Escondido mom Christie Donehue left her westside home the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 29 for a North County doctor’s appointment. Donehue never got there. Nobody knew why the normally reliable 43-year-old woman missed the appointment or where she was although Escondido police initially said no signs of foul play were discovered. Donehue’s family was puzzled, however, by the fact she left behind her purse, wallet and…
Little Girl, the mule, spent a weekend, and day, like no other in her 28 years, stolen from a Grape Day Park tree, searched for in an epic police and helicopter mule hunt, finally — spoiler alert — found and reunited with her owner. A 28-year-old Escondido man was arrested on suspicion of mule rustling. As crazy as that may sound, Little Girl kicked off…
Documented gang member Dionicio Crespin Torrez Jr., 24, pleaded not guilty to murder, Friday, March 17 at the Vista Courthouse in connection with the murder of an Escondido woman who drove through a violent gang turf confrontation on the way home from Bible study. Torrez could face the death penalty. Superior Court Judge Cynthia Freehand denied bail citing “the allegations and my concern for public safety.” “On…
No news was bad news as Escondido police renewed its call for somebody, anybody to come forward with information related to the slaying of a 55-year-old Escondido woman on her way home from church Tuesday night. A beloved wife and church worker, Catherine Kennedy was struck in the head by gunfire when she passed near some kind of crossfire between rival gangs in the 1800 block…
A long-simmering family feud over money boiled over early Wednesday when a 73-year-old Escondido man killed three relatives and critically wounded a fourth, according to police. Ali Zafar, of Escondido, was arrested on suspicion of homicide shortly after the shootings inside an apartment in Fontana, police Sergeant Kevin Goltara said. The 73-year-old shooting suspect surrendered to authorities at the property, police said, adding that the…
Krispy Kreme Tuesdays Burbank apparently bit off more than it could chew at Escondido’s Westfield North County regional mall last night. When the police and fumes cleared the vast parking lot and its environs, namely freeway feeder lanes and nearby exit/entrances, an estimated 1,500 to 2,500 Southern California vehicular flash mob enthusiasts were gone, if not forgotten. Not so coincidentally, the car show flash mob…
Think Escondido should have a citizen’s review board for its police department. Think again. Escondido officials this week rejected the recommendation of the San Diego Grand Jury to establish a citizen’s police review board. Following investigation into “several citizen complaints regarding police behavior in local jurisdictions,” the Grand Jury called on Escondido along with El Cajon, La Mesa, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Chula Vista and Coronado to…
Shhh…Spoiler alert. Not really, The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department wants everyone to know something is happening there, but the location shall remain hush-hush undisclosed. Joining a countywide trend, Sheriff’s deputies will conduct the following: “On Friday, August 19, 2016 from 7:30 p.m., to Saturday, August 20, 2016 at 2:30 a.m., deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s San Marcos Station will be conducting a…
Del Dios vehicle plunge A woman was seriously injured after her SUV plunged nearly 300 feet down a canyon along Del Dios Highway near the Lake Hodges dam Wednesday night, authorities said. Del Dios Highway was closed in both directions between Camino de Estrellas and the dam for several hours while a tow truck retrieved the vehicle and CHP officers investigated the crash. Witnesses told…
Luckiest guy at San Marcos It’s one thing to get hit by a speeding commuter train. Safe to say, it’s a whole ‘nother thing to get hit by the train, get up, walk away and still be at large. Such was the case, and fate, of an unidentified man who was struck by a train Thursday night near Palomar College in San Marcos. Like the…