Free Republic

A “greedy and grotesque” LA woman has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for fraudulently obtaining real-estate property in a multimillion-dollar squatting scheme that included dismembering and disposing of a body. Caroline Joanne Herrling, 44, of West Hills was sentenced Friday to 240 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $3,887,051 in restitution for the elaborate racket, the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This defendant’s misconduct was both greedy and grotesque, causing profound pain to the victims and their loved ones,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said.

A speeding motorcyclist who was being tracked by a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter was killed in a brutal head-on crash during the chase. The unidentified cyclist was speeding down Roscoe Boulevard in West Hills, Calif. at about 1 p.m. on Thursday before slamming head-on into a vehicle making a left turn. Cops initially ran the license plate and determined the motorcycle was stolen, LAPD spokesman Sgt. Bruce Borihanh told the Post. The officers then called on an LAPD helicopter to track the motorcyclist, who took off at a high speed.

   LOS ANGELES – A West Hills man was arrested this morning on federal charges alleging he started a fire that caused substantial damage to the Sake House by Hikari in Santa Monica on May 31.         Micah Tillmon, 19, was arrested without incident this morning by special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and officers with the Santa Monica Police Department. Tillmon is expected to make his initial court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.         Tillmon was arrested pursuant to a criminal complaint filed on June 25 and unsealed after his arrest....

LEMOORE, Calif. — In what often sounded like a stump speech, Sarah Palin tailored a searing critique of big government to an audience in California’s Central Valley on Sunday, telling supporters the region’s woes could be blamed on politicians picking "a 3-inch fish" over jobs. The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, speaking at a community college arena here, was referring to the delta smelt, a dwindling local species, protections for which have cut water shipments to the region and turned fertile land fallow. "This faceless government takes away their lifeline, which is water, and they did it, they turned off...

News Channel Reporting From Gov Palin At West Hills College Lamoore, CA Palin Talks To Reporter at The White House Correspondents Dinner After Party