The parents of an 11-year-old boy diagnosed with autism were arrested Tuesday night after Anaheim Police discovered that the boy may have been living in a cage inside their home.
Loy Vu, 40, and Trang Le, 35, have both been arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and false imprisonment.
Officers arrived at the home on the 1300 block of South Garrett Street around 6:15 p.m. after receiving a tip and found a large kennel-style cage with a mattress inside.
"There are some signs that someone had been living there, including a mattress," said Anaheim Police Lt. Bob Dunn.
The cage measured about 6-feet tall and 4 1/2-feet wide, Dunn said.
"It was enough for him to be able to stand up in if, in fact, he was living in that cage," Dunn said.
Family members of the boy told police that he can’t communicate and that as he got older, his violent outbursts became difficult to control. The cage was a means to control the boy’s outbursts.
The boy himself was found nourished and well-bathed, police said. He was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure to ensure there’s no underlying medical condition, police said.
The boy also has two siblings, ages 8 and 10 years old. They have been taken into protective custody.
Upon initial investigation, there are conflicting reports that indicate the boy had been kept in the cage a couple years, months or even hours. The family is of Vietnamese descent and because of language barriers, additional translators will be needed as the investigation continues.
Police also plan to interview other people who live inside the home, including someone not related to the family who rents a room in the home.
Neighbors were stunned by the arrests.
"I hear the kids screaming, laughing and playing out there but I don't know I assumed they were just playing," said neighbor Kathy Johnson.
Bob Emerson said the family appeared to be happy, and the boy appeared healthy.
"They were happy. They would play in the yard. The whole family seemed to be happy," he said.
Members of the autism community, including experts who spoke with NBC 4 said they were shocked by the news, but also saddened.
"Maybe they didn't have the skill set or the tools or support to know how to address his behaviors and were helpless," said Peter Thach. "Maybe they resorted to that very desperate situation where they used a cage."
He said a language barrier and access to resources may have prevented the family from asking for help.
"Are the parents being trained on how to deal with his triggers (and) things that set him off?" Thach explained.
Summer is in full swing and this month, there is more than just the boom of fireworks happening in north San Diego. From bites of bacon to surf competitions and Pilates challenges, your social calendar will be nice and full with these Yelp events.
Big Bite Bacon Fest (Del Mar Fairgrounds; July 5)
The Big Bite Bacon Fest will make its second annual debut at the San Diego County Fair on July 5. Indulge in bacon-inspired cuisines, experience the Big Bite Bacon Dish chef competition and even participate in a real life bacon wedding (yes, we’re serious). Beer tastings, entertainment, bacon-themed pageants, games and more – the Big Bite Bacon Fest has all of your bacon cravings covered. Tickets to this event include complimentary admission to the San Diego County Fair. Attendees can choose from two different sessions, a lunch session or dinner session. Insider’s tip: promo code is “Bacon1” for a $5 discount per ticket purchased online.
Switchfoot BRO AM (Encinitas; July 11-12)
This year marks the 10th annual surf contest and concert at Moonlight Beach. The weekend of fun and competition kicks off with a ticketed soiree at a local residence featuring bites from Encinitas businesses like Sea & Smoke and Lobster West on July 11. The following day, July 12, busts onto the beach with the main event: a free contest, concert and beach vendors galore. You can also snag a screening of Switchfoot’s documentary, “Fading West,” at the La Paloma Theater, in addition to an intimate performance. Check the website for tickets and more info.
Adventure Run (Carlsbad; July 24)
The Adventure Run is a free group run where you can score thousands in free raffle prizes, meet new friends and have a blast. It is 60 minutes of fitness fun as you run or walk at your own pace while collecting raffle tickets at checkpoints along way. The more you get to, the more chances you have to win the prizes. And since it’s in rad Carlsbad, there’s also a beer garden! So, grab your friends, family, coworkers and be sure to grab some tights too: the event is superhero Comic-Con themed! Register ASAP and bring your smartphone to check out maps and partake in Yelp check-ins along the way.
Obon Festival (Vista; July 26 -27)
The Buddhist Temple and Japanese Cultural Center throws this celebration yearly and it’s full of Japanese food, Taiko drumming groups, a photo exhibit from Kyoto, cultural demonstrations and performances, boutique items, a silent auction, a plant booth, craft booth and game booths for children, talks on Buddhism and time each day to familiarize yourself with the Bon Odori dances that start at 6:30 p.m. both days. It’s all family-friendly, with free admission and free parking.
Yelp’s Club Pilates Challenge (Del Mar & Rancho Bernardo; July 10-30)
Yelp + Club Pilates have partnered up for an event to burn the summer away and 30 lucky participants will get to immerse themselves in the practice. Yelp's Club Pilates 10/20 Challenge consists of 10 Pilates classes in 20 days from July 10 through July 30. Interested challengers need to RSVP on this listing for a chance to be a chosen participant. Included are the classes, kick-off and celebration parties and more. Thirty enthusiastic Yelpers will be chosen by July 7, so be sure to fill out those questions in the prompt for the best chance to get in.
Trish Sanderson is the community manager and marketing director for Yelp North County San Diego. She leads the local community of Yelp reviewers both online and off.
Five people critically hurt when a propane tank on the back of a food truck exploded along a busy Philadelphia street remain hospitalized on Wednesday.
Olga Galdemez, 42, and her daughter Jaylin Landaverry, 17, were working inside their food truck, La Parrillada Chapina, at 3rd Street and Wyoming Avenue when the 100-pound tank blew around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The truck was equipped with two such tanks filled with gas.
Investigators believe propane vapor began leaking from one tank and filled the truck. A flame from the grill inside the mobile restaurant provided the spark, officials said. Witnesses told detectives they smelled gas before the blast.
The propane fueled a fireball that engulfed the truck, the street and surrounding sidewalks. One tank was blown 95 feet away into the backyard of a home nearby, police said.
Galdemez's husband spent 20 minutes at the scene of the explosion on Wednesday morning talking with investigators from the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The truck was properly licensed to operate, officials said.
He confirmed that his wife and her daughter remain in critical condition with severe burns on large parts of their bodies. Both are hospitalized at Temple University Hospital.
Philadelphia Police said eight other people were hurt when the tank exploded. Two relatives of Galdemez – a 13-year-old girl and 27-year-old woman – and a 23-year-old man who was walking by remain in critical condition at area hospitals. All others were treated and released for their injuries.
A car driving by when the propane ignited was enveloped in flames and damaged, but the 53-year-old female driver and a 3-year-old child inside were not hurt, police said.
The blast remains under investigation by the ATF's Arson and Explosives Task Force.
PHOTO: Olga Galdemez, 42, and her 17-year-old daughter, Jaylin Landaverry, pictured two years ago at the girl's quinceanera.
Undocumented immigrants met by angry protesters once they arrived in California Tuesday were moved overnight to other federal centers to begin the process of requesting admission to the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents moved one of the buses used to transport the women and children from its station located in San Ysidro around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday.
NBC 7 followed the bus eastbound along State Route 905 but our news crew was stopped when CBP agents blocked the highway entrance to traffic.
The women and children were flown into San Diego Tuesday via chartered plane, destined for a CBP processing facility in Murrieta, but protestors chanting anti-immigration slogans blocked their arrival.
As of Wednesday, 40 immigrants were being detained at the Brownfield Station in Otay Mesa, 42 were sent to Imperial Beach Station, 17 were moved to the Boulevard Station and 40 are in quarantine in Chula Vista, according to the Border Patrol's health and safety director Ron Zermeno.
U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) visited with some of the immigrants at the El Centro Customs and Border Protection Station.
"Federal officers were allowed to do their jobs in a peaceful and appropriate manner," Vargas said.
About 140 women and children from Central America had been transferred to California from Texas Tuesday to help alleviate overcrowding in federal facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The number of unaccompanied children crossing into the U.S. – some younger than 13 – has spiked recently, in what President Barack Obama has called a "humanitarian crisis."
San Diego-based agents report seeing 642 minors crossing the border this year – a 55 percent increase over last year.
There aren't enough facilities in the U.S. to house the children, and so the Obama administration has ordered accomodations be made available at various locations like Port Hueneme, California.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, San Diego has 25 beds designated for these children.
Medical personnel will screen the women and children – some just infants – and provide necessary treatment.
Ten detainees were taken to local hospitals overnight, including three children taken to Rady Children's Hospital, Zermeno said. Rady Children’s Hospital told NBC 7 that no undocumented children were treated there.
The rest of the immigrants were given the opportunity to eat and shower at the San Ysidro station.
Meanwhile, several people stood outside holding signs in support of those detained inside.
“We will be remembered for how we treat the most needy and poorest among us, and I hope that this country can come around,” said San Ysidro resident Antonio Fahme. “Those children need to know that not everybody here feels the way those protesters did in Murrieta.”
The preliminary screening processes can take up to four hours per person, according to National Border Patrol Council Union Representative Ron Zermeno.
Once that screening process is complete, officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were expected to take the women and children to bus depots in Perris, Riverside and Murrieta using unmarked vans.
ICE officials said those released must attend an immigration hearing at a later date.
The (real) secretary of defense called U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard to congratulate him on his heroic performance during Tuesday's World Cup match against Belgium.
Howard's record-breaking 16 saves during the 2-1 loss drew plenty of social media attention, sparking dozens of memes -- including some Photoshopping Howard's face onto the real body of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
A real fan even edited the "U.S. Secretary of Defense" page on Wikipedia with Howard's picture and information.
After all the attention Howard received, Hagel – holding a soccer ball – called Howard to thank him for defending the U.S. Of course, there is evidence of the call on Twitter.
From 1 SecDef to another: Hagel calls @timhowardgk to say thanks for defending USA. We (USA) are proud of @ussoccer! pic.twitter.com/M8nsYdlXFn
— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) July 2, 2014
President Barack Obama also gave Howard a call Wednesday.
Pres Obama talks w USA soccer goalie Tim Howard and team captain Clint Dempsey pic.twitter.com/415DqvQvBp
— petesouza (@petesouza) July 2, 2014
Police spun out a car, ending a pursuit in under an hour that wound through residential streets of northeastern Los Angeles.
The pursuit began at 10:20 a.m. at York Boulevard and North Figueroa Street. It ended after 11 a.m. in El Sereno with officers drawing their guns and the driver surrendering.
The car, which appeared to be a purple Lexus, was reported stolen, police said.
The pursuit wound through Highland Park and South Pasadena residential neighborhoods. The car ran several stop signs and through intersections.
At one point, in South Pasadena, the car turned into an intersection, forcing an approaching motorist to brake hard. The pursuit passed by at least two schools, but no children were visible.
The car blew a tire when it crossed over a center divider. A little later, the tire came off the rim, slowing the car enough so that officers could spin the car out in a so-called PIT maneuver, or precision immobilization technique.
The driver surrendered without a struggle. Nobody else was inside the car.
An 18-year-old was rescued by officials Tuesday night after falling 75 to 90 feet off a La Jolla cliff to the rocky shoreline below just as the tide was coming up, San Diego fire officials said.
The young man was hanging out with other teens at the cliff’s edge near Coast Boulevard just before 11 p.m. when he somehow lost his footing and plunged down the cliff face, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) Battalion Chief David Gerboth said.
The teen sustained major, life-threatening head injuries, Gerboth said, and was airlifted by helicopter from the scene to Scripps Memorial Hospital.
Gerboth said the victim landed on rocks at the bottom of the cliff right as the tide line was hitting shore, adding another level of danger to the rescue operation.
“It was imperative that he be extricated quickly. That’s why we used a helicopter – with the tide coming up – to make sure that he was out of there for his own injuries and so the tide didn’t impact him and the rescuers,” the battalion chief explained.
The victim’s current condition was unknown as of Wednesday morning.
Police are investigating a death at Mission Trails Regional Park.
At this point, police believe it could have been a suicide, according to officers on scene.
Emergency crews responded to a person down on a trail around noon Wednesday. The person was pronounced dead at the scene, according to fire officials.
The person was found in an area of the park near the Sycamore Landfill.
Check back for updates.
Make public appearances? Teach people about wolves? Look cute? Shadow is up for the challenge.
The 2-month-old grey wolf puppy is training to become the next animal ambassador at the San Diego Zoo.
After a 30-day quarantine, Shadow will be able to interact with people visiting the zoo and even travel to give presentations outside the zoo.
So how does a wolf pup train to become an animal ambassador? For starters, he’s practicing getting used to people; he’s spending time with zoo staff and watching zoo visitors outside the nursery window.
Shadow’s caregivers are introducing him to different sights, smells and sensations. He enjoys gnawing on ficus, hiding in cardboard boxes and chasing slippery ice cubes around his room.
You can visit Shadow at the Children’s Zoo nursery, located in the Discovery Outpost zone near the zoo entrance. After the quarantine period, he will live at Wegeforth Bowl.
Seth Smith has been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dismal Padres lineup this season. The team took steps to ensure he would be a key part of that lineup for a while, signing him to a two-year contract extension worth $13 million on Wednesday.
The deal keeps Smith – a free agent at the end of the season – signed with the Padres through 2016 with a club option for 2017. Details of the deal weren't immediately available.
“I love it here,” the outfielder said after Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. “I like the way we are going.”
Smith, 31, leads the team in most major hitting categories, including batting average (.281), home runs (nine), RBI (25), on-base percentage (.386), slugging (.504) and walks (38). He is also hitting a team-high .322 with an impressive 1.010 OPS in home games this season, earning rave reviews from manager Bud Black.
“He’s off to a good start,” Black said. “It’s a good sign that Smitty wants to be here. It takes two sides to get a deal done. … I’m glad it worked out.”
Smith was traded from the Oakland A’s to the Padres in the offseason in exchange for relief pitcher Luke Gregerson. Originally a second-round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2004, Smith spent the past two seasons with an A’s team that made the playoffs each year.
His numbers this season have earned talk of a spot in this month’s All-Star Game.
“I have no idea,” Smith said of his chances of making the National League roster. “I haven’t put any thought into it. It would be a great honor.”
Earlier this season, the Padres signed second-baseman Jedd Gyorko to a five-year contract extension worth $35 million, with a $13 million club option for a sixth year.
San Diego’s famous Over the Line Tournament (OTL) will go on as planned this month and participants will be allowed to bring their own alcohol to the bayside event, city leaders announced Wednesday.
The City of San Diego has granted a special events permit that allows for all ages attendance to the 61st annual event hosted by the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC), as well as permission for the public to bring booze to the event – the same rules as in years past.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said not making any changes to the iconic summer event is the way to go.
“For the past six decades, Over the Line has become part of the fabric of San Diego. This announcement means thousands of San Diegans and visitors from across the world will be playing Over the Line on the sands of Fiesta Island just like they have since 1954,” said Faulconer.
This year the tournament is scheduled for the weekends of July 12-13 and July 19-20 on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. The rowdy beach baseball tournament involves spirited teams – often in silly costumes with equally colorful team names – whose primary objective is to hit the ball “over the line” about 55 feet in front of the batter.
According to OMBAC, the tournament was the target of a lawsuit last year that nearly resulted in its cancellation. With the threat of litigation looming over this year’s event as well, OMBAC had planned to modify this year’s event with additional restrictions on alcohol sales.
However, in the end, OMBAC revised its permit application to reflect the tournament’s original, traditional plan and the city approved it earlier this week, so the sandy show will go on.
In a statement released Wednesday, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said leaders stand by their decision.
“Over The Line is a San Diego tradition that the City welcomes. There was no legal basis for last year’s lawsuit seeking to cancel OTL and we are prepared to defend the City’s permission for the event, again, if necessary,” said Goldsmith.
In addition, San Diego Police Department Chief Shelley Zimmerman had this to say about the approved permit for OTL: “The San Diego Police Department has had a long standing, collaborative and successful relationship with OMBAC. We appreciate everything OMBAC has done to ensure the Over the Line tournament is enjoyable and safe for all.”
By the way, in order to enjoy OTL safely and responsibly, event rules prohibit attendees and participants from bringing glass containers to Fiesta Island.
Besides bottles, there are no bicycles, dogs, babies and fighting allowed at OTL. Public displays of nudity or violations of San Diego Municipal Code will not be tolerated.
According to event organizers, OTL began 61 years ago when three guys couldn’t snag a volleyball court and instead came up with the bat-and-ball game to play in the sand.
Since then, it has grown exponentially into a two-weekend summer event featuring sports, food, entertainment and more than 1,200 three-person teams from all over the world vying for trophies awarded across 10 divisions.
For complete details on OTL, visit the event website.
The Pope Valley fire in Napa County had grown 500 acres to 3,800 acres as of Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire, which had forced 180 mandatory evacuations, but so far had not injured anyone in the area known for wine making, ranching and farming.
Cal Fire told NBC Bay Area that the fire was still at Tuesday's containment level of 30 percent, and 380 structures remained threatened. Seven structures had so far been burned.
Cal Fire firefighters said it was the largest wildfire in the state in weeks. Gov. Jerry Brown said he secured a federal grant to reimburse 75 percent of the firefighting efforts from a FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant.
"We still have a ways to go," Cal Fire Batallion Chief Scott McLean said Wednesday. "We've got some pretty volatile fuels."
Early in the morning, winds blew the vegetation fire northeast into Lake City, but firefighters were happy that the fire growth seemed to be slowing. NBC Bay Area's chopper flew overhead, and spotted some blazes and hot spots still on fire. A total of 1,000 firefighters were working the blaze.
"I"m still in shock. It's surreal," said Tina Marchetti, one of the many evacuees who hadn't been to her home in nearly 24 hours. "We've been waiting a long time."
The fire was first reported on Tuesday just after noon at a home north of the Aetna Springs Winery, off Butts Canyon Road, northwest of Lake Berryessa. The area is east of Calistoga and has a population of just about 600 people.
Vineyard manager Scott Brown told the Press Democrat that neighbors told him some young men accidentally started the blaze while cutting weeds using a tool with a metal blade. McLean said he was familiar with the allegation, but would not confirm the account to NBC Bay Area on Wednesday morning.
State fire spokeswoman State McCambridge said Wednesday that the fire is not affecting the lucrative Napa Valley vineyards. Pope Valley is about 20 miles north of Napa Valley.
Roxann Schaubhut, who lives in the area, didn't get to go home late Monday night and seemed to be taking the nearby fire in stride.
"I really don't think it will get to our house," she said. "We've taken a lot of precautions."
Smoke from the vegetation fire was visible on Tuesday from several counties -- including Sonoma, Marin and Contra Costa. The smoke was also visible from nearby wineries.
Residents of the Berryessa Estates subdivision in Pope Valley had been evacuated, Cal Fire said. Evacuations were also are in effect on Snell Valley Road to the Lake County line.
Two evacuation centers have been setup at at Polk Valley School and at Middletown High School.
For Cal Fire reports on developments related to the fire, click here.
Butts Canyon fire in Napa now at 2700 acres. 30% contained. One of the largest in CA in weeks. https://t.co/6p7NDAf16q
— Bob Redell (@BobNBC) July 2, 2014
NBC Bay Area's Jean Elle, The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.
A 6-month-old girl and her grandmother were found in Arizona on Wednesday evening within hours after an Amber Alert was issued to find them.
The girl, Laylani Mosely, was reported missing Wednesday afternoon by a family member, according to Huntington Beach police and the California Highway Patrol.
Laylani and her grandmother, 57-year-old Carolyn Ferguson, were found just after 6 p.m. at a gas station in Arizona's Maricopa County, Maricopa County sheriff's officials said.
A store clerk called police after seeing the grandmother "acting suspicious," officials said.
The clerk noticed the woman was giving the baby espresso coffee, and the baby was wearing a large diaper, officials said.
Ferguson has a history of mental illness, police said.
Before being located, Ferguson was seen in the city of Fontana about 10 a.m. in a 2007 white PT Cruiser with the license plate #5UQZ701.
Laylani is described as 15 pounds with black hair and wearing a pink onesie. Ferguson was described as 5 feet 7 inches tall with blonde hair and blue eyes.
He’s come oh-so-close before, but Tyson Ross was never able to finish the job until Wednesday.
The right-hander threw his first career complete game in the big leagues, tossing a dominating three-hit shutout as the Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 to complete a three-game sweep at Petco Park.
“It was a lot of fun,” Ross said. “That’s special. It’s the first time I’ve been able to finish.”
Ross (7-8) struck out nine without allowing a walk. He had lost four of his last five starts, getting just one total run of support in that time.
Photos: Padres season in images
Catcher Rene Rivera’s three-run single in the first inning was the only scoring of the game. It was more than enough for Ross, who has thrown at least seven innings 13 times over the past two seasons and finished the eighth three times, but never gone all nine.
“He really smelled the finish line,” manager Bud Black said. “We talked just briefly after the eighth. There was no doubt in my mind he would put a zero up.”
More: Tony Gwynn remembered in San Diego
The win gives the Padres (38-47) their first series sweep of the season. They shut out the Reds (43-41) twice in the series, holding them to just two total runs in the three games. They also match their season-long win streak with four in a row.
Ross outdueled Reds starter Johnny Cueto (8-6), who allowed seven hits and walked three in seven innings.
He becomes just the fifth player in franchise history to throw a complete game shutout while striking out at least nine without walking anyone.
“He kept their hitters off balance,” Rivera said. “You could see their frustration.”
The Padres appeared to have scored another run in the sixth inning when Seth Smith doubled home Irving Falu, but Falu was called out for missing third base. A subsequent replay review upheld the call.
The Padres have Thursday off before hosting the division-leading San Francisco Giants this weekend.
A South Bay nonprofit serving at-risk youth falsely listed board members on documents with the Internal Revenue Service, which two nonprofit experts say may raise questions about the organization’s integrity.
Three of the people falsely listed as board members for the “Turning the Hearts Center” since 2010 said they had no knowledge they were documented on tax forms as being involved with the organization. Some weren’t aware they were listed until they were informed by NBC7.
“I think a decision was made to ask people to be on the board and it never came to fruition,” said Sergio De La Mora, the organization’s co-founder and board chairman.
The Chula Vista-based nonprofit provides parenting classes, food banks, graffiti removal and gang counseling.
De La Mora says he didn’t know, until about mid-May, that several people were incorrectly listed as board members on the organization’s IRS Form 990’s - documents meant to provide transparency over how tax-exempt funds are managed.
“I sent (those people) a letter of apology, explained to them that their names would be removed from any literature or forms, of course the 990’s, that they would be changed and rectified,” De La Mora said. “And since we’ve done so.”
The names, including NBC7’s Diana Guevara and the ACLU’s Norma Chavez, are listed in IRS forms dating back to 2010.
Guevara and Chavez both said they declined invitations to serve on the “Turning the Hearts Center” board.
“I was shocked, surprised and disappointed,” Chavez said.
Attorney Richard Arroyo, listed as a board member, said he agreed to serve on the board, about five years ago, but he never realized that decision became official because he was never asked to attend a board meeting or take a single vote.
“Well, I don’t know if it makes me angry, it makes me question the administration and the integrity of the organization, because if they’re going to do something like this, who knows what they might be doing with the money, which is what I think is more of a concern,” Arroyo said.
An organization that evaluates charities across the United States said falsely listing the board members was unethical and not consistent with good governance of nonprofits.
“It’s deceptive and not at all transparent,” said Sandra Miniutti, the Vice-President and CFO of Charity Navigator.
Board members traditionally provide oversight over how tax-exempt funds are spent; and how state and federal grants are administered. In 2013, ‘Turning the Hearts’ received about $561,000 in grants and contributions, according to their amended Form 990.
A spokeswoman for the San Diego Workforce Partnership, which distributes federal grants to local nonprofits, said Turning the Hearts Center received $346,456 in federal Workforce Investment Act funds in 2013.
A nonprofit expert at University of San Diego said the public should be concerned about issues like this because all taxpayers support nonprofit organizations in that the funds collected are tax-exempt.
“If the public loses confidence in nonprofits, people will not volunteer their time or donate funds to a wide variety of causes,” said Pat Libby, Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research at University of San Diego.
De La Mora told NBC7 Investigates that he was unaware of the improper paperwork because it was not his role to sign the forms, but rather the job of the Executive Director Doug Luffborough, who parted ways with the organization in about mid-May 2014.
“You entrust people to run an organization and they do a wonderful job. It’s a growing organization – a lot of details. I’m not part of every detail,” De La Mora said.
Luffborough, also a Chula Vista Elementary School District trustee, briefly returned a phone call request for an interview but said he could not answer any questions about the organization because he was no longer involved in it. He declined an on-camera interview about the discrepancy in the board member’s names and stated he needed to consult with an attorney before speaking further with NBC7.
According to the previous and the corrected forms, Luffborough was paid $100,000 a year for his work as Executive Director for “Turning the Hearts.” Chula Vista Elementary School District spokesman Anthony Millican said Luffborough, as a CVESD trustee, was not required to disclose his “Turning the Hearts” salary because the nonprofit does not do business with the school district or meet any other triggers that would require disclosure.
After NBC7 Investigates began asking questions about the board, De La Mora sent people previously listed on the 990’s amended copies of the IRS tax forms. He also provided NBC7 a copy of those amended forms.
The only two people who were listed on both the original and the corrected IRS documents from 2010- 2012 are the cofounders De La Mora and Doug Luffborough. The amended forms also add two additional names to the charity’s list of board members for 2010-2013: Luffborough’s wife and De La Mora’s wife, for a total of four board members between 2010 – 2013, according to the amended forms.
Charity Navigator Miniutti said it is not a good governance practice to run a nonprofit organization with less than five independent board members, and especially not when those board members are related.
“They would lose 15 points in our rating system right there for that and that is the most an organization can lose,” Miniutti said. In California, state law allows for nonprofits to run with only one board member.
IRS Form 990’s ask an organization to identify whether or not board members, officers, directors and trustees have a family or business relationship with each other. On each of the corrected forms, the organization indicates “no,” that none of the directors or trustees are related, despite the fact that the board was apparently comprised of two married couples.
NBC7 Investigates reached 3 of the 5 people listed on the original tax forms. A fourth person declined to comment, and messages left at a fifth person’s work place were not returned.
De La Mora said he realizes the falsely listed board members was a serious oversight and that’s why he acted so quickly to correct the forms as soon as he learned of the discrepancy.
He said his organization, which serves more than 17,000 people annually, is ready to move past this growing pain.
“I feel really confident that the community can drive by Turning the Hearts Center and say, ‘There is an organization that is not perfect, but they are willing to be perfected,’” De La Mora said.
Since NBC7 Investigates began examining the Turning the Hearts nonprofit, De La Mora says the organization has made many other changes, including instituting a conflict-of-interest policy, holding board meetings and keeping minutes of those board meetings, and having a board vote on the new executive director’s pay.
A Kansas City teen will remain in protective custody in Chicago despite his mother's objections, after a judge found credible Wednesday a doctor's testimony that he suffered from medical child abuse.
Michelle Rider has been fighting to regain custody of her 16-year-old son, Isaiah, ever since he was placed into protective custody after she checked him into a Chicago hospital.
The teen was admitted to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago after doctors in three other cities were unable to effectively treat his neurofibromatosis -- a painful condition that causes tumors to grow on his nerves.
But Lurie officials -- citing Michelle Rider's requests for stronger medications -- told a Cook County Court that it was best that Isaiah be taken into temporary protective custody, saying the boy's symptoms appeared to improve when his mother was not around.
The juvenile court judge ruled Wednesday that Isaiah must remain in protective custody for another 90 days, on the basis of a doctor's testimony of medical child abuse.
Juvenile court lawyers said the boy's health has gotten better in foster care where he wasn't being over-medicated.
Isaiah posted on Facebook that he wants to placed back with his mother, but the judge said he "can't just accept what his wishes are," and that "the main concern is returning the child to physical and emotional safety ASAP."
He will remain in protective custody for at least the next 90 days while the courts explore transfering the case to the state of Missouri, which would monitor Isaiah's case and report back to Illinois.
Michelle Rider, who cried in court while the determination was read, said before the hearing that she hoped it would all end soon.
"Return Isaiah to my care and return him home to Kansas City where he belongs. That's where he wants to be," Rider said. "Their allegations are ludicrous. That they would do anything like this is beyond me."
Michelle Rider has not been charged with any wrongdoing in the case.
Hospital officials have said they cannot comment on the case because of privacy concerns.
A tentative trial date to determine whether the case would be transferred to Missouri was set for Sept. 19.
Giving birth on the shoulder of a tollway isn't unheard of in Illinois, but Beth Farina took it a step further.
En route to Advocate Sherman Hospital in suburban Elgin early Tuesday, Farina felt the baby coming about a mile from the emergency room. Instead of pulling over, though, she told her husband, Trevor Farina, to keep going.
"When we got on the Tollway, I knew we were not going to make it to the hospital. I was like, 'This baby is coming, you better driver faster,'" Beth Farina said.
"She told me she feels like we need to push, and I said, 'The best I can do right now is pull over and call 911,' and she told me to keep going," Trevor Farina said.
Farina delivered her third child, a son named Tobias, in the couple's moving car. It all happened so fast that the next thing he knew, Trevor Farina looked over and saw his wife holding the crying baby.
"I waited for the next contraction, pushed him out, pulled him up onto my chest," Beth Farina said. "My husband was on the phone with 911 and they said, 'Do you have something to wrap him in?' We found something to wrap him in and wrapped him up."
Before Farina's contractions started Monday night, the family had gone to their basement because of a tornado warning. Trevor Farina said he fell asleep after the storm, but his wife didn't.
That's when the contractions began.
Farina was in labor for about five hours and assumed the delivery would go quickly as it had with her first two children. As they drove to the hospital, she said she could tell they wouldn't make it.
The couple arrived at the hospital with three in the car instead of two, and both the mom and her baby are doing well.
Farina said she attributes her calmness during the delivery to her training to become certified as a nurse-midwife -- and the fact that she's given birth twice before.
"It wasn't planned, but I'm glad it happened the way it did, because it will be a story for the rest of our lives," she said.
Many of the immigrants here in San Diego will not be heard from again after being released from custody.
About 33 percent of immigrants released by U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement (ICE) does not show up for their immigration hearings, according to immigration court officials. Border Patrol union representative Gabe Pacheco cites a Washington Examiner report that puts that number as high as 90 percent for juveniles.
The immigrants are now awaiting processing, which will include being assigned a number, having their photos taken and being fingerprinted if over age 14, Pacheco said. Then, they will turned over to ICE and released into United States to await their court dates. There is no time estimate about when that will happen.
“Historically, what’s going to happen is they may be they may be dropped off at a public conveyance bus stop or they might go down to 880 Front Street (the citizenship office) depending on what’s going on,” Pacheco said.
Most of the children in Murrieta will be going to live with relatives and friends outside Southern California, according to ICE.
“They may have a phone number of a relative someplace. They may have a destination. So they will be released on a promise they’re going to come back for an immigration hearing,” Pacheco said.
At an immigration hearing, an ICE attorney representing the government and a lawyer representing the immigrant – known as the respondent – will present their cases to an immigration judge. They can ask for asylum based on safety concerns in their home country or a U-Visa.
“It’s a life of fear. What will the next step be? How will they find me? Is it going to be like traffic court?” said immigration attorney Jacob Sapochnick.
If the respondent does not show up to court, they will be put on the removal list. It is up to ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams to find them.
To illustrate the scope of the problem, ICE was looking for more than 469,000 people in 2012. This included immigrants who didn’t show up to court, those ordered to self-deport and those wanted for violating the terms of their immigration.
San Diego’s immigration court is located downtown, but most of these immigrants will go to courts closer to where they are living. If they do not show up for court, the person they are living with will not be held responsible.
