kappeler - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's Monthly ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

News Briefs Man Hides Inside CVS, Robs Store After Closing Police are trying to identify a man who hid inside a Redwood City CVS pharmacy and robbed it at gunpoint as employees closed the store for the day. The robbery was reported at the CVS at 1301 Broadway. Employees were in the process of closing the store when a man wearing a black jacket and black cargo pants emerged and ordered them to the floor at gunpoint, police said. He then took an undisclosed amount of cash and ran away. The man is described as black, 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing about 220 pounds. Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call Redwood City police at 650-780-7100. Runaway Burglar Gets Sentencing Date The convicted burglar who fled a Redwood City courthouse after the verdict to avoid being taken into custody will be sentenced in that case this month while facing new charges stemming from her eventual apprehension in a San Bruno attic. Jennifer Lynn Dickerson, 37, could receive more than two decades in prison as a second-striker when sentenced Feb. 23 on felony counts of residential burglary and car theft. Following that, she also faces time for allegedly jumping bail and, when caught by law enforcement, resisting arrest and possessing illegal drugs. The preliminary hearing for the former was Jan. 20 followed the next day with a hearing on the latter. Dickerson’s recent legal run-ins began after her October 2008 arrest by San Carlos police on suspicion of burglarizing a home and stealing both a 1995 gold Lexus and a laptop computer. A handwritten note asking about the purchase of the car was left behind. The car was found two days later abandoned in a Daly City parking lot located across from where Dickerson was staying. A uniform for D&M Towing, the company that had fired Dickerson, was found inside. In November, a jury convicted Dickerson of the two felonies. During a court break following the verdicts, Dickerson fled the courthouse in Redwood City and remained at large until Jan. 5, when authorities found her hiding in a San Bruno attic. When she blocked the attic entrance and refused to come down, officers broke through a different section of the ceiling and arrested her. Rape of Vitamin Seller Brings 19 Years Prison A Redwood City man convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman whom he invited to his home to sell vitamins was sentenced to 19 years and four months in prison. Jurors deliberated two days in November before convicting Ricardo Zaragoza Mendez, 61, of the felonies forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration, assault with intent to commit rape and false imprisonment. He was also convicted of misdemeanor assault. Mendez reportedly attacked a 19-year-old woman he knew from an adult school months earlier. On May 28, the married woman went to Mendez’s home because he wanted to buy the Herbalife vitamins she sold. After discussing the items for sale, Mendez allegedly asked her to look at vitamins he already owned located in his bedroom. Once there, prosecutors say Mendez raped the woman until she was able to grab a flashlight and strike him several times in the head. The woman ran to a friend’s residence and contacted police. Mendez faced up to 30 years and eight months in prison. While the sentence was less than the maximum, it is still a sharp contrast to the six-year deal offered by the court and the 12-year term offered by prosecutors if he had pleaded no contest prior to trial. Mendez was also ordered to register as a sex offender, undergo HIV testing, pay restitution to the victim and reimburse the Redwood City Police Department $700 for the sex-assault exam. Pair Plead Not Guilty in Fatal Redwood City Shooting Two alleged teen gang members charged in the assault and fatal shooting of a 21-year-old man in Redwood City pleaded not guilty to murder. Michael Elijah Rodriguez, 18, of Redwood City, and Mario Cazares, 17, of Palo Alto, appeared in court for the third time since being arrested. Both waived their right to a speedy trial. Each is charged with murder and a special gang enhancement that carries a life without parole term. Rodriguez is also charged with being a gang member using a gun because prosecutors believe he is the one who fired the weapon. Although Cazares is a minor, the District Attorney’s Office charged him as an adult in the death of Julio Pantoja Cuevas, 21. Cuevas was fatally shot several times just before 8 p.m. Nov. 28 at an apartment complex at 426 Madison Ave. He died at the scene. Cuevas, clad in a navy blue jacket with the letters “LA” on the back, was visiting three female friends at the complex when he allegedly exchanged words with a group of Norteños standing across the street. One person was on a bicycle. Authorities say one person began punching Cuevas before Rodriguez pulled the weapon and fired. Cuevas ran down an alleyway, where he died while the suspects fled. Although investigators believe five to eight people were involved in the crime, only Rodriguez and Cazares have been arrested so far. Rodriguez and Cazares are allegedly Norteños but Cuevas’ affiliation, if any, is unknown. Convicted Batterer Admits Stalking A three-time convicted batterer accused of beating his girlfriend severely and holding her hostage at knifepoint was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison on charges of felony assault and stalking. Ever Justin Quintanilla, 37, of Redwood City, pleaded no contest to the two charges in return for the term. He was also ordered not to contact the victim for 10 years and to pay her restitution in an amount to be determined. According to prosecutors, on Feb. 7, the victim allowed Quintanilla to spend the night at her San Mateo home despite a restraining order, but the following morning, he grew angry about the felony case on which he was due in court Feb. 9. Quintanilla allegedly threatened to kill the woman before leaving and returned later that evening, banging on windows and demanding to come inside. Quintanilla reportedly broke into the residence and beat the woman with his fists and a skateboard, breaking her leg and nose and bruising her body. The next morning, Quintanilla allegedly brought her food and apologized before leaving for his court appearance on charges of stalking, residential burglary and making felony threats on Oct. 1. The woman called a friend who in turn contacted police. At the time of the arrest, Quintanilla had three prior misdemeanor domestic violence convictions against other women. He also had a two-year prison term under his belt for a pair of felony and one misdemeanor drug count from 2000. Jail, Restitution for Thieving Teller A former Redwood City bank teller prosecutors say stole $33,000 from the account of a teenage girl whose deceased mother left her the money and $40,000 from her own elderly aunt must spend a year in jail and repay more than $73,000. Arcelia Barajas Aguilar, 28, pleaded no contest in August to grand theft and fiscal elder abuse. A judge capped the possible sentence at a year but agreed to consider lowering it if she was able to pay restitution. Last month, she received the maximum possible plus five years supervised probation and an order to pay the San Mateo Credit Union $73,700. Aguilar, who is free on a $25,000 bail bond, must surrender to the county jail Feb. 19 and has credit for one day. She stole her mother’s Social Security number to obtain a teller job with the San Mateo Credit Union in Redwood City, according to prosecutors. On June 2, 2009, she reportedly transferred $33,000 to her personal account from that of a 16-year-old girl whose mother left her the money. On July 3, she allegedly transferred $40,000 from her 74-year-old aunt’s account into her own. The fraudulent transfers were discovered during a bank audit. Aguilar spent all but $5,000 of the money, apparently on credit card debt, according to the District Attorney’s Office. (continues on page 27) www.SpectrumMagazine.net
Community Interest Kick-Off for Redwood City Fire Department’s 150th Anniversary This year brings a truly remarkable anniversary to Redwood City — it’s the sesquicentennial of the Redwood City Fire Department! To kick off the celebration of 150 years of dedicated public safety, the Fire Department held a news conference on Jan. 24 in front of Fire Station No. 9 in downtown Redwood City. Marshall Street was closed for a short period so that both historical and new firefighting apparatus could be parked on the street to represent this monumental occasion. At the news conference, Mayor Jeff Ira and Redwood City Fire Chief Jim Skinner officially kicked off the department’s sesquicentennial celebration, including a 150th-anniversary commemorative badge exchange for all city firefighters, an overview of the history of the department, an outline of upcoming community events to mark the anniversary and the opportunity to see some historical firefighting equipment that was in use throughout the history of this venerable fire department. As part of the sesquicentennial celebration, the Fire Department will be participating with historical equipment, photos, videos and more at many city events, including the Fourth of July parade and festival, Movies on the Square during the summer, family events on the Square and on Theatre Way, National Night Out in August, the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and the December Hometown Holidays. The community will be invited to buy tickets to and join firefighters at a very special Sesquicentennial Firefighters Ball to be held Aug. 13 at the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Redwood City. It was 1861 when the Redwood City Fire Department first came into being, six years before the city itself was even incorporated. America was in the midst of a civil war, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States, it was the final year of the Pony Express mail service and the territories of Nevada and Colorado were created. Against that historic backdrop, the Redwood City Fire Company No. 1 was formed for the protection of the community, which at that time numbered less than 2,000 people. The first Redwood City firehouse was built on Main Street in 1862. Today the Redwood City Fire Department consists of five fire stations housing five engines and one truck, and currently has over 70 staff members including firefighters, firefighter/paramedics, captains and battalion chiefs, fire prevention staff, training staff and administrative staff, all in service of a core population of over 75,000 people and providing mutual aid to other communities nearby. The Redwood City Fire Department’s website is www.redwoodcity.org/fire. Redwood City Police Department Announces New Web Page for Crime Reporting Redwood City’s new online crime reporting tool not only makes it more convenient for community members to report nonemergency crimes, but also helps keep more police officers on the streets more of the time, protecting the life and property of the community they serve. A report can be made online if the following criteria are met: 1. The crime occurred within the city limits of Redwood City. 2. The suspect is unknown or cannot be described. 3. The reported incident is not an emergency (for emergencies, dial 9-1-1). San Francisco Giants World Champions Trophy Tour The San Francisco Giants World Champions Trophy Tour is coming to our community! This means that you can get up close to the fabulous World Champions trophy, take pictures and be part of the Giants’ historic 2010 championship run. The trophy will be on display at Courthouse Square on Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Fans will have the opportunity to view the trophy in person and have their photo taken with it on a first-come, first-served basis. The viewings are free to the public. Fans can purchase an official photo with the trophy through Giants Fan Photos, which will be available on-site. The Trophy Tour is presented by Visa. Toyota is the official vehicle of the Trophy Tour. Information on the entire World Champions Trophy Tour is online at sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/fan_forum/trophy_tour.jsp. “I was going to say that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but we all know that this is the beginning of the Giants’ dynasty and we’ll have many future championships, right?” said Malcolm Smith, public communications manager for Redwood City. Community Interest: Youth-Oriented Kindergarten Pre-Registration Started Jan. 29 Kindergarten registration for the Redwood City School District began on Saturday, Jan. 29, at assigned neighborhood schools. Parents may also choose to register their children anytime during the month of February, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at neighborhood schools (except Feb. 18 and Feb. 21, which are school holidays). Find your assigned neighborhood school by checking the district’s boundary book, available at www.rcsdk8.net/ boundaries, or by calling the Schools of Choice office at 650-423-2237. If you are planning to register your child to attend a school other than your assigned neighborhood school, you still need to register at your neighborhood school first. A list of documents needed to register your kindergartner is available at www.rcsdk8.net/kindergarten or at any school office. You may download and fill out the papers in advance to make the registration process go more quickly. Please bring four copies of the registration forms with you to registration. After you have registered your child, you may submit a Schools of Choice transfer application, available at www.rcsdk8.net/SchoolsOfChoice or at any school office. A full range of enrollment information is also available at www.rcsdk8.net/enrollment. The Redwood City Police Department announced that its new online reporting web pages are up and running, making reporting nonemergency crimes more convenient and expedient for community members. The online reporting application is located at www.redwoodcity.org/police and is available in both English and Spanish. With this new level of customer service, the public can report crimes such as hit-and-run, identity theft, vandalism, lost property, harassing phone calls and theft— or can offer a crime tip to the police (crime tips can be made anonymously, although it helps to have contact information in case the police need to follow up). District Introduces New Schools of Choice Information Booklet There are a number of community benefits to Redwood City’s new online reporting tool: Members of the public can file a report anytime, anywhere To help parents learn about their assigned neighborhood school and “schools with an Internet connection, and will not have to wait for an officer to of choice” options in the district, the Redwood City School District has be dispatched. Anyone filing an online report will receive an immediate updated and redesigned its Schools of Choice Information Booklet this year. temporary case number and will be able to print out a copy of the information Copies in black and white with a color cover are now available in each school submitted. Once the case has been reviewed by police staff, a permanent office and at the district Schools of Choice office. Although the district has Redwood City Police Department case number will be assigned and a copy reduced the cost of producing this booklet by about 75 percent over the last of the official report will be accessible via email free of charge. For hit-andrun, theft from a vehicle and vandalism, the online crime reporting tool can online or printing their own full-color version, available at www.rcsdk8.net/ few years, it is asking parents to consider viewing the full-color document accept up to two photos. And anyone using the online reporting system can enrollment, to help save on printing costs. be assured that all information collected is securely transferred to the city’s servers through an encrypted channel. (continues on page 27) The Spectrum 21
Page 1 and 2: DYLAN KAPPELER The Thrill, The Rush
Page 3 and 4: The Spectrum.FEB.2011 Steve Penna O
Page 5 and 6: RCSD Corner: News From the Redwood
Page 7 and 8: Cultural Events The Main Gallery 10
Page 9 and 10: 587 Canyon Road Redwood City (650)
Page 11 and 12: WOODSIDE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC BOOST
Page 13 and 14: Redwood City Police Chief Resigns B
Page 15 and 16: Events Around Town Official Grand O
Page 17 and 18: fact, pro rider Josh Hansen, who wo
Page 19: In the New Year! - Shop Redwood Cit
Page 23 and 24: Every Woman’s Place for Fitness
Page 25 and 26: The Spectrum 25
Page 27 and 28: News Briefs (Continued from p20) Co
Page 29 and 30: Insurance Tips: Cheap Car Insurance
Page 31: The Spectrum 31

kappeler - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's Monthly ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?