LA PUENTE — A fire scorched a home and sent one person to the hospital Thursday, authorities said.
The fire was first reported at 12:24 p.m. at a single-story house in the 500 block of Sandsprings Drive, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.
Firefighters doused the flames within 20 minutes, officials said. One patient was taken to a hospital with injuries initially described as smoke inhalation.
No further details were immediately available.

LA PUENTE — Two men suffered serious injuries in a solo-vehicle crash on Valley Boulevard early Sunday, officials said.
The crash took place just before 1:15 a.m. on Valley Boulevard at Central Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Jackson said.
Both men appeared to be in their early-20s, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said. One was partially ejected and pinned under the overturned 2001 Ford Mustang GT, while the other became trapped inside the car.
Rescuers took both men to a Los Angeles trauma center for treatment, one of them via helicopter, according to sheriff’s and fire officials.
Both were believed to be in stable condition Sunday morning, Jackson said.
Further details regarding the circumstances of the crash were not available. The cause was being investigated by deputies from the sheriff’s Industry Station.

A La Puente woman has been charged with 25 felony counts for promising to help more than a dozen people already in financial trouble get quick and easy loans, but instead using their personal information to steal from them, officials announced Thursday.
Si H. Liu, also known as Katie, 44, of La Puente, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges including burglary, grand theft, using an access card and possession of access card information, according to Monterey Park police and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials. She was arrested at her home July 12.
Sixteen victims had been confirmed, with additional victims yet to be contacted by police, Lt. Carrie Mazelin said.
“There might be more who haven’t reported it,” the lieutenant said.
“It started with one original report (in June),” she explained.
After launching an investigation and finding Liu in possession of other people’s sensitive documents and credit cards, detectives linked the suspect to similar crimes throughout the San Gabriel Valley, Mazelin said. Many of the known victims were located in Monterey Park, though some came from as far away as Hacienda Heights.
Liu would take out adds in Chinese language publications such as the Chinese Daily News, according to the police statement.
“Liu asked victims for their identification, social security numbers, and all of their credit cards so that she could ‘check their credit’ in order to obtain loans,” according to the statement. “Instead,Liu allegedly used the credit cards to obtain cash for herself using a credit card machine that she owned.”
Some of the victims also reported that Liu would accompany them to stores, such as Best Buy, where she would instruct them to open up a credit account as a way of building their credit, Mazelin said. Liu would instruct the victims to buy items for her, promising to pay them back, but never did.
The total amount of the alleged theft was not available Thursday, however some of the victims lost thousands of dollars, Mazelin said.
Liu would eventually return the victims’ credit cards, IDs and other documents, but only after making color copies, “possibly for the purpose of committing fraud and identity theft in the future,” the police statement said.
Liu, who speaks both Mandarin and English, has lived in the United Stated for about 10 years, officials said. She represents herself as a real estate agent and may also own a massage business in Fullerton.
Additional victims, or anyone with information was asked to contact Monterey Park police Detective Han at 626-307-1246.
According to officials and court records, Liu was being held in lieu of $560,000 bail pending her next court appearance July 30 in Alhambra Superior Court.

BOOKING PHOTO courtesy of the Monterey Park Police Department

LA PUENTE — Homicide detectives are seeking clues into the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old La Puente father in a driveway in front of his home late Thursday, authorities said.
Tomas Salas died at the scene of the shooting, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
Little information was available regarding the 11:13 p.m. attack, which occurred in a shared residential driveway on Sierra Vista Court at Gilwood Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
“The individual was by himself in a driveway,” Lt. Holly Francisco of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. “Witnesses heard a gunshot and came out and found him.”
A family member found Salas wounded in the “upper torso” and called for help, she said.
While several people reported hearing a gunshot or gunshots, no eyewitnesses to the shooting had been located Friday, officials said.
No arrests had been made early Friday, and no suspect description was available.
Salas is survived by a two year-old daughter named Kaylene, his girlfriend and the girl’s mother Krystle Silva said. He had been staying with Silva and Silva’s 10-year-old daughter, Samantha Rodriguez, who also had a close relationship with him.
Silva said she was inside her apartment folding laundry and Salas was just outside talking to his niece on his cell phone when she heard gunshots.
“When I looked outside, he was lying face-first on the grass,” she said.
“I put my arms around him just to let him know I was there,” Silva said. “When I put my arms around him, that’s when I felt all the blood and his chest was warm.”
“I told him to hang on. (Help) is coming. I told him he can’t leave. Kaylene needs him.”
Silva was still trying to breathe when paramedics arrived, Silva said.
The paramedics walked over to Salas and checked his pulse before laying him on his back she said.
Francisco said the shooting was being investigated as possibly gang-related.
Silva confirmed that Salas was involved with a local street gang. She added that his association with a gang did not justify his slaying, however it may have played a role in it.
“I don’t know who did this or why they did it,” she said. “Whatever happened, it was gang-related.”
Silva’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke of Salas.
“He was my world,” she said. “I love him with every part of me.”
The couple had been dating for four years, but had only recently gotten back together about two weeks ago after being separated for nine months, Silva said.
But even when living separately from Silva, Salas remained a dedicated father and went to court to obtain three days of custody per week.
“He loved his daughter. Everything he did was for her,” Silva said.
The energetic 2-year-old happily exclaimed “daddy” upon seeing a picture of her father. Silva said she has asked several times when her father is coming home, to which she responds that her father is an angel now.
Salas had been laid off from his job at a landfill , where he had worked for about a year, a month ago, Silva said.
She described him as friendly and funny.
“He was always joking. He was goofy. He was silly,” Silva said. “He was a very happy, outgoing guy who liked to have fun. He was just a great dad.”

Tomas Salas, 23, of La Puente (center) was fatally shot near his home in the 15800 block of Sierra Vista Court late Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013. He’s pictured celebrating his 22nd birthday with daughter Kaylene Salas (lap), girlfriend Kristle Silva (right) and Silva’s daughter Samantha Rosriguez (left). (Courtesy)

A Norwalk jury is deliberating the fate of a Los Angeles man accused of murdering two San Gabriel Valley men and a Mexico man after luring them with an offer to sell a car in South Whittier nearly 10 years ago.
Briaell Lee could face the death penalty if convicted of the three counts of murder with which he has been charged.
He’s accused of the fatal Jan. 27, 2004, fatal shootings of Mario Larios, 23, of West Covina, his cousin Edgar Valles, 22, of La Puente and their friend, Fernando Pina, 25, of Mexico, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials said. The men were slain when they arrived at the South Whittier home of Lee’s co-defendant, Cimarron Bell, 39, to discuss purchasing a Chevrolet Monte Carlo for $8,500.
None of the three men knew Lee or Bell prior to meeting them to discuss the car sale, prosecutors said.
Following the conclusion of closing arguments in the case, the Norwalk Superior Court jury began deliberating Thursday, court officials said.
Co-defendant Cimarron Bell of South Whittier has already been convicted of these three murders, as well as another, and sentenced to death in August of 2011. Bell was also convicted of the murder of his 22-year-old girlfriend Ineka Edmondson of Compton, whose body was found Nov. 12, 2003, in a car at a La Habra industrial park.
In addition to the murders, Lee and Bell were further accused of the special allegations multiple murders, murder for financial gain and lying in wait, allegations Bell’s jury found to be true, making him eligible for capital punishment, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials said.
The three would-be car buyers were killed solely for their money, Edmondson’s slaying also involved personal motives on the part of Bell, according to Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Todd Hicks, who prosecuted Bell along with Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee.
Hanisee described the alleged murder-for-money plot as “very egregious,” targeting “particularly innocent and vulnerable victims.
In Edmondson’s slaying, Bell, who was involved in a check-cashing scheme with the woman and believed she was stealing from him, arranged a fatal ambush.
He called her to meet him at Morgan Metals, where he worked and kissed her hello before shooting her three times in the head at close range, D.A.’s officials said.
According to county booking records, Lee had been held without bail pending trial since his arrest in February of 2004.

PHOTOS of Briaell Lee, above, and Cimarrom Bell, below, by Staff Photographer Leo Jarzomb

LA PUENTE – Deputies found more than 350 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of over $800,000 growing in a La Puente house on Wednesday.

In addition to the plants, they also seized high intensity lights, fans, blowers and ducting components.

Sheriff’s Lt. Pete Cacheiro said the La Puente Special Assignment Team started an investigation about three weeks ago after receiving several tips about suspicious activity at a rental house in the 500 block of Chatterton Avenue.

Deputies served a search warrant at the single-story home at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday and discovered marijuana plants in various stages of growth, Cacheiro said…

Full story by Ruby Gonzales

PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Authorities sought the public’s help Friday in locating a 22-year-old La Puente woman who vanished a little more than a week ago while believed to be en route to class at Pasadena City College.
Gale Anne Williams last spoke with relatives Sept. 25, Arcadia police officials said in a written statement. She has no vehicle or cell phone and was believed to be heading to PCC. She was reported missing Oct. 1.
“Relatives say the subject has gone missing in the past, as recently as June, but not for this duration,” according to the police statement. “Inquiries with area hospitals and other facilities have been fruitless.”
Though Arcadia lies between William’s hometown of La Puente and PCC, “There is no known nexus with the subject to the City of Arcadia,” the statement said. “The missing person report has been referred to the Pasadena Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Industry Station.”
Authorities described Williams as half black and half white, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 130 pounds, with medium-length brown curly hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black and blue shirt and black leggings.
Anyone with information was asked to contact local law enforcement. Tips may also be submitted anonymously via L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

PHOTO of Gale Williams courtesy of the Arcadia Police Department.

LA PUENTE — Sheriff’s deputies visited Nelson Elementary School Wednesday to help the school kick of Red Ribbon Week. Deputies spoke with students about topics such as drug avoidance and leadership, and students got a chance to get an up-close look at sheriff’s vehicles and equipment, Lt. Pete Cacheiro said. The deputies also handed out coloring books. “The special assignment guys deployed the remote control robot. The kids just had a fabulous time,” Cacheiro said. “We had a great time.” The visit was to mark the beginning of Red Ribbon Week Oct. 23-31, a national campaign urging youths to stay drug-free.

PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Four people are accused of helping hide a gang member wanted for raping an El Monte convenience store employee.
El Monte Police Sgt. Roger Cobian said felony charges were filed Tuesday in El Monte Superior Court against Charlene Godinez, 39, of La Puente, John Godinez, 41, of La Puente, Lisa Beserra, 45, of El Monte and Mario Chavez, 43, Rowland Heights for allegedly assisting Joseph Amaya to evade capture and prosecution.
Booking records show the four suspects were arrested Saturday by El Monte police. Charlene and John Godinez are out on bond. Beserra is being held at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood on a $90,751 bail which includes bail for two other unrelated cases. The three have a Nov. 5 court date.
Chavez is in custody at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles and his bail is $50,000. His booking slip doesn’t show the date for his next court appearance.
Detectives may seek charges against others believed to have helped hide Amaya for the week following the Oct. 19 rape of a 19-year-old woman in El Monte, according to Cobian.
Prosecutors alleged Amaya was at the mini mart in the 4100 block of Peck Road earlier and left. He returned while the employee was getting ready to close the store.
The woman tried to lock the doors but he allegedly forced his way in. Amaya allegedly barricaded the doors, dragged the woman to the back of the business and sexually assaulted her, authorities said.
Detectives searched for the 18-year-old suspect.
“Amaya had been hiding with family and friends moving from El Monte to La Puente and Hacienda Heights,” Cobian said.
He was arrested in West Covina on Saturday after a traffic stop. Cobian said Amaya was in a vehicle with six adults and one minor.
Amaya remains in custody on $5 million bail. His Wednesday arraignment at Pomona Superior Court was continued to Nov. 13, court officials said.

- Ruby Gonzales

LA PUENTE — Two masked robbers stole a man’s bicycle at gunpoint Thursday afternoon, officials said.
The victim, a 51-year-old local man, was riding his bike about 3:50 p.m. when he was approached by the robbers at the corner of Amar Road and Willow Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Gutierrez said.
One of the robbers brandished a handgun as they demanded the man’s red Kent beach cruiser-style bicycle, which he handed over, the sergeant said.
One of the robbers rode the man’s bicycle and the other was on foot as they fled west on Amar Road, Gutierrez added.
Deputies described one as a 5 feet 9 inches tall, of medium build, wearing a dark shirt and dark jeans and armed with a small, semi-automatic handgun. The second robber was between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and wore a dark shirt and dark jeans. Both robbers wore ski masks.

Police officers and sheriff’s deputies will be screening drivers for sobriety and valid drivers’ licenses during three checkpoints planned this weekend in La Verne, San Dimas and La Puente.
The La Verne Police Department will hold a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint Friday.
The checkpoint will run From 6 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday at an undisclosed location in the city, police officials said in a written statement.
Also Friday, sheriff’s deputies will be holding a checkpoint from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. the following morning at an undisclosed location within San Dimas, authorities said.
And deputies from the sheriff’s Industry Station plan to hold a checkpoint from 7 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. the following morning within La Puente, officials added.
Funding for the operations is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LA PUENTE — Deputies arrested one person for intoxicated driving and 72 other for other suspected crimes during a checkpoint late Saturday and early Sunday, officials said.
The checkpoint was held from 7 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday on Hacienda Boulevard, just north of Nelson Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
Of the 2,220 vehicle that passed through the checkpoint, 2,035 of the drivers were screened by deputies.
One driver was arrested for driving under the influence of methamphetamine during the checkpoint, according to the statement.
Additionally, one person was accused of drug possession; two people were arrested for knowingly allowing an unlicensed driver to drive; one person was arrested for a parole violation; three people were jailed on outstanding traffic warrants; 14 people were suspected of driving on a suspended or revoked license; and 56 people were accused of driving without a license, officials said.
Deputies released 45 vehicles to licensed drivers at the checkpoint, officials added. Eighteen cars were impounded for one day, and seven cars were impounded for 30 days.
Funding for the checkpoint was provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LA PUENTE — Detectives Sunday announced an arrest in connection with the slaying of an El Monte man who was found stabbed to death behind a La Puente business Wednesday.
Andres Aguirre Garcia, 27, of Rowland Heights was arrested late Friday on suspicion of murder in connection with the stabbing, which was discovered about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday in a parking lot behind a business in the 15900 block of Old Valley Road in La Puente, Lt. Steve Jauch of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said in a written statement.
“Garcia has confessed to the crime and the murder weapon was recovered by homicide detectives,” Jauch said.
Lieutenant Pete Cacheiro of the sheriff’s Industry Station described the arrest was the result of, “a bunch of leads.”
“This was a collaboration of Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, the La Puente Special Assignment Team and the community,Cacheiro said.
No information regarding the motive in the alleged slaying was released.
Jose Chacon, 28, was discovered suffering from multiple stab wounds to his upper body in the parking lot to the rear of Alert Insulation Co. Inc., which is owned by La Puente Mayor Charlie Klinakis.
Earlier in the week, the mayor expressed sorrow over the slaying and said she did not know the victim.
Garcia was booked at the sheriff’s Industry Station’s jail, where he was being held in lieu of $1 million bail pending his scheduled arraignment Wednesday in El Monte Superior Court, according to county booking records.

- Brian Day and Ruby Gonzales

Officials in La Puente, La Verne, Monterey Park and Arcadia are planning to screen drivers for sobriety and valid licenses at checkpoints this weekend.
Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Industry Station will hold a checkpoint from 7 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday at an undisclosed location within La Puente, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
More than 70 people were arrested during the city’s last checkpoint, which took place overnight Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 on Hacienda Boulevard, just north Nelson Avenue, officials said.
One of the arrests was for suspected driving under the influence of methamphetamine, sheriff’s officials said. Fifty-six drivers were arrested for driving without a valid license, while one person was jailed on a parole violation, three people were arrested due to outstanding traffic warrants and 14 people were arrested on suspicion of driving on a revoked or suspended license.
The La Puente City Council suspended checkpoints in the city in mid-2011 amid concerns that such checkpoints unfairly target local residence who are unlicensed or uninsured. But the council reversed it’s decision a year later.
Protestors demonstrated against Baldwin Park police in late December after a checkpoint overnight Dec. 28 and Dec. 29 at Los Angeles and Littlejohn streets, as well as Ramona Boulevard and Barnes Avenue, in that city resulted in the arrests of more than two-dozen unlicensed drivers, along with five allegedly intoxicated drivers and several other arrests.
Another checkpoint is scheduled to take place this weekend in La Verne, La Verne police officials said in a written statement.
The checkpoint will be held from 7 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday at an undisclosed location within the city, police said.
Monterey Park police are planning a checkpoint at a undisclosed location within that city from 7 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m., officials said, Sunday, and Arcadia police will hold a checkpoint late Saturday into early Sunday.
Funding for all the checkpoints is being provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A Rowland Heights man was charged Tuesday with fatally stabbing another man whose body was found behind a La Puente business.
The District Attorney’s Office filed one count of murder against 27-year-old Andres Aguirre Garcia, according to DA spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani.
She said the charge comes with the allegation that the suspect personally used a knife to commit the crime.
Garcia’s arraignment was continued to March 11 at Pomona Superior Court.
The victim, 28-year-old Jose Chacon of El Monte, was found lying in a parking lot behind a business in the 15900 block of Old Valley Road in La Puente about 2:45 a.m. Feb. 12. He sustained multiple stab wounds to his upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lt. Steve Jauch of the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said Garcia and Chacon were acquaintances. The two had a disagreement which resulted in the stabbing, he said.
But Jauch didn’t say what the disagreement was about or what led deputies to Garcia on Feb. 14. He was arrested that night.
“He confessed and he produced the knife,” Jauch said.
Booking records show Garcia is being held at Men’s Central Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

- Ruby Gonzales

Checkpoints held throughout the San Gabriel Valley over the weekend resulted in more than 100 arrests, most of which were for driving without a license, officials said Sunday.
A six-hour checkpoint in La Puente late Friday and early Saturday resulted in two DUI arrests, along with 55 arrests of unlicensed drivers and 22 arrests for other alleged crimes, authorities said.
The checkpoint, run by deputies from the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Industry Station, took place from 7 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday on Hacienda Boulevard at Temple Avenue, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement. It was one of several checkpoints held throughout the San Gabriel Valley over the weekend by area law enforcement agencies from La Verne to Pasadena.
Of the 2,271 cars that passed through the overnight checkpoint, deputies screened 1,673 drivers, officials said.
Two drivers were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and two people were arrested on suspicion of drug possession, according to the sheriff’s department statement. One person was jailed on suspicion of knowingly allowing an unlicensed person to drive and one driver was accused of driving without a court-ordered ignition interlock device.
One person was jailed on an outstanding traffic warrant, officials said. And 17 drivers were arrested for driving on a suspended or revoked license.
But the vast majority of the 79 arrests, 55 of them, were of unlicensed drivers, officials said.
Eleven cars were impounded for 30 days at the checkpoint, while 15 were impounded for one day and 48 were released at the checkpoint.
Similar results were seen during the sheriff’s Industry Station’s last checkpoint, which was also held in La Puente overnight Dec. 21 and 22.
More than 70 people were arrested at the December checkpoint, which took place on Hacienda Boulevard at Nelson Avenue, sheriff’s officials said at the time. One driver was accused of driving under the influence of methamphetamine; one person was jailed for drug possession; one person was arrested on a parole violation, three people were arrested due to traffic warrants; two people were arrested for allowing an unlicensed person to drive, 14 people were jailed for driving on a suspended or revoked license; and 56 arrests of unlicensed drivers were made.
The dozens of arrests of unlicensed drivers at the December checkpoint, as well as dozens more at a checkpoint in Baldwin Park the following weekend, sparked outrage from family members of those arrested and immigrant rights activist who allege the checkpoints unfairly target undocumented immigrants.
But the sheriff’s department maintains the checkpoints are designed to improve public safety.
“Checkpoints are placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety to the public,” according to the sheriff’s department statement. But arresting intoxicated drivers is not the only goal.
“This DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint lowers DUI deaths and injuries. A major component of these checkpoints is the deterrent effects it has on those who might drive drunk or drugged.”
The La Puente checkpoint was one of several held over the weekend throughout the region. Arcadia, La Verne, and Pasadena also had overnight checkpoints. The California Highway Patrol also sent 20 extra officers out on a DUI saturation patrol late Saturday and early Sunday.
In Arcadia, police screened about 1,200 of the nearly 2,000 cars that passed through a checkpoint held from 9 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday along Baldwin Avenue at the Gate 8 entrance to Santa Anita Park and the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall, Arcadia police Lt. Bob Anderson said.
“Fifteen (field sobriety tests) were given, resulting in five DUI arrests,” Anderson said. Two people were jailed on traffic warrants.
Police cited, but did not arrest, 16 unlicensed drivers and 7 people who were driving on a suspended or revoked licensed, Anderson said. One person was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public.
Arcadia police impounded six cars for 30 days, and another six cars for 1 day, Anderson said.
Official results from Pasadena’s checkpoint, which took place late Friday and early Saturday at Fair Oaks Avenue and Hurlbut Street, were not available over the weekend, officials said. But electronic police logs indicated four suspected DUI drivers were arrested.
In La Verne, a checkpoint late Saturday and early Sunday netted 15 arrests, La Verne police Sgt. Monica Schusse said.
Two of the arrests were for intoxicated driving, while the other 13 resulted from other alleged crimes, the sergeant said. Further details regarding the arrests were not available Sunday.
The reasons for the difference in the ways in which police agencies deal with unlicensed drivers at checkpoints — whether such drivers are cited or arrested is not entirely clear.
Following protests in Baldwin Park in December and January, Baldwin Park police officials said unlicensed drivers were taken to jail because they did not have valid identification to prove their identities, as the Los Angeles Superior Court’s West Covina Branch, where the department files it’s cases, would no longer accept matricula consular cards as identification.
Court officials said no such policy change occurred.
Baldwin Park city officials subsequently announced police would resume accepting matricula consular cards as identification, and the city council discussed considering a moratorium on checkpoints. The city previously suspended checkpoints and changed its checkpoint impound policy in 2010 amid outcry from activists.
Funding for the checkpoints is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LA PUENTE >> La Puente welcomed the little league baseball season Saturday with a parade and inspirations visits from two former professional baseball players.
The La Puente National Little League’s grand opening parade and ceremony was a success, La Puente Mayor Charlie Klinakis said.
In addition to a parade of local officials, organizations, and of course, baseball players that went from City Hall to La Puente Park, little leaguers and their parents got a chance to mingle with former Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles player Don Buford, as well as former Toronto Blue Jays player James Bishop. Both men are staff members at the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton.
“These people taking the time and coming into the community… we all appreciated it,” the mayor said. ““I’m glad to see there’s programs like this out there.”
Saturday’s festivities were hosted by the City of La Puente, La Puente National Little League and the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Industry Station, which patrols La Puente, organizers said.
Sheriff’s Lt. Pete Cacheiro, who effectively serves as La Puente’s police chief, said sheriff’s department was glad to take part in the event and thanked the Urban Youth Academy for it’s support.
“These guys are always mentoring young kids, making sure they don’t get into gangs, and giving back to the community,” the lieutenant said.
Also in attendance were city officials, dignitaries including Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, D-El Monte, State Assemblyman Ian Calderon, D-57, State Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-24.

PHOTO courtesy of the City of La Puente

LA PUENTE — Deputies raided a Hacienda Boulevard business Wednesday afternoon, uprooting about 600 marijuana plants and arresting one suspect, authorities said.
An ongoing investigating culminated about 2 p.m. when deputies from the sheriff’s Industry Station narcotics team and the La Puente Special Assignment Team arrived at a business in the 1000 block of Hacienda Boulevard, between Amar Road and Fairgrove Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Pete Cacheiro said.
In addition to the marijuana plants, deputies seized lights, irrigation systems and other equipment used to grow the pot. Sgt. Alex Radovic of the sheriff’s Industry Station narcotics team described the scene as “a sophisticated grow operation.”
The name of the man arrested was not available Wednesday afternoon as detectives sought additional suspects, Cacheiro said. He was accused of cultivating marijuana.
La Puente Mayor Charlie Klinakis commended the work of the deputies, saying it signified a good example of active policing and intelligence-based investigations.
“We’re not waiting for the bad guys to come to us,” the mayor said. “We’re seeking them out and we’ll prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

WEST VALINDA — An alleged stun gun-wielding would-be robber was behind bars Wednesday with help from a gas station clerk who fought him off and ripped away his mask, exposing the robber’s face to surveillance cameras during a failed heist earlier this month, officials said.
Deputies arrested Eddie Gonzalez, 56, of La Puente Friday in connection with the March 4 robbery at a Mobile station at Valley Boulevard and Alderton Avenue in the unincorporated county area of West Valinda, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt/ Bob Boese said Wednesday in a written statement.
Prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed charges of robbery, assault, vandalism and petty theft against Gonzalez, the sergeant said.
Gonzalez wore a bandana over his face and a sweat shirt hood over his head when he entered the gas station about 6:30 p.m. March 4, Boese said. He brandished a stun gun and demanded money from the clerk.
As the clerk collected cash from the register, Gonzalez pressed the stun gun against the clerk’s body and tried to jolt him, officials said.
“The clerk, seeing his opportunity, began to fight with the suspect,” Boese said. “During the struggle, the clerk was able to tear away the bandana covering the suspect’s face and pull off the shirts worn by the suspect. This enabled the store video cameras to capture video of the suspect.”
The clerk then ran from the gas station, locking Gonzalez inside, Boese said. Gonzalez drank several beers from the store’s cooler before smashing a window to flee.
Aided by the surveillance camera footage, which provided clear images of the robber, detectives identified Gonzalez as a suspect in the crime and arrested him on pre-existing warrants Friday, according to sheriff’s officials and county booking records.
Gonzalez was being held without bail pending a scheduled appearance Thursday in West Covina Superior Court, according to booking records.

LA PUENTE >> Sheriff’s officials are planning a checkpoint late Friday in La Puente, where the past two such checkpoints have resulted in the arrest of 111 people for driving without a license, as well as three for driving while intoxicated.
Deputies from the sheriff’s Industry Station are planning to screen motorists from 7 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday at an undisclosed location within La Puente, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
While the emphasis of the checkpoint is on finding DUI drivers and discouraging others from committing the crime, according to the statement, “Deputies will also check drivers for proper licensing and will strive to delay motorists only momentarily.”
The sheriff’s Industry Station provides law enforcement services to the cities of Industry and La Puente, as well as nearby unincorporated county areas including Hacienda Heights, Valinda, East Valinda and Bassett.
But the last two checkpoints held by the station have been in La Puente.
“Checkpoints are placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety to officers and the public,” according to the sheriff’s department statement.
During a checkpoint held overnight Feb. 21 and 22, deputies arrested more than 70 people, officials announced. Two drivers were jailed on suspicion of DUI, and one person was accused of driving without a court-ordered ignition interlock device. But the vast majority of arrests, at 55, were for driving without licenses.
At another La Puente checkpoint held overnight Dec. 21 and 22, deputies also arrested more than 70 people. One of the arrests was for DUI, while 56 were for driving without a license.
Funding for the checkpoints is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.