Droughts in the Midwest are driving up beef prices across the country. 

The bad weather drove up the price of feed corn over the last two years.  Many farmers have been forced to thin their herds to survive.  Now the supply is limited but demand hasn't changed, a perfect recipe for higher prices.

"You are going to sell what you can, but you are also going to get a premium price for it," said Richie Vought with Iowa Meat Farms in San Diego. 

Vought says their wholesale prices are climbing and that will most likely continue through the summer. A lot of the problem is centered on smaller herds.

"It's never been that low for 50 to 60 years," he said.

• Read: Bacon Shortage? Mysterious Virus Killing Piglets

Shopper Dave Grosshuesch says if prices continue to rise, he night have to think twice about what he buys.

"I'm going to east less steak I guess, more ground chuck," Grosshuesch said.

Vought suggests looking for sales on beef and freezing the extra meat.

"Grab 10 to 12 pounds of it and put in in your freezer," he said. "As long as it is wrapped well it will go six, eight months."

Vought says you can shop for cheaper cuts of meat or leaner cuts where there is less waste.

He also says higher beef prices could lead to mores sales of chicken and fish.

A man scaling Sunset Cliffs was injured Wednesday after his climbing rope snapped, authorities said.

Rescuers were called to Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach just after 4 p.m. to tend to the wounded climber.

Lee Swanson of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said the man sustained a broken leg, among other injuries, during the ill-fated climb.

Emergency crews planned to airlift the man out of the rocky area.

By 4:45 p.m., rescuers had pulled the man from the cliffs. He was transported to UCSD Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries, including a leg wound.

No further details were immediately released.

A baby, her parents and her sister who were rescued at sea in a complex military operation were back on dry land after sailing into San Diego Bay Wednesday, Navy officials confirmed.

The San Diego-based USS Vandegrift arrived at NAS North Island carrying the 1-year-old who was in serious need of medical attention while sailing across the Pacific Ocean with her family.

Lyra Kaufman was aboard a 36-foot sailboat off the coast of Mexico when she developed diarrhea, vomiting and a rash.

Her parents called the U.S. Coast Guard Thursday for help. That call launched a rescue effort involving members of the California Air National Guard's 129th Rescue Wing and spawned a national debate over the idea of parents taking children on journeys across open oceans.

• Read: Rescue Crews Reached Sick Baby "Just in Time"

The Vandegrift docked on North Island just before 10 a.m., ahead of a scheduled afternoon arrival at Naval Base San Diego.  

A Navy official confirmed to NBC 7 the family disembarked from the ship Wednesday but could not reveal where the family was headed next.

The 129th Rescue Wing took Lyra and her family to an undisclosed medical facility, according to a Guardian Angels spokesperson. The four Guardian Angels who had been with the Kaufmans for six days have now returned to Moffett Air Field.

• Read: Timeline of Sick Baby Rescued at Sea

Last Thursday, Lyra fell seriously ill just as the family’s boat, the Rebel Heart, lost its communication and steering abilities.

That night, the California Air National Guard dropped four pararescuemen from a plane into the ocean. Those men climbed aboard the Rebel Heart to stabilize Lyra.

The crew of Navy frigate USS Vandegrift contacted the sailboat around 4 p.m. Saturday 900 miles from land, then stayed approximately five miles from the family's boat while they worked out a rescue plan.

Around 8 a.m. Sunday, Vandegrift sailors used an inflatable boat to bring the infant, the family and the four pararescuemen aboard the ship. Their sailboat had to be sunk for safety reasons.

• Read: Stranded Family Defends Decision to Sail with Babies

Vandegrift sailor Andrew Habib said he was glad to be part of the challenging rescue.

"The children were in good spirits and everything," Habib said. "The family was very humble. It looked like they had a sense of relief."

Eric and Charlotte Kaufman set sail two weeks ago from Mexico with 1-year-old Lyra and her 3-year-old sibling on a mission to sail around the world.

San Diego’s top cop wants body cameras on a thousand officers to prevent misconduct however the police officers’ union is concerned the project may be moving forward too quickly.

“Everybody is jumping on the bandwagon thinking this is going to be some sort of panacea and solve all these problems when the reality is, it may create more,” said Brian Marvel, President of the San Diego Police Officers Association.

San Diego police department supervisors met with city leaders and the SDPOA Wednesday to discuss how to move forward with the program.

Chief Shelley Zimmerman eventually wants a thousand officers to have cameras saying it will increase transparency and decrease complaints against police.

SDPOA members want to have a lot of input in the crafting of the department’s policy regarding body cameras.

There are concerns ranging from about which types of cameras will be used to how and where the video will be stored.

“If we’re doing 1200 hours of video a day, who is going to review 1200 hours of video to make sure everybody is within policy,” Marvel asks.

The union president said the cameras could be beneficial for police officers. Other departments in the country have seen a dramatic drop in complaints against officers because subjects know they’re being recorded.

However, the privacy of officers must also be respected, he said.

Also, the union wants to clarify which employees will wear the cameras.

“This is about full transparency and everybody that contacts the citizen in the field. It shouldn’t just strictly be to patrol officers,” Marvel said.

Once a policy is put together, Marvel said the union will have its legal team review it.

In front of elected officials, law enforcement and community leaders, several San Diego residents were recognized Wednesday for their extraordinary courage.

At an awards luncheon hosted by San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, six locals received the “Citizens of Courage” award as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

This included 20-year-old Daniel Wagner, a grocery store clerk who witnessed a horrific car crash and immediately sprang into action, coming to the aid of multiple victims.

In June 2012, just a week shy of his 19th birthday, Wagner was on his way to pick up his little brother from a friend’s house when he made a wrong turn on the freeway. As he pulled onto a dark stretch of roadway on Interstate 805, he saw a van and vehicle collide.

Wagner pulled over and ran out onto the road to help a family of three caught in the wreckage of the overturned van.

“I just knew I had to get out and help,” Wagner told NBC 7 on Wednesday, recounting that day.

Wagner helped pull a mother, father and 13-year-old boy out of the van. But just as the boy got out, another vehicle struck the wreckage, killing the parents. The teenage boy survived.

After that, a motorcycle crashed into the pile-up, and Wagner did his best to render aid to other victims. Wagner said he simply couldn’t drive past the horrific scene that day without doing something to help.

“I didn’t keep going [on the freeway] because of, basically, instinct. I had to get out and help. People needed help,” he said.

Several others with incredible stories of bravery were also honored at the 25th annual Citizens of Courage awards, including a young girl who was stabbed 26 times when she walked in on a man murdering her mother in their San Marcos home in 2012.

Only 8 years old at the time, Azalyea Duran screamed for the man to leave her mother alone. He stabbed the girl 26 times, puncturing her pancreas, kidney and liver. Azalyea survived, but her mother, Antonia Marie Duran, died in the attack.

Ultimately, Azalyea helped prosecutor’s convict her mother’s killer, Vista resident Daniel Hernandez.

Other heroes awarded by DA Dumanis on Wednesday included John and Mary Cates, an elderly couple violently attacked in an alley as they collected cardboard, Sean Simpson, a carjacking victim shot by gang members and left to die in a parking lot, and “Maria,” a human trafficking victim smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico at the age of 13 and forced into prostitution and slave labor.

Dumanis said the heroes should serve as an example of true courage.

“These individuals displayed extraordinary bravery in the face of serious crime,” she said. “By honoring them today, we’re also shining a light on the thousands of crime victims our office reaches out to every year in San Diego County and the importance of supporting victims’ rights.”

The former director of a La Jolla synagogue admits he stole thousands of dollars that he spent on vacations and furniture among other things.

Eric Levine pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to embezzling $394,000 over five years from Congregation Beth El.

Levine worked with the synagogue from July 2007 to December 2013, overseeing an annual budget of nearly $2 million.

He admitted that he started embezzling funds from the synagogue's credit card and bank accounts six years ago.

Prosecutors said Levine created fake budget categories to hide the theft. He used names like “High Holidays” or “Purim Baskets.”

Instead, prosecutors say the money was spent on trips to Mexico, Las Vegas, Hawaii and Canada, a $1,400 personal trainer bill, BBQ equipment and private school tuition for his children.

As part of his plea, he must repay the synagogue. Levine will be sentenced on June 27.

Family and friends of a 73-year-old San Diego woman accused of running two tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border attended the suspect’s federal court appearance Wednesday and said there’s no way she could possibly be involved in the alleged crime.

“I just really believe very deep in my heart this is nothing but a mistake,” the suspect’s friend and neighbor, Cathy Welsh, told NBC 7. “The truth will come out. There’s no way a person like her can be involved in this. She’s innocent.”

Glennys Rodriguez, a resident of Chula Vista, was arrested Friday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents discovered two tunnels in Otay Mesa, one at 10005 Marconi Drive and the other at 10145 Via de la Amistad.

Both tunnels were found in an industrial area, just a few hundred feet from the U.S.-Mexico border, and may have been used to smuggle drugs across the border.

Rodriguez was arrested in connection with the tunnels, accused of overseeing the underground operations.

On Wednesday, Rodriguez’s attorney, Lupe Rodriguez, asked the judge to release his client on $75,000 bond. The judge granted the attorney’s request, meaning Rodriguez could be released on bond as early as next week. She will have to refrain from traveling to Mexico.

Her attorney told NBC 7 Rodriguez will have to put up her mobile home in Chula Vista as collateral and have two adults co-sign for the rest of the bond. He expects to have that paperwork filed within a week.

Rodriguez has been officially charged with “conspiracy to maintain premises involved in drugs,” her attorney said.

Last week, CBP agents said the 600-foot tunnel found on Via de la Amistad was covered up by fake flooring. The other tunnel on Marconi Drive – deemed much more sophisticated by agents – was also concealed.

Despite the charges, Rodriguez’s friends maintain her innocence.

“She’s a very good-hearted person and a hard worker,” one neighbor told NBC 7. “We see her going to work every day.”

Last week, NBC 7 learned that Rodriguez owns a company called “G&R Services” in Chula Vista that provides immigration and tax services.

Her neighbors said they have never suspected Rodriguez of any criminal activity and never see anyone other than her own children going in or out of her mobile home.

“She’s a very wonderful person. I don’t believe it at all. It’s not possible for her to do such a thing,” her neighbor added.

Friends told NBC 7 that Rodriguez often invited them into her home for different special occasions and spent a lot of time with her family.

Meanwhile, officials have also charged a second defendant in connection with the cross-border tunnel located at Via de la Amistad.

Tijuana resident Gilberto Quezada-Madrid, 26, is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for his alleged involvement with the tunnel.

The man who was rescued during a complex military operation at sea has kind words for those who came to his aid.

Just a few hours after arriving at NAS North Island Wednesday, Eric Kaufman tweeted a response to NBC 7 military reporter Bridget Naso:

@BridgetNaso the men and women of the VANDEGRIFT are heroes, and words can't express my appreciation for the 129. The best of the best.

— Eric Kaufman (@CaptEricKaufman) April 9, 2014

Eric last tweeted on Monday. He let his followers know that the family was safe and that he would talk to the media “after we catch our breath.” There is no word when that could happen.

Two weeks ago, Eric, his wife Charlotte and their two young daughters set sail from Mexico to Tahiti aboard a 36-foot sailboat, the “Rebel Heart.”

Last Thursday, 1-year-old Lyra fell seriously ill just as the family’s boat lost steering capabilities.

That night, the California Air National Guard dropped four pararescuemen from a plane into the ocean. Those men climbed aboard the sailboat and stabilized the baby.

On Saturday, USS Vandegrift reached the family and the National Guardsmen and headed back to San Diego.

• Timeline: Sick Baby Rescued at Sea

Rescuers are searching for a young swimmer after a 17-year-old surfer helped pull two others from the water at San Francisco's Ocean Beach.

Firefighters on the scene said two cousins were in the water on Wednesday afternoon when a rogue wave hit the boys and pulled them into the ocean. The father of one of the boys rushed in to try and save them, even though he cannot swim.

One of the cousins, a 14-year-old named Marco, is still in the water, a fire official said.

Officials late Wednesday said three boats continued to patrol the water off of Ocean Beach and were expected to continue searching overnight. Additional resources will be brought in to search for the missing teen Thursday morning.

(Editor's note: The Coast Guard resumed its search Thursday morning. Updates will be posted here.)

Surfer Tony Barbero said he was in the water when he noticed some people needed help.

“I took the kid onto my board, and I looked back out and asked the kid if his dad could swim and he said no,” Barbero said.

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The boy Barbero helped pull from the sea was actually the man's nephew. Barbero said he didn't see the man's son.

The distressed swimmers were first reported at 3:53 p.m. in the water off of Lincoln Way.

The father was transported to the hospital after being resuscitated by first responders. His nephew is said to be in good condition.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat and helicopter responded to the scene to assist fire crews with the water rescue, the fire official said.

• 20 Hurt in Stabbing Rampage at Pa. High School

Ocean Beach is known for being one of the most dangerous shorelines in the country. Battalion Chief Marty Ross said “this happens too much.”

“People, they come out here, they take this for granted,” Ross said. “This is very dangerous out here. It’s no joke.”

Bay City News contributed to this report.

A 61-year-old man was arrested after he brought his laptop to a Best Buy and a technician found "very disturbing" sexually explicit photographs of young girls on the computer, authorities said.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Wednesday that the Queens man brought the computer to the Best Buy in Long Island City on March 26, and a technician began working on it April 1.

When the tech booted up the computer, he saw a slideshow of young girls in sexual poses and engaging in sex acts with adult men, the DA said.

Brown said detectives went to the man's home and he admitted he had been exchanging child pornography for about five years.

He is charged with 15 counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child.

A stock photo of San Francisco International Airport featured in an international publication – reportedly run by al Qaeda - is sounding off alarms on Capitol Hill, especially as the year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings nears.

At a Homeland Security hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, said he was first alerted by a top law enforcement official in the Bay area to the picture of what appears to be the AirTrain at SFO. The caption was what was most alarming, reading in part, “Simply stand up, pack your tools of destruction. Assemble your bomb. Ready for detonation.”

This ad in Inspire Magazine shows an AirTrain, which serves BART and several SFO spots..

The FBI stressed there is no added public safety threat specific to the Bay Area, and that this photo appears to be randomly selected. It is unclear how authorities know that this photo is of the SFO AirTran, but Swalwell's office as well as a TSA agent said they were told it is by "local law enforcement."

Still, Swalwell said the ad deserves attention. It was published in the English-language spring edition of Inspire, which is reportedly an al Queda publication.

• Search Resumes for Teen Swept to Sea

“The photo is certainly concerning. It’s calling on al Qaeda members to carry out a terrorist attack,” said Swalwell from Washington D.C. “And a year after the Boston Marathon bombings we should be mindful that rogue individuals inspired by al Qaeda can use household items to carry out these devastating attacks.”

Officials with the FBI, Transportation Safety Administration, and SFO all believe the picture used in the al Qaeda ad was a stock photo, meaning it wasn’t one taken by someone linked to the organization.

Off-camera, one TSA official told NBC Bay Area that the agency believed the ad to be propaganda that just happened to use that backdrop.

Steve Weber, who works at UC Berkeley’s School of Information, specializes in the international and national security. By phone he told NBC Bay Area that it is still something worth taking seriously because propaganda and real recruiting are all the same thing in this environment.

“This is an extremist group for which all those things are the same,” said Weber.

He added that the U.S. government would be able to determine fairly quickly if it was a stock photo or reconnaissance by terrorist, but said if it was the latter, it wouldn’t have been so easily found by Western officials.

Content in the rest of the publication is disturbing. Swalwell said he first saw it, himself, on Wednesday. At a Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill prompted by the April 15 anniversary of the bombings at the Boston Marathon, Swalwell brought up concerns about the ad and the publication, which is titled “Inspire.”

“What I’m doing on the Homeland Security Committee is trying to encourage funding for anti-terrorism programs that will better train and equip local law enforcement officials,” Swalwell explained.

It’s training he said was important, pointing to the sniper shooting of the PG&E Metcalf substation almost a year ago as an example of how Bay Area sites are still vulnerable.

It was just after 1 a.m. on April 16, 2013 when snipers took out 17 giant transformers and then disappeared. It was an act former head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had deemed the most significant domestic terrorist attack involving the grid in U.S. history. The FBI has never determined it to be a terrorist attack, but it remains an open investigation.

“[It] still has not been solved and we have no further leads to really truly understand what occurred there,” added Swalwell.

He is hoping the fast-approaching anniversaries of the PG&E substation shooting and Boston Marathon bombings, coupled with the al Qaeda ad using SFO as a backdrop will remind people to always keep their eyes and ears open.

“A  terrorist attack is more likely to be stopped because an everyday citizen sees something and then says something.”
 

Members of the 129th Air Rescue Wing describe finding a baby aboard a 36-foot sailboat in the Pacific Ocean to finding "a needle in a haystack."

Pictures show a military mission well done. One shows the Kaufman family in a RIB boat. Another shows the couple walking off USS Vandergrift at Naval Air Station North Island.

Members of the 129th Air Rescue Wing parachuted into the ocean Thursday night to help treat the Kaufman's direly ill, one-year-old, daughter Lyra.

"It was actually a needle in a haystack," said LCDR Allyn Uttecht. Finding the sailboat 900-miles off Mexico's coast just one of the many challenges.

Navigating wind, rain and 5 to 7 foot swells made it almost too dangerous to attempt the rescue in the RIB boat.

"It was like standing on top of a 6 foot ladder,” explained Boat Swain Mate Ian Gabriel. “Jump off that ladder, have a friend throw a bucket of salt water in your face and then rinse
repeat."

“At first we tried to pull in and hang on to the sailboat but it was rocking and rolling so much it wasn’t possible ," said Officer Chris Cheezem.

With the boat swaying and water whipping him--rescue swimmer Andrew Habib helped pull the mother to safety first.

Then the two children in harnesses. After they were safe on board the Vandergrift, the crew went back for the father and pararescuemen.

One of the pararescuers told NBC 7, "They were surprised America would go that far to pick them up.“

Pararescuers stayed with the family on board their troubled sail boat until the Vandergrift arrived Sunday morning.

Father Eric Kaufman tweeted his appreciation upon arriving in San Diego: “The men and women of the Vandergrift are heroes. Words can't express my appreciation for the 129. The best of the best. “

The Food and Drug Administration announced that Frontier Natural Products Co-op has voluntarily recalled several of its products manufactured with organic black peppercorns due to possible salmonella contamination. 

The products were sold under its Frontier and Simply Organic brands, Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value, Nature’s Place and a few others.

So far, no illnesses have been reported related to these products.

Frontier Natural Products Co-op stated that the potential contamination was found after a recent salmonella test returned positive results.

Initially, the product was steam pasteurized at the source and tested negative for salmonella, the company stated.

Salmonella, if consumed, can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Even healthy individuals infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. 

The recalled products were sold in all 50 states and in parts of Canada to distributors, retailers and consumers.

Check the UPC code on the product bottle to see if it is on the list of recalled products below:

Contact Frontier Natural Products Co-op about a product replacement or refund at 1-800-669-3275.

View the full product recall list here. 

A motorcyclist was killed early Thursday morning in a hit-and-run crash while riding on northbound Interstate 5 in the Midtown area.

The crash happened around 1 a.m. just south of the Washington St. exit.

According to the CHP, the solo motorcyclist lost control for an unknown reason and was ejected from the bike. 

As he lay in one of the lanes, the rider was hit by a black, full-sized Dodge Ram pickup truck, which did not stop after the collision. 

The motorcyclist died from the injuries. 

CHP officers had to close down the highway for a couple of hours while they investigated the scene of the crash.

Officials have not identified the person killed in the crash.

Traffic was diverted traffic off to Pacific Highway. The lanes were reopened by 6 a.m. If you have any information about this crash, the CHP asks that you call 619-220-5492.
 

Cellphone video caught a Southern California police officer pinning down a teenager in what appeared to be a chokehold as he cried for help in a park Tuesday morning.

Eliva Fernandez jumped out of her car when she saw an altercation between a 14-year-old boy and a Santa Ana School police officer at Adams Park in Santa Ana around 10 a.m.

"He was crying, screaming ... 'Help me! Help me!" Fernandez said. "He was harming the child, obviously, the way he had him on the floor. He choked him and put his head back. The kid was red."

• ReRead: Police Seek UCLA Bathroom Stall Peeper

She saw the teen tagging a bench in the park before the officer threw him to the ground, she said.

This is when the video picked up.

Screams could be heard coming from the teen as the officer tells him not to move.

"He's a little kid," Fernandez yelled to the officer.

The officer appeared to respond to Fernandez by shouting,"He's fighting me."

"He’s not fighting you. Are you crazy? You’re choking him, man," another man yelled.

• Read: LAPD Motorcycle Officer Dies After Crash

"It's difficult to say what kind of a hold he had due to the quality of the video…" said Bill Hunt, a former Orange County sheriff’s deputy, who has no affiliation with the Santa Ana School Police Department or the incident, in an email to NBC4.

"Any use of force is not pretty and sometimes uses of force against juveniles and/or women may appear to be excessive, especially without knowing the background."

The boy cried and yelled over to Fernandez that he was getting arrested.

Fernandez tried calming the boy down and told him in Spanish not to move.

The officer responded to her and said, "stop speaking in Spanish."

A second police officer was then seen running toward the scene before Fernandez panned away and the camera turned off.

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Deidra Powell, a spokeswoman with the Santa Ana Unified School District, said officials were investigating the incident.

"Safety is our number one concern," she said in a statement. "We don't want to speculate on the case because it may compromise the integrity of the investigation and we want to be fair to all parties."

Fernandez wasn’t sure what happened to the boy.

She said the officers assured her they would call his parents. She posted the video on her Facebook page, which has gained more than 7,000 shares, hoping it would reach the boy's parents and "justice would be served," she said.

A suspected contract killer charged in Central California with murdering nine people confessed to investigators that he carried out up to 40 slayings in a career spanning decades, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Errek Jett, the district attorney in Lawrence County, Alabama, said that Jose Manuel Martinez, 51, told investigators he carried out the crimes working as an enforcer for a drug cartel. Jett said they believe Martinez because of the details he gave investigators.

Martinez was arrested last year shortly after crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona and sent to Alabama, where he awaits trial on one murder charge. Once word got out, a steady stream of investigators from across the country came to question Martinez, Jett said.

Defense attorney Thomas Turner, who represents Martinez in that lone case, said his client is eager to start a June trial in Alabama, so he can return to California. Turner said Martinez maintains his innocence to the charge there and doesn't seem to be a hardened killer.

"I've found him to be polite and a likable individual," Turner said. "He has a good personality as far as talking with him."

Prosecutors in California say otherwise.

Martinez targeted victims in Tulare, Kern and Santa Barbara counties between 1980 and 2011, said Tulare County Assistant District Attorney Anthony Fultz, who filed charges Tuesday.

Investigators have released some details of their case, saying six of the victims were killed in Tulare County, two in Kern and one in Santa Barbara. They ranged in age from 22 to 56, investigators said.

One man was shot dead in 1980 driving to work in the morning, while two men were shot in 1982 working on a ranch, one surviving. The same year, another man went missing before being found two days later by ranchers shot and stabbed to death. Yet another was found in 2000 shot to death in bed with his four children at home.

In addition to the nine murder counts, Martinez was charged in California with one count of attempted murder and the special circumstances of committing multiple murders, lying in wait and kidnapping. Four murder charges include the allegation he committed the crime for financial gain, the criminal complaint says.

The California charges would make Martinez eligible for a death sentence, if he is convicted.

Martinez has lived on and off in Richgrove, a small farming community in Central California about 40 miles north of Bakersfield. He's being held in Alabama, awaiting trial in a 2013 slaying, and Fultz said he's also wanted in Florida on suspicion of two killings there in 2006.

Fultz declined to comment on any connection Martinez may have with drug cartels, saying he did not want to damage the case at this early stage. Fultz said that too will remain under investigation.

Fultz said he is confident Martinez committed at least the nine killings he's charged with, but he has heard higher figures from across the nation.

"We're actually not sure what the full scope is," Fultz said. "It will depend upon what the investigation shows."

Martinez has spent brief stints in state prison following a 2007 conviction on theft and drug charges, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Acting Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said his deputies came in contact with Martinez while investigating a rash of home invasion robberies in late 2012 and early 2013.

Martinez was at a home they searched and questioned by Sgt. Christal Derington, but not considered a suspect.

From his cell in Alabama, Martinez requested a meeting with Derington, who flew across country three times, because Martinez said "he wanted to talk to her," Boudreaux told The Fresno Bee. The cases in California came together, he said.

"As a result of Detective Derington's initial investigations and interviews, we began working on new leads," Boudreaux said. "While this case has been filed, there is plenty of work to be done."
 

A cruise ship carrying dozens of sick passengers sailed into San Diego Bay Thursday morning.

The Crown Princess reported Monday that 37 people were showing symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness. That number more than tripled to 117 in four days.

Those sick include 94 passengers and 23 crew members out of more than 3,000 people onboard.

Princess Cruises confirmed Thursday the 117 patients have contracted the extremely contagious stomach ailment called the Norovirus.

“I think it’s being blown out of proportion a little bit because we are hearing all these reports, but I haven’t actually seen or met anyone who is sick,” passenger Brandon Marcia said. “They are doing a good job of keeping everything clean.”

Princess Cruises says they now have a sanitation plan in place following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) standards.

Crew members are disinfecting the ship’s high-touch surfaces, including elevator buttons and door handles. They are also encouraging passengers to wash their hands often and confining patients to their rooms.

Passengers say crew members are now serving guests at the buffet instead of letting people serve themselves.

The ship will dock along the Embarcadero for most of the day before the group heads south to Ensenada.

On Wednesday, the ship docked in Santa Barbara. Passengers told NBC 7 that some restaurants in Santa Barbara had signs saying they wouldn’t serve Crown Princess passengers.

The ship will be back in Los Angeles Saturday.

The cruise line said it will not issue any refunds.