The man shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent has been identified as a Mexican national with a criminal past, officials said Thursday.

Jesus Flores-Cruz, 42, was shot twice around 6:40 a.m. Tuesday along Otay Mountain Truck Trail near Alta Road, southeast of Otay Reservoir and east of State Route 125.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent said he fired the shots because Flores-Cruz was throwing rocks and boulders at him during a foot pursuit.

San Diego County sheriff's deputies investigating the shooting said the agent feared for his life when he fired at least two shots from his duty weapon.

Officials confirmed the identity of Flores-Cruz using fingerprints from a 1996 arrest by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency.

Flores-Cruz died at the scene.

The agent involved in the shooting was treated for injuries to his face from one of the rocks.

The practice of American men traveling to Costa Rica to solicit prostitutes is known as sex tourism.

It has also become the reason a group of San Diegans are making it their mission to help underage women there, who are a part of the sex trade.

Escondido resident, Dana Nuesca, didn’t know much about the sex trade.

"I'd never dreamed I'd know anything about sex trafficking,” Nuesca told NBC 7.

But sex trafficking would be the reason she, Georgia native Holly Lynch and others would soon find themselves in Costa Rica.

"I went from owning my own house near the beach and traveling for work to living in this little house made of chicken wire,” said Lynch.

Back in 2011, Valley Center resident, Penny Williams had an eye-opening conversation with two men while visiting the country.

"We're here for sex tourism. We love it. It's a great place. We can get in, we can get out. They gave them hotels that they frequented,” explained Nuesca.

Horrified, they say Williams did research and found that girls as young as eight years old were being sold for sex to support their families.

"When we thought of trafficking we thought of pimps, we honestly we'd be up against a ton of horrible people and what we didn't realize is that we'd be up against mothers trafficking their daughters,” said Nuesca.

Williams decided to provide them with an alternative to that lifestyle. She started Seeds of Hope, a safe clubhouse for the girls, where they not only learn vocational skills but the importance of loving themselves. Nuesca and Lynch admit the journey hasn't been easy.

"It's been really difficult. There's been a lot of emotional darkness, spiritual darkness, a lot of learning disabilities, a lot of drugs, and abuse at home,” explained Lynch. But they believe this is just the beginning of something bigger for the program.

They say the program is working, they tell NBC 7, the Costa Rican government would like to see it all over the country.

A Colorado state lawmaker left a loaded handgun in the state Capitol building earlier this month, The Denver Post reported.

Colorado Rep. Jared Wright, a Republican legislator, left the gun in a black canvas bag under a committee room table. Rep. Jonathan Singer, who sits next to Wright on the House Local Government committee, discovered the gun as he was clearing out the committee room after a Feb. 6 debate on concealed handgun permits.

“I just immediately notified the Sergeant at Arms and soon we realized it was Jared’s bag,” Singer told The Post Wednesday.

Wright, a former policeman and current “peace officer,” told the paper he often carries a gun on the chamber floor.

“I feel it’s my duty to be a first responder wherever I am at,” said Wright. “That’s why I carry it.”

But Colorado state law prohibits carrying a firearm in the Capitol “without legal authority.”

Wright agreed to stop carrying a gun inside the building after speaking with the Colorado State Patrol about the incident. He also received a call from Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office.

This isn’t the first time a politician has gotten into trouble for toting a firearm.

In 2012, California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly was cited after police discovered a loaded .45-caliber handgun in his carry-on briefcase at the Ontario International Airport. Donnelly, who said the incident was an accident, was later placed on probation for three years as part of a plea agreement.

In January, Leslie Combs, a Kentucky lawmaker, accidentally fired a gun in her Capitol Annex office. That same month, New York Homeland Security chief Jerry Hauer used a laser on his handgun as a pointer during a meeting with Swedish officials.

But in other statehouses, carrying firearms to work is more commonplace. In Texas, dozens of lawmakers have concealed-carry permits and regularly bring their firearms into work. They can even use their permits as an E-ZPass of sorts to skip a security area with metal detectors and scanners.

The car of a missing San Diego woman has been found in Tulare County, north of Bakersfield.

Lauren Pena was reported missing Feb. 11 by her stepmother, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Witnesses say Pena packed up her tent and left from a San Diego County property, though the exact location is unknown.

On Thursday, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department announced deputies had found Pena’s car in the parking lot of McNally’s Fairview Lodge along the Kern River.

Pena was last seen wearing light purple-colored clothing and a small backpack.

Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies started searching the Kern River area for the missing woman.

If you have any information about where Pena may be, call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department at 559-733-6218.

Despite losses in two high-profile Olympic events — women's figure skating and hockey — the U.S. Olympic team had a good day Thursday, taking two medals and hanging onto the lead in the overall medal race.

But the margin is slim, and there are still three days of competition left.

Host Russia is celebrating the most Thursday, thanks to a stunning skating victory. And Canada's women hockey team proved that it is as close to unbeatable as any team can be.

Here are the day's highlights.

Russia's relief

A 17-year-old Russian gave her country its first-ever gold medal in women’s individual figure skating on Thursday.

The victory by Adelina Sotnikova quelled a sense a panic in the host country, whose vaunted men’s hockey team was knocked out of medal contention a day earlier.

Figure skating, like hockey, is one of Russia’s signature sports, and losing two events in succession on home ice would have prompted a period of deep soul-searching.

While the hockey defeat still stings, the Russians can legitimately claim that its proud figure skating tradition is healthy. Russia has also won gold in the pairs competition, and in the inaugural Olympic team event.

The U.S., while shut out of the podium in the men's and women's figure skating competitions, won gold in ice dancing and bronze in the team event.

Hockey heartbreaker

What is it with Canada? The U.S. women’s hockey team just can’t seem to beat its North American rival.

They haven't done it in 16 years.

They fell short again on Thursday.

The Americans gave up two goals in the final five minutes of regulation, then gave up another in sudden-death overtime, squandering what had seemed earlier in the gold-medal game like a sure win.

The U.S. women's hockey team hasn’t beaten Canada in the Olympics since the 1998 gold-medal match in Nagano. Thursday’s win marked Canada’s 20th straight victory in Olympic competition since then.

And the Americans, once again, are taking home silver.

U.S. wins ski halfpipe

American Maddie Bowman won the first-ever women’s halfpipe ski competition on Thursday with a performance dedicated to Sarah Burke, a Canadian freestyler who died in a 2012 training accident after lobbying for the halfpipe to be included in the Winter Games.

Bowman, 20, delivered the two highest-scoring runs of the final round with a soaring series of spins and flips.

While Bowman shined, there were many hard spills in the inaugural event. One competitor was taken off on a stretcher after briefly losing consciousness.

Marie Martinod of France won silver, and Ayana Onozuka of Japan took bronze.

Burke’s parents attended the competition, which athletes said they hoped would serve as a reminder of her influence on the sport.

Crazy photo finish

The new Olympic sport of skicross can seem at times like a chaotic tangle of athletes who might crash at any moment.

That’s not too far from the truth.

That was painfully apparent in the men’s quarterfinals on Thursday, when three rivals wiped out on the course’s final jump, crossing the finish line on their backsides.

The only man to finish the race upright, Switzerland's Armin Niederer, advanced to the next round, along with Russia’s Egor Koroktov, who slid into second place.

In the end, three Frenchmen swept the finals, winning gold, silver and bronze.

U.S. still in first

Thanks to its gold in ladies’ ski halfpipe and silver in women’s hockey, the U.S. sits atop the Sochi medal race.

The Americans have 25 total medals, eight of them gold.

Russia is in second with 23, and the Dutch are in third with 22.

That sets up a race for the finish, as the Winter Games enter their final weekend. There are more than a dozen events up for grabs from Thursday to Sunday.

With reporting by the Associated Press

The body of a young mother missing for nearly two weeks was found Thursday slumped over inside her car, parked in the shadow of Philadelphia's busy 30th Street Station, as it collected parking tickets and snow.

Marple Township Chief of Police Tom Murray tells NBC10 Philadelphia the body of Nadia Malik was found inside her black Nissan along the unit block of S. 30th Street in Philadelphia around 12:15 p.m. on Thursday. That is behind the Internal Revenue Service's Philadelphia headquarters and across the street from Amtrak's 30th Street Station.

Murray says police have been searching for the 22-year-old mother of two from Marple Township, Pa. and her car since family reported her missing on Feb. 9.

Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker says the woman's body was found slumped over in the passenger seat of the car, under a pile of books.

"There was a bookbag with stuff dumped out and on top of her," Walker said.

Walker said the car had been parked along 30th Street for 12 days and had multiple parking tickets attached to the windshield -- the first ticket dated Feb. 9. The car has darkly-tinted windows and was covered in snow most of the time it was parked along the street, he said.

A call was also placed to 911 at one point during that time complaining about the car, he said.

Police finally investigated the car after a tip caller recognized its description through media reports about the missing woman.

On Sunday, Malik's sister told NBC10.com she was on the phone with the woman, who was with her ex-boyfriend Bhupinder Singh at the time, when the phone suddenly cut off.

Singh, 25, was later arrested on a parole violation in Solon, Ohio. Authorities in Solon tell NBC10 they located him after tracing Malik's phone, which he was using. He has been questioned about Malik's disappearance, police said.

Police have not implicated Singh in the woman's death, but he is awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania regarding the parole violation.

Walker said there were no visible signs of trauma or signs of foul play. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death, he said.

Philadelphia Police continue to investigate the incident.

Malik leaves behind a 3-year-old boy and 2-month-old daughter, her family tells NBC10. She was also a Pre-Med student at Temple University.

Photo: Nadia Malik

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

NBC 7 has learned the name of the second San Diego Police officer accused of misconduct.

Multiple police sources confirm that Officer Donald Moncrief, 39, is accused of touching and exposing himself to a woman he was arresting.

The alleged victim originally thought former Officer Christopher Hays was the officers in her alleged encounter, but after investigating, SDPD Chief William Lansdowne said the department found her case involves a completely different officer.

The woman told police the encounter happened during an auto theft arrest last year in the South Bay. She said the officer touched her inappropriately and exposed himself.

While he won’t confirm the officer’s identity, Lansdowne said the accused officer has been suspended pending the investigation. No criminal charges have been filed against him yet.

Moncrief is a six-year SDPD veteran who worked as a defensive tactics instructor for the department, according to his biography on an amateur mixed martial arts page.

He was also a member of the SDPD honor guard as of 2011, a police officer association’s publication reveals.

SDPD Chief William Lansdowne has called for an audit of the police department in light of accusations against Moncrief and Hays. 

After seven women came forward to accuse of Hays of improper pat downs and forcing sexual acts, Hays resigned from the police department. 

On Tuesday, he was formally charged with two felony counts of false imprisonment and three misdemeanor counts of sexual battery involving four women.

Meanwhile, San Diego's interim mayor described the officers under investigation as "a handful of bad apples." 

At a press briefing Thursday, Interim Mayor Todd Gloria said he has complete confidence in Lansdowne as he tackles the dual scandals. 

Two men charged in the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan pleaded guilty Thursday and accepted plea deals in the March 2011 opening day attack at Dodger Stadium before family members delivered emotional statements about how the attack changed their lives.

• More Coverage: Bryan Stow Case
  

Louie Sanchez, 31, pleaded guilty to a felony count of mayhem and was  sentenced to eight years in prison for the attack on Bay Area paramedic and father of two Bryan Stow. Marvin Norwood, 32, pleaded guilty to  assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and was sentenced to  four years behind bars.

As part of the plea agreement, all other charges against the men were dropped. Both men had originally been charged with mayhem,  assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious  bodily injury.

"The years that you spend in prison is what you cretins deserve," said David Stow.

Stow, 45, suffered serious injuries, including brain damage, in the parking lot assault and receives medical care at home. The family has posted updates on Stow's condition on Support4BryanStow, including a Feb. 14 post in which they said, "We recently shaved  Bryan’s head and it was shocking to see the damage to his skull. Seeing him stare at himself in the mirror was heartbreaking. Watching him touch the shunt that protrudes on the right side of his skull, the slightly sunken in left side and all the deep scars was heartbreaking."

Thursday's hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom included victim-impact statements from Stow's family. Stow's father called the sentence "insignificant compared to what Bryan must endure."

"I envy those people who can forgive others who commit crimes against their loved ones," said Stow sister Bonnie Stow. "I'm not one of those people."

The judge also addressed Sanchez --- who appeared to smile as the judge spoke -- and Norwood, seated in blue jumpsuits at a table in front of the bench.

"Rarely, do I comment, but this is the kind of case that demands it," said Judge George Lomeli. "Even now, with your smirks, you show no remorse.

"Not only did you blindside Mr. Stow, you continued to hit him on the head and kick him in the head. You're complete cowards."

• Timeline: Investigation in Bryan Stow Case

The reported plea agreement is the latest twist in a case that led to criticism of stadium parking lot security measures and then-Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. More than seven months after the attack and after a series of decisions by Major League Baseball that went against him, McCourt was forced to sell the team to Lakers great Magic Johnson and his Guggenheim Baseball Management partners.

The investigation included a re-examining of clues after the arrest of a parolee who was later released. The Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division was eventually brought in after the exoneration of Giovanni Ramirez, once called the "prime suspect" in Stow's beating.

The investigation then turned to Norwood and Sanchez. Witnesses testified during the preliminary phase that Sanchez was intoxicated and looking for a fight with Stow, seated nearby, and at least one other fan during the rivalry game. After the game, Stow and his friends encountered Sanchez and Norwood twice in the Dodger Stadium parking lot, according to court documents.

In an Opposition to Bail Reduction filed in August 2011, prosecutors outlined their version of events on the night of the attack. Sanchez attacked Stow from behind and Norwood joined in the attack, authorities said.

• March 2011: Key Events on Night of Attack

The attack included what one Stow friend described as "full wind-up" kicks to Stow's head after he was knocked to the ground.

Norwood was characterized as the "lesser of two evils" as prosecutors explained why he did not receive the same sentence as Sanchez, considered the primary aggressor. His time served means he already fulfilled his sentence in the Stow case, but Norwood will remain in jail until a U.S. Marshal takes custody of him for a 2012 weapons case. 

The witnesses could not positively identify either defendant as an attacker, something defense attorneys said weakened the case against Sanchez and Norwood. But identification is not an issue because both defendants made statements that connect them to the beating, according to prosecutors.

• Read: Giovanni Ramirez Lawsuit Dismissed

The Stow family is expected to move forward with a civil lawsuit, scheduled for trial in May, against the Dodgers and McCourt over security measures. The family and supporters called for civility among fans after the attack, a cause joined by the Dodgers and Giants organizations.

The judge also brought up fan safety concerns during the sentencing hearing.

"You are the biggest nightmare for individuals that attend public events, such as sporting events or concerts," Lomeli said. "We run into people like you -- no civility, no respect for individuals."

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, the Dodgers organization said, "We are pleased that the culpable parties have finally accepted responsibility for their actions and have been sentenced for their crimes."

Citing the pending civil case, the team declined further comment.


 

A hearing to confirm where a sexually violent predator will be placed in Spring Valley has been canceled, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday.

The public was originally invited to comment on a proposed home for convicted sexually violent predator Terry Stone on March 17 at San Diego Superior Court.

The sheriff’s department did not release a reason for the cancellation, but said it will notify the public if a new hearing is scheduled.

Last week, the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) issued a plan to place Stone at 2919 Millar Ranch Road in Spring Valley.

Stone is a diagnosed pedophile who was convicted in three separate cases for lewd and lascivious acts against five different victims who were between the ages of 6 and 11, according to the District Attorney’s Office website.

In 1994, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison, and in 2003, he was committed to the state hospital as a sexually violent predator.

Last December, the court determined that Stone could be released into the community for continued treatment and supervision.

Since the DSH announcement, backlash started growing against Stone's proposed placement.

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Dianne Jacob released an outraged statement Feb. 13:

"Enough is enough. This is the third time in recent months that the state has moved to dump a sexually violent predator in East County. This latest predator, Terry Stone, is a diagnosed pedophile who carried out lewd and lascivious acts against children. The state is now proposing to put him in our community, close to Steele Canyon High School. That’s outrageous. No community in any part of San Diego County would stand for that. As I’ve said before, if these vile men must be housed somewhere, the only sensible spot is outside the gates of Donovan State Prison, where other sexually violent predators have been placed."

Stone's proposed Millar Ranch Road address is on a 2.2-acre piece of private property. In addition to Steele Canyon High School, other nearby schools include Jamacha Elementary (1.8 miles northeast), Cuyamaca College (2.1 miles north), Hillsdale Middle School (2.2 miles north), Rancho San Diego Elementary (2.6 miles north) and Loma Elementary School (2.7 miles west).

The public can still submit comments on Stone’s proposed location by email sdsafe@sdsheriff.org, by calling 858-495-3619 or by mail at SVP Release/SAFE Task Force, 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, CA 92123.

A Minnesota man is the lead suspect in his brother’s death in San Marcos, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Minnesota brothers Michael and Robb Young were visiting their father at his home in the 1700 block of Victoria Way in San Marcos.

On Wednesday morning around 6:30 a.m., Michael and Robb started arguing about Robb waking up early and being too noisy.

Investigators say the argument escalated into a fist fight in the home’s front yard. Michael eventually went back inside the house, but Robb did not follow.

After 40 minutes, Michael found Robb not breathing outside, so he started doing CPR.

As a neighbor passed by, Michael flagged her down and asked her to call 911. The neighbor’s husband tried to help Michael with CPR until paramedics arrived to take Robb to the hospital.

Robb was pronounced dead soon after, and his autopsy revealed his cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

When the case was classified as a homicide, deputies arrested Michael for voluntary manslaughter Thursday.

If you have any information about this incident, you’re asked to call the homicide detail at 858-974-2321 or 858-565-5200 if you are calling after hours.

After two publicized deaths in one week, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency defined the line between meningitis and meningococcal disease to answer a vital question: should the public be concerned?

On Feb. 13, Patrick Henry High School freshman Jewelean Pimentel, 14, died from what doctors believe was meningococcal disease.

Just the next day, Santee resident Jackie Lerma Billings, 52, became fatally ill from a form of bacterial meningitis.

In an explanation released Thursday, HHSA officials said the bacteria that killed Pimentel and Billings were not related.

“The 14-year-old who died last week is believed to have had meningococcal disease, which posed a potential risk to close contacts of the student,” said County Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten in the release. “The bacterial meningitis identified in the woman is due to a different type of bacteria that did not pose a risk to her close contacts.”

While meningitis and meningococcal disease are related, they are not necessarily the same thing.

Meningitis -- an infection of the tissues around the brain and spinal cord -- can be caused by a number of viruses, bacteria and other organisms, county health officials explained.

The cause of the meningitis determines its severity and how it will be treated. Symptoms include fever, intense headache and stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, drowsiness and confusion.

Viral meningitis is common and contagious, but it is rarely serious or fatal and does not require antibiotics.

The more serious meningococcal bacteria are the leading cause of meningitis in adolescents ages 11 to17, and while they’re rare, they can be fatal.

However, meningococcal bacteria can also cause an infection of the bloodstream, which is the disease suspected of killing Pimentel.

In that kind of infection, symptoms include joint pain and a red or purple rash that does not turn white when you put pressure on it – one of Pimentel’s symptoms.

Meningococcal disease is spread through close personal contact, not casual contact, which is why those in close contact with Pimentel were given antibiotics to prevent them from contracting it.

“More than 95 percent of cases of meningococcal disease are sporadic. Very few cases turn into an outbreak,” Wooten said. “San Diego does not have a meningitis outbreak.”

Billings’ death was due to meningitis caused by a different bacteria type unrelated to meningococcal.

As for public concern, health officials said meningococcal disease is not as contagious as the common cold or flu.

The HHSA investigates all possible causes of meningitis, especially to if it's suspected meningococcal disease. They then give antibiotics to those in close contact with the victim if it's a serious case.

Pimentel’s suspected meningococcal disease is the second reported case in the county in 2014 and the first death, health officials say. Three people died and 16 were sickened by meningococcal disease in 2013.

Every year, between 1,000 and 1,200 people get meningococcal disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ten to 15 percent of those people die, while another 11 to 19 percent lose arms or legs, become deaf, develop nervous system issue or suffer seizures or strokes.

Because it is so dangerous when caught, the officials recommend teens get a vaccine to prevent certain strains.

However, it does not cover all strains; Pimentel’s parents said she died despite getting the vaccination.

San Diego’s interim mayor said he has complete confidence in the city’s police chief despite a widening scandal involving a former officer charged with sex crimes and a second officer accused of misconduct on the job.

Interim Mayor Todd Gloria used the phrase “handful of bad apples” to describe a police officer under investigation for touching a female in custody and exposing himself and the former police officer who was arrested and faces criminal charges for similar conduct.

Former officer Christopher Hays, who resigned from the department Wednesday, has been charged with false imprisonment and sexual battery.

Late Wednesday, Chief William Lansdowne announced that while investigating Hays, his department learned another officer is accused of inappropriately touching a woman.

The interim mayor pointed to what he described as swift action in connection with former San Diego police officer Christopher Hays, and the “full disclosure and transparency” shown Wednesday was proof that the city is taking the allegations seriously.

He said he has seen no evidence to show it’s a systemic problem and looks to an upcoming external audit to confirm that’s the case.

Gloria pointed out as serious as the allegations are, the officers accused of misconduct are a small percentage of the force: just two out of 1725.

“If they are following the law and doing their jobs well, as most of them do, they will have our support. If they are breaking the law, we will actively and aggressively take action to get them out of the field and have them leave the department,” Gloria said.

The city can rely on Lansdowne to fix the problems plaguing the department he’s been in charge of for more than a decade, Gloria said.

Hays faces two felony false imprisonment charges and three misdemeanor sexual battery charges for “improper pat downs.” He left the department because he felt betrayed by his colleagues. He is free on bail.

Lansdowne did not identify the second officer accused of misconduct because he has not been charged in the investigation.

The external audit could cost upwards of $200,000.

“Whatever expense it is, again, I don’t think there’s a cost that’s too high to pay to make sure we have the public’s trust,” Gloria said.

The chief will make a decision on the audit next week and present it to a City Council committee.
 

Teachers in Alpine walked off the job Thursday to protest pay and benefit cuts.

The Alpine Unified School District Board recently approved a 7.85 percent salary cut and an $8,000 cap on health benefit contributions.

The district has said that the increase in costs concerning health care coverage along with declining state funding has left them no choice but to approve the cuts.

"We have a proposal on the table that we really believe is good for all employees and helps restore. If we could give them their proposal and fund their proposal we would love to do that. It's just financially that would bankrupt us," said Superintendent Tom Pellegrino.

Teachers held signs as they stood outside schools and the district office before 7 a.m.

Jeanne Prins, a psychologist with the district, said she will see an $1100 net loss in salary this month.

Prins said the teachers are aware of declining enrollment and had been working to negotiate salary cuts with the district. 

She has been with the district for 25 years and said she and her husband can financially survive the cuts. However, she’s concerned about some of the teachers who are looking for second jobs. 

"After 32 years this is the respect I'm getting, people making decisions on how to spend money because they feel technology, they feel all these other things are more important than the teacher," said third grade teacher Vicki Pool.

The teachers want people to know they're not striking for a raise but rather less of a cut.

"It's unbelievable and it's so disrespectful and it's devastating for everyone involved and when people say we are being selfish, we are trying to hold our families together, we're trying to pay our bills we're trying to have medical care for our kids. This is not what we want to do. This is what he have to do," said third grade teacher Kris Itokazu.

"There's nothing more in this world I want to do than to honor and compensate teachers at the highest levels but when the money is not there what are you supposed to do," Pellegrino said.

The Joan MacQueen Middle School principal said the district is prepared for the strike and has hired substitutes to fill-in.

A one-pound Florida panther kitten was rescued by wildlife officials at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Immokalee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Thursday.

The kitten was found unresponsive with a very low body temperature when he was only 7 days old, officials said.

Biologists took the kitten to the Animal Specialty Hospital of Florida, where the animal received life-saving procedures.

• Fishing Rope Cut From Endangered Whale First Spotted in Florida

The panther is now getting 24-hour care at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.

“Our goal is always return to the wild whenever possible, but because this kitten was so young at the time of rescue, he will not learn survival skills from his mother and therefore cannot be released into the wild,” the FWC said in a Facebook post.

Once the kitten is old enough, he will be put on display at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

A Mexican businessman and multi-millionaire, accused of helping funnel more than $500,000 into San Diego political campaigns, made his first federal court appearance Thursday.

Jose Susumo Azano, 48, pleaded not guilty one count of illegal contributions by a foreign national.

Susumo Azano was arrested Wednesday morning at his Coronado home, FBI officials confirm. 

The prosecutor asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell D. Dembin not to set bail. In addition to being a flight risk, the prosecutor argued that Susumo Azano is also a danger to other witnesses in the case.

The defense argued that Susumo Azano should be allowed to stay in his Coronado home. The defendant's pilot agreed to give the key to Susumo Azano's private jet to the court so he could not use the jet to flee to U.S.

After hearing both sides, Magistrate Judge Dembin set bail at $5 million. Susumo Azano will be confined to his home with a GPS monitoring device and cannot go to Mexico for any reason. However, the prosecution could appeal the magistrate's decision.

Prosecutors claim Susumo Azano broke federal law by making contributions to U.S. elections using foreign funds, saying this could be "one of the largest (election) frauds in U.S. history."

A federal prosecutor previously said Susumo Azano had hoped that local politicians, including former Mayor Bob Filner, would help him in his quest to build up the San Diego bayfront, at the foot of Broadway.

Susumo Azano is the fourth person charged in the investigation into recent San Diego's mayoral and Congressional campaigns.

Lobbyist Marco Polo Cortes, former San Diego police detective Ernesto Encinas and D.C.-based campaign services executive Ravneet Singh also face charges in connection with the case.

NBC 7 has learned Cortes met with both Mayor-elect Kevin Faulconer and City Councilman David Alvarez who ran for mayor within the last three years.

Key Players in the Campaign Finance Scandal

Susumo Azano owns a surveillance software company in Mexico and maintains a villa in Coronado.

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

A motorist came to the rescue of a baby who started turning blue on the side of the Dolphin Expressway in Miami on Thursday, the Miami Herald reported.

Pamela Rauseo was stuck in traffic just east of 57th Avenue when her 5-month-old nephew, Sebastian de la Cruz, stopped breathing. Lucila Godoy happened to be stuck in the same traffic and was able to come to Sebastian's aid, performing CPR on the side of the road, the Herald reported.

• Figure Skating Controversy; Online Petition Gains 1M Signatures

Rauseo told reporters she was in panic and kept thinking she could not let anything happen to the baby while he was with her.

Rauseo, Godoy and a Sweetwater Police officer each performed CPR until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived and rushed Sebastian to Jackson Memorial Hospital's pediatrics unit.

The baby was listed in critical but stable condition Friday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

• Joy and Jubilation: Top Medal Moments at Sochi
  

Two people were rushed to the hospital after a reported hash oil explosion in El Cajon. 

The San Miguel Fire District received calls about an explosion just after 2:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of Brabham Street. 

When they arrived, they found one apartment destroyed and several others damaged. Two apartment residents were severely burned and were taken to the hospital.

The San Diego Sheriff's Department said investigators found a hash oil lab had exploded. 

Residents of the apartment had to be evacuated for a time. 

Sheriff's deputies and fire officials remained on scene to investigate.

A driver narrowly avoided getting hit by a train in Vista Thursday night.

The driver jumped from the vehicle right before it was hit by the Sprinter train, according to officials.

The incident happened just after 8:30 p.m. at South Santa Fe Avenue and Woodland Drive.

South Santa Fe, Woodland and York Drive were blocked off after the accident, backing up traffic.

No injuries have been reported.

There is no word yet if this could impact Friday’s morning commute.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol are investigating.

Check back for updates.

In 2012, Padres 3rd baseman Chase Headley looked like he had blossomed in to a perennial All-Star that a team can build a lineup around.

In 2013, he looked like a serviceable option at the Hot Corner that a team can add to a lineup to support the All-Star it's trying to build around.

In 2014, Headley has been asked what went wrong. A lot.

"That's the million-dollar question is trying to figure out what went wrong," said Headley. "You go back and evaluate the things you did last year. You look at the swings, you look at the preparation, you look at the training the season before, and you make adjustments. That's something you do every year, regardless of if it goes well or if it goes poorly."

The other question is, which is the real Chase Headley? The 2012 version that finished 5th in the MVP balloting or the 2013 version that was was much closer to his pre-breakout season averages?

Chase thinks he can be the former.

"There are some things that I found," said Headley. "Some mechanical things that we're going to work on a little bit this year. I think a big thing was just having a chance to get healthy."

Chase injured his thumb sliding in to second base during Cactus League play and missed the first 14 games of the year (in which the Padres went 4-10). The larger issue was a nagging knee injury that required post-season surgery. People around Headley know it hampered his production, but he never complained about the pain he was in.

"I don't want those ailments last year to be an excuse because everybody goes through tough things. But, having said that, it's great to come in healthy and feel like your body's in a place you want it to be. Hopefully I can keep it as healthy as I can this year."

Chase, whose defense did not suffer nearly as much as his offensive performance last year, says he is 100 percent healthy entering Spring Training. His health is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes the San Diego's offensive health concerns.

Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Kyle Blanks are all coming off seasons shortened (if not completely missed) by injury. If (and this is admittedly a big "if") all their pieces can stay on the field, Headley believes he can taste the post-season for the first time since 2006, when he and the Lake Elsinore Storm reached the California League playoff.s

"This is the most talent we've had since I've been here. It's very exciting. There's a confidence, there's a quiet expectation that we expect to go out there and win."

Headley and the Padres agreed to a one-year contract worth $10.5 million during the off-season. He will be an unrestricted free agent after 2014. If the season does not go as well as everyone in Peoria is hoping, Chase will likely be involved in the great cat-and-mouse game that is the July trade deadline.

Military forces are taught to defend themselves when they are in action.  Now, more and more need to be taught to defend themselves here at home against scam artists.

The Better Business Bureau Military Line says there is a new website scam where criminals are attempting to take advantage of soldiers and their families.  The U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Command found the site usmilitarybenefit.org and discovered it was run by thieves trying to trick soldiers out of their email addresses and passwords.

While this site targets members of the Army, all branches of the military need to be warned.

Personal financial manager Ed Olander works for the Navy Fleet and Family Support Center in San Diego. 

"They'll think it is an official site and they will go to it and get logged in, and the next thing you know they are getting ripped off," Olander said.

Olander says it's not only members of the military need to be careful, but also their families.

"Scam artists, if they work the area, are going to to know when the Ronald Reagan battle group is out.  So they may target the housing areas where they think are a lot of spouses," he said.

Shery Reichert with the San Diego Better Business Bureau says it is easy to see why men and women in uniform are targeted.

"Because they are mobile, they are young and they have a regular paycheck," Reichert said.

But Reichert says it's frustrating to see these people in the target of scammers.

"These guys are putting their lives on the line for us, and they are being specifically targeted by these con men," she said.