Marcus Crooms and his girlfriend, Michelle Chioino, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the robbery with the understanding that Chioino will be placed on probation and sentenced to a maximum of a year in jail when she is sentenced Jan. 18.
Crooms, 25, and Chioino, 27, must register as gang members for five years under the terms of the plea agreement. According to prosecutors, the crime was carried out for the Crips street gang.
In the course of Chioino’s prosecution, her defense attorney, Miguel Hernandez of Salinas, surmised that authorities may have “spliced” the tapes (of jail phone conversations) to implicate his client, whom he said was being singled out for prosecution because several members of her family have run afoul of the law.
P.G. Police Arrest Two On Drug Charges
A man and woman found with black tar heroin hidden in a secret car compartment were arrested after running a stop sign, Pacific Grove police reported.
Officers said Paul R. Shapiro and Christine J. Morrow were arrested Sunday after a 9:30 p.m. traffic stop in the 200 block of Ocean Avenue.
Newcomer Challenges Sham Farr
As one letter from the editor puts it, an empty chair would be preferable to Sam The Sham
With one candidate vanished from the 17th District House of Representatives race, two are still in the running for the position in November.
U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, who has held the seat since 1993, faces newcomer Jeff Taylor, a last-minute Republican write-in candidate who supplants Anthony De Maio in next Tuesday’s election. De Maio, a finance entrepreneur whose name remains on the ballot, did not return repeated calls for comment.
Darius Engles Is The New P.G. Police Chief
Local boomerang makes chief.
Darius Engles, 51, who graduated from Pacific Grove High School in 1973, replaced Carl Miller, who retired Friday after 30 years with the department. He had served as chief since 2003.
Engles attended Monterey Peninsula College and then California State University-Sacramento, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He worked in the Sacramento area as a police officer for 10 years before returning to the Peninsula in 1985.
Campaign Sign Blight
PG has a strict rule regarding signs of any kind, including campaign signs. Essentially it says that signs can only be posted on private property. While we still see gobs of ghetto looking signs there is nothing so ghetto looking as Monterey and it’s sign overload on streets and in parks.
Susan Goldbeck Laughs At The Rules
Today at the post office. Susan is packing up her stuff. She parks her car:
1. Double Parked.
2. Blocking the handicap spot.
Sorry for the poor pic – camera phone shot.
I pointed out she was blocking the handicap spot, and I heard laughter from Loosin’ Susan.
If It Rolls Downhill, Our Man Sam The Sham Is All Over It
And wants more tax dollars to research it.
To prevent future E. coli outbreaks linked to leafy greens, U.S. Rep. Sam Farr said Friday he will request $6 million in federal funds for food-safety research.
Farr’s comments followed a closed-door meeting of about 75 Salinas-area growers, agricultural officials and lawmakers who discussed potential strategies for making local produce safer and restoring the confidence of consumers in the wake of the nationwide E. coli outbreak.
Yep, throw more taxpayer money at it Sam, that’s your shtick. What about making the growers and sellers of contaminated food pay for the study? Here, I’ll do it for free:
E. coli is poop. Animals are pooping or spreading poop in fields. Keep animals out, or clean the food before selling it. No charge, Sam. Now get your grubby hands off my wallet.
Martha Vasquez Gets 15 Years For Cooking Oil Injection Death
Who wants to die from oil injected into their butt?
Martha Mata Vasquez
Martha Mata Vasquez, 39, likely will be ordered to serve 15 years in prison under the plea deal with prosecutors. She initially faced a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Olivia Castillo, of Castroville. Prosecutors said Vasquez injected Castillo in the buttocks with corn oil, claiming it was an anti-wrinkle treatment she called “French Polymer.”
Stick with drawing eyebrows with a Sharpee, that’s not lethal.
Martha Vasquez Gets 15 Years For Cooking Oil Injection Death
Jason Chioino Files Claims Against County
County supervisors have denied two claims brought Tuesday afternoon by Jason Chioino, who is facing trial on three counts of possessing drugs with intent to sell.
One claim seeks compensation for allegedly being exposed to asbestos in the Salinas Courthouse. The second claim asserts that the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office improperly restrained Chioino, physically harming him.
Chioino’s record includes felony convictions for kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and breaking and entering. He has served two prison terms.
Chioino is awaiting a Nov. 9 hearing to set the date of his jury trial. He is representing himself, said prosecutor Anne Hill.
Concerned that he have been exposed to asbestos but uses meth? Can’t brush his teeth while shackled is the other reason, he has teethe after using meth? Sounds like the American Criminal Liberties Union is recruiting out at CJ.
This man was allegedly caught in PG with a pound of Meth. And now of a sudden he is all concerned about his health? I got a big claim in return – endangering me an my family by bringing dangerous drugs and their users to my town. The compensation? Lock him up for life.
Pebble Beach Worker Killed In Work Accident
An employee of the Pebble Beach Co. died after a workplace accident Friday, the Monterey County Coroner’s Office reported.
Cristobal Reynoso, 45, was working on a large lawn mower in the company’s maintenance shop at 7:25 a.m. when a 500-pound “blade wing” fell on top of him, causing fatal head injuries, the coroner said.
Authorities said Reynoso failed to lock the mower’s blade before it fell. He was taken to Community Hospital, where he died in the emergency room.