The final Sierra Nevada snowpack measurement of the season -- a critical measure of the state's water supply -- will likely provide more disappointment as drought-stricken California enters summer after an abnormally dry winter and spring.

The northern California mountains' spring runoff is a key source of water for California communities and growers, accounting for about one-third of the state's water.

The Department of Water Resources surveys gauge the amount of water melting from the mountain snowpack into streams and reservoirs. The monthly measurements allow state and regional water officials to develop water-use plans

The most recent measurement was April 1, considered the peak of the snow season. It showed that the state's snowpack was about 32 percent of average water content.

Thursday's measurement will likely serve as another indication of the state's dire situation. California is under a drought emergency declared earlier this year by the governor as the state faces a third-consecutive dry year.

A poor snowpack measurement spells problems for the entire state with hot and dry summer months ahead.

Water managers have said the northern Sierra snowpack that feeds California's major reservoirs is 9 percent of average, and those reservoirs are only half full. The lack of water means farmers have fallowed tens of thousands of acres -- fields left unsown to restore fertility -- and that affects how many workers they employ.

Some ranchers have sold parts of their herds to cut costs as free-range grasses failed to grow as abundantly as usual, according to Associated Press reports. The water shortage also affects wildlife in California's rivers and streams.

The relentless dry spell prompted Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month to issue a second executive order in an effort to help firefighters, farmers and cities more quickly respond to the drought.

The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor report, issued Thursday, shows that 100 percent of the state remains under Moderate to Exceptional drought conditions. More than 96 percent of the state is under Severe to Exceptional drought conditions.

The weekly report tracks drought conditions across the country. Drought Monitor researchers use five categories to indicate drought intensity -- Abnormally Dry (D0), Moderate (D1), Severe (D2), Extreme (D3) and Exceptional (D4).

 

Some well-known names are expressing interest in buying the Los Angeles Clippers in the wake of a scandal involving team owner Donald Sterling.

Oprah Winfrey, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and music and movie mogul David Geffen are preparing a joint bid to buy the team, Geffen's spokespeople told NBC4.

The music and film mogul reportedly tried to buy the Clippers in 2010 but his offer was not accepted by Sterling. Geffen said he and Ellison would run the team while Winfrey would be an investor

The team is worth $575 million, according to Forbes. That figure is expected to rise once the Clippers’ local media rights deal expires after the 2015-16 season.

• Download the NBCLA News App

This power trio is worth an estimated $59.2 billion.

The Clippers are coming off the two best regular season performances in franchise history and feature some of the league’s most exciting players in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

Once a perennial doormat, the franchise now consistently ranks in the top-10 in attendance and boasts the fifth largest television audience in the NBA.

Sterling purchased the then-San Diego Clippers for $12.5 million in 1981.

• Read: Clippers in "Better Place" as NBA Moves to Oust Owner

All of these factors make the Clippers an attractive buy for a number of wealthy individuals.

Here is a list of other potential suitors who could make a play for the team:

Rick Caruso: The billionaire real estate developer of The Grove and The Americana at Brand is reportedly interested in leading a group of investors to purchase the Clippers. "Whether it’s me or somebody else, clearly there needs to be new ownership," Caruso told the Los Angeles Times.

In 2012 Caruso planned to make a bid for the Dodgers but dropped out of the running when Frank McCourt did not offer to sell the parking lots surrounding Dodger Stadium.

Magic Johnson: Could Magic trade in his allegiance to the purple and gold for a stake in the Clippers? With financial backing from fellow Dodgers owners Guggenheim Partners that is a distinct possibility.

He was a panelist at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Monday when he said he and his investment group are interested in buying the team.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has thrown his support behind Johnson owning an NBA franchise. "Magic Johnson knows he’s always welcome as an owner in this league," Silver said at a press conference Tuesday. “He’s been a part owner in the past of the Los Angeles Lakers and is always welcome and a close friend of the NBA family.”

Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Preparing for his fight at the MGM Grand Saturday night, the brash boxing superstar told reporters that he’s “very, very interested in buying the Clippers.”

"I can’t come in talking about Mayweather only gonna get 3 percent, 4 percent," he said. "I got to get a solid percentage."

Mayweather is a regular at Clippers and Lakers games.

Oscar De La Hoya: Another boxer is throwing himself into the ring for a chance to own the Clippers. De La Hoya has come out publicly to announce he wants to have a piece of the franchise.

"To be an owner of an LA-based team would be a dream come true," he told NBC4. 

Investigators working on the arson at a San Diego-area hospital have released surveillance video showing a potential suspect arriving in a pickup truck but leaving the parking garage on bicycle.

Several vehicles parked in the public garage at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital burned in the fire on Jan. 27.

Thick, black smoke poured from the fourth level of the five-story garage and created problems for patients and staff trying to get to a number of medical facilities in the area.

Damages were estimated to be $150,000.

In the video released Thursday, the suspect can be seen arriving in a Ford truck officials describe as stolen.

As he drives through the garage, the man passes just underneath a surveillance camera and his face is clearly captured for several seconds.

Later in the video, the man can be seen standing near the truck moments before it catches on fire.

Then, the same man is captured on video leaving the area on a bicycle and wearing red basketball shorts.

A reward of up to $10,000 is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the damaging fire.

Anyone with information on this case should call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. 

 A decade-long lawsuit over prime real estate in Mission Bay Park may be closer to resolution, and it could mean increased public access to the bay.

Next week Superior Court Judge Charles Hayes is expected to decide how much money the City of San Diego will pay De Anza Cove mobile homeowners in relocation benefits before closing the park and kicking them out.

The residents filed a class action lawsuit against the city in 2003 when the park’s lease expired. Their attorney Tim Tatro argues that under state law, lease expiration in a mobile home park does not constitute grounds for eviction.

"Most of the homeowners are elderly and living on fixed incomes. And their homes cannot be moved. So when the park closes, they lose their homes and all their equity,” Tatro wrote in a statement to NBC 7. “The upcoming judgment represents the end of a long struggle to ensure that the City follows the law and helps these residents find a new home before destroying their current ones."

Tatro said at full occupancy, there were 509 homes in the park, about two-thirds of which remain. He said the rest have already been destroyed, taken to landfills or transported to Mexico.

“None of the homes can be re-sited to any other mobile home parks in the state,” Tatro wrote.

Among the most eager for that judgment and the residents’ departure is community activist Scott Chipman.

“Their lease was up a decade ago,” Chipman said. “They should have been out long ago.”

Chipman said he’s given thousands of presentations on the so-called "Mission Bay Gateway Project." It calls for educational, environmental, and recreational improvements to Mission Bay Park.

The project hinges on De Anza Cove being repurposed as an RV park.

“There is dramatic support for a low-cost opportunity for people to stay overnight in Mission Bay Park,” Chipman said. “That's what Campland does. That's what we should have in this area.”

He’s referring to Campland RV Park, which currently sits on land Chipman hopes to see restored to wetlands as part of his proposal. Campland’s lease expires in 2017.

Chipman seems to have support among city leadership.

"We have an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to increase public access to Mission Bay, improve bike, pedestrian and recreation facilities, and protect the environment by expanding marshland and restoring natural habitats,” reads a statement from Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “The Mission Bay Gateway Project is one of many exciting proposals I look forward to reviewing with the community as the public input process begins."

But Chipman’s vision cannot begin to come to fruition until the lawsuit is resolved.

Tatro said there will likely be a large crowd at the May 6 hearing, but some will not be present.

“It's just a sad fact that the long duration of this case has meant that some of the homeowners did not live long enough to see judgment day,” he said.

The risky rescue of a DUI suspect saved from a burning car by an Escondido police officer was all caught on tape – right on the hero cop’s body camera – and recently released by the police department.

The footage shows Officer Joseph Putulowski, along with fire department officials, pulling suspected drunk driver Uriel Sierra, 21, out of a car wreck at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Sierra’s burning car can be seen in the background, with bright flames shooting from the hood.

A man can be heard speaking in Spanish to Sierra, telling him an ambulance is coming and telling him not to move his head. In English, an emergency responder tells Sierra, “Stay with us, okay?”

• Watch: Hero Cop Saves DUI Suspect from Burning Car

Sierra – a resident of Sylmar, Calif., was driving a Nissan Altima when he ran a red light and slammed into a Lincoln Navigator at the intersection of Valley Parkway and Broadway in Escondido. Putulowski arrived on scene two minutes later and found the Nissan on fire and Sierra unconscious behind the wheel.

While waiting for emergency crews to arrive, the officer attempted to put out the fire with an extinguisher. The flames quickly grew and Putulowski made the brave decision to get into the burning vehicle himself in an attempt to save the driver’s life.

The officer pulled Sierra from the wreckage.

Police said the DUI suspect suffered significant head injuries in the collision. He was taken to a local hospital.

On Tuesday, Sierra was released from the hospital and taken into custody on a felony DUI charge.
He’s currently being held at the Vista Detention Facility and scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Police said two people in the Lincoln Navigator were also injured in the crash, but survived. Emergency crews had to extract the driver of that vehicle using the Jaws of Life.

Putulowski said he doesn’t feel like a hero and was just doing his job – and was at the right place, at the right time.

 Strong winds in La Jolla Thursday morning sent a branch shooting through a man’s windshield, missing the driver by just a foot.

Scott Cummins said he noticed the blustery conditions as got into his car around 7:30 a.m. to go surfing at the beach.

But the wind was not his first thought when a surprise hit him as he turned out of his driveway.

“And then boom –big noise-- and I thought, ‘Oh no, some truck hit me,’” said Cummins.

He was showered with glass. Cummins initially thought that it was strange his windshield had shattered from a rear impact.

However, when he looked to his right, he saw a branch had pierced his front window.

• PHOTOS: High Winds Sweep San Diego County

He said his turn onto the road saved him some serious injuries.

“It came right here, right next to my head, and if I was still going straight, there’d be perhaps an imprint of a branch on my forehead,” Cummins said.

The branch –which he said was probably from a eucalyptus tree -- was not huge, so Cummins believes the wind had to be blowing very strongly to make the skinny limb do so much damage.

He estimates the gusts were between 30 and 40 miles per hour.

Ultimately, Cummins said he’s thankful no one was riding in the passenger’s seat, and when the wind picks up again, he’ll be moving away from the trees.

 A brush fire has burned about one-quarter of an acre in Rancho Penasquitos near Interstate 15, San Diego Fire-Rescue officials said. 

The flames broke out around 12:45 p.m. off the southbound lanes of I-15 near State Route 56 and Carmel Mountain Road.

The fire is spreading at a slow rate among heavy fuels, officials said.

To the west of the fire lies the Black Mountain Open Space Park.

Check back for details on this breaking news story. 

City Hall and the teachers union have reached an agreement on a new contract that provides 4 percent retroactive raises and a 10 percent raise over seven years, with health care cost reductions promised by the union.

The proposed nine-year contract would begin on Nov. 1, 2009 and expire Oct. 31, 2018. 

It gives 1 percent raises each year until 2016, and then a 1.5 percent raise, a 2.5 percent raise and a 3 percent raise the final year. The retroactive raises would be provided in increments from 2015 to 2020.

The union would reduce health care costs, in part through "centralized drug purchases," and other belt-tightening moves that were not detailed. The savings is estimated at $1 billion over the nine years.

The two sides also agreed on new criteria for permanently removing poorly performing teachers, and an expanded the definition of sexual misconduct to make it easier to get rid of teachers who commit those crimes.

New York's 110,000 members, represented by the United Federation of Teachers, have been working without a contract since October 2009.

The deal must be approved by the members.

A 100-foot tree crushed a condo complex in the San Diego-area, just one incident of damage reported from around the county in the midst of days of unusually strong winds.

Residents of the Quest Condos in Mira Mesa heard a bang and a crash Wednesday when a large tree came toppling down in a gust of wind.

The owner of the condo crushed by the weight of the tree had apparently left a short time earlier to go to the store.

Four families were evacuated from their homes. Residents told NBC 7 they were given five minutes to collect their belonging and get out.

The condo homeowners association is helping provide shelter for those who live in the affected condos in the meantime.

One official says one woman may need a place to stay for more than a month.
 

Close to 20 razor blades were found "planted" in a San Diego-area park after two children were injured while playing in the grass, San Diego police said Wednesday.

Officers combed through the grass at Bonita Cove Park for hours, looking for razor blades that appeared to have been left there intentionally. Investigators, who used metal detectors to search the park, believe the razor blades were left to hurt people on a hot day when people and families came to Mission Bay to cool off from record-breaking heat and high winds.

The blades injured two brothers -- one only 7 years old.

The boy’s mother called police around 7 p.m. after her son was cut in the foot in the park at 1100 Mission Bay Drive.

Officers said the brothers were running barefoot in the grass of Bonita Cove Park when each boy  stepped on a sharp razor stuck in the ground.

San Diego police investigators say blades have been found at the same park three or four times in the last year. A woman was injured in one of those incidents, when the blades were discovered closer to the playground.

No arrests have been made in those cases. Investigators say they don't have leads.

A Southern California man is now awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to smuggling fake labels, tags and buttons across the U.S.-Mexico border meant to be used to manufacture at least $192,000 worth of counterfeit brand-name jeans.

According to U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy, defendant Angel Garcia Hernandez, 55, admitted to smuggling fake Levi Strauss & Co. labels, buttons and tags across the border on Dec. 28, 2012. With this guilty plea, Garcia Hernandez faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his involvement in the denim scam.

Court documents reveal that within an hour of Garcia Hernandez’s border crossing, another man – Amadeo Calderon Valdivinos – also attempted to smuggle counterfeit Levi labels into the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry in south San Diego.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations said Valdivinos had enough labels and tags to make $128,000 worth of knock-off brand-name jeans.

Upon examining the labels smuggled in by both men, investigators found the same defects in the labels, suggesting that they came from the same source.

Though Garcia Hernandez and Valdivinos both denied knowing one another at the time they crossed the border with the fake labels, investigators said cell phone records showed multiple phone calls between the men.

Garcia Hernandez’s sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 1. Valdivinos also pleaded guilty to the smuggling crime and was sentenced to time served.
 

A small grass fire burned several acres close to homes in Lakeside Thursday, Cal Fire and Heartland firefighters said.

Crews were called to El Monte Road and Lake Jennings Park Road after 7 a.m. About an hour later, Cal Fire said that crews had a perimeter around the fire and were still on scene controlling hot spots.

Four acres were scorched. No homes were evacuated. Resident Deedra Rzecidlo said she left her home anyway.

"I smelled a faint smell of smoke, my chest, it takes your breath away," she said.

She saw fire right across the street from her home moments after her power went off.

One neighbor told NBC 7 that she heard a loud boom, then saw smoke and shortly after, flames moving over the hill toward the community.

Resident Tricia Wierenga said she’s very grateful firefighters got a handle on things so quickly.

“Looks like our houses will be fine but with these winds, that’s what worries me – that there could be flare ups throughout the evening,” she said.

There have been several local media reports that a transformer explosion prompted the grass fire however, according to Cal Fire, the cause was still under investigation.

San Diego Gas & Electric initially denied, then said it was not clear if a transformer explosion caused the fire. The company said the cause of the blaze was under investigation.

SDG&E reported an outage affecting up to 9,400 customers was occurring in the same area and due to extreme weather conditions. As of 9:45 a.m., all were restored except 84 homes. 

Utility crews were busy working on a nearby substation to restore power.

Nearby businesses operating without power for more than four hours were doing the best that they could early Thursday.

San Diego County was under a high wind warning for the third day with record temperatures expected again.

Some locals, like Mark Chu with Wow Donuts on Lake Jennings Park Road, said they were ready for the winds to die down.

"Getting worse," Chu said. "It was real calm but now it's started blowing a lot."

Cal Fire told NBC 7 all of its stations were fully staffed with resources ready to respond to reports of fire in these dangerously dry and windy conditions.

If conditions change, Cal Fire has the ability to change staffing pattern and increase resources.

There were 21 engines in the county as of Thursday with five engines sent to San Bernardino to help battle a brush fire there.

Cal Fire says the statewide drought has not provided a break in the fire threat between 2013 and 2014. The agency’s 18 engines were covered during the winter. In a normal year, the agency staffs just 5 engines in the winter.

Firefighters wanted to remind residents that 95 percent of the fires they fight are caused by people.

Remember not to throw out cigarette butts, try not to use BBQ or campfires under the high wind warning and when conditions allow, work to create a defensible space in your yard.

A sure sign of success is when a company's name becomes a verb. Office workers frequently Xerox documents while others rush off to FedEx a package.

And now, a lot of passengers say they will "Uber" their way to meet friends.

• Uber: Not the Only Car Game in Town

The explosive growth of Uber can't be denied. In the five years since its birth in San Francisco, the ride sharing company now operates in 49 U.S cities, and 35 counties around the globe, and it has rapidly become the hottest way to get around Southern California.

The company connects those in need of a ride with drivers happy to provide the car, all through a cell phone app. There are a variety of ways to get around -- from swanky "black car" limousine service to the more modest UberX, where anyone with a car and the inclination can apply to be a driver.

• Maps: Uber Regulations in the U.S. | Uber Timeline

That's exactly what Beverly Locke did. Working with the NBC4 I-Team, Locke filled out all the necessary documentation needed to become an Uber driver. She proved she was a licensed driver with a safe car, and agreed to submit to a background check.

Four weeks later, she received an e-mail indicating her background check had cleared.

On her first day "on the job," she received a request from Paolo, a frequent UberX user, who was looking for a ride from his Hollywood apartment. He is an Uber fan.

"I use cabs a lot," said Paolo. "And, it's almost half the fare in Uber than for a taxi driver."

• Who's Watching Uber?
  

His phone lit up with a picture of Locke, and a message that said Beverly will pick him up in three minutes.

What he didn't know is that Beverly was an ex-con with a violent past. Her 20-year rap sheet includes burglary, cocaine possession, and making criminal threats with the intent to cause death or bodily injury.

"I pulled a girl out of a car and almost beat her to death," said Locke, who described herself as a reformed criminal with a good job and a desire to make up for her past. "I do not do criminal things anymore."

NBC4 asked Locke to cancel the ride, so the former convict never actually carried a passenger. But the NBC4 I-Team found several examples in which drivers with a criminal past have picked up Uber passengers.

Tadeusz Szczechowicz drove the streets of Chicago for a year, despite five prior arrests and two convictions for burglary and disorderly conduct.

Syed Muzzafar had a prior conviction for reckless driving,  but he cleared the Uber background check  and was behind the wheel New Year's Eve when he was arrested for hitting and killing a 6-year-old girl in San Francisco.

And, Jigneshkumar Patel was arrested for battery of an UberX passenger, a charge he said is "rubbish." Still, the UberX driver had a 2012 conviction for DUI.

Uber declined to talk to NBC4 directly, but did send emails describing corporate policy on background checks. A message said Uber "leads the industry" with its "best-in-class background checks for drivers."

Uber also said it has a "zero tolerance" policy for drug and alcohol offenses, and said it carefully screens applicants and immediately disqualifies anyone convicted of a crime in the past seven years. 

Tanya and Daniel Sackler didn't know anything about the past of their UberX driver. He identified himself only by his first name.

The Sacklers said he stole $2,500 in cash and personal items from them after he picked them up from LAX and dropped them off at their West Hollywood condo. The Sacklers filed a police report, saying the driver arrived at their home and quickly began unloading their baggage.

"He took them all and he put them in a pile," Daniel said.

While the Sacklers were dealing with their luggage, Tanya Sackler said their driver jumped back behind the wheel and quickly drove off with her purse, her husband's briefcase, a wallet with hundreds of dollars in it, and an iPad.

They had the driver's cell number, so they texted him right away, only to be told he was too busy to talk to them at the moment. The Sacklers said when they finally spoke to him, the driver told them he was not responsible for items left in his car.

In an email to the Sacklers, Uber told them, "We do not control the drivers, as they are not our employees." On its website, Uber said drivers are considered independent contractors.

"If I knew that this company had treated people this way, I would have never used it," Tanya said.

Beverly Locke said passengers could lose a lot more if they take a ride from an ex-con. And, picking up a passenger bound for an out-of-town trip might make for an easy target.

"I would pick somebody up, take them to the airport, and my second thought would be, go back to that house and see what's in there," she said. "A criminal mind always thinks like a criminal mind. Someone could be victimized by a person like me."

Uber spokespeople never responded to requests to talk specifically about Locke, and how she was able to pass a background check. But the NBC4 I-Team received an email from Lane Kasselman, head of communications for Uber, that said, "We screen for convictions and violations going back seven years that are reasonably related to tasks the drivers perform (DUIs, violent/sexual offenses, major moving violations, etc. A former non-violent criminal ...may be permitted... We're confident that every ride on Uber is safer than a taxi."

Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was indicted by a Massachusetts grand jury Thursday on new charges in connection with a jailhouse beating earlier this year.

Authorities say Hernandez, who is awaiting trial on murder charges, assaulted a fellow inmate in the Bristol County House of Corrections in Dartmouth on Feb. 25 and made a threat on Nov. 1.

Hernandez was indicted on charges of assault and battery and threats to do bodily harm, according to Bristol County District Attorney's Office.

Hernandez will be arraigned on the new charges in the Fall River Justice Center on a future date not yet set, according to the district attorney.

District attorney's office officials told NECN they will have no further comment until Hernandez's arraignment, but office spokesman Gregg Miliote said he thinks the arraignment may take place June 16, when Hernandez is already scheduled to be in court.

The former New England Patriots tight end faces murder charges in the killing of his friend Odin Lloyd, 27. He has pleaded not guilty.

A dozen people need a place to stay after fire damaged a home in Mountain View Thursday.

San Diego Fire-Rescue crews were called to the home at S 40th Street and Teak Street just after 1 p.m. and found heavy smoke and flames.

San Diego City Battalion Chief David Picone said it appears the fire started in the kitchen but fire investigators are interviewing the owners to try and determine the exact cause.

Picone said 10 people lived in the main home with two people staying in an adjacent home in the rear of the property.

One person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, he said.

• Read: Officer's Body Camera Captures Fiery Rescue

The San Diego chapter of the American Red Cross was called in to help the family with clothing and food as well as a place to stay.

The high winds San Diego has been experiencing under the high wind warning did not have any affect on this fire, Picone said.
 

 One woman was trapped inside a vehicle that ran off State Route 54 in National City, according to police. 

The crash happened around 4:20 p.m. Thursday on the westbound SR-54 east of National City Blvd. 

The driver said another vehicle forced her off the side of the freeway, where her car rolled over once and trapped her inside.

Crews had to stabilize the car before they could access the woman in her 30s. 

Eventually, they were able to get rid of the windshield and pull her out. She suffered minor injuries in the crash.

One lane of the SR-54 has been shut down while the rescue operation played out, so traffic was backed up in the area.

A student was struck and injured by a car driven by a fellow student in front of West Hills High School in Santee Thursday afternoon, officials said.

The accident happened after school, at around 4:45 p.m., in front of the campus located at 8756 Mast Blvd.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the victim was running and was hit by a car pulling out of the parking lot. The impact threw the student onto the roof of the car.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities.

The victim sustained some injuries, including scratches and bruises.

A coach from the high school and other students stayed with the victim until emergency crews arrived. The student was treated on scene and did not go to a hospital.

The accident remains under investigation. No one else was injured.

 A nationwide operation led to the arrest of 26 alleged gang members and associates in San Diego and Imperial counties, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials announced Thursday.

During a month-long operation called Project Southbound, ICE agents targeted suspects from 145 gangs affiliated with the Sureños criminal street gang.

All those arrested in San Diego or Imperial counties are now facing federal and state charges including illegal re-entry after deportation, narcotics violations and weapons violations.

The San Diego, El Centro, Brawley, Imperial and Calipatria police departments and the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office helped federal agents with the crackdown.

The local operation was just one part of the larger ICE effort. Across 179 U.S. cities, agents arrested 638 people for criminal offenses or immigration violations, and ICE officials said more than 73 percent of the suspects were members or associates of the Sureños.

The Southern California-based Sureños gang is believed to be responsible for a wide range of international criminal activity, including murder, human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, prostitution, extortion and more, according to ICE.

Membership and cliques associated with the Sureños were growing faster than any other national-level gang in the U.S., the Department of Justice’s 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment said.

Among the 638 taken into custody under Project Southbound, 414 had criminal history and 221 were foreign nationals.

A Fort Worth veterinarian arrested for animal cruelty Wednesday admitted in a handwritten statement that he secretly kept alive five dogs, including his own decrepit border collie, that should have been euthanized.

Dr. Millard Lou Tierce of the Camp Bowie Animal Clinic had his veterinary license temporarily suspended Wednesday by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners on the basis of that admission and more.

Tierce was also arrested Wednesday on an animal cruelty charge, stemming from the lack of care given to his personal pet, a border collie kept at the clinic. He surrendered to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department at about 7 p.m. Wednesday and was released soon after on $10,000 bond.

• (Warning: Disturbing Content) Arrest Warrant for Dr. Millard Tierce
  
• Order of Temporary Suspension

Tierce told NBC 5 Wednesday night he could not comment on the investigation, complying with his attorney's request. His lawyer did not return calls for comment on Thursday.

A hearing on Tierce's license's suspension will be held Monday in Austin before the state board's enforcement committee.

• Fort Worth Vet at Center of Cruelty Case Arrested and Charged

His arrest and suspension came a day after a family accused his practice of secretly keeping their dog Sid alive to provide blood transfusions to other dogs, months after he was to have been euthanized.

The family had agreed to euthanize Sid, a 5-year-old, 170-pound Leonberger, after Tierce diagnosed him with a congenital spine disorder. Six months after they agreed to euthanize their pet, they said a veterinary technician at the clinic reached out to them to let them know their pet was still alive.

• Fort Worth Vet Accused of Keeping Dog Alive for Transfusions
• Read the Story of Sid From Attorney James Eggelston, Jr.

According to the state board's temporary license suspension order, Tierce admitted that he had not euthanized five pets that had been accepted for euthanization, including Sid. The order did not say whether the other dogs were used for medical procedures like Sid allegedly was.

Dr. Michael Morris of the Fort Worth Animal Clinic determined Wednesday that three animals kept at the clinic were in such poor health that they needed to be euthanized.

Tierce said in his statement that one of those animals, a border collie, was his personal pet and that the other two had been left at the clinic to be euthanized along with two other animals. One of the other two animals had been kept in a cage at the clinic for as long as three years after being accepted for euthanasia, Tierce said.

In Tierce's arrest warrant affidavit, Fort Worth police and animal control officers said they found Tierce's black and white border collie lying in a box on the floor of an exam room. Police said the dog was twitching in pain. One of its legs was missing, another was dislocated and two of its shoulders were dislocated. A vet tech, identified as Cynthia Welch, said the dog had been in that condition, and largely in the same location, since she started working there on June 2, 2013.

Tierce admitted that the border collie was his dog and said he had provided the dog with only food and water and no medical attention.

Morris later determined Tierce's dog was emaciated and non-ambulatory, and that it was missing the bottom of a foot and had severe mouth disease, cataracts, a degenerative and untreatable neurological disease and abnormal overall health. It should have been euthanized, Morris determined.

Tierce said that in his professional opinion, he should have euthanized his border collie. Tierce was charged with animal cruelty, specifically for the lack of care given to his own dog.

Board's Order Describes Cluttered Clinic

The board said in its order suspending his license that Tierce could be a threat and a real danger to patients and that he had violated rules for minimum security of controlled substances.

Its order also detailed unsanitary conditions at the clinic, describing a cluttered setting with unsecured drugs "strewn about" and at risk of being abused.

"Animal organs were kept in jars throughout the clinic. Bugs were visible in exam rooms. Stacks of drugs, trash, laundry, paperwork and other miscellaneous items were strewn about the examinations rooms, hallways, stairwells, operating room, laboratories and offices of the clinic,” the documents said.

"Open and unsecured medications, including some controlled substances, were also strewn about the clinic and in such a fashion that controlled substances could easily be stolen and abused by employees, clients, or visitors of the clinic," they continued.

The Better Business Bureau of Fort Worth said there is only one complaint on his file within the last three years. The Fort Worth Police Department said only that its investigation continues, and the state's Board of Veterinarian Medical Examiners said it cannot comment on open investigations.

The Fort Worth Police Department said anyone who would like to file a report in regards to this case should call the FWPD nonemergency number of 817-335-4222 and explain they would like to make a report regarding the Camp Bowie Animal Clinic. They should also mention related report number 14-37697.

Clients Defend Veternarian

Numerous clients of Dr. Tierce showed up to the clinic to offer support to a man some have been bringing their pets to for decades.

“He wouldn’t do anything to harm an animal,” said Robert Heineman.

Heineman and his son Parker didn’t show up with any family pets but rather were at the clinic to support Dr. Tierce. They’ve been bringing their animals to the clinic for 30 to 40 years.

Heineman said that clients were crying and upset inside and that they don’t believe the veterinarian they call Dr. Lou would do the things he’s been accused of doing. They say they’ve brought more than a half dozen animals to the clinic, some of which have had to be euthanized over the years.

“We don't believe for one second that he's done anything unethical,” Heineman said.

Heineman believes there may be ulterior motives to some of the complaints that have come to light this week. He says there have been thousands of clients over the years who haven’t had any problems. He and his son are hopeful the doctor’s license is re-instated.

“The community and his patients and clients will lose dramatically by not having him practice as a veterinarian,” Heineman said.

Numerous other clients told NBC 5 the same thing.

“I’m kind of heartbroken. Whoever is in charge needs to figure this out real quickly,” said Ben Abramowitz. “We need to have him here practicing medicine and not dealing with this kind of harassment.”

One of Dr. Tierce's many supporters who turned up at his clinic Thursday acknowledged to NBC DFW that the details of the arrest warrant are ugly.

"[If] that's all you’re gonna see, you're gonna see that he’s a quack and a freak and an evil person and a vampire,” said Sandy Kurtzman, who has been a satisfied client of the Camp Bowie Animal Clinic and Dr. Tierce for nearly two decades.  “You're not gonna get the whole story about who Dr. Lou Tierce is. There's a reason why I call him 'Saint Lou.'"

To back up her argument, Kurtzman brought with her Marley, her neighbor's Labrador. Marley had been run over by a car last spring, and other veterinarians had recommended one of his legs be amputated.

Instead, according to Kurtzman, Dr. Tierce operated for nine hours that night, implanted a pin and rods in his joint, kept Marley in the clinic for several months while he healed, and only charged $3,000 for what he said was easily $10,000 in care.

Another, more recent client of the Camp Bowie Animal Clinic, said he only learned on Thursday about the accusations and the criminal charge against his dog's new vet.

Cary Powers, of Southlake, told NBC DFW he brought his very sick akita, Kiera, to Dr. Tierce upon the recommendation of his regular veterinarian who told him that Dr. Tierce may be able to help.

Late Tuesday night, hours after Fort Worth police and state investigators raided Dr. Tierce's clinic, the vet called Powers shortly after 11 p.m. and again after midnight to provide grim updates that Kiera may not survive. And not once did Dr. Tierce mention the legal trouble he was facing.

“I think that says a lot for a vet that he put the time in, especially on the day when your whole life seems to be falling apart,” Powers said.

NBC 5's Ben Russell, Chris Van Horne, Jeff Smith, Ray Villeda, Frank Heinz and Greg Janda contributed to this report.