Todd Dye learned everything he needed to know about drug abuse growing up on his grandfather's Idaho dairy farm. Intrigued by an electric fence installed to keep the cows away from green alfalfa, Dye spent years testing his limits. At first, he would occasionally brush the charged wire with a piece of grass and receive a mild shock. When his city cousin came to visit, Dye convinced him to stand in water and touch the fence. He laughed as his cousin was thrown to the ground. [continues 1075 words]
They call it White Buddha, Nike swoosh, Superman, Mitsubishi, white star or Mercedes, but whatever shape, size, color or symbol, the designer drug Ecstasy is the latest craze sweeping Solano County and the nation. The most dramatic local example of its impact came in March, when 17-year-old Shawn Spontini overdosed and died at a friend's Vacaville home after swallowing multiple pills through the course of an evening. Meanwhile, Solano County health officials say they're playing catch-up, trying to understand the elusive phenomenon. [continues 466 words]
Did Placer County Cops Lie Under Oath To Get Marijuana Convictions? Early in the morning last July 1, Lyman "Sandy" Sanborn and his wife, Grace, were jolted out of bed by the loud banging of the Placer County Sheriff Department's Special Operations Unit. When Sanborn opened the front door of his Roseville residence, he was literally knocked backwards. A group of deputies charged into his home, brandished guns and yelled out "warrant search." Sanborn's 76-year-old wife sat terrified on the couch in the family's living room as police placed handcuffs on her 78-year-old husband, her grown son and her grown granddaughter. [continues 4779 words]
Approach To Serving Warrants Has Failed, Calls For Reform Go Unheeded It did not take long for San Diego Judge Larry Stirling to learn that California's approach to serving warrants was a system badly in need of reform. One of his first cases as a Municipal Court judge in 1989 was a drunken driver who failed to show up for his arraignment. "He was a three-time offender blowing off the court," Stirling recalled. "I said, 'Let's get this guy.' And I ordered a bench warrant." [continues 3544 words]
OAKLAND -- Federal officials Thursday announced the arrests of 18 people indicted by a grand jury in Oakland, in a sting that netted $7.5 million worth of methamphetamine and an arsenal of weapons. After a two-year investigation, 22 people were indicted; four were already in custody for other criminal violations. All but one of the defendants are from Contra Costa County; the other is from Solano County. U.S. Attorney Robert Mueller said an additional seven people have been indicted in Nevada based on the same investigation, and the Contra Costa County district attorney expects to charge 11 others. Agents from six federal and state organizations raided homes and one hotel in Richmond, San Pablo, Vallejo, Pittsburg and Pinole, where labs had been established. Agents also seized at least $130,000 in cash. [end]
Police said a man high on speed hijacked a bus yesterday in Fairfield, saying he had to get to Vacaville to order a pizza before leading officers on a slow chase through the center of town. Timothy Owen Broudrick, 26, was arrested at 3:15 p.m., about 30 minutes after police first learned of the alleged hijack. Police said he boarded the Fairfield-Suisun Transit District bus on Gateway Boulevard near the Solano Mall, asked driver Donna Varner what route the bus would be taking and then took a seat. [continues 262 words]
Drug allegedly made in Clear Lake trailer Fourteen Bay Area residents were indicted this week as alleged members of a major drug ring that peddled methamphetamine all over Northern California. Federal sources say the group consisted of two drug sales organizations that worked together in loose cooperation. One group was allegedly headed by Everardo Antonio Cardenas, a 29-year-old resident of Hayward, and the other allegedly was run by an unrelated 33-year-old Lakeport man named Jose Garcia Cardenas. [continues 375 words]
It was a forbidden friendship that broke a cardinal rule of law enforcement. Francisco "Frank" Gervacio, a veteran agent with the U.S. Customs Service, got so close to one of his informants, Michael Woods, that he served as best man at his wedding. He got drunk with him after hours. And, in the end, he accepted $4,000 from Woods. That decision has put Gervacio's career on the line. And now it may be destroying one of the government's most critical international drug cases: the indictment of Thanong Siriprechapong, an influential Thai politician who federal authorities contend is the kingpin of the largest known marijuana smuggling ring in Southeast Asia. [continues 1607 words]
FAIRFIELD, Calif. -- A man accused of plotting a courthouse bombing to try to avoid trial on drug charges has been sentenced to 110 years to life in prison on the narcotics charges. Kevin Lee Robinson, 30, was sentenced Monday in Solano County Superior Court. A jury convicted him in September of 10 weapons and drug charges stemming from two raids in 1995 and 1996 at several residences he owned in Vallejo. Robinson sat slumped in a chair next to his attorney and closed his eyes as the sentence was pronounced by Judge R. Michael Smith. [continues 259 words]
A Vallejo drug dealer who allegedly tried to dynamite his way out of a three-strikes drug case was sentenced yesterday to 110 years to life in prison. Slumped in a chair next to his attorney, Kevin Lee Robinson closed his eyes as Solano County Superior Court Judge R. Michael Smith announced the prison term in a crowded Fairfield courtroom. Known as ``Big Kev,'' Robinson, 30, was a major Northern California narcotics supplier who also had a legitimate career as a rap producer. A jury convicted him in September of 10 weapons and drug charges stemming from two raids in 1995 and 1996 on several residences that Robinson owned in Vallejo. [continues 322 words]
The owner of a failing Vallejo market apparently tried to support his business by selling drugs on the side and ended up in jail, police said yesterday. Narcotic officers on Wednesday arrested Hugo Padilla, 45, and a store employee on a suspicion of selling five pounds of methamphetamine to undercover officers. The two men were in Solano County Jail yesterday on $100,000 bail and are scheduled for arraignment Monday. Padilla's family declined to comment on the case. The arrests capped a three- month investigation, which began when informants tipped off police. Padilla was considered a light- weight drug dealer in the past but had decided to give it up when in July he opened a Mexican market called La Guadalapana on Benicia Road, said Les Bottomley, special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. It did not take long for Padilla to start losing money in his new store. ``I guess the business was floundering and he needed to supplement,'' Bottomley said. ``Talk on the streets is that he tried to make a go at being legitimate but ended up getting back into selling drugs heavily.'' The drug deals usually took place in a back office at the market, which is what happened when the officers bought a quarter of a pound of cocaine on one occasion and the methamphetamine Wednesday, Bottomley said. About 35 officers from various Bay Area agencies arrested Padilla, his 25-year-old employee, Fidel Lopez, and Padilla's son, also 25. The son was later released when officers concluded he was not part of the drug operation. Police estimated the street value of the methamphetamine at $36,000. Bottomley and his team served search warrants on the business and at Padilla's home nearby. Padilla was booked into Solano County Jail on a suspicion of selling methamphetamine, conspiracy and possession of drugs with the intention of selling them. Lopez faces similar charges in addition to carrying a fake resident alien card. ©1998 San Francisco Chronicle [end]
Leo Paoli, an attorney who led the first significant fight to legalize marijuana in California, died Friday in Napa after a long battle with cancer. He was 65. Born and raised in San Francisco, Mr. Paoli graduated from San Francisco State College and Golden Gate University School of Law. After earning his law degree, he served as an interim assistant dean and associate professor at Golden Gate, then went into private practice. Mr. Paoli specialized in criminal law and served as a public defender in Tulare, Lake and Napa counties. He also maintained private practices in San Francisco, San Mateo and Napa. He was best known, however, for his pioneering efforts to change California's drug laws. [continues 229 words]
