Free Republic

Plane Hit by 3 Cars After Calif. Freeway Landing By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS August 23, 2009 SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) -- Authorities say a small airplane was struck by three vehicles just after it made an emergency landing on a California freeway. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the Piper PA-24 Comanche with two people on board was bound for Santa Barbara Airport Sunday when the pilot told air traffic controllers he had no fuel remaining and landed on the southbound side of U.S. Highway 101, about one mile northeast of the airport. California Highway Patrol Officer James Richards...

FRESNO, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol says a police chase in Dinuba has ended with seven people dead, including four children. The patrol says Dinuba police were trying to stop a car Saturday afternoon for a traffic infraction. Patrol Sgt. Jon Baker says the driver went through a stop sign during the pursuit and collided with a pickup truck. The Fresno Bee reports that five children were in the truck and four of them were ejected and died at the scene. It says the surviving child and two adults in that vehicle were taken to Community Regional Medical Center...

A fast spinning windmill appeared "out of control," and threatened traffic on the highway between Los Angeles County's high desert and the San Joaquin Valley, a CHP dispatcher in Bakersfield said today. The CHP dispatcher said the windmill is spinning too fast and might fly apart, which is why Highway 58 in the Tehachapi Pass was closed down both directions between Mojave and about 45 miles north of Lancaster and Tehachapi. The malfunctioning electric generator is one of thousands of windmills installed along both sides of Highway 58 in Tehachapi Pass. Traffic was being detoured onto parallel county roads. Traffic...

A three-time Culver City police officer of the year was killed Wednesday on the eastbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway in the Palms area when his car was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver, who also died in the collision, according to the CHP. The collision that took the life of Culver City police Sgt. Curt Massey occurred about 5 a.m., just west of National Boulevard, the California Highway Patrol reported. "Curt was a very special police sergeant and friend,'' Chief Don Pedersen said of the 17-year veteran of the department. "He was kind, thoughtful and always went out of his...

A man was shot and killed by a California Highway Patrol officer following a car chase that ended early this morning next to an elementary school in east Fresno.

Oakland, in the Jerry Brown years, practiced an unofficial policy of what might be called “community cleansing.” This is not to be confused with “ethnic cleansing,” the horrific activity in parts of, say, Eastern Europe or Central Africa where whole ethnic populations are violently and bloodily removed, either through exile or actual genocide. No, Mr. Brown’s “community cleansing” policies were far more genteel, involving little violence (though some—that’s what the whole Oakland Riders police scandal was about) and targeting not whole ethnic groups, but rather portions of the population that were considered as being “undesirables.” Part of this involved harassment,...

One day before of Election Day, state highway authorities are removing political signs from freeway overpasses and pedestrian bridges. They want voters to focus on the road, not politics. While it's legal to stake political signs and banners in most places, they are considered a public nuisance on overpasses. The California Highway Patrol says the signs could distract motorists. SNIP

*Unconfirmed Reports of three killed* 1:02 a.m. June 14, 2008 CAMPO – At least three people were hit by gunfire Friday night on the Mexican side of the border near Campo, authorities said. The California Highway Patrol said several shooting victims came across the border. The shootings occurred some time after 10 p.m. A Heartland fire dispatcher said he knew of three victims, but that the Border Patrol had said there were more. The dispatcher said he did not know if anyone was killed. Border Patrol officials were unavailable to comment on what occurred. Ambulances were sent to state Route...

The cost to taxpayers of protecting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California's other top officials has nearly tripled since the Governator took office, to close to $38 million a year, figures obtained by The Chronicle show. The California Highway Patrol, which guards the officials, won't release budget figures covering just the governor out of security considerations. But it's pretty clear from what people tell us that the big spending isn't on the state schools superintendent or the insurance commissioner - it's on Schwarzenegger.Five years ago, during Gray Davis' last year in office, the CHP spent $14.4 million providing security to the...

SANTA ANA - A Ladera Ranch family tormented by images of their decapitated teen daughter has filed a civil lawsuit against the California Highway Patrol, which admitted responsibility for the photos being circulated worldwide on the Internet. The family of Nicole "Nikki" Catsouras, 18, killed Oct. 31 in a two-car crash on a toll road near Lake Forest The lawsuit, which follows the Catsouras family's unsuccessful $20 million legal claim against the state, details the anguish suffered by Catsouras' parents and three little sisters, including fake MySpace.com sites set up after her death and "spam" that popped up in the...

'Father, 3 Kids, Missing in Northern California Mountains Found Alive','All four members of a family that went missing Sunday in the Northern California mountains while searching for a christmas tree have been found alive, FOX News reported The search area in rugged mountains of Butte County, Calif., where a father and three children vanished Sunday All four members of a family that vanished Sunday in the Northern California mountains while searching for a christmas tree have been found alive, FOX News reported Wednesday. "They have found all four, and they appear to be OK," said Paradise Police Sgt. Steve Rowe....

PARADISE, Calif. - A father and three children who vanished on a Christmas tree-cutting trip in the Northern California mountains were found alive Wednesday after huddling in a culvert for warmth during three days of heavy snowstorms. "Our hearts are all full right now," said Cory Stahl, who owns a pest control business where the father, Frederick Dominguez, works. "It's a very merry Christmas now." A California Highway Patrol helicopter delivered the family to safety, the two youngest children brought out of the woods first. The father smiled at family and friends, who cheered as he and his 18-year-old son...

A Family's Nightmare: Accident Photos of Their Beautiful Daughter Released Family of Nikki Catsouras Has Sued Investigators for Allegedly Releasing Accident Pictures Not long after their 18-year-old daughter died in a car accident, Christos and Lesli Catsouras were forced to relive their grief. They soon began receiving anonymous e-mails and text messages that contained photographs of the accident, including pictures of Nicole Catsouras' decapitated body, still strapped to the crumpled remains of her father's Porsche. A fake MySpace page was created, which at first looked like a tribute to Catsouras but also led to the horrific photos. "What type of...

By Garance Burke ASSOCIATED PRESS 8:01 p.m. November 3, 2007 FRESNO – A 62-year-old man was arrested Saturday on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge after two people were killed in a massive morning pileup in dense fog that involved more than 100 cars and trucks, the California Highway Patrol said. Eighteen big rigs were involved in the massive pileup on Highway 99 just south of Fresno as patches of dense fog obscured visibility on the heavily traveled roadway, CHP officials said. CHP Officer Kirk Arnold would not identify the man who is being held in Fresno County jail, and said...

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Collisions on a foggy freeway Saturday resulted in a pileup of as many as 100 vehicles and the deaths of at least two people, the California Highway Patrol said. The collisions included nine big rigs on northbound Highway 99 just south of Fresno, CHP Officer Scott Jobinger said. "It looks like we had a chain reaction crash in that fog," Jobinger said. Rescuers extracted several people whose vehicles were pinned under tractor trailers, he said. The number of people injured was not yet known. Authorities said no hazardous materials appeared to have been spilled in the...

California authorities are trying to determine the whereabouts of at least 9 drivers involved in the deadly I-5 tunnel crash. Ten people injured in the crash were taken to area hospitals, another 10 escaped the flames uninjured, three others, including a 6 year old were killed in the crash. That totals 23 people, but the CHP says 31 vehicles were involved in the crash which leaves at least 9 drivers unaccounted for at this time. Warren Stanley of the California Highway Patrol, "We have to identify all the vehicles and determine who they belong to and based on registration we...

Authorities say they may have trouble identifying the body found on Highway 880 before dawn Thursday because it was repeatedly struck by passing cars for about an hour during the morning commute. The first call to the California Highway Patrol that something was amiss came before 6 a.m. The caller reported a dead dog. Officers arrived at southbound I-880 in Hayward nearly an hour later and made the gruesome discovery. On the ground was a human ear. The CHP immediately called for the freeway to be closed. It was 6:50 a.m., less than a half hour before sunrise. The remains...

Senator facing misdemeanor count in wild state vehicle ride. State Sen. Carole Migden will be charged with one misdemeanor count stemming from a wild ride in her state vehicle this spring that ended with a wreck on Highway 12 outside of Fairfield.Migden, D-San Francisco, will be charged Friday, L. Kathryn Coffer, chief deputy district attorney of Solano County, said Wednesday. Coffer would not specify what charge Migden would face.But she said the state senator will not be arrested or booked into jail, and will allowed to appear with her attorneys in court, as is customary in misdemeanor cases. Representatives of...

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (AP) An Adelanto man will be sentenced to 10 years in state prison for killing a California Highway Patrol officer in a drunken freeway crash. Domingo Esqueda, 21, pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter and agreed to receive the maximum sentence under an agreement reached Wednesday. He will be sentenced next month. Prosecutors dropped a charge of driving under the influence causing bodily injury. CHP Officer Gregory Bailey, 36, was killed on Feb. 26, 2006, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles. The father of four had pulled over a pickup truck and was talking to the driver...

Lefties launch 'Move over' campaign By: Dave Downey - Commentary Sunday, June 17, 2007 Look out, all you left-lane campers. Soon, you could be approached from behind by an impatient commuter with the words "move over" and a giant arrow pointed in the direction of the No. 2 lane pasted across his or her windshield. Those drivers who routinely get irritated when you create those mile-long backups now have a polite way of communicating with you. For $29, they can buy their very own "move over" windshield decals through the Web site leftlanedrivers.org. The site was set up earlier this...

A major new scandal and another potential one have emerged in recent days at the California Highway Patrol. After past CHP black eyes involving pension spiking with dubious injury claims by the majority of retiring top managers, a disastrous no-bid pistol-buying contract, bid-rigging and a stunning number of drunken-driving incidents involving top officials, it often seems that with the CHP, what can go wrong will go wrong. In the Inland Empire, assistant Inland division chiefs Mike Williams and Mike Maples abruptly left the CHP's employ last week amid sordid allegations. In Southern California, there are allegations that division Chief Gary...

IRRESPONSIBILITY It's very unfortunate for gun owners that the Roanoke Times (RT) has acted so irresponsibly with respect to the CHP holder list. The RT's reckless actions have endangered lives, as there are people on that CHP list who are under threat from violent ex-spouses or from criminals they have helped put in jail. I have been returning calls from concerned gun owners and the stories are heartbreaking and intense. One woman's mother wakens at the slightest sound in the middle of the night and she calls the police and her daughter. She is living in constant fear that the...

The *****TREMENDOUS***** pressure that you guys just put on the Roanoke Times was of a magnitude that even I had never seen before. It was akin to watching a nuclear bomb go off. The Roanoke Times has taken the CHP database off their site, using as an excuse that some of the data perhaps shouldn't have been made public: how about the home address of the Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court for starters? The truth is that they owe gun owners a sincere and front page apology for having a massive lapse in judgement. It would also be...

The California Highway Patrol has a higher average suicide rate than other police agencies, a newspaper reported. Fifteen workers have taken their lives since September 2003, including 13 men and two women. The suicides ranged from the North Coast to the Inland Empire and included five in the Sacramento area, according to a report in The Sacramento Bee. Last month an officer was found dead in his Folsom home. Experts say police suicides often are related to job pressures and the availability of guns. "We ask our people to work very odd and unusual shifts," CHP Commissioner Mike Brown said....

Cars can kill or maim. Alert cautious drivers can make the difference between life and death. That's the message a safety training program of the California Highway Patrol hopes to drive home to teens and their parents. CHP Officer Ross said the next session of the Start Smart Program is set for mid-February at the Antelope Valley station in Lancaster... Teens comprise 10% of the U.S. population, yet they account for 14% of traffic fatalities nationwide, according to the most recent data available. A report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said teens "learning the...

SACRAMENTO — The California Highway Patrol, partly responsible for enforcing state law on certifying the safety of cars that have been in accidents, failed for four years to turn in the proper paperwork when it sold its own wrecked cars and motorcycles. "They should be crimson red with that disclosure ... ," said former state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, who wrote legislation to protect consumers from unsafe salvage cars. "They were part and parcel of the whole debate on this bill. Not to enforce the law is very negligent."

LOS ANGELES -- Most Golden State drivers go out of their way to avoid the California Highway Patrol, but Erik Estrada can't seem to stay away. Estrada, who experiences the reality of law enforcement in his new unscripted CBS series "Armed & Famous," told reporters on Thursday that he's looking forward to the upcoming feature film version of his seminal series "CHiPs." "I tell you what -- I think that Wilmer Valderrama's gonna do a fine job," Estrada says. "I think he'll do a fine job as Ponch. And the script, I've read the script and I'm not in the...

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association may be miles away from getting a new labor contract with the state, but its members appear to be in line for a pay raise sooner rather than later, thanks to the union's victory in a grievance it filed a year ago. In a decision dated Saturday, an arbitrator ruled that the CCPOA's 31,000 members are entitled to a pay raise based on compensation increases the state gave to the California Highway Patrol. The prison officers' pay is linked to the CHP's union contract, and the arbitrator ruled that health insurance and holiday leave-time...

The southbound truck route on the Golden State (5) Freeway was reopened after frozen pig carcasses were spilled across lanes Monday night. A big rig collided with a box truck in the truck route from the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway just north of the Foothill (210) Freeway Monday night, scattering frozen pigs over 80 feet of the freeway, authorities said. The collision, in which one truck clipped another, occurred at 7:36 p.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer David Porter. The collision was at the end of the truck route, and Caltrans brought in a dump truck and loader to...

OAKLAND – A California Highway Patrol officer struck by a car whose driver left the scene died yesterday morning. Officer Brent Clearman, 33, a decorated Marine sharpshooter and Iraq war veteran, was investigating an accident Saturday night on an Interstate 880 on-ramp when he was struck by a Buick LeSabre. The driver, who could face charges of felony hit-and-run, manslaughter or homicide, remained at large. Clearman served as a CHP firearms instructor and was described as a leader among his peers. He joined a force of 200 CHP officers in New Orleans last year to help with Hurricane Katrina disaster...

As the state's fiscal year came to a close, the California Highway Patrol sped up its use of budgeted overtime pay in May and June, with at least one CHP division urging its workers to rack up extra hours. The Valley Division's officers "did an excellent job of using up overtime, spending nearly $943,000 since May 14," according to a June 14 e-mail obtained by The Bee. "Now we are counting on non-uniformed employees to make a dent." The division's commander, Stan Pérez, "has granted approval for every non-uniformed employee under Valley Division to use as much overtime as they...

The California Highway Patrol is weaning itself off its fleet of now-discontinued Chevrolet Camaro pursuit cars, switching to new Porsche 987 Boxsters. As a spokesman for the CHP bizarrely put it, “The Camaros were at the end of their useful life, and were never able to be used fully given that CHP officers are prohibited from wearing mullets while on duty.” (Apparently, droll humor isn’t unlearned during baton-fighting exersizes.) An initial order for 200 Porsche Boxsters will be fulfilled by the end of 2005(6), with the majority of units being placed in service in high-enforcement areas, like Irwindale. (PS: Check...

I am writing to commend the work of the San Diego Police Department at the recent Immigrants Rights March. As a member of the organizing team's effort to keep the march orderly and peaceful, I was struck by the contrasts in style between the San Diego Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. As the march began, I looked over toward an off-ramp from the freeway near Balboa Park, and there stood the California Highway Patrol, seven to 10 strong. They were in riot gear. Their long, black sticks and helmets gleamed in the Palm Sunday sun. Ominously dangling from...

A driver who was allegedly drunk when he struck and killed a California Highway Patrol officer last weekend pleaded innocent to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, authorities said. Domingo Esqueda, 20, could face up to 16 years in prison if convicted of killing motorcycle officer John Bailey, 36, who was married and had four children. Esqueda was arraigned Tuesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Victorville. Authorities say Bailey was driving home to Adelanto Saturday night when he pulled over another motorist for investigation of drunk driving on Interstate 15 near Hesperia. Bailey was talking with the motorist on the...

10-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol, Iraqi war veteran, husband, father of four and resident of Adelanto, died late Saturday night in a fiery crash touched off by an alleged drunken driver. Motorcycle officer Gregory Bailey, 36, was pronounced dead at 11:46 p.m. after he was caught in a spiral of debris created by a suspected drunken driver who veered off the shoulder of Interstate 15 north of Oak Hill Road. Bailey was a sergeant first class in the Army National Guard. Just four months ago he had returned home from a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq. Bailey,...

A CHP Motor Officer, from the Rancho Cucamonga Area Office, was reportedly on an enforcement stop and was struck by a possible D.U.I. driver sometime during the later part of "B" watch last night. He was reportedly transported to a local hospital were he died a short time later. This officer is the 209th uniformed member of the CHP to die in the line-of-duty - and the 6th in the last 5 months (David Romero, Santa Fe Springs, 09/23-05 (run over by a DUI driver) - Andy Stevens, Woodland Area, 11-17-05 (shot on a traffic stop) - Erick Manny, Fort...

A California Highway Patrolman was shot and killed this morning on northbound Highway 99 near Modesto, according to CHP Sgt. Wayne Ziese.

Being reported on locally by KABC - nothing nationally.

The California Highway Patrol plans to fire two officers after an internal investigation found they used their service weapons to shoot alligators while working in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, the CHP said Friday. The CHP said the officers shot and killed at least one alligator and failed to report the firing of their weapons, as required by agency policy, said Fran Clader, a spokeswoman at CHP headquarters in Sacramento. The officers broke Louisiana law when they killed the animal, she said. “This is an embarrassment to our department and especially to all our personnel who went to Louisiana and served...

<p>ONTARIO, Calif. - A man wanted in connection with the shooting of a California Highway Patrol officer last week was arrested in Kansas, officials said.</p> <p>Jaime Zavala Garcia, 37, was arrested Sunday along with his brother, 33-year-old Antonio Garcia Zavala, during a traffic stop in Liberal, Kan., said Ontario police Detective Dave McBride.</p>

Just announced on KFI in Los Angeles --- the gunman who shot a CHP officer in Ontario, CA has been captured in Liberal, Kansas. Jaime(?) Garcia was captured a short time ago. He had shot officer after he jumped from his stopped car, and a witness said he fired as many as 8 shots. The officer from Rancho Cucamonga, CA is in stable condition.

Ontario, Calif. -- A California Highway Patrol officer was shot Friday by a man he had pulled over on southbound Interstate 15 near Ontario, a police official said. The officer was in stable condition at Lake Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, said Officer Craig Ansman of the Ontario Police Department. The officer, whose identity has not been released, made initial contact with the man he pulled over and then started walking back to his patrol vehicle, apparently to write a ticket, said Ansman. After a few steps, the motorist who had been stopped got out of the car and started shooting,...

Rocklin -- The California Highway Patrol reports that a 20-year-old man was arrested at approximately 3 a.m. this morning, at a residence in Rocklin, for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of an officer Thursday afternoon. According to the CHP, the officer, 37-year-old Andy Stevens, was shot during a traffic stop around 2:30 p.m. near Woodland at the intersection of County Road 96 and state Highway 16. On a typical day, Stevens worked as a commercial safety officer, ensuring that vehicles such as big-rigs were in compliance with regulations, according to Chief Stan Perez. Perez said he did not...

Woodland, Calif. -- A California Highway Patrol officer was shot and seriously injured Thursday near Woodland. Police were looking for a man wearing a black ball cap and driving a black vehicle, but details of the incident were sketchy and descriptions varied, CHP spokesman Tom Marshall said.

A 26-year-old man was jailed Saturday on suspicion of murder in the death of a California Highway Patrol officer who was struck and killed Friday as he waited on his motorcycle at a red light, authorities said. Rudy Lopez Saldana was being held in lieu of $1-million bail in the death of David Romero, 47, a veteran CHP officer and married father of five. Saldana allegedly was driving a car that struck Romero from behind Friday morning at the intersection of Turnbull Canyon Road and Valley Boulevard, authorities said. Romero was airlifted to a hospital, but pronounced dead on arrival....

INDUSTRY, Calif. -- A California Highway Patrol officer who was stopped at a red light was killed Friday when his motorcycle was struck from behind by a car, authorities said. Officer Dave Romero, 47, was hit shortly before 10 a.m. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, said CHP Officer Tomikia Johnson. Romero saw the fast-moving vehicle approaching him from behind and put on his emergency lights and waved to the driver to slow down, said CHP Officer Edmund Zorilla. "The driver made no attempt to slow down and subsequently rear-ended his motorcycle, propelling both...

Article published Sep 3, 2005 CHP sends 100 officers, equipment to help Louisiana police The Associated Press The California Highway Patrol will send equipment and 100 officers to help Louisiana state police respond to Hurricane Katrina, officials said Saturday. The CHP is sending the officers and equipment - including three fixed-wing planes and three helicopters equipped with advanced life support and search and rescue capabilities - at the request of Louisiana police, CHP Commissioner Mike Brown said. An advance team of several officers reached Baton Rouge Saturday afternoon, and more officers were on the way, he said. The officers will...

CHP Revises Policy on Pot Seizures Sacramento -- The California Highway Patrol has ordered its officers to stop confiscating medical marijuana during routine traffic stops, a victory for patients hoping to win broader acceptance of the controversial medicine from balky police departments around the state. Highway Patrol officials sent out a bulletin last week to field commanders spelling out the policy shift, which would allow patients to travel on California's highways with up to 8 ounces of marijuana as long as they have a certified user identification card or documented physician's approval. Patient advocates say the change will make the...

Agents of the computer fixing "Geek Squad" wear badges and uniforms and drive black and white cars — a look the California Highway Patrol fears too closely resembles actual police officers. The Volkswagen Beetles, emblazoned with a "Geek Squad" logo and painted black-and-white, are driven by men and women in white shirts and snap-on ties whose mission, for a fee, is to bring help to customers' homes, repairing and installing computers and entertainment systems. Best Buy Co. Inc. is now repainting its "Geek Squad" Beetles throughout California to comply with the highway patrol's request that the vehicles not look so...

Traffic tickets were flying faster than traffic in the Bay Area on Wednesday, and truck driver Jose Maravilla got himself one. "Not my day,'' he moped, standing on the shoulder of Interstate 580 in Richmond and awaiting his precious slip of yellow paper. The fate of Maravilla, who had been hauling a load of broken-up concrete to the dump, was sealed when a small bit of the stuff flew off the back of his trash truck and bonked the shoulder of California Highway Patrol Officer Jason Salizzoni, who was immediately behind on his motorcycle. It's never a good idea to...