Agencies all over California are cracking down on water use - or considering doing so -  as the state faces emergency drought situations after the driest winter in state history.

Up in Northern California, the Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District board of directors on Monday night unanimously adopted the 50 percent mandatory cutbacks in an effort to maintain as much water as they can in drought-plagued Lake Mendocino.

That means Ukiah Valley residents, businesses and farmers must cut their dependence on the lake by half in March, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The move came after authorities measured an estimated 28,512 acre feet of water in the  lake, about 41.7 percent of capacity.

Folsom residents in the Sacramento Valley have already been ordered by the city council to reduce their water consumption by 20 percent.

•  California Drought Response Includes Help From NASA Satellites

And in Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara Valley Water District's board of directors on Tuesday unanimously approved a 20 percent mandatory reduction in water use for the public - double what the agency first requested last month. Exactly how it would be enforced has not been decided.

"Probably the easiest way for most households is to cut down on your outdoor water use, which is half of most customers' water use," said Marty Grimes of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. "If you use only half you can already cut 25 percent."

The board in January asked water users to cut back 10 percent. But since the area has received little rain, the state has eliminated supplies of imported water to the region.

"If it rains we need at least eight inches to see enough runoff to make it to our reservoirs," said Joan Maher of the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

• Berkeley Girl Among CA Children Who Contracted Polio-Like Illness

The district's 20 percent reduction call is a recommendation -- it does not have the authority to issue fines. The board is recommending water companies they work with to implement mandatory restrictions, which could result in fines or higher water bills if customers do not conserve.

Meanwhile, Santa Cruz has barred restaurants from serving drinking water unless requested and Marin County residents are asked not to wash their cars or do so only at eco-friendly car washes, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Other cities are taking a more voluntary approach.

In Southern California's Ventura, for example, residents were asked earlier this month to voluntarily reduce their water use by 10 percent.

• Weather Info from NBC Bay Area

A San Diego man is grieving over the sudden death of his roommate who was killed in a hit and run crash in Hillcrest while walking his dog.

Rudy Delgado not only lost his friend of 15 years, but was in the hospital himself when he heard the devastating news.

On Sunday at around 7 p.m., Delgado’s roommate, identified by Delgado as 35-year-old Aaron Vorhies, was walking along the 1000-block of University Avenue between Vermont Street and 10th Avenue when he was fatally struck by a black pickup truck.

The truck failed to stop and continued driving eastbound on University Avenue.

At the time, Vorhies was walking Delgado’s Chihuahua mix, “Minnie.” The dog survived the collision but Vorhies did not. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.

Delgado heard about the hit and run on the news when he saw a photo of Minnie on NBC 7.

In an emotional, exclusive interview Tuesday, Delgado told NBC 7 that losing his longtime friend is extremely difficult. He said Vorhies was taking care of Minnie for him while he was at the hospital.

“It’s hard to wake up this morning and know that your friend is not there anymore,” he said. “To go out there and know that his bed’s not slept in and then my dog wasn’t there, so, you know, it’s been a rough couple hours.”

Now out of the hospital, Delgado went to the San Diego County Animal Shelter Tuesday morning in hopes of being reunited with his dog, Minnie.

However, the reunion will have to wait a little while.

Delgado found out that Minnie is currently in the care of a foster home. The home has been asked to return the dog to Delgado, which should happen soon.

In the meantime, police are still searching for the driver involved in the deadly hit and run crash. Investigators believe the truck is a four-wheel drive vehicle that may have sustained some front-end damage. Witnesses said there was a passenger in the truck at the time of the collision.
 

A curious koala escaped its enclosure at the San Diego Zoo Tuesday, spurring a search and eventual stakeout by keepers, zoo officials confirmed.

According to Jenny Mehlow, public relations spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo, the koala – named "Mundu" – somehow made his way out of his habitat. When zookeepers noticed the koala was missing, a search ensued.

Mehlow said keepers eventually found the koala high above in a tree outside the exhibit.

Mehlow said the koala appeared to be in good condition. As of 1 p.m., zookeepers were maintaining a close eye on the animal and planned to wait until the zoo closed for the day to lure him down from the tree. The zoo was set to close at 5 p.m.

By 5:45 p.m., zoo officials said Mundu was back in his exhibit, safe and sound.

Mehlow said Mundu was born in 2012 and is just entering the curious phase of his young life.

Though the zoo’s koala exhibit features a live “Koala Cam,” the camera did not capture Mundu’s escape, Mehlow said.

Ted Molter, spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo, said Mundu may have grabbed a branch just outside the exhibit and quietly swung his way out.

“He was born in 2012 so he was just recently weaned from his mom and as a young male with spring time coming he's becoming very much aware of being a young male so that sent him into a little bit of exploration mode," Molter explained.

The koala exhibit, dubbed the Conrad Prebys Australian Outback, opened in May 2013 with 21 koalas. The exhibit spans three acres and is also home to other marsupial species including wallabies, wombats and short-beaked echidna.

The koala harem yards at the Conrad Prebys Australian Outback allow visitors to get close to the animals and watch the marsupials as they sunbathe, nap and eat while perched in the trees.

The San Diego Zoo has had a long-standing koala program and currently boasts the largest breeding colony of Queensland koalas outside of Australia.

This koala escape isn’t the first mishap involving a wayward animal at the San Diego Zoo or San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

In June 2013, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park asked for the public’s help to find a painted stork that got swept up in a wind gust and flew off zoo grounds.

In March 2013, two striped hyenas were able to get past one of the barriers inside their enclosure at the zoo, temporarily escaping. In that instance, the zoo was placed on lockdown until the hyenas were found by keepers.
 

A judge has thrown out two convictions against a former San Diego police officer serving an eight year prison sentence for sexually assaulting female victims.

Tuesday’s decision by Judge Jeffrey Fraser could mean that Anthony Arevalos will have his prison sentence reduced by more than three years.

Judge Fraser vacated Arevalo’s convictions on one count of sexual battery by restraint, and one count of assault and battery by a peace officer, involving a victim identified in court as “Jane Doe”.

That sexual battery conviction accounted for three years of the eight year-eight month sentence Arevalos s is current serving.

Special Section: Trouble Behind the Badge

The former officer pulled over female drivers from 2009 to 2011 and asked for favors in exchange for letting them out of traffic citations.

However, it was the March 8, 2011 incident between Arevalos and the victim identified only as “Jane Doe” that led to his arrest and an investigation.

Jane Doe used written notes to tell police investigators what happened that night as Arevalos followed her into a 7-Eleven bathroom.

The notes stated that Arevalos asked her to turn over her bra and panties in the car or go to 7-Eleven and show him her breasts. In the trial, Jane Doe testified that Arevalos touched her private parts.

Arevalos and his attorney had challenged his conviction on those two counts on the basis that prosecutors violated his rights by not sharing those notes with the defense.

According to the judge’s decision, those notes did not contain any mention that Arevalos had touched Jane Doe’s vagina.

"The jury was never challenged to consider that it might not have occurred," Judge Fraser wrote in his decision.

Read: Judge's Decision in Arevalos Case

Judge Fraser ordered that Arevalos will be re-sentenced on the remaining counts that he was convicted on, unless prosecutors appeal today’s ruling.

Fraser also said that prosecutors instead have the option of retrying Arevalos on those two counts.

The San Diego County District Attorney's Office will appeal.

“Our focus is on making sure this defendant continues to be held accountable for the sexual assaults he committed against multiple victims,” the DA's spokesperson said.

Jane Doe's attorney has said the San Diego Police Department knew about the notes.

He claims they failed to turn them over so that there would be grounds for an appeal and that Arevalos could get out of his prison sentence for this technicality.

San Diego city and police officials have not commented on the attorney's claims.

The singer of the Grammy-nominated Christian metal band As I Lay Dying has pleaded guilty to his role in a murder-for-hire plot.

Tim Lambesis entered a guilty plea to one felony count of solicitation of murder in San Diego court Tuesday, admitting that he hired a hit man to kill his estranged wife.

As a result of a plea agreement, Lambesis could serve nine years according to a court clerk.

The Carlsbad resident was arrested in May 2013 on charges of solicitation of another to commit murder and conspiracy to commit a crime.

• Learn more about Lambesis' music career

Prosecutors alleged that Lambesis approached a trainer from his gym and asked if the person knew anyone who could kill his wife, Meggan Lambesis of Del Mar.

"He wanted to know if maybe I could find someone to do it for him," personal trainer Brett Kimball testified at a pretrial hearing.

Lambesis provided the undercover agent with an envelope containing $1,000 cash for expenses, his wife’s address and gate codes, pictures of her and specific dates when he would have the children and thus, an alibi.

Lambesis explained he wanted his wife dead because she was going to get up to 60 percent of his income and would not allow their children – ages 4, 8, and 10 – to go on tour with him, the deputy testified.

Court documents reveal Meggan Lambesis had filed for divorce in September 2012 to end the couple’s 8-year marriage.

In the divorce records obtained by the Associated Press, Meggan Lambesis claims the rocker had become "obsessed with bodybuilding" and was distracted with the children, even falling asleep once while watching them.

• Read: Steroids Found in Lambesis' Home

She also claimed he has spent thousands of dollars on tattoos.

Lambesis is out on $3 million bail. Sentencing is scheduled for May 2.

A pedestrian died after being hit by a car on Tuesday in Spring Valley.

The accident happened just after 4:30 p.m. at Jamacha Boulevard and La Presa Avenue.

The westbound lanes of Jamacha are closed as the California Highway Patrol investigates the crash. Officers expect to be on the scene for several hours.

The victim's name has not been released.

Check back for updates.
 

It appears a bobcat attacking pets in one San Diego community has struck again.

The latest incident happened Tuesday at a home on Rimgate Court in Rancho Peñasquitos.

A woman told NBC 7 that the bobcat ate two of her neighbor's pet rabbits.

“It went into their backyard, about eight feet away from the sliding back door, and ate two of their family bunnies that were out back,” Jan Van Horn said.

Van Horn said they weren’t small pet rabbits, but 15-pound French Lops.

“Even a small dog could be eaten,” she said.

Van Horn said she’s speaking out to make sure her neighbors know about the bobcat, especially as the attacks get more brazen and closer to homes.

“I feel bad for our neighbors because we have a vicious animal that’s jumping six-foot fences and coming into our backyards and taking our pets,” she said.

On Jan. 23, a bobcat managed to get into the backyard of a home in nearby Torrey Highlands and ate one of the family's pet chickens.

There is no confirmation that the same bobcat is responsible for both attacks, but Van Horn believes it is.

“We’re used to a lot of animals on the streets. We’ve had coyotes in our front yard. We’ve had many snakes, and we’ve seen all sorts of animals,” she said. “This is the closest we’ve had with a bobcat.”

On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council approved an ordinance that will regulate the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries.

The ordinance passed in an 8-1 vote.

Timeline: Medical Marijuana in San Diego

The ordinance will limit pot dispensaries to industrial and commercial areas. In addition, the shops will have to be at least 1,000 feet from places like schools, parks, churches, nursing homes and other marijuana dispensaries.

There can also be no more than four pot shops in each council district.

“This ordinance provides clear and fair rules which will result in access to medical marijuana for legitimate San Diego patients and safeguard neighborhoods from negative impacts associated with dispensaries,” Interim Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement.

However, not all San Diegans are in favor.

“I see that there’s no reason to have confidence in this city to establish a scheme that would work. That is the biggest problem,” said Scott Chipman with San Diegans for Safe Neighborhoods, a group that opposed the ordinance.

San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne is stepping down from his job as top cop.

This comes in the wake of multiple accusations of sexual misconduct in the department.

In a statement released Tuesday, SDPD said the chief's stepping down was his own decision.

San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne is announcing his retirement from the San Diego Police Department, effective Monday March 3, 2014. The Chief has served the citizens of San Diego for over 10 years and has successfully led the Department through countless critical events.

Although Mayor Elect Kevin Faulconer did not ask for the Police Chief to resign, Chief Lansdowne felt it was time to do so. The Chief absolutely supports the new Mayor and believes in his vision and direction for the City.

This was a difficult decision for Chief Lansdowne to make as he considers San Diego his home and truly values the citizens of this city and the employees who work here.

• Special Section: Trouble Behind the Badge

City Leaders React

Faulconer echoed the statement at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

"The decision to resign was the chief's and the chief's alone," Faulconer said.

The mayor-elect thanked Lansdowne for his service and dedication to the department.

"Chief Lansdowne has had a stellar career of 50 years in law enforcement," he said.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said he talked to Lansdowne about his retirement before the news broke. Gore said the chief had mixed emotions about leaving.

• Read: Sheriff's Statement on Lansdowne's Retirement

“There’s a new mayor, a chance for new administration, for him to pick his own chief. Although I think the mayor has made it clear this was Bill’s decision, and I respect him when he says that,” Gore said. “Maybe Bill just decided it was time.”

Interim Mayor Todd Gloria, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and the San Diego Police Officers Association also released statements showing appreciation for Chief Lansdowne’s service.

• Read: Interim Mayor's Statement on Lansdowne's Retirement

The chief's decision to step down came as a surprise to many. In an interview with NBC 7 on Feb. 17, Lansdowne said he wanted to stay on the job and see the department through the scandal.

“I would like to stay. I’m excited about this police department and everything they do, but I also understand it’s his (Faulconer’s) decision to make,” Lansdowne said.

At 69, Lansdowne has been leading the SDPD for 10 years. That’s longer than the three year average term of most big city police chiefs, he said.

Moving Forward

Faulconer did not reveal plans to replace Lansdowne, except to say details would be released “in the very near future.”

Gloria suggested a nationwide search to find the next chief.

“I think you stick with what works. That’s what we did with Bill Lansdowne. He came to us after that extensive process, one where the community was really invited to come in and share their thoughts on what they’d like to see in a police chief,” Gloria said.

Former City Councilwoman Donna Frye agreed. Frye, who was first to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against former Mayor Bob Filner, told NBC 7 that she thinks change is good for SDPD.

"I hope they search for a replacement from outside the department," Frye said.

Before his resignation, Lansdowne proposed an outside audit to crack down on any misconduct inside the department. The local American Civil Liberties Union hopes the audit will still take place even without Lansdowne at the helm.

“Civil rights and civil liberties do not need to be sacrificed in the name of public safety. The San Diego Police Department will be more effective at keeping our city safe when the public knows that officers are held accountable and cannot act with impunity,” Executive Director Norma Chavez-Peterson said in a statement.

The Scandals

SDPD has been in the limelight in recent weeks due to ongoing investigations into sexual misconduct allegations involving two separate police officers.

Former Officer Christopher Hays, 30 – who’s no longer employed with the department, effective last week – is accused of giving several women improper pat downs on the job. Officer Donald Moncrief, 39, is accused of touching a woman inappropriately during an arrest in the South Bay last year and allegedly exposing himself to the woman. Moncrief has not been formally charged.

As a result of these recent cases, Lansdowne had called for an outside audit into the police department to review how the SDPD handles misconduct among officers.

Former police officer Anthony Arevalos is serving an eight-year prison sentence for multiple sex crimes. On Tuesday, a judge threw out two of the convictions involving one of the victims and a meeting with the then-uniformed officer in a convenience store bathroom.

• Read: Judge Throws Out Convictions in Ex-Cop Case

Also on Tuesday, the department released information about a new arrest involving a police officer. Sixteen-year veteran of the force, Det. Karen Almos, was arrested on suspicion of DUI and has been placed on administrative duties.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A passenger terminal at PortMiami was evacuated after an old compass that was emitting radiation was found Wednesday morning, officials said.

The antique compass was found in a bag at Terminal B by Customs and Border Protection agents, Miami-Dade Fire officials said.

• Man Hit With $2K Bill for Surprise 17-Hour Call

The terminal was evacuated as a precaution and the guest was detained to determine the radiation level in their backpack, officials said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Hazmat team was responded and was taking precaution to make sure there is no danger.

Check back with NBC 6 South Florida and NBC6.com for updates.

New York men unable to grow thick, bushy facial hair are increasingly turning to costly beard transplants to rock the popular look.

Dr. Yael Halaas, a plastic surgeon who specializes in beard transplants, said that there are a "variety of men who come for the procedure, but definitely we're seeing a trend of young, stylish men."

"Hipsters, metrosexuals — people who are clued into having a cool look," Halaas told NBC 4 New York. 

New York doctors are seeing an uptick in the number of beard transplants for men who are forking over as much as $7,000 for the procedure, where hair is harvested from the head or chest and implanted into bald spots on the face.

The result can eventually grow to become a full beard, like those often seen on men in trendy New York City neighborhoods where thick facial hair has come into vogue. The beard hair takes root and grows gradually. After a patient is fully healed, the hair can be shaved and groomed like original facial hair.

Dr. Glenn Charles, a Florida-based surgeon, told DNAInfo.com that 30 percent of his clients come from New York City and some show up with a celebrity photo in hand.

George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Tom Selleck are popular models for clients opting for the procedure, he said.

Six victims of last year’s deadly Venice Boardwalk car rampage filed a civil complaint against the city of Los Angeles.

The complaint alleges the city was negligent by failing to put up barricades to keep cars off the pedestrian-only strip.

The legal challenge comes more than six months after an Italian woman on her honeymoon was killed and at least 16 others were injured on the boardwalk.

Nathan Campbell, a convicted shoplifter from Colorado, allegedly plowed into people with his Dodge Avenger.

Campbell, 38, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in the Aug. 3 crash.

His attorney, Philip Dube, has said his client struggled to get the car out of park because of a faulty shift lever, gunned it, then panicked when it lurched forward and hit Alice Gruppioni, 32, who died.

Mustafa Balci, one of the victims, told NBC4 in an exclusive interview that his wife, Yesim, still has nightmares.

“Even when we walk outside, she’s afraid that the car’s coming toward her,” he said.

Marchino Filippo, the attorney representing the victims in the case, said the city of LA "greatly failed" his clients. He said it was "a tragedy bound to happen."

Campbell was able to negotiate around barriers designed to keep out cars before barreling down the walkway, the complaint said.

City officials knew that unauthorized vehicles regularly got onto the boardwalk, many resulting in injuries, Filippo said.

"That, alone, should have been sufficient warning for the city to act," he said. "We are confident justice will prevail, and our clients will be able to obtain just compensation for their life altering injuries."

Days after the crash, Mayor Eric Garcetti vowed to increase safety measures near the boardwalk.

The crash was only 3 miles away from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, where nine people were killed by a motorist in 2003.

After that crash, Santa Monica city officials installed metal bollards to prevent a similar tragedy, court papers said.

Ben & Jerry’s has unveiled four new ice cream flavors, but it’s what in the middle of the pint that is getting all the attention.

The Vermont-based company, known for limited-batch flavors with off-beat names, has come up with a new ice cream concept which they are calling “Cores.” The ice cream features a column of gooey goodness running down the center.

The new "Core" flavors include “Hazed & Confused,” “Peanut Butter Fudge,” “Salted Caramel” and “That's My Jam.”

“Hazed and Confused” is chocolate and hazelnut ice cream with fudge chips and a hazelnut fudge core.

“Peanut Butter Fudge” has chocolate and peanut butter ice cream with mini peanut butter cups and a peanut butter fudge.

“Salted Caramel” is sweet cream ice cream with blonde brownies and a salted caramel core.

“That's My Jam” is chocolate and raspberry ice cream on either side of a raspberry core.

The flavors were inspired by the ice-cream maker's popular Karamel Sutra flavor, which is chocolate and caramel ice cream with fudge chips and a caramel core, the company said in a press release Monday.

“We wanted to blow out the concept of fun flavors, chunks and swirls and take it over the top,” said  Ben & Jerry's lead flavor developer Eric Fredette.

The pints cost $4.39 each and will be available in U.S. stores in February.

Ice cream lovers everywhere rejoiced at Ben & Jerry's announcment, taking to social media to share their execitment about the new treats:

Ben & Jerry's unveiled four new flavors. The world will never be the same... because it will taste of salted caramel. http://t.co/cC61WDxwNx

— Negin Farsad (@NeginFarsad) February 26, 2014

Um. Want. Now. RT @HuffingtonPost: Ben and Jerry's nails it with new core ice cream flavors http://t.co/iPKjv4c53Q pic.twitter.com/VIiYMHDOS9

— epnebelle (@epnebelle) February 26, 2014

This new Ben & Jerry's looks amazing. I need a bad day to happen so I can justify eating a whole pint. http://t.co/QbF3cCgvB7

— Natalie Wardel (@nataliewardel) February 26, 2014

Holy Mackerel, possibly the BEST invention of all time! Ben & Jerry's New Core Ice Cream @HuffingtonPost @benandjerry http://t.co/54BY0mN1mo

— Inder Singh (@inderstweet) February 26, 2014

Scroll down this & your stomach will start to grumble! Ben & Jerry's Core Ice cream looks #yum http://t.co/23CGLDtFVt #9NewsMornings

— Kyle Dyer (@KyleDyer9News) February 26, 2014

My life (and waistline) will never be the same: Ben & Jerry's New Invention Could Change Ice Cream Forever http://t.co/aBKPmNpQk4

— Logan Tittle (@logantittle) February 26, 2014

A man working to remove a large date palm from a yard at a home in El Cajon was crushed to death when the tree accidentally fell on him, authorities confirmed.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner has identified the man as Bernardo Teran, 49, of San Diego.

The deadly incident happened Wednesday around 11 a.m. at a residence in the 1500-block of Falda Del Cerro Ct.

Leonard Villarreal with the San Miguel Fire District said the victim was working in the yard with a crew of five people, including his two sons.

The group was attempting to remove an 18- to 20-foot-tall date palm tree. They expected the large tree to fall onto a designated path to the ground, but Villarreal said some sort of mishap occurred and the tree ended up falling on the father, killing him.

Emergency crews rushed to the work site, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The Medical Examiner was called out to recover the body.

Villarreal said investigators from Cal/OSHA were also called to the scene to determine how the fatal accident happened.

Police are hoping more victims will come forward after a Southern California chiropractor was charged with sexually assaulting one of his patients during an office visit.

Nosrat Ghodousi, 59, of Encino, has been a practicing chiropractor in the San Fernando Valley area for 24 years. He is accused of fondling and sexually assaulting a female patient in December 2013 during what was supposed to be a regular exam at his Van Nuys office, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Ghodousi was charged with one count of sexual penetration with a foreign object and sexual battery by fraud, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Monday.

LAPD detectives are asking for the public's help in finding other women who may have been victims of Ghodousi.

Anyone with information regarding these crimes is encouraged to contact Detective Maria Mendoza at Van Nuys Division, Sexual Assault Detail at 818-374-0040 or email 34553@lapd.lacity.org.

Ghodousi's arraignment on Tuesday was postponed until March 24. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.

Michael Pratt couldn’t believe his eyes when he opened his Verizon bill shortly after arriving home from a two-week long family vacation in Aruba last October.

The monthly charges, which typically hovered around $400 for his home and business phones, soared to more than $2,690. Inspecting page three of the bill, the Gloucester County, N.J. grandfather found charges for a marathon phone call lasting 17 hours and 44 minutes.

"You can’t talk on the phone for 17 hours," said the 68-year-old laundromat owner from Elk Township, N.J.

Pratt said his daughter, who along with her two kids was on vacation with he and his wife, had mistakenly left her credit card and cell phone back in the States. She used his phone to call her bank and have a replacement card shipped to the Caribbean island.

He says she hung the Samsung Galaxy 4 smartphone right up, but when that phone call ended, the charges kept on coming.

"She borrowed my phone. She made one phone call and that’s when everything started," he said. "She finally got the cards, but when I got home, I got this horrendous bill," he said.

On Pratt’s bill, which he provided to NBC10.com, there were 36 charges tied to a toll-free number stretching from 3:38 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 26, 2013 until 9:22 a.m. the following day. Thirty-four of the charges were billed in 30-minute increments, all to the same number, each time stamped at either 22 minutes or 52 minutes past every hour. At $1.99 a minute, that one phone call totaled $2,073.58.

Figuring there was a mistake, Pratt says he called Verizon to dispute the charges. A case was created, but after four months of back-and-forth conversations about the issue, earlier this month a company representative said he was on the hook for the charges.

"Basically the end comment was, 'Well, we can’t do nothing; it was your problem; you used the phone.' Well I didn’t use it for 17 hours," he said.

A call to the 800 number listed on the bill is met with an automated system for mobile phone carrier Sprint. Pratt believes someone else handled the international call and billed Verizon for the roaming, who in turn billed him.

"They talked to the roaming carrier and said I used the phone. Well, I didn’t use the phone. My daughter used it one time and once the connection broke, the roaming charges should have stopped," he said.

Pratt’s bill shows he also made nearly three dozen other phone calls to the U.S. from Aruba on his phone without experiencing the same issue.

NBC10.com reached out to Verizon about the issue. After several days of investigation, spokesman Sheldon Jones said late Tuesday that the company would be removing the charges, taxes and fees from Pratt’s bill.

"I think at the end of the day, it just looked like the calls were irregular and that led us to decide to refund the customer the charges," Jones said.

Asked whether a wireless phone call could stay connected continuously for more than 17 hours, Jones said it is unlikely, citing either the phone’s battery dying if it wasn’t plugged in, or the call timing out.

Verizon is still looking into what happened with the call. Jones said the company’s customer care team is investigating whether Pratt was the victim of some sort of scam, but could not elaborate as to what type it might be.

A spokesperson for Sprint, whose automated system a call to the 800 number listed on the bill is directed, said the carrier believes it may have been a scam as well.

Questioned why it took Pratt so long to get a resolution to his billing issue, Jones said it takes time to get bills and responses from their third-party roaming partners. He said the company does not disclose who those partners are.

"In a scenario when it’s roaming, it’s not uncommon for it to take a couple of months because we have to get the bills back from the roaming carrier," he said.

Jones said customers need to be vigilant at checking their bills and be persistent when fighting charges they believe to be wrong.

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

A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor died after being struck by a school bus in Montgomery County, Md., Wednesday afternoon.

With the help of his walker, Elia Miranski was crossing Columbia Pike at Tech Road in Silver Spring about 2:20 p.m. when he was struck by a school bus contracted by Howard County Public Schools. Miranski, who was going shopping, safely crossed the southbound lanes before continuing across the northbound lanes, where he was struck.

He was taken to a local hospital where he died.

Fourteen students and two employees from Hammond Middle School in Laurel were on the bus, which was returning from a field trip to the White House, but none of them was injured. Another bus went to the scene to pick up the students and returned them to school.

Miranski's family confirmed to News4's Shomari Stone that he was a Holocaust survivor. The family had no other comment Wednesday evening.

Police are interviewing the bus driver, 52-year-old Lori Jean Latimer, and witnesses to determine who had the right of way, News4's Kristin Wright reported.

Police also are investigating traffic signal sequences at the intersection.

A man was arrested Wednesday, accused of getting a La Jolla teenager drunk and sexually assaulting her, police said.

San Diego police arrested Erick Rojas, 22, after a teenager was heard yelling for help at an apartment complex near 7600 Palmilla Drive around 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Witnesses reported seeing several people in the pool area according to San Diego police.

After a security guard called 911, officers arrived and attempted to talk with Rojas but they say he ran from police.

Officers told NBC 7 they used pepper spray to ultimately get Rojas into custody.

Sex Crimes detectives were called and continued the investigation.

Officials said the girl did not know the alleged attackers. Investigators told NBC 7 that the teenager was intoxicated and appeared to have no physical injuries.

Rojas was booked into jail on forced rape, forced sodomy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Anyone with information related to this incident can call the Sex Crimes Unit at (619) 531-2210 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Authorities are calling the Wednesday gunshot deaths of four members of a family in the south Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn the result of an apparent murder-suicide.

Emergency crews responded to a fire at a home in the 9800 block of 51st Avenue at about 5 a.m.

"We encountered a vehicle in the garage and noises coming from the vehicle. At that time we approached the vehicle and opened the door, and observed an adult male in the driver's seat take his own life with a shot gun," Oak Lawn Police Chief Michael Murray said.

Officials said John Conta Sr.'s body was found inside the hallway of the home. The body of his slain wife, Janice Conta, was found in the first-floor bedroom. Their 5-year-old grandson, Matthew Meier, was found dead in the basement.

John and Janice Conta lived in the residence for more than 30 years, and their 36-year-old son, John Conta Jr., who's believed to have committed the shootings, lived at the home with them.

"They really were fantastic people, fantastic neighbors, do anything for us, we'd help them out and stuff. They're going to be really missed around the neighborhood," neighbor Tom Repenty said. "The son was great, too. We'd always see him outside, mowing the lawn, we'd chit-chat. He was a mathematician, really smart kid, so it's just a tragedy."

Neighbors say the couple had a birthday party for their 5-year-old grandson Tuesday night, but the child's mother left and let him spend the night.

NBC Chicago has learned that the couple were longtime parishioners at St. Linus Catholic Church. Church officials described them as a "faith-filled couple that will be sorely missed."

The roof and floor of the home collapsed in the blaze, which began at about 5 a.m., and a crane had to be used to lift the rubble.

"They were very, very nice people," said  Nancy Melvin, who described their deaths as "very tragic."

Melvin said the husband was retired from AT&T. The couple had another grown son, Melvin said.