firefighters out, confirmed the Chula Vista Fire Department.

The flames sparked at about 12:25 p.m. on the 100 block of Cypress Street, according to the CVFD.

Crews worked on the fire with a more defensive stance from the outside. The fire was concentrated in the back area of the garage.

The family tells NBC 7 they had boats and antique cars in the garage, along with many irreplacable items that held personal value.

Chula Vista police were requested at the scene to assist with traffic control.

Nobody was injured in the fire, and there wasn't anyone at the home when the house first caught on fire. Multiple fire crews are at the scene.

Fire investigators are unable to carry out their examination because the building is unsafe. At this point, the homeowner and insurance company will have to determine the next step for the garage.

It may need to be torn down for safety reasons.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

6 Victims Escape Otay Mesa Fire at Assisted Living Facility

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An assisted living facility caught on fire in Otay Mesa with six people inside as the flames broke out Wednesday.

All the victims were able to make it out of the home safely with help from emergency fire crews and neighbors, confirmed San Diego Fire-Rescue.

There was thick black smoke rising from the structure located on the 1000 block of Darwin Place, west of Interstate 805 and north of Interstate 905. It happened at about 9 a.m., according to SDFD.

Some neighbors grabbed hoses to help put the fire out before crews arrived, while others rushed into the home to get the elderly victims out.

"Everybody was running over here. Is anybody in the house? Is anybody in the house? People are running into the house to see if they have to take anybody out of there," William Aragon, a neighbor in the area told NBC 7.

Firefighters are still working to put some remaining hot spots out. Most of the victims were rushed to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

San Diego police say the arson unit will investigate this fire. No other information was immediately available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

Local Firefighter Tries to Put Out Fire in Neighbor's Garage

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A San Diego County firefighter jumped into action to help his neighbor whose garage had gone up in flames in Serra Mesa.

The fire was reported at 3:57 p.m. on the 8900 block of Heraldry Street, off of Aero Drive in the Serra Mesa area of San Diego Wednesday, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) confirmed.

Crews arrived to find a garage fully engulfed in flames.

According to fire officials, a neighbor, who is a firefighter, saw smoke coming from the home and alerted the homeowner.

The owner and his dog were able to get out of the home safely.

Fire officials said the neighbor tried to put the garage fire out with a fire extinguisher and water hoses until crews arrived on scene.

The homeowner did suffer a burn on his hand but not other injuries were reported.

Luckily, the fire was contained to just the garage, according to SDFD.

At this time, fire investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and the amount of damage.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.



Photo Credit: @Fyercap

Junk-Filled Alleys Frustrate North Park Neighbors

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Neighbors are frustrated over the amount of junk that's been illegally tossed throughout alleys in North Park.

Three complaints were filed with the city for one junk-filled alley between Utah and Kansas street on the block between Lincoln and University Avenue. Residents in the area say it's been going on for weeks without any sort of action being taken.

Someone has thrown out old stoves, sinks, cabinets and toilets, along with trash from all their new equipment in an alley, according to the complaints.

A City official told NBC 7 that they receive about 11,000 service requests for illegal dumping every year.

Any dumping of waste whether it is oil, furniture, appliances, trash, litter or landscaping cuttings on City property or private property or any public right-of-way is illegal in San Diego, according to the city.

If you would like to report an illegal dumping, you can submit a request to the city on their website or call the Environmental Services Department at 858-694-7000, or use the City's new "Get It Done App."

The State Assembly has just approved a bill which will allow cities to close streets where an illegal dumping occurs.

In regards to the new legislation, Environmental Services Department Director, Mario Sierra said, "This legislation is currently under review by the city."



Photo Credit: NBC 7

New Proof of 1st Humans in North America

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Fossils uncovered in San Diego 25 years ago show that humans inhabited North America at least 115,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to researchers. 

The San Diego Natural History Museum announced the findings to the public on Wednesday.

“It’s the 130,000 year age of this site that’s the really extraordinary result of our research,” said SDNHM paleontology curator Tom Deméré.

The prehistoric bones were uncovered in November 1992 along the construction site of State Route 54.

Field paleontologist Richard Cerutti carefully worked to extricate the bones of what would soon be known to be a mastodon.

However, the position of other stones and bones in the area created what was described as a “paleo crime scene.”

Scientists soon realized it was an archaeological site, not a paleontological one, that contained preserved evidence of human activity.

“As scientists we follow the evidence no matter where it leads,” said Deméré. “Who would think in this sort of setting we’d make such a startling discovery.”

Sites with evidence of humans in North America are typically around 14,000 years old. Some researchers now believe the San Diego site marks a much older beginning of humans in North America, though that is not definitive.

The site included clusters of rocks believed to have been used as tools. Richard Fullagar of the University of Wollongong, Australia, confirmed stones found at the San Diego site showed the same wear marks as stones used as tools in other sites.

But some are skeptical that the rocks were really used as tools. Vance Holliday of the University of Arizona in Tucson told The Associated Press the paper shows the bones could have been broken the way the authors assert, but they haven't demonstrated that's the only way.

Steve Holen, former curator of archaeology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, traveled to San Diego in 2008. His experiments about stone tools were used to determine some of the bone fragments were broken apart in that way.

Holen called the discovery the biggest shock of his scientific career.

“Once I realized in my mind how old this site was, I could not believe that humans were here at that time,” Holen said. “It went against everything I’d ever been taught and everything that I ever thought I knew. It was quite shocking.”

He said they believe the location was a place where humans took bones and made tools. 

In 2011, technological advances enabled Jim Paces of the U.S. Geological Survey to use state-of-the-art radiometric dating methods to date the mastodon bones to 130,000 years old.

“It’s been a long, hard process,” he said. Their results, he said, are based on hundreds of analyses.

“We anticipate people will be curious to see if they can’t replicate those results,” Paces said.

Museum officials said there is no doubt the announcement raises more questions than answers. 

Not all researchers are convinced about the conclusion that humans arrived earlier than previously known. 

"I was astonished not because it is so good and important, but because it is so bad," Donald Grayson, an archaeologist at the University of Washington, wrote in a statement.

Grayson added he feels the "real mystery" is how the report was published in the scientific journal "Nature."

"It is one thing to show that broken bones and modified rocks could have been produced by people, which Holen and his colleagues have done," Grayson wrote. "It is quite another to show that people, and people alone, could have produced those modifications."

Richard Potts of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, told The Associated Press he doesn't reject the paper's claims outright, but he finds the evidence "not yet solid."

There are plans to begin field surveys looking for other sites of a similar age in geological deposits across Southern California, Holen said. Researchers will also look at museum collections to use similar analysis on those fossils.



Photo Credit: NBC 7
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SDPD Officer Retention Crisis Trending Toward Smaller Force

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The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) is in danger of shrinking. As more officers leave the force, recruiting is becoming a harder job.

"We've seen about a 35-36 percent decrease in the people that are applying," said Chief Shelley Zimmerman.

The high cost of living here and better financial deals elsewhere figure into the problem.

But recruiters worry that police work's demands and stresses don't play well in the labor market .

Brian Marvel, president of the San Diego Police Officers Assn. said, “We need to figure out 'How do we overcome that?' How do we change the narrative in our profession to get people to want to do this?'"

A big five-year push in recruiting efforts is barely keeping up with the department's departure rate.

The top brass says departments nationwide also are seeing fewer qualified prospects.

Keeping officers is even more challenging, five years after the department began taking extra measures.

The City Council's Public Safety Committee got this reality check Wednesday afternoon.

And another five-year hiring plan may need innovative ideas as well as spending more money.

This month's "actual" number of sworn San Diego police officers -- 1,838 -- is ten percent below the number that's been budgeted for.

And that's even counting 44 who are still in the Police Academy, and 52 now in "field training" – virtually the same number in 2012 when the hiring plan was adopted.

“They're actually going to have fewer officers at the end of this year than they are supposed to the end of this hiring period than they had at the beginning," noted Andrew Keatts, who has extensively covered the issues for NBC 7’s media partner, Voice of San Diego.

Keatts’ remark is based on the current attrition rate of about 150 officers a year.

As it is, San Diego has one of the lowest officer-per-capita ratios among big-city police forces in the nation, while enjoying relatively low crime rates.

San Diego police is earning widespread praise for doing more with less.

But Zimmerman remains troubled.

"There is a shortage of qualified candidates police officers, across our country for a variety of reasons," she told NBC 7 in an interview Wednesday.

Putting aside pay, benefits and cost-of-living factors, police are seeing a workforce that may be less attracted to law enforcement these days, given current social trends and happenings within the profession that add controversy to its dangers and demands.

Public safety resources are too paramount to discount in terms of human resources.

"And without having a sufficient police force,” warns Marvel, “I just don't know if our department can continue to do what we do every day and rise up to that level without really burning people out."

SDPD’s civilian employees also have been hard to retain.

They now number 510–47 under what's been budgeted for, an 8 percent deficit.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

After High Speed Chase, Man in Business Suit Surrenders

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A wanted armed robbery suspect driving in a gray sedan took police on a high-speed chase across San Diego County Wednesday. Twice, the suspect escaped police spike strips before finally surrendering near Mount Woodson in Ramona. 

The high speed pursuit started at approximately 12:32 p.m. Wednesday in National City when National City police were conducting a follow-up investigation to an armed robbery. 

During the investigation, detectives identified and found the suspect, police said. When they tried to pull the suspect over, he took off, leading officers on a pursuit. 

The driver traveled north through Mission Valley and up Interstate 15, where he exited near Miramar. The suspect raced down Scripps Poway Parkway, yet stopped at major intersections cautiously.  

At two points during the chase, law enforcement officials tried to stop the suspect with spike strips. The first time, the suspect's last-minute maneuvering allowed him to escape the strips and race on.

However, the second time, the spikes worked. The suspect made it slightly north on State Route 67 before he was forced to pull over due to at least one flat tire. 

The suspect cautiously exited his vehicle with his hands up. Police took the man, dressed in a business suit, into custody without incident. 

No one was injured. 

No other information was available.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego
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Man Pistol Whipped, Carjacked in Barrio Logan: SDPD

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A man, sitting in his car, was pistol whipped and then carjacked by three suspects in Barrio Logan Wednesday night, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).

The incident occurred at 9:19 p.m. on the 2800 block of Main Street near Harbor Drive.

The victim said he had almost all of his belongings inside the car because he was in the process of moving.

Two men and a woman walked up to the victim sitting inside a 1996 Toyota Corolla and told him to get out, police said. They also demanded money from him.

Police said the victim complied with the demands and was pistol whipped on the head by the suspects.

A witness, who called 911 for the car owner, told NBC 7 he saw the man get pushed out of the car by the suspects. The witness said the man stood in front of the car to try and stop the suspects from driving off but was unsuccessful.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

Layoff Notices to SDUSD Teachers Could be Rescinded

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Layoff notices for teachers and staff in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) could be rescinded sooner rather than later.

At a town hall meeting Wednesday night with parents and educators, board member Kevin Beiser said there were more than 1,000 teachers who signed up for the early retirement program.

That means those jobs can now be given to other teachers who have received pink slips.

Beiser said he hopes some pink slips can be rescinded as early as next week.

Another piece of news coming from the town hall meeting is that prep time for elementary school teachers has been "taken off the table."

That means physical education, music, art, science and technology teachers could get their jobs back.

It is still not known how many of these jobs could be restored.

But the President of the San Diego Education Association Lindsay Burningham, said it could be as many as 120 to 140.

On Tuesday night, the board decided to hold off on issuing 200 lay off notices, including to classroom teaching assistants, bus drivers and custodians. They agreed to take the discussion back to the negotiating table.

More town hall meetings are scheduled for Thursday and next Monday night.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Dragged Passenger Incident a 'System Failure': United CEO

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As United Airlines released its internal review of the now-famous incident involving David Dao being dragged off his flight, company CEO Oscar Munoz spoke in an exclusive interview with NBC's Lester Holt, saying that the situation "was a system failure."

Munoz explained that he has made changes at the company because the incident with Dao "should have never happened." The review released Thursday details those changes, which includes additional employee training on how to deal with difficult situations.

The review also states that United crew members must be booked on flights at least an hour before takeoff and that compensation of up to $10,000 must be offered for voluntary denied boarding.

In the interview airing Thursday morning, Munoz also apologized for the recent death of a prized rabbit on a United Flight.



Photo Credit: Richard Drew/AP, File

SeaWorld San Diego Debuts Less-Than-a-Day-Old Sea Lion Pup

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A furry little sea lion pup had her social media debut on Wednesday, just hours after her birth.

The less-than-a-day-old pup was born at SeaWorld San Diego in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

SeaWorld posted a video of the pup getting her checkup on Facebook.

The little pup could be seen waddling on a towel, exploring her new surroundings.

According to a spokesperson for SeaWorld, the pup's mom was rescued Tuesday afternoon from an Oceanside Beach. She had been showing symptoms of domoic acid toxicity.

SeaWorld animal care team is caring for the pup and tube feeding her with a sea lion baby milk formula, the spokesperson said. The mother sea lion is too sick to take care of the pup herself.

The spokesperson added that the team's goal is the nurse the mother and reunite her with her little one.



Photo Credit: Kat Marin/SeaWorld San Diego
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Padres Rally to Pull off Comeback Win in Arizona

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We started to feel the déjà vu coming on, then the Padres bats came to life Wednesday night!

Three different Friars homered in the third game of the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. San Diego notched its first win in five games with an 8-5 victory.

The shift started in the top of the fourth inning. The Diamondbacks had a 4-0 lead when shortstop Erik Aybar sent a homerun to right field to put the Padres on the board. A few batters later, Trevor Cahill, who was also on the mound for San Diego, helped his own cause when he sent one to deep right field to score Jabari Blash for the team’s second run of the night.

You’ve seen his name a lot this season already and we’ll be talking about Hunter Renfroe for quite some time. The Padres were trailing by three runs in the sixth inning when the outfielder notched his fifth home run of the season. His solo shot to left center field to put San Diego within reach 5-3.

It took a few more innings but the Padres weren’t giving up without a fight. In the top of the ninth inning, infielder Ryan Schimpf blasted a three run homer and gave the Friars a one run advantage and their first lead of the game.

That was the momentum they needed. Infielder Yangervis Solarte stepped up to face former Padres closer Fernando Rodney and sent a two run double to right center field to give his team some insurance. It looks like the premium paid off because the Padres broke their four game losing streak.

The Padres will close out the series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday night at 6:40 p.m. PST at Chase Field.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Multiple Vehicles Involved in Collision in Mission Valley

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As many as five vehicles were involved in a crash in Mission Valley Wednesday night, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed.

The crash occurred at 10:36 p.m. on the eastbound Interstate 8 at Hotel Circle.

One vehicle was reported to have caught fire, and another had overturned, CHP said.

A person was seen getting out of a vehicle involved in the crash and running away from the scene towards Hotel Circle.

According to CHP, one person was taken to the hospital. The extent of injuries is unknown.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Ex-Wife Of Marine Veteran Jailed In Mexico Makes For Help

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“He’s not a monster and he’s not a thief,” said Tyler James Yeager’s ex-wife Nikki Schab during a tear filled conversation about her Marine veteran ex-husband now jailed in Mexico.

She shared pictures of the two of them together when they were 21-years-old, sitting together holding hands.

It's a memento of the life they shared before she says his PTSD got really bad when he got out.

Schab said she’s shocked the man she loves, the Marine veteran who served the United States, is the man Mexican prosecutors say was arrested April 23 in Mexico for a series of robberies in Tijuana.

Stolen cars, cash and materials to make fake titles were all found in a home where Yeager was staying according to Mexican officials.

Schab said that’s not the Tyler she knows.

“He’s very proud and very fun and he loves life," she said. "I think he was more or less down there and got trapped in his PTSD and he thinks he's still at war."

Yeager is a 39-year-old Marine veteran who served at Camp Pendleton with the 2ND Battalion 5th Marines 1st Division. He was a rifleman and scout sniper.

Tijuana police said a surveillance picture showed Yeager with a shotgun walking near homes minutes after a home invasion.

“He’s a good man. He’s  just lost. He needs help,” Schab said through tears.

Three days before Yeager's arrest, Schab said she spoke to him via Facebook.

She said they joked about their dog named after Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager while urging him to go home to Montana to be with family who loves him.

“He’s still somebody. His dad is waiting for him to come home."

The United States Consulate in Mexico is helping Yeager while he's behind bars.

Documents show he was at a VA center in 2015 that houses homeless vets in need of help with drug and alcohol addiction

Roommate Speaks About Man Arrested for Luring 11-Year-Old

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The roommate of a 24-year-old San Diego man, accused of trying to lure a local 11-year-old girl to sexually exploit her, said he never saw the man leave the home.

Miguel Cervantes allegedly messaged the girl through an anonymous app called "Candid", according to court documents unsealed on Tuesday.

Based on investigator's statements, Cervantes, convinced the girl to send him nude photos, meet him for sex. At one point, he even asked the girl to pay for his plane ticket and hotel with her allowance.

By his roommate’s description, Cervantes is a man with time on his hands.

Jeff Shifflett, who wished not to show his face on camera, moved in with Cervantes, in mid-March--about the time investigators said the 11-year-old girl and Cervantes began texting.

"He stays at the house 24/7. When he was here, I never seen him leave. He basically stays and watches TV, you know, plays video games,” Shifflett said.

According to the indictment, Cervantes and the girl were communicating for two weeks through the app. Excerpts of those conversations were found in court documents.

They indicated Cervantes knew he was talking with an 11-year-old girl. The girl believed he was 18-years-old.

"I didn't know all the details about it but I heard generally what it was about so I was definitely surprised,” Shifflett said.

The girl's mother found the "Candid" conversation on the iPad and turned it over to police.

After his arrest, Cervantes waived his Miranda rights and admitted to knowing that the victim was a minor, and that he sent her multiple photos of his genitals using the Candid app, according to court documents. He also acknowledged that he would have sexually exploited the minor if possible, according to court documents.

Cervantes is facing attempted enticement of a minor and the sexual exploitation of children.

Mother Who Allegedly Abducted 6-Year-Old Son Arrested

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A mother who allegedly abducted her 6-year-old son from his elementary school in Venice was arrested and the boy rescued Wednesday evening after a short police pursuit.

The mother, identified as Nisha Burnett, was taken into custody around 7:30 p.m. after she ditched the car and ran with the boy in her arms into a Venice motorcycle shop. 

Officers took the boy from the shop after the woman was taken into custody. 

An Amber Alert was issued earlier in the day for the mother and her 6-year-old child, last seen by the boy's aunt when he was dropped off for school in the Venice area.

Authorities were searching for a gold 2004 BMW with license plate 6WAP644. Burnett does not have legal guardianship of the child, police said.

The boy's aunt told authorities she last saw the child when she dropped him off at school Wednesday morning.

The family says a restraining order has been in place against Burnett for the last year for child endangerment and that she had not seen her son for the last few months until Wednesday. 

It was not immediately clear what charges, if any, will be filed against Burnett. 

City News Service contributed to this report. 

Correction: A previous version of this story identified the child as a girl.



Photo Credit: LAPD
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