A 32 year old (former) father was arrested yesterday after his one year old infant died at a local hospital as a result of head and neck injuries. Authorities have David Vasquez in custody in lieu of one million dollars bail. He is thought to be charged with murder. The one year old victim had been the apparent victim of abuse in the past as police were called out to the same location some months ago to find the infant with leg injuries which were not adequately explainable. Happy Father’s Day. If you have questions about child abuse, murder or …

Young Immigrants Held In Adult Jails for Months A recent report from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office (ICE) stated that over 1,300 juveniles were held in adult immigration detention facilities for days and some for months. Federal regulations require that juveniles be transferred out of adult prison facilities within 72 hours. A recent report released to the National Immigration Justice Center indicated that over one thousand children were illegally housed by ICE in adult jails for over three days, some for as long as six months. The ACLU commented that this fact was: “really, really troubling” and went …

One of Medicare’s most wanted fugitives was arrested today after he voluntarily flew back to Los Angeles from South Korea. Won Suk Lee, a Huntington Park acupuncturist, was said to have fraudulently billed Medicare over 2 million dollars for services which they do not cover. Lee is reported to have actually been paid over one million dollars for the services he billed. My question is why did the government pay the bills for services which they are not supposed to cover? My hope is that the bills were in fact fraudulent bills which described services which should be covered by …

In a brief interview with a Spanish language television station this weekend, Mayor elect Eric Garcetti voiced his opinion that medical marijuana is ok and that casual use of marijuana might not be so bad either. Garcetti was interviewed by Univision’s Jorge Ramos on Saturday and suggested that if the California voters wished to make marijuana legal, he didn’t seem to have a problem with it. He also stated that medical marijuana is a valuable treatment method. The brief interview did not extend to the countless numbers of medical marijuana “clinics” in the city or how Garcetti planned to deal with them …

A former Compton Deputy fire chief was arrested Wednesday for arson and grand theft. Marcel Melanson, 37, of Torrance, California was arrested for allegedly steeling thousands of dollars worth of radios for the purpose of selling them for personal gain and then starting a fire to try and destroy the evidence of the crime. Melanson allegedly started a fire back in December of 2011 at the headquarters of the Compton Fire Department. Yes, you guessed my next question: Why did it take this long to figure out what was going on? Answer: Not sure. The Compton Fire Department asked for …

Sports Icon Al Michaels was arrested Friday night in Santa Monica, California for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Authorities said the legendary sportscaster made an illegal u-turn near the area of a DUI checkpoint that the police had set up in Santa Monica. No doubt one of the chase vehicles caught Michaels as he was trying to avoid the checkpoint. California law requires that DUI checkpoints have an escape avenue or potential turn out for drivers to avoid being forced to drive into the checkpoint. However, as a practical matter, law enforcement always has chase vehicles set up …

Forced DUI Blood Tests and Search Warrants after Missouri vs. McNeely The United States Supreme Court just heard aDUI case from Missouri. It was called Missouri vs. McNeely and it involved a DUI suspect who did not consent to a test for blood alcohol after an arrest. Police forcibly took a blood sample from Mr. McNeely and tried to use the results of the test against the suspect in court. I would expect to hear that in a state like Missouri the cops might get away with warrantless forced blood tests after a DUI arrest – but not here in California, …

Don’t I have to let the police in the house when they ask? Or, don’t I have to come outside when the police ask me to? I have been hearing these questions for years. My answer has always been the same, “No”. We do not have to talk to the police when they come to our door. We do not have to open the door for the police. If we do, we are subjecting ourselves to what we commonly refer to as a consensual encounter. This means that we are volunteering to talk to the police. Please don’t do this. …

Many of us are familiar with the term “Miranda rights”. Some of us can even recite all or at least some of the Miranda warnings from memory after hearing them countless times in television shows or movies. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in court. You have the right to speak with an attorney before any questioning. If you desire to speak with an attorney and cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand your rights? …

A veteran Los Angeles County employee is facing a long stint in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempting to have sex with two minor children and possession of child pornography. Authorities in Alabama set up an elaborate sting operation whereby Mark Rainwater contacted people posing as the parents of two minor children for the purpose of setting up a sexual liason with the two kids. When Rainwater flew out to Alabama he was in for quite a shock when authorities greated him and his suitcase full of sex toys with a pair of matching hardened steel bracelets. Rainwater, who …