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Former CSUF employee admits to killing boss to conceal $200K embezzlement scheme

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

A former employee of Cal State Fullerton has been sentenced to life in prison for stabbing and killing his boss in August 2019.Chuyen Van Vo, 55, pleaded guilty to the murder of Steven Shek Keung Chan on Aug. 19, 2019.Chan was a retired administrator of Cal State Fullerton and was working as a consultant for the school when he was attacked by Vo in the parking lot. Vo, who was working for Chan, was waiting for his boss to arrive and proceeded to stab him more than 30 times before fleeing the scene.He was eventually arrested and charged with murder. At the time of his arrest, police discovered a backpack with a note that apparently detailed Vo's plan to ambush his boss, as well as a wig, fake beard, zip ties, lighter fluid and a lighter.Vo worked for CSUF's Extension and International Program and part of his responsibilities included providing approval for invoices. Prosecutors allege that Vo used a fake tutoring business and submitted fake invoices to the school for reimbursement, a...

Missing man found alive in Angeles National Forest

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

A man who vanished in the Angeles National Forest has miraculously been found alive thanks to the help of search and rescue drones.The search for Novak Zemplinski, 46, began after someone reported his vehicle had been abandoned for several days in a turnout along Mt. Wilson Red Box Road, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.When deputies arrived, they found the car was unlocked and the owner was nowhere to be found.“While vehicles often are abandoned along the road, this vehicle was in an unusual spot,” LASD said. “The suspicious circumstances prompted us to do further investigation.”Novak Zemplinski was found alive after disappearing for several days in the Angeles National Forest. Sept. 28, 2023. (LASD)Authorities searched the rugged terrain but found nothing. They also contacted a family member who confirmed that Zemplinski was the car’s owner and that he was from Wayne County, Michigan. The last contact with him had been late Sunday evening.On Thursday morning, the S...

Man dies rescuing others from San Bernardino house fire

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

Loved ones are mourning the loss of a man who died while rescuing others from a house fire in San Bernardino.It was a split-second decision that Alfred Murillo, Jr., better known as “Freddie,” made in a heartbeat — a decision that ultimately cost his life.“He gave his life trying to save someone else and that is the person he was,” said Corinne Lopez, Freddie’s sister.On Sept. 25, authorities received reports of a roof fire at a home on West 14th Street near E Street around 4:30 a.m.Within minutes, the home was completely engulfed in flames, sending large plumes of smoke across the neighborhood before authorities could arrive.Witnesses said several people were sleeping inside the burning home, including Freddie and 23-year-old Jesse Jamal Austin. Alfred Murillo, Jr. in a family photo.A house fire in San Bernardino claimed the lives of two people on Sept. 25, 2023. (San Bernardino County Fire Department)A house fire in San Bernardino claimed the lives of two people on Sept. 25, 2023....

Trump Administration forced Joshua Tree to stay open amid last shutdown: report

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

As another government shutdown looms bringing the possibility of the closure of our nation's parks, a new report claims that the Trump Administration forced one Southern California National Park to stay open during the last shutdown, despite "chaos and destruction" to the park's delicate ecosystem.The report, published by the Guardian, cites emails exchanged between National Park officials, including David Smith, superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park, during the 2018-19 government shutdown.The emails, which were obtained through a public records request, detail how then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt allegedly overruled park leadership to keep Joshua Tree open, despite a staff of only nine people working and National Park officials previously granting permission to close if visitor safety was at risk.After the government shutdown began and prior to the Smith's decision to close the park, Joshua Tree experienced a holiday rush, with visitors taking advantage of the park's s...

Pedestrian killed in 2-vehicle crash at West L.A. adult care center

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

A woman was killed and an elderly man was injured following a two-vehicle crash in the Carthay neighborhood of West Los Angeles Thursday afternoon.The crash happened around 1:35 p.m. on the 6000 block of West Pico Boulevard, at an adult care center, according to Los Angeles police.Video from Sky5 showed a damaged white Chevrolet pickup truck and a black Mercedes-Benz SUV at the scene with visible damage to the building. The pickup truck was disabled on the sidewalk after it appeared to have crashed through a glass door of a business. An internet search identified the business as Sinai Adult Day Health Care, a facility associated with Kaiser Permanente. A glass door to an adult health care center in West Los Angeles is shown following a crash on Sept. 28, 2023. (KTLA)The program director for the healthcare business told KTLA that a female staff member in her 60s and a male client in his 80s were struck by the pickup truck after it crashed into the lobby.Both the client and the employ...

Trump won’t try to move Georgia case to federal court

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

By Kate Brumback and Jeff Amy | Associated PressATLANTA — Former President Donald Trump will not seek to get his Georgia election interference case transferred to federal court, his attorneys said in a filing Thursday, three weeks after a judge rejected a similar attempt by the former president’s White House chief of staff.The notice filed in federal court in Atlanta follows a Sept. 8 decision from U.S. District Judge Steve Jones that chief of staff Mark Meadows “has not met even the ‘quite low’ threshold” to move his case to federal court, saying the actions outlined in the indictment were not taken as part of Meadows’ role as a federal official. Meadows is appealing that ruling.Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including an alleged violation of Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He was indicted last month along with Meadows and 17 others.The notice, filed in state cour...

Gas prices surge above $6 a gallon in some Bay Area cities

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

Hold your horsepower! The average price for a gallon of gas in California surged past the $6 mark Thursday, with drivers in San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin counties seeing some of the most painful spikes in the Bay Area.The state’s average price of $6.03 per gallon represented a 19-cent jump over Tuesday, marking the first time since last fall that the cost has topped $6, according to AAA data.San Mateo’s average price jumped in two days from $5.67 to $6.04 a gallon, while San Francisco’s leaped from $5.68 to $6.03. Marin’s cost ballooned to $6.07 from $5.69.Dawn Cusulos, who commutes most days from her home in San Bruno to San Francisco, said the cost of filling up her teal Ford Bronco has spiked from $60 to $80. “You don’t want to drive as much,” Cusulos said at a San Francisco gas station charging $5.79 for a gallon of regular. “But I kind of have to. I’m a Realtor, so I just have to show (properties) when I have to.”Other Bay Area counties may not have...

49ers’ Christian McCaffrey ‘honored’ at company he might join with scoring spree

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Scoring in 12 consecutive games has not quenched Christian McCaffrey’s thirst for touchdowns.“Obviously you want to score every time you touch the ball,” McCaffrey said Thursday, three days before his next chance to do so for the undefeated 49ers (3-0).McCaffrey’s scoring spree is reaching historical comparisons. Jerry Rice scored in all 12 games (with 22 touchdown catches) during the strike-shortened 1987, and he also had a touchdown in the 1986 finale for a 13-game streak that McCaffrey can match Sunday against the visiting Arizona Cardinals (1-2).McCaffrey said that would be “a huge honor” to join Rice in that company. The Dallas Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith scored 13 games in a row in 1995, and the Houston Texans’ Arian Foster did the same in 2011-12. McCaffrey has scored a rushing touchdown in each of the 49ers’ wins, and his 12-game scoring streak dates back to last December and the playoffs.It’s not just...

VIDEO: Pickup truck rams into San Jose bakery overnight, suspect steals from business

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

(KRON) -- A stolen pickup truck drove into a bakery overnight Thursday, the San Jose Police Department said. Around 4:05 a.m., the vehicle crashed into Queen Bakery at 2869 Senter Road.Police said the suspect intentionally drove into the front of the business. The suspect gained entry into the bakery and stole an unknown amount of merchandise.The alleged thief was able to escape before police arrived, SJPD said. No suspect description has been provided at this time. Surveillance video obtained by KRON4 shows the truck driving into the bakery. Skip to the 0:55 mark in the video player above to watch the collision. You can see one person exit the driver's seat and enter the business. Later in the video, the suspect is seen rummaging through what appears to be the cash register located behind the counter. An alternate view of the truck crashing into the bakery can be seen around the 2:18 mark of the video. Powerball ticket worth nearly $800K sold in San Jose A pickup truck drove into...

San Jose man intentionally poisoned, killed his mother with fentanyl: police

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:01 GMT

(KRON) -- Police said a San Jose man intentionally poisoned his mother with fentanyl and caused her death. Bradley Dexter, 40, was booked into a Santa Clara County jail this week on suspicion of homicide, poisoning, and elder abuse.Dexter's mother was found dead inside a home on Utopia Place on June 6. A sheriff's coroner later classified the woman's death as a homicide, and her cause of death was determined to be an "intentional fentanyl poisoning," San Jose Police Department Officer Steve Aponte wrote. "SJPD Homicide Detectives then began a comprehensive and thorough investigation into this incident and identified Bradley Dexter, a resident of San Jose and adult son of the victim, as the potential suspect," Aponte wrote. Earlier this month, police discovered that Dexter was also responsible for a violent attack against his father. The father suffered serious injuries. Police did not say when or where the father was assaulted. Patrol officers arrested Dexter on September 25. The mo...