Tatsuhiko Sakamoto, 37 of Arcadia, was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony drunken driving and driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08. He allegedly drove onto a closed freeway in Baldwin Park while drunk and killed a 21-year-old road worker named Connor McDermott Penhall. Penhall is son of hall of fame motorcycle racer and actor Bruce Penhall.
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.
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.
Arcadia man Tatsuhiko Sakamoto, 37, pleaded not guilty to fatally hitting 21-year-old road worker Connor McDermott Penhall, in Pomona Superior Court yesterday. The crash happened April 4, 2012, when Sakamoto allegedly drove onto a closed part of the 10 Freeway in Baldwin Park, while drunk. He will next appear in court June 27 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.
Guilty verdict delivered to Lawrence Joseph Farry, 25, who was convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter, in the death of former Arcadia resident Joan Milazzo in August last year. Farry struck Milazzo with his car in the Del Sur area of North County San Diego. Milazzo grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, graduated from Alverno High School in Sierra Madre and was a member of St. Rita Catholic Parish in Sierra Madre.
A high speed police chase that began in Pasadena, then went through Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte and several other San Gabriel Valley cities, ended in the driving crashing into another car. The suspect was Edgar Angarita, 45, of Hollywood and the 21-year-old woman from Baldwin Park that he crashed into, are both being treated at the hospital. Police say Angarita was intoxicated. The chase occurred Monday, January 24. He is being held on suspicion of felony evading a police officer, but additional charges may be coming.
Feds move to seize homes in San Gabriel Valley, Rancho Cucamonga. The properties were allegedly purchased with millions in proceeds from what FBi investigators said was a fraudulent visa program. Victoria Chan and her father Tat Chan exploited the EB-5 visa program which offers legal permanent residence in the U.S. for foreign nationals who make job-creating investments of $500,000 or more in U.S. companies.
Woman killed; Pasadena man Alex Danilo Cerna, 51, is accused of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit and run and felony DUI at Baldwin Avenue and Arcadia Avenue.
Four Chinese investors are plaintiffs suing San Gabriel consulting firm California Investment Immigration Fund. Plaintiffs believed they were investing $500,000 in U.S. businesses in return for green cards. FBI allege the scheme was fraud and raided the firm and homes of lawyer Victoria Chan, her father Tat Chan, his wife Zheng Chan, in April.
A jury convicts Isaac Campbell, 37, of voluntary manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend Liya "Jessie" Lu, whose body was found in a trash can, covered with kitty litter, at Campbell's friend's house in the 1700 block of South Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia, in 2007.
Brandon Landreth, a former John Muir High School (Pasadena) history teacher, was sentenced to 35 years to life, in state prison for killing Arcadia man Justo Cesar Morales, nearly 3 years ago. Authorities believed Landreth shot Morales because Morales was dating Landreth's ex-wife.
Bowen Du, 19, of Arcadia, has taken a plea deal in the death of Arcadia teen Alice Zhang. He has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors--vehicular manslaughter with simple negligence and reckless driving causing injury. Du faces a maximum of 18 months in jail when he is sentenced on December 20.
DUI (driving under the influence) is suspected in fatal freeway crash. An allegedly drunk Tatsukiho Sakamoto, 37 of Arcadia, ignored signs and cones indicating the 10 Freeway was closed, and drove his Toyota RAV4 through the closure, fatally striking 21-year-old road worker Connor McDermott Penhall. Penhall is son of hall of fame motorcycle racer and actor Bruce Penhall.
Arcadia Unified School District releases records of two teacher misconduct investigations that resulted in dismissals. The first was 48-year-old Robert Harbicht, a substitute teacher who was found drunk at work. The second was Phillip Sutliff, dismissed from the district in 2007 and sentenced to 12 years in state prison for sexual misconduct (rape) with a girl at Arcadia High School.
Temple City hires Don Penman, former City Manager of Arcadia, as Interim Temple City Manager, while city officials search for a permanent replacement for Jose Pulido, who was terminated January 13.
Arcadia City's legal team and traffic safety experts re-created the scene of the crash that killed Arcadia teen Alice Zhang, 16, of Arcadia, and badly injured her friend Priyanka Patel of Upland, on April 10, 2011. The driver, Bowen Du, 20, of Arcadia, has been sentenced to one year in jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving.
Arcadia police investigators have completed an inquiry into the April 10 crash, in the 600 block of West Duarte Road, that killed 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang. Detective Michael Hale said the driver was negligent in driving a car with a dirty windshield that blinded him as he drove toward a setting sun. Arcadia officials are recommending the driver of the 1997 Lexus sedan that struck Alice Zhang and her friend who survived, be charged with vehicular manslaughter, but the District Attorney's office will review the case and decide on whether to prosecute the driver and on what grounds.
John Edward Maust, 34, a teacher at Arroyo Pacific Academy in Arcadia, was arrested for kidnapping three juveniles after asking them for a ride. Maust pulled a knife on them. He turned himself in to Altadena Sheriff's Station.
Heroic 90 year-old Santa Anita Park paddock guard John Shear will be featured on Horse Racing Television (HRTV) this Sunday, on the "Inside Information" documentary series. He saved a young girl from serious injury while doing his job.