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Son of Clippers Owner Found Dead in Malibu

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The body of Scott Sterling, son of Clippers owner Donald Sterling, was found late Tuesday at a beachfront residence in Malibu after what authorities called an "apparent drug overdose."

Homicide detectives responded to 22600 Pacific Coast Highway (map) at about 11:30 p.m. after receiving a call for a welfare check at Malibu Beach Villas. The caller told responding Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies he had not heard from Scott Sterling, 32, for "several days."

Sterling was pronounced dead at the location, but a cause of death was not immediately available from the coroner's office. Sterling died of an "apparent drug overdose," according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Coroner's Office.

Sterling was found unresponsive inside the unit in which he resided, according to investigators. 
 
A coroner's van was at the residence -- records show the property is owned by Donald Sterling -- early Wednesday. An autopsy will be conducted before an official cause of death is determined.

The autopsy probably will not be conducted until Thursday or Friday, coroner's officials said.

Donald Sterling, who acquired the Clippers in 1981, is among the longest-tenured NBA owners. The team was located in San Diego at the time, and Sterling relocated the franchise to Los Angeles in 1984. 

Sterling, an attorney and real estate magnate, has homes in Malibu and Beverly Hills, according to the Clippers web site. Beverly Hills police interviewed Scott Sterling after responding to the Beverly Hills home in 1999 for a report of a shooting, but prosecutors did not file charges.

A long-time friend of Scott Sterling suffered non-life threatening injuries in the shooting after the two were involved in an altercation, according to police.

 



 



Photo Credit: CA DMV

11 Candidates Intend to Run in District 4

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San Diego City Councilman Tony Young has officially resigned from his post in District 4 and a special election looks to be taking shape. 

Young announced in November that he would be leaving the council to head the local American Red Cross. 

Now, the special election to replace the councilman will be held in the next three months. City Clerk Elizabeth Maland said she is recommending March 26 to the city council, which will vote on the recommendation on Monday. 

That date was chosen because it will likely allow the city to coordinate the special election to fill Juan Vargas’ seat. It will also give candidates enough time to get enough signatures to run.  

Eleven candidates have so far submitted intent-to-run forms with the city, said Bonnie Stone, Deputy Director of Elections and Information Services.

City code requires the candidates to live within the district's boundaries as they were drawn before redistricting. They can start collecting signatures for their nomination beginning January 11, Maland said. 

Three of the potential candidates appeared on an episode of Politically Speaking with Gene Cubbison to talk about the issues that they would focus on if elected. 

Educator Dwayne Crenshaw, employment recruiter Barry Pollard and Young's former advisor Bruce Williams have all announced they'd like to run. 

Pollard ran unsuccessfully against Young in the district in 2010.

Pollard said this year will be different, and that he has a better understanding of the problems facing his district’s neighborhoods and how to solve them.

“I’ve gotten close to the organizations and the problems that have been identified in [District 4], such as working with the city budget trying to figure out why capital projects haven’t been done here,” he said.

Crenshaw also ran for the position in 2002 against Charles Lewis, whose death in 2005 led to Young’s election.

“I have lived, worked and fought for the neighborhoods of the 4th District for more than 37 years,” Crenshaw said in a statement. “I look forward to reaching out to the voters in the days ahead and asking them to join with me in continuing to fight for stronger neighborhoods with good jobs, quality schools and safe streets.”

Williams was Young's Senior Policy and Community Affairs Advisor. Prior to his work in Young's office, he also served as Neighborhood Ombudsman for the Coalition of Neighborhood Councils. 

On Politically Speaking, he said he will work to clean up his district's neighborhoods and continue the neighborhood cleanup programs that were so successful in District 4 under Tony Young. He also said he will support efforts such as the Property Value Protection Ordinance, which seeks to hold banks accountable for neglected foreclosed homes with a registry of who owns the homes. 

The Registrar of Voters estimated that the election will cost upwards of $350,000 dollars, unless it's consolidated with the senate special election. 

Maland has been working with the state and the registrar of voters to collaborate on a special election, which would save the city money. 

Fiscal Cliff Impact: Why Your Taxes Will Rise in 2013

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Lawmakers averted the fiscal cliff by raising income taxes on the wealthy, but in this deal everyone's taking a hit. That's because Social Security payroll taxes are going up for all American workers. Here's what you need to know.

What is the Social Security payroll tax?

It funds Social Security through a tax on wages, split by employers and workers.

What changed?

In 2011, President Barack Obama pushed for, and Congress enacted, a temporary reduction to the amount of payroll taxes that workers must pay. The cut, known as a tax holiday, eased the burden from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent of a worker's salary (the employers' rate remained at 6.2 percent). That rate was extended through the end of 2012. The point was to stimulate the economy by giving workers more take-home pay – about $1,000 a year for someone with a $50,000 salary. Because the new fiscal-cliff legislation does not extend the payroll tax reduction again, that holiday has ended.

How much is the payroll tax going up, and who will be impacted?

Workers’ share now returns to 6.2 percent. Just about all of the country's 160 million wage earners will be affected, according to Joseph Rosenberg, a researcher at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. The Wall Street Journal has a handy calculator that tells you exactly how much more you'll have to pay in payroll taxes.

How bad is the impact, and when will it begin?

The new rate covers salaries up to $113,700, meaning the biggest increase a single wage-earner will have to pay is $2,274. Married couples who both earn above that maximum amount will each have to pay, Rosenberg said. Employers have until mid-February to begin taking the added money out of paychecks.

Is there any way, realistically, that the 2011 rate will return?

Not anytime soon. There was no serious talk during the fiscal cliff negotiations about extending the payroll tax cut; it just wasn’t on either party’s priority list. So there isn’t much chance that the cut will be revisited now that the deal is done.

Where can I find more information?

Check out the Internal Revenue Service's new guide here, and the Tax Policy Center's tax calculator here.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Associated Press contributed reporting.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Away from the Road, Patti Page Was Just Mom: Son

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Grammy-winning singer Patti Page may have sold more than 100 million records in her lifetime but to her family, she was simply a loving and caring mother her son told NBC 7 San Diego.

Page, who left Beverly Hills behind and settled in Rancho Santa Fe in the early 1970s, died Tuesday night in Encinitas according to her personal manager. The legendary singer was 85 years old.

Page performed all over the world and was often asked to sing her biggest-selling record, "The Tennessee Waltz" which she recorded in 1951. Others may know her as the voice behind the recording "(How Much Is That) Doggie In The Window."

The woman born as Clara Ann Fowler was not only one of the most successful female recording artists of all time, but she was also a caring mother who often cooked cornbread and beans for her son and daughter.

It was a favorite recipe she had learned from her parents – a mother who picked cotton and a father who worked on the railroad in Oklahoma.

Daniel O’Curran, spoke to NBC 7 San Diego about his mother near the Seacrest Village retirement community where she passed away. 

Page had suffered a stroke about two years ago. As a result, she had trouble walking and could not sing to O’Curran as she had so many times when he was growing up.

When O’Curran learned that his mother had performed for the people in the nursing home two weeks ago, he asked her to sing again for him. So she sang “The Tennessee Waltz.”

“She still had it at 85 years old,” he said recalling the last time she sang for him.

O’Curran said he often traveled with his mother as a child, following her on tour.

“Once she left the road, she was a Mom,” he said.

O’Curran, who now has his own 12-year-old daughter, said his mother once confided in him that if she could “do it all again” she would prefer to be a stay-at-home mother.

“I told her ‘You have blessed millions of people with your voice and to keep that from the world, it wasn’t meant to be,’” he said.

She was set to be honored with a life-time achievement award at the upcoming Grammy ceremony in February.

O’Curran said he is still astonished to this day of everything Page achieved in her life.

His mother was a humble low-key person who preferred to be at home with her children rather than attending Hollywood parties he said.



Photo Credit: AP

Daughter Accused of Elder Abuse, Arson

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A woman seen by neighbors dragging her mother into a burning house Tuesday night has been hospitalized and will be booked into jail, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. 

The single story home on Lakeview Granada Drive in Lakeside caught fire at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Heartland Fire Department.

Dispatchers advised department officials that the fire was "deliberately set" by one of the residents. When deputies arrived to the scene, the 74-year-old woman who lived in the house told them her daughter had intentionally set the fire.

Deputies detained the woman's adult daughter, 41-year-old Neomi Rodriguez. Wednesday morning, she was booked with the Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee and faces several charges, including arson, assault with a deadly weapon (not a firearm), elder abuse and attempting to prevent a victim from calling police. 

Rodriguez is still being treated at the hospital, where she and her mother were transported with non-life-threatening injuries after the fire. Both are listed in good condition, officials said. 

Rodriguez will be taken to the detention facility upon her release from the hospital. 

A close friend and neighbor told NBC 7 that the mother's name is Kazuko Martinez, and that she and her daughter did not get along well. The neighbor said she was "not surprised" when she learned of the allegations against Rodriguez.

Martinez has two children, including Rodriguez. Her son often visited the two when they were having problems. 

Court records affirm that the mother and daughter have a tumultuous relationship. 

Martinez was granted a restraining order against Rodriguez last August. In a petition filed with the court on August 15th, Martinez said her daughter had threatened her with a hammer, was "verbally abusive" and was abusing prescription drugs.

Martinez said her daughter was "starting to hear things and see things," including a snake that "is all over her body and in her hair."

Martinez told the court that her daughter had been arrested in the past for substance abuse, and that "She threatens me that she will call the cops on me, tells me I am crazy, tells me she is going to send me to a rest home."

A court commissioner granted the request on August 15th, ordering Rodriguez to leave and stay away from her mother's home, and not "harass, attack, strike, threaten or assault" her.

But the victim let that restraining order expire two weeks later, telling the commissioner that she and her daughter were going to get mental health counseling.

Court records also reveal that Rodriguez pleaded guilty to at least three misdemeanor drug violations in the past two years.  She also admitted to driving on a suspended or revoked license and resisting arrest. Rodriguez is currently on probation in those cases. She has two civil suits filed against her to collect money she owed. 

Additionally, she has filed for divorce three times from the same man. The close friend told NBC 7 that the two are now officially divorced, and her ex-husband has custody of their two children. 

Before authorities arrived to the scene Tuesday night, bystanders had to assist with what they described as a dispute near the burning home.

Witness David Silva was visiting the neighborhood when they heard a woman yelling for help near the burning home.

“The daughter must have been trying to drag her mother in the house,” Silva said. “We had to restrain her until police came.”

Silva said when he went inside the house to help fight the fire, he saw two gasoline cans in the back bedroom. 

Neighbors said they often heard Rodriguez arguing with her mother. 

By about 5 p.m., the fire was knocked down. Bomb/Arson detectives were requested after the fire was knocked down.

East Village Preparing for Neighborhood Sign

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Downtown neighborhood East Village is beginning the process of placing a neighborhood sign across one of its streets.

The East Village Business Association is collecting final submissions Thursday night for proposals of a large entry sign that will let visitors know they are in the East Village neighborhood.

The sign, which will be similar to that of North Park or Hillcrest, will adorn the community that covers 130 blocks. East Villages includes Petco Park and the latest development, the Central Library.

But many people still consider this area the Gaslamp.

“People refer to the ballpark in the Gaslamp, but it’s in East Village,” said David Hazan from the East Village Business Association. “If you go to other cities they have signs that brand various neighborhoods, for instance corner signs a lot of blocks.”

The neighborhood formed the bid for the project two years ago and will pay for the sign by fundraising.

The areas the EVBA is considering to place the sign is either F Street near the westbound 94 freeway, or 10th Street after people get off southbound highway 163.

“It’s a great idea,” said East Village resident David Beck. “It gives neighborhood identity, a place people could point to, relate to entrance of neighborhood.”

Businesses in the East Village say it could help create an identity for the neighborhood bringing in more money to the area.
“It’s a growing area, the more people the better,” said one of the merchants at Village 631. “It’s a great idea for business. Define us as up and coming.”

The business association hopes to unveil the sign during the 2015 Balboa Centennial.

“East Village needs branding, deserves branding,” said Hazan. “It’s a unique area, we need to tell people what we are all about--always been an eclectic area for arts, entertainment and education."

Terminally-Ill Fan Receives Message From Kobe

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To say times have been tough for Chris Gelinas is an understatement. The 16-year-old from Corpus Christi, Texas, has been battling a rare form of cancer for years and doctors recently told the teenager there’s no further treatment that can help defeat the epitheliod sarcoma.

Chris’ fight is nearing its end.

Despite the grim reality, family and friends continue to encourage Chris. His fellow students at Tuloso-Midway High School started doing what any teenager would do in this situation: they took to Facebook.

Hundreds of schoolmates started a campaign in hopes of reaching Chris’ favorite athlete: Kobe Bryant. One call to the Lakers and NBC4 was able to help deliver Chris a personal message directly from Bryant himself.

"Hey Chris, what’s going on, this is Kobe," Bryant said in a video message. "Just wanted to say thank you so much for your support and for what you continue to embody and the spirit that you have to endure and to persevere and to fight. That’s an inspiration for me. Just wanted to take time to give you a shout out, say hello. Hope you had a merry, merry Christmas and a happy, happy New Year."

Chris was thrilled to hear the message from the player he’s idolized for as long as he can remember. Though the cancer has taken his eyesight, Chris couldn’t help but smile hearing Bryaant speak directly to him.

Chris’ father Gary Gelinas was extremely grateful.

"I think it’s awesome Kobe took time out of his personal life to send something to Chris," Gary Gelinas said. "He has been a fan since birth practically and to have his guy send something personal to him meant a lot to us."

Being asked meant a lot to Bryant, too.

"As a kid growing up all I wanted to do was play basketball," he said. "As you get older, you never thought in your wildest dreams that you’d be able to have that kind of impact on people."

The Lakers’ star, humbled by the request, said it helps put everything into perspective.

"It really adds more of a sense of purpose to your life when you feel like you can help others or inspire others," Bryant said. "I just feel extremely fortunate and extremely blessed to be able to do that."

River Otter Makes Rare Appearance in San Francisco

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San Francisco's first river otter in decades has appeared in the ruins of historic baths near the city's coast, stumping and delighting locals — and happily devouring the goldfish they dump there.

The otter has been dubbed Sutro Sam by scientists, for his residency in a spring-fed freshwater pool among the ruins of the historic swimming complex known as the Sutro Baths.

Sam favors a pool full of oversized goldfish among the ruins, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Scientists say he appears to have swum across the Golden Gate from Marin County, just across the strait to the city's north, but they are not sure.

So many otters have popped up in Marin that some wildlife-conscious resident has erected an "Otter Crossing" sign in the town of Larkspur, the newspaper reported.

Sutro Sam is not afraid of people and is well-fed and healthy, the scientists say. The pool he's found at Sutro is perfect for an otter — it's next to the ocean but is fed with fresh water from underground, the newspaper reported.

He's eating carp-sized goldfish, dumped there by residents, "like potato chips," according to Megan Isadore of the River Otter Ecology Project.

Sam has been in the waters near Sutro since September, the newspaper reported. Scientists will conduct tests on the jelly found in his intestines, which may help to digest fish bones. In the meantime, otter-watchers are asked to keep their dogs away from Sam's pool — so the dogs don't get bitten.

To donate to the Sam-testing efforts, visit riverotterecology.org.

See more Sam photos here.



Photo Credit: Jouko van der Kruijssen

Chief Justice Roberts to Swear in Obama, Biden Picks Sotomayor for Oath

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With the new Congress sworn in, Washington is now turning its attention to the next leaders to take the oath of office: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

"I will be honored to again stand on the inaugural platform and take part in this important American tradition," Obama said.

Obama will be sworn in publicly for his second term by Chief Justice John Roberts on Jan. 21, Martin Luther King Day, at the U.S. Capitol, but he will be administered the actual oath a day earlier, as per the Constitution.

Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in — as per his personal selection — by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, whom he called "a friend" by whom it would be "an incredible honor" to be given the oath.

Sotomayor will become the first Hispanic judge, and only the fourth woman, ever to have administered an oath of office.

The unusual practice of having separate official and ceremonial swearing-in ceremonies is taking place this year because Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, falls on a Sunday, when courts and other public institutions are closed.

As in years past, the Obama and Biden families called on Americans to participate in a National Day of Service Saturday, Jan. 19, in the run-up to the inauguration — this year in honor of Martin Luther King, given the ceremony's coinciding this year with the holiday that honors his birth.



Photo Credit: AP

Gabby Giffords Visits Newtown

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Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived after being shot at a campaign event in her home state of Arizona two years ago, visited Newtown Friday.

Sue Marcinek, an assistant to Newtown's first selectman, told The Associated Press that Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, met with the selectman, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.

Giffords was also set to visit a home in Newtown for a private event, according to a spokesperson from  Wyman’s office. The event is not open to the public.

Giffords was shot in the head when a gunman opened fire at a campaign event she was holding in a Tuscon, Ariz., shopping plaza in January 2011. She survived, but six people were killed, including a 9-year-old girl. The gunman, Jared Loughner, was sentenced to life in prison in November.

The visit in Newtown comes just two days after Giffords met with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, met with Bloomberg Wednesday to discuss gun control, according to the New York Post

Bloomberg has pushed for stricter gun laws in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

DUI Suspect Pleads Not Guilty to Fatal Crash Charges

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A woman accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed a 25-year-old man in Santee pleaded not guilty in court Thursday.

National City resident April Thompson, 23, is being charged with gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence in connection to a fatal collision that happened early Saturday morning on eastbound State Route 52 near the Mast Boulevard exit.

At around 1 a.m., Clairemont resident Jayme Midlam was driving alone in his 1972 Volkswagen Beetle on eastbound SR-52, approaching the Mast Boulevard overcrossing.

At the same time, Thompson was driving her Chevy 2500 pickup truck the wrong way, westbound in the eastbound lanes of the freeway.

Her truck collided head-on with Midlam’s Beetle, totaling the much smaller vehicle. Midlam was pronounced dead at the scene. Thompson sustained moderate injuries.

CHP officials suspected Thompson of driving under the influence at the time of the deadly crash.

After being treated for her injuries at a hospital, she was booked into Las Colinas Detention Facility.

On Thursday in court, prosecutors said Thompson had a blood-alcohol level that was double the legal limit when she drove the wrong way on SR-52 over the New Year holiday weekend.

She now faces up to 10 years in prison if she’s convicted, and is being held on $250,000 bail.

Thompson’s mother, Janet Cowan, accompanied her daughter in court Thursday and expressed her condolences to Midlam’s family.

“We're just feeling devastated for the young man's family, and especially his mother,” Cowan told NBC 7. “April has conveyed to me her feelings of being so grief-stricken because of what’s happened and what she’s done. She feels horrible about it.”



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Arrivaderci, Chamber: Sanders Touring Italy

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The day after Jerry Sanders left office as mayor, he reported for work at a new job.
           
Sanders has now been president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce for a full  month.
           
But next week he’ll embark on a three-month vacation in Italy, for which he and his wife Rana began planning and saving money after his re-election in 2008.

“We’ll be staying in ‘bed & breakfasts’, small places, renting apartments,” Sanders said during an interview Thursday in the Chamber’s downtown office. 

“We’re not in the five-star plan,” he added, grinning. “We didn’t save that much.” 

Since turning over the mayor’s office to Bob Filner on December 3rd, Sanders seems to have transitioned smoothly from City Hall to the Chamber -- where he's making triple what his barely six-figure salary was as mayor.

Among the organization’s major priorities is backing efforts to help rebuild the city's cracking and crumbling infrastructure.

With nearly a billion dollars’ worth of 'deferred maintenance' projects waiting to be undertaken, will taxes be needed to bankroll them all?

"You know, I don't think you can rule out anything at this point,” Sanders said. “But one of the things you have to do is convince people that you're looking at all the needs, you're prioritizing those needs, and you're going to do it in a way that really rebuilds infrastructure in a way that creates jobs and housing and opportunities."

Sanders came to the Chamber offering far more than a passing familiarity with its civic issues and ambitions.

But he admits to being on a learning curve: "One of the things that I'm going to have to do better now is to educate our legislators in what kills jobs and what brings jobs."
           
Sanders himself is educated in the nuances of Sacramento and Washington -- especially the Pentagon's priorities for this region.

"San Diego's positioned well, even if the military is cut back because the military's facing east now, and San Diego represents that,” Sanders explained. “So we've been effective in the past, and I think we can continue to be effective."
           
By the time Ruben Barrales, the Chamber's boss for six years, was planning his departure, Sander's tenure as mayor was ending.
           
But not his desire for civic engagement.
           
The Chamber's door quickly opened.            
           
"And it was remarkable that he was available, he was what we were looking for, and he's excited to be here,” says Mark Leslie, the Chamber’s immediate past chairman and interim CEO.  “So it's an absolute grand slam.  It's not a home run, it's a grand slam."

Leslie will hold the fort at the organization until Sanders and his wife  return from their leisurely, extended tour of Italy.

“It’s not structured at all; we’re just going to do (things) as we get there,” Sanders said of the overseas sojourn, breaking into a mischievous smile. “We’ve got a lot of guide books, language books, and at some point I’m sure we’ll actually open them. It’s a pasta-rich country, so we’re talking about a lot of hiking and walking … which I don’t think is difficult with all the beauty that’s there.”

Woman Arrested in Connection With Child Porn Case

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A woman was arrested Thursday night in the San Fernando Valley in connection with a child-sex abuse case that occurred 11 years ago in Los Angeles, according to LAPD Mission Division officials.

Letha Mae Montemayor, 52, was arrested in connection with the case, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. She was expected to appear in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles on Friday.

Earlier Thursday, investigators discussed the case during a news conference regarding "Operation Sunflower" -- an enforcement effort directed at rescuing child abuse victims.

The operation, launched in November, has accounted for the arrest of 245 people in the United States and abroad, according to ICE. The enforcement initiative's goal is to identify child abusers and rescue their victims, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton.

Operation Sunflower concluded as agents in Los Angeles continue efforts to identify two adults sought in connection with a child pornography and sex assault case they said occurred 11 years ago, possibly in the San Fernando Valley.

Investigators credit a calendar from a religious store in Encino and a local phone book -- both clear in the background of more than 40 photos -- as evidence that a then-13-year-old girl was repeatedly sexually assaulted and filmed in the San Fernando Valley.

The religious store that sold the calendar is not connected to the accused couple, investigators said.

Agents have not confirmed the identities of a man and woman seen in photographs depicting the sexual assault of a girl, according to ICE agents.

The images were "widely distributed online," Morton said at Thursday's news conference.

The subjects are identified as John Doe and Jane Doe in images released Thursday. The male subject's face is obscured in the photos, but agents said they hope someone might recognize the female (pictured, right).

Several of the woman's tattoos are visible in the photographs. They include a black tattooo on her right hip resembling a butterfly; a tattoo on her right shoulder blade depicting the outline of a curled up cat; a tattoo with words across the top of her left wrist; and a tattoo of unknown design on the upper portion of her left breast, according to ICE.

The woman also has a piercing above her left eye in the pictures obtained by investigators.

The sexual abuse images were discovered by Chicago ICE agents in 2007. Investigators were looking into an unrelated child sex-crime ring and referred the case to agents in Los Angeles.

Agents are not sure whether the abusers currently live in Los Angeles, Morton added.

"The reality is, every time a photo or a video of an innocent child being sexually exploited is viewed, that victim is violated again," said Claude Arnold, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles.

A criminal complaint against the two was filed Monday.

Operation Sunflower is named for the first case conducted under ICE's Victim Identification Program. Danish authorities shared material with U.S. authorities that led to the arrest of a 16-year-old who was planning to sexually assault an 11-year-old girl.

One of the images depicted a yellow road sign visible from the window of a moving vehicle. The sign -- a sunflower graphic unique to Kansas roadways -- resulted in a large-scale search along the state's highways.

About two weeks after U.S. authorities received the image, the girl was rescued, according to ICE.

Of the 123 children identified or rescued from abusers in Operation Sunflower, 44 children were with their abusers at the time of the rescue, Morton said. Five rescued children were 2 or 3 years old.

Call 1-866-347-2423 with information about the LA case or visit the ICE tips form.



Photo Credit: ICE

The "Worst Day" Of Obama's Presidency

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Official White House photographer Pete Souza released this week his favorite images from 2012, some depicting the happier times of President Barack Obama's year, others the worst.

A Dec. 14 photo showing the president bowing his head and closing his eyes depicts what Obama has described as the worst day of his presidency. It was the moment he learned of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.

"Our hearts are broken today," he said in an address to the country following the shooting that left 26 people dead including 20 children.

"We have been through this too many times. Whether it's an elementary school in Newtown or a shopping mall in Oregon or a temple in Wisconsin or a movie theater in Aurora or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children."

Other moments in Souza's collection showed the lighter sides of Obama's tenure.

The images capture Obama jumping into the surf in Hawaii while on vacation and having frozen yogurt spilled on him while working a rope line.

Michelle Obama is shown in other images participating in potato sack race with Jimmy Fallon, getting ready to deliver a commencement address at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium and viewing her hometown of Chicago with the president from the edge of Lake Michigan.


See the full collection here.



Photo Credit: Official White House Photo

Suspected Street Racer Slams into Minivan: CHP

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A head-on collision in San Pasqual early Friday morning was the result of street racing, California Highway Patrol officials said. 

A Honda Civic was street racing along San Pasqual Road and ran a red light, crashing head-on into a minivan, according to the CHP.

The Civic was totaled after the crash and the driver was trapped. Paramedics used the jaws of life to get the driver out. 

The driver was transported to the hospital and is said to have non-life threatening injuries. 

 



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Woman Robbed at Gunpoint

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A woman walking to her car in a parking lot near Mission Boulevard was robbed at gunpoint. NBC 7's Brandi Powell reports.

Man Found With Gunshot Wounds in Fallbrook

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A man with multiple gunshot wounds was found lying near the scene of a crash in Fallbrook Thursday afternoon.

Deputies first responded to a crash near De Luz Road and Harris Road in Fallbrook, and found an unoccupied vehicle crashed in the canyon, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

While investigating the crash, a woman came forward and said she saw a man lying near the crash scene with apparent gunshot wounds.

She drove the man to the hospital so he could be treated for his injuries, she said.

Detectives responded to the hospital and determined the man was connected to the vehicle crash. 

However, it is unclear at this point how the man sustained the gunshot wounds, and detectives are still investigating the incident.

 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

FBI: Second Suspect Arrested in NYC Cannibal Cop Case

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A second man has been arrested in connection with the case of an New York City police officer who allegedly threatened to kidnap, cook and eat women in a bizarre plot where he fantasized about how "tasty" one victim looked and said it would be easy to roast a person in his oven, federal officials said.

The FBI confirmed 23-year-old Michael Vanhise, of Trenton, N.J., was arrested early Friday. The agency would not provide additional details on his alleged involvement in the case until after his Manhattan court appearance later Friday. No information on an attorney was available.

According to court papers, Vanhise and 28-year-old Gilberto Valle, who was arrested in October, may have plotted via e-mail to kidnap and eat women.

Valle, of Queens, N.Y., was previously charged with two counts of attempted kidnapping in the shocking case that includes online transcripts of his alleged plans, at one point telling a co-conspirator that his oven is "big enough to fit one of these girls if I folded their legs."

"I was thinking of tying her body onto some kind of apparatus ... cook her over a low heat, keep her alive as long as possible," he is accused of saying in the July conversation.

"She does look tasty, doesn't she," he added, according to the complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, Valle had files on his computer that referred to at least 100 women, including photographs, addresses and physical descriptions.

Ten of those women were interviewed by the FBI and confirmed that they know Valle, the complaint said.

Defense lawyer Julia Gato had said in court Valle's online chats were "just idle talk," pointing out no ropes, chemicals or other suspicious material were found in his home. 

"We're talking about someone with a fantasy, in a deviant world where people talk about unreal things," said Gato. "At worst, he has sexual fantasies about people he knows." 

Gato said Valle was a respected officer in the NYPD, with six and a half years on the force. He was suspended from the NYPD pending the outcome of the case.



Photo Credit: Myspace

Man Killed After Slamming Car Into Apt. Complex

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A 67-year-old man is dead after slamming his car into the wall of an apartment building in Fallbrook Thursday evening, California Highway Patrol officials confirmed.

According to CHP officials, the single-vehicle collision happened around 6:10 p.m. on northbound Alturas Road south of West Fallbrook Street.

CHP officials said the driver of a 1991 Volvo -- who was traveling at approximately 25 to 30 mph --hit a dip in the roadway, causing him to lose control of his vehicle. He then veered right and collided with a parked Toyota Tundra.

The Volvo continued to move forward and to the left, crossing southbound lanes before colliding with the wall of an apartment complex located at 744 West Fallbrook St.

CHP investigators said the driver was unrestrained and suffered major head trauma in the collision. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials shut down Alturas Road for nearly two hours following the crash.

No other injuries were reported. The victim’s name has not yet been released.

Check back for updates.

 

 



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Man Shot Several Times While Driving: Deputies

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A man was shot several times while driving in Fallbrook, according to the sheriff's department.

The incident happened shortly before 1 p.m. on Thursday at De Luz Road and Harris Trail. Deputies said that the man crashed his white truck into a fence after being shot.

The intersection is near the border of Camp Pendleton.

The injured man then exited the vehicle and flagged down a driver, who transported him to Fallbrook Hospital. The victim was then transported to Palomar Medical Center

The victim's injuries are unclear at this time.

Deputies are investigating the incident.

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