Devastating wildfire, meth-dealing cops and former principal charged with murder among year’s top breaking news
Grisly homicides, tragic drunken driving crashes and, yes, wildfires, make the list.
But this past summer's deadly
As such, it leads this year's tally of noteworthy crime and disaster stories, taking its place alongside crooked cops, alleged child killers and a wave of shootings that swept through the
Deadly, damaging wildfire
Shortly after it was reported the afternoon of
Hot weather, 40-mile-per-hour winds, drought conditions and low fuel moisture combined for the perfect conditions in which a wildfire could flourish, sending the blaze roaring across thousands of acres in a matter of hours. An estimated 80 structures burned that evening into the following day.
Firefighters scrambled into action and called in resources from across the state, but the blaze continued to march across the county. Social media was flooded with questions asking about containment, the safety of friends and family and what could be done to help.
By the time it was contained 18 days later, it had burned nearly 50,000 acres, destroyed 309 homes and killed two people who tried to flee their home but were overcome by smoke.
Thousands left their homes only to return to scorched piles of debris. Some communities were almost entirely destroyed, and fundraisers continue to be held to benefit victims of the fire.
Before it was even contained the blaze had already been named the most devastating fire in
In December,
According to a news release sent out by
Several attorneys based outside of
Two cops sentenced for dealing methamphetamine
The sentencing of former
Both men could have received prison terms upward of 20 years, but U.S. District Judge
Both men admitted to using their positions as police officers to steal meth from drug dealers and sell it through a third party for personal gain.
Local prosecutors and a number of residents who wrote to The Californian said the detectives got off easy, and a civil rights attorney representing the families of several men shot and killed by
Federal officials said they are investigating where the drugs went after a third party sold them for distribution, but prosecutors don't anticipate filing any additional charges against BPD officers.
Diaz and Mara enlisted the help of patrol officers in pulling over vehicles where they suspected they would find drugs. They then had those officers book just a portion of the evidence while they kept the rest.
The detectives also took drugs out of the evidence room and replaced them with substances that looked similar. The crimes took place from
Williamson said evidence checkout procedures were being addressed with assistance from the
The sentencings of both men marked a stunning fall for the two veteran officers. Diaz was considered a local hero for his accomplishments on
The team's success was told in the 2015 film "
Former principal charged with murder in husband's 2013 slaying
Former elementary school principal
Chance, 49, was originally named a suspect and arrested shortly after the
Investigators filed court documents alleging she drove with her husband,
There were rumors
She is being held without bail.
Chance was principal of
Man charged with murder of mother, stepfather
Less than honorably discharged from the
He served a nine-month jail sentence in
On
Police said in court filings that Connell used FaceTime to send video of the bodies to a relative outside the country, who then contacted police. He told the relative he had found them dead upon entering the home.
During questioning, Connell told police, "I think it was me" when asked who killed the Higginbothams, but said he had no memory of what happened, the filings say. He said he drinks often, sometimes to the point of passing out, and he was inebriated the nights of the killings.
Cadman's attorney, Deputy Public Defender
Connell has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and is scheduled for trial in February.
Mass shooting at house party
Tossed from a house party, three teens returned to a central
Two of the teens, described only as black males, opened fire at random on the crowd of more than 100 partygoers in the 600 block of
Chaos ensued as partygoers scrambled to get away and the firing continued. By the time it was over, 14 had been injured, with wounds to areas including their legs, arms and chest.
Law enforcement was stretched thin as reports of the mass shooting came in to dispatchers. About 22
Two days later, the body of
No arrests have been made. The shooting is believed to be gang-related.
Unarmed man, 73, shot dead by police just weeks before Attorney General announces investigation into BPD, KCSO
Serna, however, was unarmed. The item he held in his pocket was a faux wooden crucifix, and his family said he suffered from dementia.
The shooting sparked outrage and national media coverage, with some calling for an independent investigation. Officer
Serna approached a woman around
She told police Serna continued acting strangely, demanding she open the car door. The woman ran inside and alerted her husband there was an armed man outside, and he called police.
Officers arrived and, while speaking with the woman, Serna came out of his residence across the street and approached with both hands in his pockets. The woman identified him as the man who approached her, and police ordered Serna to stop and take his hands out of his pockets.
He did not comply, and continued ignoring commands as he walked directly toward Selman, police said. The officer fired when Serna was 15 to 20 feet away. He died at the scene.
No gun was recovered.
On
A press release from Harris' office stated both agencies will be investigated for "a pattern and practice of excessive force" and related issues. The investigation will be civil, not criminal.
"We believe we're following the law," he said.
BPD Chief
Former NFL player hanged himself following
The troubled life of talented athlete
Phillips, 40, hanged himself at
Phillips was last seen alive at
Prison staff began CPR, and Phillips was rushed to
Phillips was serving a sentence of 31 years and four months for separate convictions of running down three teens following a pickup football game in 2005, and choking his roommate.
He continued to find trouble in prison. Prosecutors charged Phillips with first-degree murder in the strangulation death of cellmate
Phillips' suicide came the day after a judge found there was enough evidence to try him in Soward's death. He became upset during the hearing, cursing at an officer who testified to Phillips' prior crimes.
A standout college player at
Brief stints with the
An
Unbeknownst to law enforcement,
He pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot himself in the head as police confronted him in a nearby neighborhood. Gray was not positively identified until
Family of Gray said in search warrants that he sympathized with
Murder suspect accused of cutting baby out of pregnant girlfriend
A 28-year-old
Vela told investigators he struck his girlfriend,
He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bail.
County settles
In May, the County of
The confrontation between Silva and deputies, which resulted in protests and calls for increased scrutiny of law enforcement, began just before midnight on
Deputies tried waking him, and an altercation ensued in which Silva fought multiple law enforcement officers and a K9. He was restrained, but became unresponsive shortly afterward and was pronounced dead within an hour of the incident.
An autopsy determined Silva died as a result of heart disease and had methamphetamine, a muscle relaxant and alcohol in his system at time of death.
Attorneys for the Silva family alleged law enforcement used excessive force, but Sheriff
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