Joshua Martin Parra-Davis, 23, of Arcadia, pleaded not guilty in Pasadena Superior Court, to charges of possessing and leaving an explosive device in a backpack near a bank on Foothill Boulevard in Arcadia, on Friday, January 14, 2011. He is charged with four felony counts, including possession of a destructive device near a school. Parra-Davis, a former Foothills Middle School student, was seen opening a classroom door last Friday and then later was seen dropping the backpack into some bushes. The bag contained what appeared to be a homemade explosive.
23-year-old Arcadia man Joshua Martin Parra-Davis was booked by Arcadia Police on suspicion of possessing an explosive device and leaving it in a backpack near a Bank of America on Foothill Boulevard on Friday, January 14, 2011. Witnesses said Parra-Davis first went to Foothills Middle School and may have been trying to open classrooms when he was confronted and ran off. The suspect was then seen dropping a backpack in bushes near the Bank of America and then running through the parking lot, where officers detained him. Arcadia Police called the bomb squad. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Bob Squad successfully detonated the device. Parra-Davis could be arranged in Pasadena Court today.
Bowen Du, the driver, who struck and Alice Zhang, 16, of Arcadia, as she walked across the 600 block of Duarte Road, will face the felony charge of one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison. His arraignment is scheduled for August 11, 2011 in Pasadena Superior Court.
Twenty-five year old Matthew Fay Echauri of Arcadia, has been found guilty of brutally stabbing his 18-year-old girlfriend in Temple City two years ago. He was found guilty of four felony counts: one count of attempted murder, one count of mayhem, two counts of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime with force and violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 12.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich offers $10,000 reward for information about the shooting of Jose Parra. He was shot on December 12, 2011 inside his home in the unincorporated area of Arcadia.
Christian Eric Blesch, 36, a former Arcadia police officer and Arcadia Police Officers' Association treasurer, is accused of embezzling $50,000. He pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court on the felony charges of grand theft by embezzlement. He was elected January 2011 to serve as treasurer. He resigned from Arcadia Police Department last month. A second police officer is being investigated.
57-year-old Richard Henry Solis of Arcadia faces two felony counts of grand theft from elder and six counts of petty theft from elder. The alleged crimes involved Solis claiming the victims had injured him with their vehicles and then asking for money for medical expenses or stealing their belongings, reportedly stealing $100,000 from the victims.
John Quigley, one of the "Arcadia four" tree-sitters arrested on January 12, 2011, while protesting destruction of an 11-acre Arcadia woodland, has told supporters he will appear today in Alhambra Superior Court and will plead no contest to trespassing.
Monrovia man Gerardo Cortez, 26, was arrested for allegedly making telephone threats to shoot adults and children with an assault rifle at schools (including Arcadia High School), the Westfield Santa Anita mall, and a hospital in the San Gabriel Valley last week. He was booked at Monrovia Police Department for five counts of felony Making Criminal Threats and five counts of False Report of an Emergency. He is to be arraigned today. See also Mountain Views News, September 14, 2013, p. 1.
Gerardo Cortez, 26, of Monrovia, pleads not guilty in threats to shoot students in area schools. He is charged with 6 counts of making false criminal threats and 5 counts of falsely reporting an emergency.
Home invasion robbery in unincorporated Arcadia leaves father of 3 dead. Police issue sketch of wanted subject. The dead man is Jose Antonio Parra and lived on the 11000 block of Kristi Court.
All four "tree-sitters" arrested while protesting the destruction of an 11-acre oak woodland in Arcadia appeared in Alhambra Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to one count each of trespassing and obstruction a police officer. They are John Quigley, 50, of Glendale, Julia Jaye Posin, 23 of Venice Beach, Travis Jochimsen, 28, of Lancaster and Andrea Bowers, 45 of Los Angeles. They rejected an offer of community service and payment of restitution from the District Attorney's office. The four will appear in court again April 22 for a pre-trial hearing.
Man charged with kidnapping, beating ex-girlfriend in Arcadia. Robert Michael Mendez faces one count each of kidnapping and criminal threats and three counts of injuring a girlfriend or child's parent.
Former Arcadia police officer Christian Blesch (photo), 36, was arrested for embezzlement of Arcadia Police Officers' Association funds. As of September 24, 2013, Blesch was terminated. Blesch allegedly charegd more than $50,000 for personal items on a police association's credit card. He pleaded not guilty to a felony count of grand theft by embezzlement.
A home invasion robbery on December 12 resulted in the shooting death of 35 year old Jose Antonio Parra, while his girlfriend and three small children were locked in a bedroom. It happened on the 11000 block of Kristi Court in unincorporated county area near Arcadia.
A 19-year-old man Matthew Zamora, could face a 25 year prison sentence for shooting and killing 24-year-old Joseph Romero of Arcadia, on June 16, 2012, on the 5200 block of Tyler Avenue in unincorporated county area near Arcadia and El Monte.
Bowen Du, 19, an Arcadia man who was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang, has pleaded not guilty. Du faces up to 6 years in state prison for vehicular manslaughter and up to 3 more years for causing serious injury to Zhang's friend Priyanka Patel, 16, of Upland.