Two horses were stolen out of a pasture at a Julian horse ranch in a 48 hour period, the ranch said.

The Kenner Horse Ranch had two of their draft horses, Sasha and Moose, disappear last week. After thorough searches, they contacted police to report the horses as stolen and the San Diego Sheriff's Department is investigating their disappearance.

"They're our family," said Gina Pepper with Kenner Horse Ranch. "It’s like having a child missing. We spend a lot of time with them out here -- we train them, we take care of them when they're sick, we make sure they have blankets on them when they're cold and it is freezing, we count noses every night and morning, and if somebody’s missing, it’s an all-out search to find them. It's like missing a child."

Pepper said they first found out the horses were missing when they didn't come in Thursday morning for their feed.

"Immediately we thought, 'oh she found some green grass somewhere and got herself into a little predicament,'" said Pepper. Everyone started searching the property for the horses along the property line and the fence line all of Thursday and all of Friday but found no sign of the horses.

The owner of the 200-acre ranch, Kathleen Kenner, said she's heartbroken over the missing horse, both of which disappeared within 48 hours of each other.

"It's just killing me that they're gone," Kenner said.

"I looked for Sasha for two solid days and I had help from other people as well," she said. "I probably personally walked about 25 miles."

Moose is a young Belgian draft and Sasha is a Belgian cross. Both horses are not branded, tattooed or chipped.

Pepper said she thinks someone walked onto the property and let the horses out to sell them, she said. The ranch down near the border has mostly rescue horses on its property, though they are not a rescue facility.

Though numbers were not available from authorities, they said there have been other horse thefts in the area in past years. Kenner and Pepper both said they're keeping a close watch on their remaining horses, especially Grace, who hobbled back with a lame right leg the day after Moose went missing.

"One thought is if someone tried to put her in a horse trailer, she would have reacted really badly to that; sitting back, fighting, trying to run away," Kenner said.

The area near the ranch is surrounded by farms and pastures and Pepper said she has been warning her neighbors about keeping their pastures locked and making sure to keep their horses safe.

"I want to sit here with a gun every night and guard the gate," Pepper said. "I'm really angry."

Now, Pepper has a plea for anyone who might know of the whereabouts of the two horses.

"Let us have our babies back," she said.

If you have any information about the disappearance of the horses, call the San Diego Sheriff's Department at (858) 974-2327 or Kenner Ranch at (760) 473-5681.

A Del Mar mother of two thought she did everything she could to keep her kids healthy.

After vaccinating her two young sons, Preston and Parker, Jackie Combs and her sons came down with whooping cough. It’s especially scary for Parker, who’s 6 months old -- an age when whooping cough can be deadly.

“It’s just frustrating as a mother to think you’re taking all the right precautions and doing the right thing and keeping your kids safe,” she said.

The mother isn’t alone in her frustration. The number of Pertussis cases has started climbing again in recent years to epidemic levels.

Nationally, the number of whooping cough cases dropped in the 1940s to fewer than 10,000, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, however, that number spiked to more than 28,000.

So what’s the problem?

Dr. Wilma Wooten said the current vaccine used in the United States is only 80 percent effective. She believes the vaccine itself is more to blame than the perception that fewer people are getting vaccinated.

“The Pertussis outbreak has no relationship to personal belief exemption,” she said. “This really is about the effectiveness of the vaccine itself.”

Wooten still recommends that people get vaccinated because even if they get whooping cough, it will be less severe for those immunized.

Fortunately, Combs and her family are feeling much better after their scare.

The pedestrian hit by a motorcyclist near Palm Avenue at Egger Highlands has been pronounced dead, police said.

A 49-year-old man standing in the center divide of Palm Avenue's 1400 block began crossing the road  shortly before 11:30 a.m. Monday.

He walked right into the path of a 39-year-old motorcyclist, San Diego police say.

The collision severed one of the pedestrian's legs and left him with serious internal injuries. He died at the hospital.

The motorcyclist has not been cited in this accident.

Traffic was blocked on Palm Avenue at 13th and 16th streets as officials responded to the incident.

The San Diego Police Department is investigating.

A dog reported stolen by a San Francisco burglar has been reunited with its owner.

David Baker says Mochi, a female blue-nosed pit bull, was taken from his Gilbert Street home while he slept. After a massive social media outreach effort, Baker reports his dog has been found and the "criminal is in cuffs."

San Francisco Police Officer Grace Gatpandan told NBC Bay Area that Melissa Perna, 31, of San Francisco was arrested Monday at 8:50 p.m., and booked on count of felony burglary, felony possession of stolen property, and two misdemeanor narcotics. She also was cited for three local traffic warrants.

Someone spotted the dog, called 911, and police quickly spotted Perna and Mochi in the 300 block of Eddy Street.

The relationship between Perna and Baker, if there is any, is unknown and was not listed in the police report.

Baker had put out an urgent plea on social media for people to help find his pet.

“She’s the friendliest dog you’d ever meet,” Baker told reporters Monday. “I woke up and didn’t hear my dog anywhere and that’s very unusual.”

Baker said his dog was stolen from his apartment, along with his computer and other electronics.

Baker said a surveillance camera in the neighborhood captured a photo at the time of the burglary showing a woman walking with his dog and two bikes.

“It essentially feels like a kidnapping to me,” Baker said. “She was my child. She was taken away from my house.”

Baker said Mochi’s most recognizable markings are her two white back paws.

“I don’t care about my belongings at all,” he said. “If there’s a way to get my dog back, no questions asked, that’s fine.”

Investigators said this case is very unusual.

NBC Bay Area staff contributed to this report.

A North Hollywood woman has said she was "so happy" to see rescuers after being trapped overnight in the Sequoia National Forest.

Sam Wilson was hoisted to safety by a rescue helicopter last Friday after being trapped with just a light jacket to keep her warm and half a granola bar to eat.

The 33-year-old had suffered a compound fracture in her shoulder, severe cuts across wrist and scrapes on her stomach after tumbling 35 feet into water below when trying to recover a bag she had dropped while hiking. Despite being an experienced hiker, she found it impossible to escape as she was located next to a shear rock wall near a waterfall.

"I knew my legs were OK because I was able to stand up but (when) I looked at my arm, (it) was hanging quite low," Wilson said. "I thought that I had picked it up to my chest but it was still hanging so I knew immediately it was broken… and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get out."

Despite being armed with a distress whistle, the loud waterfall made it impossible for people to hear, and she was forced to huddle up in a ball to stay warm as she waited overnight.

The next day she was finally found by some hikers at 3 p.m, and they got in touch with emergency services, and a helicopter was sent out to save her.

Wilson was full of praise for the parks department and California Highway Patrol officers for coming to her rescue.

"I was so happy to see those guys. I said, 'Man, for somebody you never want to see, you are so happy when you see the rescue guys,'" Wilson said. 

A Baptist pastor in New Jersey says he regrets his actions after video was posted online showing him boasting about punching a teen in the chest for “not taking the Lord serious.”

The Rev. Eric Dammann, a pastor at Bible Baptist Church in Hasbrouck Heights, admitted punching the teen in a statement to NBC 4 New York that said, “My actions were not reflective of Christ and the teachings of the Bible.”

“I do not condone abuse in any form,” Dammann said. "I chose a very poor example from my past and very poor wording to describe it and deeply regret using it."

The clip, which was initially posted by the church but was later removed and then re-posted by another YouTube user, shows Dammann reenacting his encounter with Ben and motioning a hard blow.

“I walked over to him and went, ‘Bam!’” Dammann says in the clip. “Punched him in the chest as hard as I could. I crumpled the kid. I just crumpled him."

In his statement, Dammann said he punched the child 13 years ago. He said Ben forgave him many years ago.

Now, he says he is asking his church and community to forgive him as well.

“By viewing the clip it is certainly understandable how outraged people are,” he said.

Public debate flared up Monday evening at an Encinitas City Council meeting over a plan that would close two fire stations and dissolve the current ambulance service so that the city might build its own.

The plan to close two of the city’s six fire stations was proposed by Dr. Bob Bonde last May. He proposed cross manning ambulances with firefighters and getting out from under the county-run ambulance service.

With those savings, Bonde wants to city to buy its own ambulances. The controversial plan has many critics, including Fire Chief Mike Daigle.

The fire chief says Station Four is the second busiest in the city -- second only to Station One, which is downtown.

Under this proposed plan, oddly enough, these are the two that would close.

“You start reducing stations and then you start cross manning,” said Daigle. “A couple calls to the city and you are depleted. Your resources are depleted.”

Over 90 minutes at a council meeting Monday night, fire department administrators revealed an 89 page analysis of current services.

It included average response times, population studies, the difficulty and cost of a start up ambulance service and the effect of a closing two fires stations.

“It would take a lot to convince me this is the right direction for Encinitas,” Mayor Kristin Gaspar said.

While the Mayor was impressed, Bob was not.

“This was a sales pitch. The fire department is desperate to protect its entity and practices they have had in the past that are broken,” Bonde said.

Lara Wiseman listened to the number crunching and analysis. She had only this to add: Her account of how, one week ago, Station One firefighters saved her husband's life when he was having a heart attack.

“It just felt like the best moment of my life, seeing them walk through that door,” Wiseman said. “Knowing they saved my husband and the boys are going to have a father.”

Doctor Bonde may not have convinced the city to restructure its fire department his way, but he most certainly got local politicians, residents and the fire department administration to take a harder look at how it does business and at what cost.

The mother of a 19-year-old suburban Chicago man facing a terrorist charge had strong words for ISIS and groups like it: "Leave our children alone."

Zarine Khan spoke to reporters after her son, Mohammed Hamzah Khan, entered a not guilty plea to charges he tried to join Islamic State militants in Syria. An indictment returned by a federal grand jury last week alleged he attempted to provide "material support to a terrorist organization."

"The venom spewed by these groups and the violence committed by them find no support in the Quran and are completely at odds with our Islamic faith," Zarine Khan said, referencing the recent attacks in Paris. 

"We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms. We condemn the brutal tactics of ISIS and groups like it. And we condemn the brainwashing and recruiting of children through the use of social media and the Internet," she said, adding: "And we have a message for ISIS, [Islamic State leader Sabah] Baghdadi and his fellow Social Media recruiters: Leave Our children alone."

Mohammed Khan lived with his parents in Bolingbrook but has been in custody since his October arrest at O'Hare International Airport. 

A conviction carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence. Khan's attorney said his client appeared to have fallen under the influence of Islamic State propaganda but has also described the government's case as weak.

A follow-up court appearance was scheduled for March 3.

Ten people have been displaced in a garage fire that blazed through a double garage in Oceanside just after midnight Tuesday, officials said.

Firefighters arrived on scene at 12:12 a.m. to find a detached double garage engulfed in flames on the 4000 block of Baycliff Way, the Oceanside Fire Department said.

The firefighters worked to battle the blaze for 30 minutes before they were able to put it out, though they continued to spray down hot spots for the following hour.

Heat and smoke from the fire led officials to evacuate ten people living in the apartment complex above the garage though there was only minor damage to the apartment building.

The double garage is scorched inside and left $150,000 in damages, including one car.

The fire is under investigation.
 

Three sheriff's deputies and another employee of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were relieved of duty after being implicated in possible crimes involving vehicle towing, the department disclosed Monday.

In December, evidence was brought to the department that the employees either stole from towed vehicles or took cash from the owners of vehicles who wanted to avoid having their cars towed, the department said in a statement.

At the end of the internal investigation, the department will determine whether to seek the filing of criminal charges by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, according to Nicole Nishida, a sheriff's department spokeswoman.

Investigators believe the three deputies and a parking control officer were acting independently. There is no evidence that other personnel were involved, Nishida said.

Last week, the four employees were sent home, but for now will continue to receive their pay until the department finishes its investigation and makes a decision on disciplinary action.

Newly elected Sheriff Jim McDonnell said the department acted "swiftly and resolutely" to look into the incidents, which took place before he took office.

Later years in the tenure of previously elected Sheriff Lee Baca had been marked by federal investigations of misconduct in the operation of the county jails and in field work. In running for sheriff, McDonnell had spoken of the need to restore trust and public confidence.

"As a law enforcement organization, it is imperative that we earn the public’s trust each day," McDonnell said in the statement.

Men and women in the Navy could get the opportunity to be on the big screen in Michael Bay’s latest TV show as extras.

A casting call is being held Tuesday for members of the Navy for Michael Bay’s “The Last Ship.” The Los Angeles-based producer has helmed projects like Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, the Transformers films and Nightmare on Elm Street, among others.

Producers are looking to cast personnel as paid background actors and will hold the casting call Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Building 45 at the Recreation Center NBSD in the Blue and Gold Conference rooms. Hopefuls can drop into the rooms any time between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

People going to the audition should bring their I-9 documents and should visit the Homeland Security website to find the list of acceptable identification needed to complete the form.

Any active duty military personnel must have their participation approved in advance in writing by their chain of command and the person must be in authorized leave or liberty status.

For those wishing to attend the casting call but cannot make the time, they can send an email to judybsubmissions@centralcasting.com with their current photo, contact information – including an email and phone number, height and weight. Write NAVY in the subject line of the email.

A Delta Air Lines flight with 146 passengers aboard returned to Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday after what officials described as "a potential systems issue" that developed shortly after departure.

Delta 2116, a Boeing 757, left LAX at about 8:30 a.m., bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The plane arrived back at LAX at about 9:35 a.m.

Details regarding the issue were not immediately available. The plane "landed safely without incident" and taxied to a gate.

Delta released the following statement: "The crew of Delta flight 2116 from Los Angeles to Minneapolis/St. Paul followed procedures to return to Los Angeles International after a potential systems issue was observed. The aircraft landed safely without incident and taxied to the gate under its own power."

The airline was working to "reaccomodate" passengers as technicians investigated the problem.

Refresh this page for updates on this developing story.

Two men were arrested overnight after a high speed chase with officers, police said.

The San Diego Police Department got a call at 1:05 a.m. that someone had stolen a car downtown and police chased him to National City.

The suspect spun out on the freeway on the northbound Interstate 5 approaching Interstate 15.

Officials used fire equipment to get the suspect out of the car before they arrested him.

The man suffered minor injuries.

Police arrested the man on suspicion of driving under the influence. A passenger was also arrested.

The California Highway Patrol also responded to the incident.

Police have released a sketch of the person they believe is responsible for seven hot prowl burglaries in Ocean Beach.

Since Christmas Day, a suspect has been sneaking into homes while residents slept, stealing money, electronics and other valuables, San Diego police say.

On Jan. 9, a woman woke up to find a man in her apartment in the 2100 block Spray Street. She screamed as he tried to pull a blanket off her, and he ran away.

Police believe the suspect targets apartments with unlocked doors and windows, and in two instances, he has cut open a window screen to climb into a home.

The suspect is described as a dark-skinned man, 20 to 30 years old. He stands between 5-feet-7-inches and 6-feet tall, and he is possibly bald. During the burglaries, the man wears dark-colored sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt. He may have a Jamaican or similar accent, police say.

The unknown man is tied to the following list of burglaries:

• Dec. 25, 2014: 5000 block of Niagara Avenue
• Jan. 5, 2015: 5000 block of Saratoga Avenue
• Jan. 6: 2100 block of Spray Street
• Jan. 7: 5000 block of Del Monte Avenue
• Jan. 9: 2100 block of Spray Street
• Jan. 12: 4900 block of Saratoga Avenue
• Jan. 12: 5000 block of Long Branch Avenue

If you know anything about the suspect, call Crime Stoppers at 888-850-8477 or the SDPD at 619-692-4800.

A man who admitted to brutally killing and chopping up the body of his mother was sentenced to 25 years to life Tuesday.

Bryan Chang, now 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the January 2010 death of his mother, Sherry Chu Chang. 

Despites the defense argument that Chang was insane at the time of the crime, jurors returned a verdict in November that declared him sane.

Remains of Sherry Chu Chang, 60, were found scattered in her Solana Beach home. Homicide investigators discovered one of the victims' arms in the refrigerator and a piece of her skull in a drawer in the home on Santa Florencia. Her body had 75 wounds delivered by a hammer, officials said.

When her son, Bryan Chang, was arrested at his home in Los Angeles two days after the killing, investigators say he still had blood in his ear and under his fingernails and toenails.

Just weeks before her death, Sherry Chang had put her unemployed son on a prayer list at a nearby church. She had ended her financial support of her son before her death, prosecutors said.

Divers searched golf course ponds on Monday for a Los Angeles man with ties to San Diego who traveled to the Coachella Valley for work last week before disappearing, deputies said.

Omar Arce Meza, 33, a vice president with AIG Financial Distributors who was traveling for work, was last seen at the Desert Springs Marriott in Palm Desert around 11 p.m. Thursday, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

He failed to show up for scheduled business meetings Friday and was reported missing.

"I just really want the community to keep an eye out for him," his wife, Diane Meza, said.

Meza spoke to her husband, who was born and raised in San Diego, as he left a dinner with colleagues in Palm Desert. He said he would call her when he got to his hotel.

"One of his co-workers put him in an Uber cab. The intention was to send him to his hotel. I think there was probably some confusion on which Marriott to go to," Diane Meza said. "He was absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. He made everything better."

Omar was staying at the Courtyard by Marriott, but security cameras captured him walking out of the Marriott Desert Springs Resort instead. His jacket and wallet were found on the resort's golf course.

The sheriff's department brought in bloodhounds, which pointed in the direction of water traps on the golf course, but his family said he was a strong swimmer.

Divers continued to search the murky pond and water traps on the course Monday, while his family handed out missing person's fliers and prayed for his safe return.

"Right now we're desperately looking for Omar. We miss him. He was my only brother so it's definitely very heartbreaking," said Sven Meza, his brother.

Omar's childhood friend and college roommate, Gustavo De La Mora, said this disappearance is completely out of character for him. He believes an underlying medical condition could be a factor.

"He had a car accident where he suffered a concussion, memory loss and some lasting damage," said De La Mora. " I know his wife is hopeful he's having an episode where he can't recall something."

He said if Omar left Palm Desert in some disoriented state, he may end up in the San Diego area because his parents still live in Bonita.

Meza was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 160 pounds. He was wearing gray pants and a white shirt when he was last seen.

Anyone with information or who may have seen Meza is asked to call the Palm Desert Sheriff’s station at 760-836-1600.

A naked man briefly shut down Interstate 805 in Lincoln Park Tuesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officials say the nude man was walking on the shoulder of northbound I-805 at Imperial Avenue around 10:15 a.m. Traffic was stopped momentarily as authorities took the man into custody.

There is no word why the man wasn’t wearing any clothes. Medical crews also responded to the incident.
 

A series of random robberies in San Diego has stumped investigators, leaving behind little evidence of a pattern or suspects.

At least 10 robberies have been reported beginning December 15, most of them in the La Jolla and Clairemont areas.

There is no pattern as to the locations of the crimes or the time of day.

Sometimes two suspects are involved, sometimes three.

Weapons also vary however suspects were armed with at least one handgun in all of the robberies.

Rick Wildman told NBC 7 about what happened to him and a friend on Saturday, Dec. 27 near Ivanhoe Street.

Wildman said a hooded gunman approached him around 10 p.m. as he and his friend were walking from a restaurant on Prospect Street.

"He leaned over and said, 'Excuse me. Can you help me?'" Wildman said. "I looked at him and saw that he was holding a Glock."

A second assailant pointed a gun to the middle of his friend’s forehead before dragging her toward the street.

The gunmen got away with little money, Wildman said, and neither victim was injured.

Just 15 minutes later, there was a robbery at the Shakeaway ice cream parlor on Pearl Avenue. A surveillance image captured one of the three suspects who used handguns to rob employees. The description is vague. Suspects wore black or dark clothing and black masks. One wore tan Timberland boots.

Other sites that were robbed in the series include Lincoln Tax Services on Illinois Street north of University Avenue on Dec. 15.

The next day, Living Spinal on Trade Street and the La Jolla Village Lodge were struck.

On Dec. 17, The Wineding Shoe - a Salon & Lounge at 4th Avenue and Brookes Avenue in Hillcrest and Los 2 Pedros Taco Shop on Turquoise Street and Wrelton Drive in Pacific Beach reported robberies.

Six days later, Sands of La Jolla, on La Jolla Blvd near I-805 and the Subway on Midway Drive were hit a few hours apart.

The most recent robbery occurred on Jan. 5 at Home Bar Liquor near Ashford and Stalmer streets east of I-805.

If you have information on any of the above robberies, you can contact investigators at the non-emergency line (619) 531-2000 or (858) 484-3154.

Three children were hurt when a prop fell during a live performance at San Diego’s Junior Theatre Tuesday.

San Diego Fire-Rescue crews were called to the Casa del Prado Theatre on Village Place in Balboa Park around 12:45 p.m.

Several children were sent to the hospital following a mishap during a performance of “The Magic Treehouse: Dinosaurs Before Dark.”

A large, tree-like prop tipped over on stage according to San Diego Fire-Rescue official Capt. Joe Amador.

“Two minors that were sitting on top of the prop as it fell over,” Amador said.

The 8- to 10-foot prop landed on a third child as well. Adults quickly lifted it off the children.

Three children under the age of 16 were transported to a nearby hospital for non-life threatening injuries, Amador said. He did not go into details about their injuries.

The audience was released and the theatre was closed.

San Diego police found the victim in a fatal stabbing outside an Encanto home with a knife still in his chest.

The victim was found at 12:45 p.m. in the backyard of the home on Brooklyn Avenue, police said.

Officers were called to the report of a stabbing and found an adult man.

Emergency personnel were called and attempted CPR but the man was pronounced dead approximately 15 minutes after he was found.

The man was playing with the knife before he was found stabbed, police said.

His family was outside the home visibly distraught.

Officers say the death appears to be a freak accident and nothing criminal.