Archive By Author - Jim Holt
Child-killer’s chaplain proclaims trust during death-penalty phase
SAN FERNANDO - A chaplain who spent "hours and hours" with child-killer Antonio Rodriguez, sometimes talking about God, told jurors in Superior Court on Tuesday that she trusts him.
Frontal lobe abnormality affected child-killer
SAN FERNANDO - Jurors got a glimpse inside the brain of convicted child-killer Antonio Rodriguez on Monday, and what they saw was evidence of injury.
‘Bumper boats’ on the 14
A 52-year-old Sun Valley man is charged with hit and run today after allegedly playing "bumper boats" with another motorist on Highway 14 Saturday.
Magic Cup heats up
Attention sports drink sponsors - more than a thousand thirsty young soccer tournament players competing on perhaps the hottest weekend this year could your use your help next time.
Mowing down air pollution in SCV
Saving green at cutting green while going green. That's what more than 200 lawn mower owners did Saturday when they traded in their dirty old grass-cutting machines that pollute the air for clean "green" ones that do not. Everyone who took advantage of the Mow Down Air Pollution exchange program at the College of the Canyons on Saturday morning saved at least $250. "I'm going green while I'm cutting the green," said Mike Eskilson who ...
Rodriguez attacks ‘Grim Sleeper’
SAN FERNANDO - Convicted child-killer Antonio Rodriguez attacked suspected "Grim Sleeper" serial killer Lonnie Franklin while the two were being escorted from court by law enforcement officers last week, a Superior Court jury heard Wednesday.
Killer’s life in jury’s hands
Parents who still shudder about the day 5-year-old Desarie Saravia's body was dumped on a front lawn on their quiet cul-de-sac in Castaic say the man convicted of killing her deserves the sentence he now faces.
5.4 quake rattles, leaves no major damage
You can call it wobbly, you can call it undulating, but you cannot call Wednesday's earthquake harmful in any way - at least in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Jury deliberates in Rodriguez trial
SAN FERNANDO - Jury deliberations are under way this week in the murder trial of Antonio Rodriguez, 29, who is charged with sexually assaulting his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter and killing her in a Castaic park bathroom.
Defense rests in Rodriguez trial
SAN FERNANDO - There is no evidence that 5-year-old Desarie Elizabeth Saravia was sexually assaulted by the man accused of beating her to death inside a Castaic park bathroom, the man's defense lawyer said in closing arguments Tuesday.
Prosecution closes case with photos
SAN FERNANDO - The prosecution wrapped up its case against accused child killer Antonio Rodriguez on Friday by letting some of the more than 100 injury pictures tell the stories of brutality in the savage beating death of 5-year-old Desarie Elizabeth Saravia.
Businesses balk at fees
A planned sewer-system hookup fee - part of a package of sewer-fee rate hikes proposed Santa Clarita Valley-wide - is necessary to avoid future bond measures, a sanitation district official said this week.
They called him ‘Daddy’
SAN FERNANDO - Lawyers representing a man accused of beating to death his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter wrapped up their case Wednesday with further testimony that he was a caring man whom the little girl called "Daddy."
Locals hope to flush out truth about potential sewer-rate hike
Sanitation District officials who held the first of a series of public information meetings on a proposed sewer-rate hike met with criticism and confusion from about 50 people who attended.
Family testifies accused was father figure
SAN FERNANDO - Antonio Rodriguez, who is accused of beating to death his girlfriend's daughter, was a caring father figure who took the child and her brother to his mother's house every day to feed them, according to testimony offered in court Tuesday.
Articles By Author - Jim Holt
Valencia: Stuck in an elevator
Two College of the Canyons students spent their lunch hour in an elevator Thursday after the car got stuck, college officials said.
UPDATE: Valencia: Sheriff’s deputies chase, capture suspected vandal
A suspected graffiti vandal was detained at gunpoint today after a brief foot chase in Valencia, a sheriff's spokesman said.
Valencia: One injured in collision of motorcycle and car
One person was taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries Thursday following a traffic collision involving a motorcycle and a car in Valencia, a Sheriff's Department spokeswoman said.
UPDATE: Suspected ‘blond scammer’ taken into custody by Ventura deputies
SAN FERNANDO - A woman suspected of being the "blond scammer" - who stalked other women at grocery stores, stealing their wallets and then using their IDs to obtain cash or expensive jewelry - appeared briefly in court today only to be arrested by Ventura County sheriff's deputies, a bailiff said.
Stevenson Ranch: 5 ID theft suspects make court appearance Wednesday
Five people suspected of identity theft after being arrested at a Stevenson Ranch hotel this week made a court appearance Wednesday and were scheduled to be arraigned next month.
Saugus man gets probation in online dating thefts
A Saugus man charged with three felonies for stealing from local women he romanced online received a suspended sentence and three years' probation this week after pleading no contest to the charges.
Resolution possible for Valencia pair charged with possessing illegal weapon
SAN FERNANDO - The lawyer representing a young Valencia man who made national news last fall for allegedly posting online comments about hurting children told a San Fernando Superior Court commissioner Wednesday he anticipates a "possible resolution" in the case.
5 due in court Wednesday on ID theft charges
Five people arrested at a Stevenson Ranch hotel Monday are expected to appear in court Wednesday on felony identity theft charges, a local sheriff's spokesman said.
UPDATE: Canyon Country: One taken to hospital following fight near fast-food restaurant
A man was taken to the hospital today following a fist fight near the McDonalds Restaurant on Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country, emergency response officials said.
UPDATE: Admitted Stevenson Ranch rapist sentenced to 43 years to life
SAN FERNANDO - A 19-year-old man who admitted to a brutal rape last year, then tried to withdraw his admission, was sentenced to 43 years to life in prison Monday after a judge said he couldn't change his mind about the plea.
Newhall: Man arrested on suspicion of van theft
Sheriff's deputies arrested a man in Newhall this morning on suspicion he stole a van, a sheriff's spokesman said.
UPDATE: Acton crash survivor listed in good condition
A 9-year-old girl who survived a vehicle crash that killed her father in Acton is expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday, a California Highway Patrol official said Monday.
All for the competition
More than 160 young people on their way to becoming police officers competed in a series of challenges Sunday similar to what law enforcement officers experience day to day.
UPDATE: Attempted homicide charge filed in bar beating
A Castaic man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly beat another man in a Sunland bar Monday night, using a "mini baseball bat," officials said Thursday.
