Hard Boiled News

True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Calif. Woman Charged With Impersonating Cop, Groping Woman Outside Bar

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Denise Latta allegedly has a thing for posing as a cop in order to grope women

TUSTIN, California — A depraved fraudster posed as a cop to force a female patron out of a southern California watering hole where she allegedly groped and robbed her, authorities said.

Denise Latta, 54, of Huntington Beach, went into a bar in Tustin on Sept. 13, and whipped out a badge as she approached the bartender and female patron, police said.

Investigators say Latta instructed the woman to produce an identification card, which the phony cop then cut several pieces. Latta then demanded the victim leave the bar with her.

Once outside, Latta forced the victim to put her hands on a wall and spread her feet, and while searching her, touched her breast and groin through her clothes, police said. Latta then told the victim that she wasn’t going to arrest her and told her to leave and never come back to the bar.

In late November, Tustin police tracked Latta down and charged her with kidnapping, robbery, false imprisonment, sexual battery, and impersonating a police officer. She is being held on $100,000 bond.

When Latta was arrested, officers found fake badges, identification cards that read “agent,” and clothing that read “fugitive recovery agent,” among her belongings.

Latta told detectives that she worked as a private detective and bail enforcement officer, but lacked any identification to prove it. Latta was also in possession of several items that led detectives to believe this may not be an isolated incident and cops are looking for additional victims.

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Reward Offered for Capture Of Gunman Who Shot Dolphin in California

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Officials say a necropsy showed the dolphin had been shot to death

MANHATTAN BEACH, California — A dolphin was found shot dead on a California beach, and an animal rescue group has offered a reward for information leading to the killer.

The dolphin’s remains were found on Manhattan Beach about 20 miles south of Los Angeles, El Segundo-based Marine Animal Rescue wrote on Facebook on Friday.

A necropsy later revealed that the sea mammal had been killed by a gunshot wound, the group said.

“There is NO excuse for such brutality against these beautiful animals,” the group wrote.

The organization said it is offering a reward of $5,000 to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot the dolphin.

Earlier this year, authorities say an animal shot and killed a pregnant bottlenose dolphin in Mississippi.

At least 24 dolphins have died as a result of being shot with a gun, an arrow or impaled by some sort of object since 2002, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Dolphins are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. This prohibits harassing, harming, killing or feeding these animals. Violators can face up to $100,000 in fines and 1 year in jail for each offense.

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Drama Teacher Accused of Molestation Found Dead Just Before Closing Arguments

By HardBoiledNews Staff

David Michael Bruce is suspected of committing suicide just ahead of closing arguments in his molestation case

ANAHEIM, California — A retired junior high school drama teacher on trial for allegedly molesting his students was found dead in his home of an apparent suicide just before closing arguments in his case were set to begin.

David Michael Bruce, 68, was found dead after failing to appear in court in southern California as his case was winding to a close, authorities said.

Police said they suspected a suicide, but the official cause of death remained pending. Bruce had faced up to life in prison if he had been convicted.

Bruce was accused of molesting students over the course of 15 years at Sycamore Junior High in Anaheim. Prosecutors said Bruce would typically begin with massages before escalating the molestation.

“He would tell them he had Hollywood connections” and could help them get jobs in the film industry, Deputy District Attorney Rick Zimmer said in his opening statement of the trial, according to the Orange County Register.

“The defendant basically has an obsession with male buttocks,” he said, noting that the allegations included “a lot of rubbing, touching and spanking the buttocks of these victims.”

Police also allegedly found erotic photos of young boys in the teacher’s residence.

One of the boys was a special education student who would “hang out” with his teacher at lunch, according to the prosecutor, who said the educator gave the boy gifts such as an iPod and skateboard.

One of the alleged victims confided in his sister, “who actually is the reason this whole investigation got started,” Zimmer said. A custodian at the school reported he “walked in on the defendant massaging a student.”

Bruce’s attorney had argued his client’s accusers had histories of psychiatric issues and dishonesty and were hoping to cash in on lawsuits.

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800-Pound Hammer Sculpture Mysteriously Disappears from Community Center

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Someone very strong made off with this 800-pound hammer sculpture

HEALDSBURG, California — They must have had a really big nail.

Police in northern California are hunting for whomever was able to make off with an 800-pound sculpture of a hammer from outside a community center.

Officials say the massive work of art disappeared sometime late Friday night. Workers at the Healdsburg Community Center noticed it was missing Saturday morning when they noticed a large empty spot on the lawn.

Police are at a loss as it would have taken a crane or a large group of people and a truck to move the giant hammer and no one saw anything.

“We have no leads at this point. We’ve checked a lot of different locations,” Healdsburg Police Officer Darryl Erkel told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “We initially thought it might have been a high school prank.”

The hammer sports a redwood handle and measures 21 feet long. The metal head is 6 feet tall, Healdsburg artist Doug Unkrey said.

“They’d need at least a flatbed trailer with a winch, or about eight people,” said Unkrey, who created the piece. “Why would you take this thing? Where are you going to put it?”

The artwork is estimated to be worth around $15,000.

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Wannabe Cop Gets 10 Years for San Diego Church and School Arson Fires

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The arson caused over $1.5 million damages to the church and neighboring school

SAN DIEGO — A wannabe cop who lived a secret life as a firebug has been sentenced to 10 years for a string of late night arson fires at a southern California church and middle school.

Tyler Carender, 22, admitted sparking three separate fires over 21 days at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and Oak Crest Middle School in Encinitas in 2016.

A student of criminal justice at Palomar College in San Marcos, Carender was caught after he admitted to a classmate — who was also studying to be a cop — that he was behind the arson fires.

The first blaze broke out on Oct. 22, 0216 at the Friendship House” Counseling and Youth Center building at the Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Firefighters were able to contain the fire, which still caused approximately $200,000 in damage, federal prosecutors said.

A week later, he also set fire to the administrative building at the Oak Street Middle School next to his house, by breaking in and using gasoline to set fire to books and files within the building.

Making matters worse, firefighters were forced to retreat from the building after the roof appeared like it might collapse. In all, prosecutors say the fire destroyed student records and caused $1.5 million in damages.

Two weeks later, Carender went back to St. Andrew’s  and threw a Molotov cocktail into the office of the church’s preschool, causing $25,000 in damages.

The San Diego sheriff’s office were led at first to Carender after detectives received an anonymous tip. Later,  Carender confided in a classmate about committing the three arsons. The classmate ultimately recorded Carender discussing his involvement and contacted authorities.

Following his arrest, Carender initially denied any involvement, but later admitted he had started the fires, cops say.

Carender was arrested in July 2017 at his home and pleaded guilty on March 9, 2018 to all three charges.

 

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Reality Show Doctor and Gal Pal Charged With Drugging and Raping Women

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Reality show doc, Grant Robicheaux, and girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, are accused of preying on women as a team

SANTA ANA, California — A telegenic reality show doctor and his striking girlfriend have been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting two women, and authorities fear  there could be many more victims.

Investigators have found “thousands and thousands of videos” on orthopedic surgeon Grant Robicheaux’s phone, many of which show him and girlfriend Cerissa Riley engaged in sex acts with other women.

Some videos show women who “appear to be highly intoxicated beyond the ability to consent or resist, and they’re barely responsive to the defendant’s sexual advances. Based on this evidence, we believe that there might be many unidentified victims out there,” Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.

Robicheaux, 38, had appeared in a short-lived Bravo TV show called “Online Dating Rituals of the American Male,” in 2014.

“We believe the defendants used their good looks and charm to lower the inhibitions of their potential prey,” Rackauckas said, releasing an array of information about many locations and events where Robicheaux and the 31-year-old Riley had traveled.

So far, two women have filed charges after being allegedly assaulted by the couple after meeting them at social events.

“We tend to trust doctors who take an oath to do no harm. The second defendant, being a female, is key. A woman purporting to be his girlfriend clearly played a significant role in disarming the victims, making them feel comfortable and safe,” Rackauckas said.

Cerissa Riley and Grant Robicheaux at an event where they may have hunted for prey

The couple have been released on $100,000 bond and their attorneys say their clients deny the charges.

“All allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley,” the lawyers said in a statement. “They have been aware of these accusations for a number of months, and each of them will formally deny the truth of these allegations at their first opportunity in court.”

According to prosecutors, Robicheaux and Riley met a 32-year-old woman at a Newport Beach restaurant on April 10, 2016, invited her to a party and then escorted her to Robicheaux’s apartment when she was intoxicated.

The pair allegedly gave the victim multiple drugs and then sexually assaulted her while she was incapable of resisting. The woman called police the next day, and a forensic exam found multiple controlled substances.

On Oct. 2, 2016, the defendants allegedly drank alcohol with another woman at a Newport Beach bar until she was unconscious, brought her to Robicheaux’s apartment and sexually assaulted her.

The district attorney’s office said the victim awakened and screamed for help until a neighbor called police, who began an investigation.

Prosecutors say that cops also found large amounts of illegal drugs, two illegal, unregistered assault rifles, four other firearms and several large-capacity magazines at Robicheaux’s home.

They noted that the couple may have traveled to  events like the Burning Man festival in Nevada, the Dirtybird Campout festival in Silverado, California, the Splash House festival in Palm Springs, and landmarks near Page, Arizona, and fear that additional victims could have been attacked at these events.

Robicheaux studied at Louisiana State University and did postgraduate work at New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases and hs residency at the University of California Irvine Medical Center in Orange, California.

 

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Hulking Shoplifter Knocked Out by Passerby in Supermarket Parking Lot

By HardBoiledNews Staff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW1tmfo-whQ

SANTA ANA, California — Timber!

A menacing, 350-pound shoplifter met his match when a much smaller man knocked him out cold in the parking lot outside a store as the hulking thief tried to stuff purloined goods into his trunk.

The whole episode was caught on a cell phone camera as Jose Oscar Prado, 32, tried to walk out of a Stater Bros. supermarket in Santa Ana, California with a carton of food he hadn’t paid for, according to KTLA-TV.

As a number of employees confronted him, the towering Prado turned threatening, putting his hands up and challenging anyone to stop him.

As Prado’s gal pal shrieked at the employees to stop, a passerby sneaked up and leveled Prado with one punch.

Prado eventually got back to his feet and climbed into his truck with the woman and fled with the items, police said.

The altercation occurred in June, but Prado was arrested last week and held on $50,000 bond, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s office.

Authorities say they are looking to talk to the man who punched Prado as a possible witness.

 

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Headless Body Found in Fish Tank in San Francisco Home

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

Brian Egg had been missing for weeks before cops found the headless torso in a fish tank in his home

SAN FRANCISCO — Cops made a grisly discovery when they found a headless torso stuffed into a fish tank in the home of a man whose relatives had reported him missing.

Brian Egg, 65, was reported missing by friends and neighbors in late July and again in early August, but officers left without going into his home after finding no immediate sign of anything suspicious.

But on August 14, frantic neighbors called cops once again to report a suspicious man outside Egg’s home with a crime scene cleaning truck parked outside, the San Francisco police department said.

Officers arriving at the scene, detained the man and then called in homicide detectives after detecting a suspicious smell inside Egg’s house and spotting an excessive amount of powerful cleaning products in the home.

The next day, investigators found a headless torso inside a fish tank. The medical examiner’s office is working to determine the identity of the body and the cause of death.

Following an investigations, cops arrested two men, identified as Lance Silva, 39, and Robert McCaffrey, 52, both of San Francisco. They were charged with homicide, fraud, theft, identity theft and elder abus

Police say Silva had used Egg’s debit card to purchase a used BMW and hire the hazmat crew to clean his home.

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Rotting Body of Police Suspect Found Hidden in Building Column After Chase

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The man’s rotting body was found hidden deep within the column’s outside the shop

LANCASTER, California — Cops made a grisly find when a supermarket manager reported a strange smell coming from a column which turned out to be the decomposing body of a man officers had been chasing near the store earlier in the week.

The manager of a California WinCo Foods initially thought the smell was a sewage leak and called a plumber. But when they removed some brick from the upright, they saw a leg and shoe so called cops.

It was not immediately clear who the dead man was, but cops believe he may have been a suspect they had given chase nearly a week earlier, who they thought had gotten away after running on the roof of the supermarket.

Instead, the man found his way inside the entryway column and could not get out. It’s unclear if he fell to his death or became trapped and couldn’t get out.

“He may have gotten inside there and somehow gotten down the column, trying to hide from the deputies and then couldn’t get out,” Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Lt. John Corina, told KABC-TV.

“It’s been over 100 degrees up here everyday. I can’t imagine being inside that column and just baking. It’s a strange development, and if he died that way, it’s a horrible way to die,” he added.

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Missing Woman Found 7 Days After Plunging Down 200-Foot Cliff in California

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Angela Hernandez survived by drinking water from her radiator after plunging down a 200-foot cliff

BIG SUR, California — A woman who had been missing for seven days was miraculously found alive at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff where her car had landed after plunging off of a windy and remote stretch of coastal road.

Angela Hernandez, 23, had sat injured and dazed for a week on a small craggy beach at the bottom of a steep cliff along Central California’s picturesque coastline. She had survived by drinking water from her wrecked Jeep’s radiator.

She was finally found on Friday when a pair of hikers spotted her Jeep, which was partially submerged in the Pacific Ocean. When they came down for a closer look, they discovered Hernandez alive.

“My sister is alive, she’s talking, and she’s still trying to come to understand everything,” Angela’s sister Isabel Hernandez wrote on Facebook early Saturday. “She’s a fighter and she fought this long and she will continue to. It’s not going to be an easy recovery. I hope everyone will have patience for her and her recovery.

Hernandez’s disappearance had triggered a wide search. She had last been seen leaving a gas station in Carmel on July 6 as she drove from Portland, Oregon to visit her sister near Los Angeles.

Her family had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts as authorities searched on the ground and by air. Fog in the area had limited visibility for several days which likely slowed finding Hernandez.

She told rescuers that she had lost control of her Jeep Patriot along Highway 1 after swerving to avoid hitting an animal that morning and then plunged 200 feet over a cliff

After being found, crews worked for hours to hoist her back up the cliff face to the roadway.

Rescuers said Hernandez was found to be in fair and stable condition and was treated for a concussion and an injured shoulder. She was then airlifted to Twin Cities Community Hospital in San Luis Obispo County.

 

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