Point Reyes man to stand trial for murders

At approximately 9:30 P.M. on April 18th, Marin County Sheriffs responded while on patrol to a call of shots fired in the sleepy town of Pt. Reyes. This small town has grown some notoriety over the past month with multiple disappearances of residents in a population of under 800. When police arrived on the scene, they had discovered the intended location of the call, "Terry's", a small bar which catered to mostly the members of the Coast Guard unit stationed there, had been set ablaze. After the fire had been contained police had found the owner, Terry Harding, hiding from the officers in an abandoned building across the street. When the police cleared the building they later discovered 13 bodies on various floors of the building. No information on the names have been released at this time.
"This heinous crime is still under investigation at this time. The family members of the deceased that we have confirmed identity on have been notified." commented Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle. "This investigation will be open until we can make sure that there are no more victims in this case. What we can confirm is that there has been a confession made from the suspect Terry Harding, under the charges of multiple homicide and arson. We will continue to provide updates of this case as they develop."
Terry Harding is being held in custody at Marin County jail, without bail. His trial will be determined at a later date.

Rain-Drenched March Continues Uninterrupted

Last Tuesday, October 13th, about 75 people gathered in Courthouse Square to demand that the Sonoma County Sheriff's end their use of Tasers, a deadly device which has led to five deaths of unarmed civilians in our community over the last two years. The October 22nd Coalition Against Police Brutality organized the protest as part of a new campaign demanding the end of Taser use in Sonoma County. After a brief rally in the frozen rain, people took over both lanes of Mendocino Ave. during rush hour. Marchers ranged from high school students to grandmothers of the local victims of police brutality. A marching band followed the protest, lifting the spirits of the participants and helping everybody to brave the freezing, wet weather. Many people joined the march as it went along. One student from the local junior college remarked, "I was pissed off because i had to sit in traffic behind the march, then i heard what you were chanting and i was like 'fuck yeah,' so i parked my car and joined the march!"

At one point, about 10 youth came running out of a Taco Bell to join the march. After about a half mile, the police arrived to order us on to the sidewalk. we did not obey, but instead moved in to one lane of traffic so cars could pass. the officers did not seem interested in confronting the march, which was a little more militant than they're used to. The march headed all the way to the Sheriffs Department, about 2 hours from where we started. We were surprised to see a small counter-protest lined up in front of the doors of the Sheriffs office. About 6 people stood there with massive American flags and silly grins on their face. They admonished us for "exploiting the families who have lost their loved ones." Unfortunately for them, they said that to the face of Valarie Babers, whose son Joshua was murdered by Santa Rosa PD a little over a year ago. He was mentally ill and unarmed. SRPD tased him, then shot him, then tased him again. Valarie is now working with the O22 Coalition and is in the middle of a lawsuit against the county and the SRPD.

The counter-protesters didn't seem interested in picking a fight with us either. Two representatives of O22 tried to enter the building to present our demands to the Sheriff. Unfortunately, the Sheriff is terrified of the organized resistance of the community and locked the doors. They did deem it necessary, however, to observe the marchers from the second story window, dressed in riot gear. We held a brief rally in front of the office. speakers from different police accountability groups, as well as families of victims of police violence, spoke to the crowd. Then there was a short open mic and several more people from the march spoke. The march ended with everyone feeling very energized and optimistic. This campaign is gaining momentum and we are confident we will win. The Sheriff says that the chances of them outlawing Tasers are "slim to none." This only means that we are going to have to step up our tactics and continue to put pressure on the Sheriff, both in the media and in the streets.

Upcoming actions include a vigils for Jeremiah Chass (16 year old shot to death by the Sheriffs two years ago) and Samuel Martinez (died after being refused medical treatment in Sonoma County Jail last year).

Everyone is welcome to join.

Body Found inside Burning Building

Firefighters found a body inside a Santa Rosa home where a fire burned early this morning. The body was found in the basement of the single-story, ranch-style home near Howarth Memorial Park.

The two-alarm fire, reported at about 3:20 a.m., burned roughly half the house before firefighters contained it. "When we got here, there was smoke and flames shooting out from the attic," Santa Rosa fire Captain Sam Kurtz said.

Kurtz said firefighters initially had trouble accessing the home using the single driveway. Police and fire investigators are expected to remain on site today to determine the cause of the blaze and the identity of the person found inside. "He did not appear to be a resident" Police Captain Derek Albright reported.

Louisiana Tourist Killed in Santa Rosa Robbery Setup

SANTA ROSA -- A Louisiana man on a trip to the Bay Area with friends was shot and killed after a woman the tourists had met at a Downtown bar allegedly lured them to an isolated housing project to be robbed, police said today. Jason Billings of Baton Rouge was with three friends, two from Louisiana and one from Oakland, when they met the woman at the Black Rose Irish Pub at Third and Brookwood streets Saturday night, police said.

The men agreed to drive the woman home after the club closed early Sunday. She directed the out-of-towners to West Barham Avenue, in a development community of low-income housing. When they arrived shortly after 3 a.m., robbers were waiting, police said. "Somebody walked up to the car and there was a verbal interaction," said Sgt. Jessica Tomikan, a spokeswoman for the Police Department. "Everyone was told to get out of the car. Then others came up and started going through their pockets."

There was another verbal exchange, police said, which ended with one of the assailants shooting Billings. The mortally wounded Billings was put in the car. "They somehow got to Sebastopol Road and flagged down an officer," Tomikan said. Billings, whose age was not released, was pronounced dead at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Police arrested the woman they believe set up the friends for the robbery but have not identified her. Officers also searched a residence in the area seeking evidence.

Lt. Gregory Stamoth of the homicide detail said investigators need the public's help in identifying the gunman and others involved in the attack. "It's a tragic thing - we are going to do as much as we can," Stamoth said. Billings and his friends "thought they were doing the right thing," Stamoth said, "and they ended up getting set up."

A representative for the Pub was unavailable for comment.

Man Survives Shooting outside Ledson Estate

A 29 year old Petaluma man was shot twice by an unknown assailant on Monday in Northern Santa Rosa

According to police, Joaquin Cutter was found lying on the ground at 3:14pm suffering from two gunshot wounds. He was airlifted to a hospital where he was in stable condition.

The suspect is a black male in his late teens or early 20s, 5′11″ to 6′1″ tall, 200 pounds and wearing a blue long-sleeved thermal shirt and blue jeans. He fled in a bright green, mid-sized, older model American-made car.

Cutter had finished locking the gates on the large Ledson Family Estate where he worked as a security guard when the altercation took place, police reported. No further details were given.

If you have information about this shooting, please call Detective Avon Lyons at (707) 555-4422 or Detective Sgt. Paul Simmons at (707) 555-4423.