Fire crews rushed to Encanto Thursday to battle a fire that sparked at a home following reports of an explosion in the area.

San Diego Fire-Rescue officials say the fire began around 4:10 p.m. in the 1900 block of Paradise Street. A small explosion was reported right before the blaze began, police said.

Upon arrival, crews could see smoke stemming from the residence.

By 4:50 p.m., officials had knocked down the fire. Once the fire was extinguished, officials discovered a marijuana grow inside the home.

Police detained three people inside the house for questioning. No one was injured.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The fire department called arson officials from the Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST) to the scene to investigate immediately following the incident.

Police say it appears a marijuana oil extraction operation was underway when the fire sparked.

Narcotics investigators have also been called to the house.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A San Diego man is accused of engaging in an elaborate scheme to cover up the death of Yvonne Baldelli, who went missing in 2011.

Brian Karl Brimager, 37, was indicted by a federal grand jury in San Diego Wednesday on charges that he obstructed justice and made false statements to law enforcement. He was arrested by FBI agents at his Vista home Wednesday morning without incident.

Brimager allegedly sent fake emails, gave false information to law enforcement, and made it appear to friends and family that Baldelli was still alive and traveling with another man in Costa Rica.

The indictment states that in September 2011, Brimager and Baldelli went to Bocas del Toro, Panama, from Los Angeles. They then rented a room inside a hostel on Isla Carenero, a small island near Bocas reachable only by boat.

The U.S. Attorney’s office alleges that Brimager physically abused Baldelli, and she was last seen at a restaurant with him on Nov. 26, 2011.

After Baldelli’s disappearance, Brimager allegedly covered up her death by sending emails from her laptop pretending to be Baldelli, saying she was traveling to Costa Rica. He’s also accused of using her ATM card in Costa Rica during a two-day layover, and also using her card in San Jose to make it appear as though she was alive.

“Brimager impersonated Baldelli over email in an attempt to trick her friends and family into believing she was still alive, thereby obstructing, influencing and impeding investigation into her disappearance and suspected death,” the indictment said.

He is also accused of disposing of key evidence from the hostel: A bloody mattress.

Brimager allegedly dumped the mattress in the ocean, and previously conducted two internet searches on her computer, seeking how to wash a mattress of a blood stain.

The indictment also alleges that Brimager got rid of Baldelli’s belongings by packing the items into 10 large garbage bags and leaving them on the dock outside the hostel for disposal.

He then allegedly lied to investigators, saying she took her laptop to travel. That same laptop was found in Brimager’s possession last year, which he then allegedly tried to cover up by saying the laptop never went to Panama and he never sent emails from that device.

Brimager now faces 10 counts of obstruction of justice and one count of false statement to a federal officer. He faces a maximum sentence of 205 years in prison and a $2.5 million fine if found guilty of all charges.

A Long Island, NY, man is still shaken after he says a metal object plummeted from the sky and slammed into the pavement just feet from where he was standing outside his home Thursday.

Gus Binos was washing a van outside his home at about 3:30 p.m. when he heard the startling noise -- a metal clipboard landing 20 feet from where he was standing in the driveway of his home on Oakwood Drive in the Suffolk County hamlet of Shirley.

"I just jumped and turned," Binos said.

"Wow, what if I got hit with it?" Binos said. "It is a very sharp piece of metal. I mean, with the velocity that it was coming down, it would have stuck a hole in my head."

Jammed inside the clip was a thin stack of aviation documents, including flight patterns and navigation guidelines for flying through New York City's Hudson River corridor and around the Statue of Liberty. The clipboard also held a runway map of nearby MacArthur Airport in Islip.

Adam Rosenberg, who is both a pilot and an FAA examiner, uses a clipboard similar to the one that landed in Binos's driveway. The clipboard has a strap that can secure to an aviator's leg, allowing for flight papers to sit on the lap while both hands are at the controls.

It's possible, Rosenberg said, that a pilot accidentally left the clipboard resting on the exterior of the aircraft before takeoff.

"Sometimes in the process of preparing to 'pre-flight' an airplane, or after you get out of an aircraft, you will put something on the wing. However, the odds of it making it off the airport property once the airplane begins taking off are very slim," Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg said it is highly unusual -- but not unheard of -- for a pilot to accidentally lose an item like a clipboard while in mid-air. A cockpit door could accidentally come open and some planes have exposed cockpits.

Jim Peters, a spokesperson for the FAA, said it is not mandatory for a pilot to report when a personal item accidentally falls from an aircraft. Official reports are required, however, if something falls to the ground that might impact the air-worthiness of an aircraft.

"If a part of a plane becomes loose, they must report it," Peters said.

Peters said FAA investigators want to speak with Binos and examine the clipboard to find out where it came from.

Long suffering Chicago sports fans dream of days like a Blackhawks victory parade, but for law enforcement personnel such events are security nightmares.

"Boston was a reawakening," says former Chicago police commander Neil Sullivan, noting that police can't afford to assume that such a happy event will be ignored by those who would do Chicagoans harm.

"We have to be right 100 percent of the time," he says. "They only have to be right once."

• Detailed Plan for Hawks Parade, Rally

Sullivan has played the scenarios over hundreds of times. During four decades with Chicago police, he helped design security plans for countless big events, ranging from sports championships, to the 1996 Democratic Convention, and President Obama's 2008 victory rally in Grant Park.

"Our citizens today are the ultimate force multiplier," he says, noting that in a long un-secured area like a parade route, police can't see everything, but often, citizens will.

"If you had a trash container and you see a fellow with a backpack and all of a sudden the individual abandons it and puts it into a garbage can....a perfectly good backpack in a garbage can?"

He urges citizens at such events not to be shy.

"If you saw somebody put a backpack down and just walk, stroll away, say 'Sir, sir, you forgot your backpack!' If that individual ignores you, get a good look at him from head to toe, and look immediately for somebody from public safety," Sullivan advised.

Now a private security consultant, Sullivan makes clear he was not a fan of tight venues like the 2010 Blackhawks victory rally at Michigan and Wacker or the White Sox party five years earlier at LaSalle and Wacker.

This year's event will be held on Hutchinson field at the south end of Grant Park. It's a wide but confined space, which will have only two entrances.

"They're following the same model that we used in 2008 for the Obama rally," he says. "basically it's an easy venue to secure for a public event, because there's limited streets to it."

Sadly, everything has to be taken into account. And with that in mind, organizers know that the Grant Park site is also much easier to evacuate than the previous spots on Wacker Drive.

"If something were to happen, the crowd is going to be able to move, and move more freely," he says. "Because there's unlimited areas they can escape to."

The Blackhawks victory rally is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. NBC Chicago's coverage begins at 9 a.m.
 

Florida authorities are searching for a four-member ring of women who have gone home with men they meet at upscale bars, drug them and then steal from them.

The Broward Sheriff's Office has gotten arrest warrants for Subhanna Beyah, 25, Johnnina Miller, 25, Keshia Clark, 27, and Ryan Elkins, 23. They target men and steal money, guns, jewelry and other valuable items from them, authorities said.

Beyah has identified herself as Crystal at least once, the sheriff's office said. A man ran into her at an upscale restaurant on Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Boulevard one Saturday night in March, they talked and went to his Pompano Beach house where she made him a vodka cocktail, according to authorities.

He woke up the next afternoon, she was gone and so was $6,000 in cash and four watches – two Rolexes, a Cartier and a Paniere – which were in his bedroom. They were worth about $100,000.

A detective who worked the case created a composite sketch of Crystal. Beyah has an extensive criminal history, authorities said. 

“It's sad," said Giselle Thackray, who was out on Las Olas Boulevard Thursday night. "You think you're going out for fun and all of a sudden just wake up. It's bad.”

Anyone with information about these crimes should contact Det. Ron Cusumano at (954) 786-4200 or report information anonymously at (954) 493-TIPS (8477) or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org.  A reward of up to $1,000 will be paid for an anonymous tip that leads to an arrest.

More Local Stories:

• Hialeah Man Not Being Singled Out, Police Dept. Says
• Girls Called Cops on Teen Burglars: Hialeah Police
• Coral Springs Executive Released After 6-Day Captivity

A man died after being stabbed in North Park Thursday night, according to police.

The incident happened inside an apartment around 11 p.m. at 4011 Idaho St.

When police arrived they found a man in his 50s with multiple stab wounds. He later died at the hospital.

Authorities believe an argument may have lead to the stabbing, saying the the 911 call was from a female inside the apartment reporting that there was some kind of fight inside of the apartment.

Witnesses said the victim lives with his girlfriend and they have had problems before.

Homicide investigators said the victim lived inside the apartment and two people inside the apartment were detained for questioning.

The New Yorker released a cover that requires little explanation, highlighting the historic Supreme Court gay marriage ruling while tugging at America's heart.

The image titled "Bert and Ernie's Moment of Joy" shows the "Sesame Street" duo nestled together on the couch and watching news of the Supreme Court rulings.

Jack Hunter, the cover artist, originally submitted the image to Tumblr, unsolicited, according to the New Yorker Culture Desk. He offered a brief comment about the piece on The New Yorker site and calls the landmark ruling "a moment we can all celebrate."

While "Sesame Street" has never publicly announced that Bert and Ernie are gay, the duo has long been regarded as such. Sesame Workshop, makers of the show, said in an email it is not commenting on the New Yorker cover.

The historic ruling struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal benefits to gay couples who are legally married in their states, including Social Security survivor benefits, immigration rights and family leave. The decision has been celebrated by gay couples across the country.

A Garden Grove, Calif., woman convicted of cutting off her ex-husband's penis with a 10-inch kitchen knife, then throwing it in a garbage disposal, was sentenced Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole in seven years.

Catherine Kieu, 50, was convicted in the July 2011 attack in which prosecutors said she drugged her ex-husband's meal with a sleep aid, then severed his penis with a knife after tying him to a bed. She then mutilated the penis by throwing it in the garbage disposal.

The victim was in court for Friday's sentencing.

"I'm hoping this will be the last time I ever have to see her," he said. "I felt some relief, and it was a very sad day for me."

Kieu was convicted in April of aggravated mayhem -- maliciously depriving a human of a body part -- and torture. Kieu has been in custody since the attack. She received a sentence of seven years to life in prison, meaning she will be eligible for parole in seven years.

"This was a horrible event," said John Christl, of the Orange County District Attorney's office. "In effect, the victim is going to be serving a life sentence because of what the defendant did to him. She, in turn, deserves her life sentence."

Kieu still resided at the man's Garden Grove residence at the time. She called 911 to report a medical emergency, and responding officers found the man tied to the bed, according to investigators.

The victim was hospitalized, but reconstructive surgery was not successful.

"I remember the event. It's not cohesive because of the shock, the trauma, the torture," he said. "There may be a situation where I can become happy. Whole? Never."

The judge in the case said during the sentencing phase that the "interest of justice" would not be served by granting probation.

"In my 24 years on the bench, I've seen a number of murder cases," said Judge Richard F. Toohey. "Her actions were as calculated, as cold, as callous as any murder in the first degree."

Prosecutors argued that Kieu refused to accept her husband's demand for a divorce and carried out the attack as part of a revenge plot. The attack occurred about two months after the husband filed for divorce.

"I don't think she wanted to get divorced -- that's what it came down to," said the victim, identified in court documents as Glen. "As far as the reason for it,she was adamant. Maybe this is her way."

The man made a victim's impact statement at Friday's sentencing during which he thanked prosecutors, investigators, doctors, friends and family. He said the couple had "issues," and that he did not want to force her out of the house because she was having financial problems.

"I never saw it coming -- not in a million years," he said. "She has betrayed my trust in people. My right to the pursuit of happiness has been robbed. She took that right from me that night.

"This was a cruel and calculated violation of a person's body and mind."

He told reporters outside the courtroom that he was hoping for a stronger sentence.

More Southern California Stories:

• One Killed After Wrong-Way Driver Crashes on 10 Freeway
• Santa Ana Immigration Officer Took Cash, Egg Rolls as Bribes, Feds Say
• Caught on Camera: Teens Wanted in Connection With Santa Monica Arson
• Agents Found Evidence of Abuse Months Before Baldwin Park Toddler's Death
• Officer Used Unnecessary Force Before Woman's Death, LAPD Says

Just hours after Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder, the New England Patriots released the 23-year-old former tight end Bristol, Conn., native. Now the NFL team is offering a free jersey exchange. 

The New England Patriots posted on the team website that they are encouraging parents to exchange the #81 Hernandez jerseys that were purchased in the Patriots ProShop or PatriotsProShop.com for any other Patriots player’s jersey in the store.

The Patriots drafted the tight end in 2010. He first wore jersey #85 but switched to #81 when Chad Johnson, then Chad Ochocinco, joined the team and wore #85.

On Wednesday, Hernandez was charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old Dorchester man. Prosecutors said Lloyd who was the victim of an execution-style killing near the upscale North Attleboro, Mass., community where Hernandez lives.

Hernandez is being held in a Massachusetts jail and bail has been denied.

Sources told NBC News that he is also being investigated in another case — the drive-by killings of two men in Boston last year. The men were shot to death in an SUV after leaving a nightclub.

The following was posted on the Patriots' website:

"The New England Patriots ProShop will offer a free jersey exchange of any #81 Hernandez jersey purchased at the Patriots ProShop or online at PatriotsProShop.com for a new Patriots jersey of comparable value. The free jersey exchange will be available exclusively at the Patriots ProShop the weekend of Saturday, July 6 and Sunday, July 7.

“We know that children love wearing their Patriots jerseys, but may not understand why parents don’t want them wearing their Hernandez jerseys anymore,” said New England Patriots spokesperson Stacey James. “We hope this opportunity to exchange those jerseys at the Patriots ProShop for another player’s jersey will be well received by parents.”

This opportunity for a free exchange of jerseys is limited to the weekend of July 6-7 and is available only at the Patriots ProShop located at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The hours of operation are from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 6 and from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 7. The exchange is for jerseys available in the Patriots ProShop only and is limited to one per person."

Firefighters were quick to put out a brush fire in Escondido, according to officials.

The fire was reported around 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Via Rancho Pkwy. and Beethoven Dr. near Lake Hodges.

The blaze was burning in front of the Sonata housing development, across from Kit Carson Park where several girls were having a softball tournament.

Via Rancho was closed in both directions for brief amount of time.

No one was hurt.

No word on what caused the fire.

A well-known surfing magazine published out of Carlsbad will no longer have a print edition.

TransWorld Surf will be an online-only publication beginning in September. GrindMedia LLC, which bought the magazine in May, released a statement earlier this week announcing the change.

“Following an exhaustive review, we’ve concluded that producing three monthly print surf titles is not feasible for GrindMedia and we will no longer produce TransWorld Surf as a print property while the website will remain live,” stated Norb Garrett, senior vice president of GrindMedia LLC.

Garrett said they will instead focus on growing their other publications: Surfer, Surfing and SUP (Stand Up Paddler).

In an interview with Transworld Business, Garrett said some of the magazine’s surfers have been offered opportunity within the company. He also said the online team will stay within the company, though “a handful of others” are not being offered jobs.

Editors Justin Cote and Zander Morton will manage the site, according to Transworld Business.

It is uncertain if the office in Carlsbad will remain open for the online staff.

Puppies and beer. What's not to love?

On Saturday, Mission Brewery located at 1441 L Street will host its 3rd Annual "Pints for Pups" event -- a dog-friendly, family-friendly event that raises money for a local puppy club called "New Leash on Life."

New Leash on Life is a Puppy Raising Club made up of qualified volunteers who bring puppies into homes to teach them basic obedience, house manners, and socialization. The club is located in San Diego's North County.

The event begins at 4 p.m. and dogs are welcome. One dollar of every pint of beer sold at the brewery will go to guide dogs for the blind.

The event will also feature food trucks like the Dog Shack and Mangia! Mangia!, serving American and Italian food. Organizers will also raffle off prizes.

Some local pet vendors such as Handmade Green, The Honest Kitchen, and Doggie Beer Bones will have tables at the event as well.

For more details, visit this website. Also check out other events happening around town this weekend here.