Law Enforcement

New details emerge in kidnapping, sexual assault of Northridge girl
Prosecutors gave new details Wednesday of last week's kidnapping of a 10-year-old Northridge girl, saying one suspect acted as a getaway driver and the other took the girl from her home and later sexually assaulted her. The revelations came as two men were formally charged in the abduction and one was arraigned.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD arrests man for threats made at Food 4 Less
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Division arrested a man at approximately noon on Wednesday for allegedly threatening someone with a replica gun in the parking lot of Food 4 Less on 5100 N. Figueroa St. According Sergeant Edward Perez, the man "made a threat to injure an individual, and there was a mention of a firearm." LAPD squad cars and helicopters responded to the scene.
Highland Park - Mount Washington Patch

Sean Combs' Toluca Lake home 'swatted' by pranksters
Sean Combs' Toluca Lake home was the latest target of "swatting" after a prankster reported a fake assault with deadly weapon Wednesday at the $5-million mansion. Lt. Andy Neiman said Combs' residence was targeted by a swatting prankster who made a call to authorities. The department will pursue those responsible for criminal charges, he said.
Los Angeles Times

W.Va. sheriff shot to death, suspect in custody
A new sheriff who was cracking down on the drug trade in southern West Virginia's coalfields was shot to death Wednesday in the spot where he usually parked his car for lunch, and State Police said the suspect was in a hospital with gunshot wounds inflicted by a deputy who chased him. Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum died of his wounds, but State Police Capt. David Nelson didn't say how many times he was shot or offer many other details as two dozen law enforcement officers gathered around him on the courthouse steps.
Associated Press

Lawsuit challenges NYPD 'stop-and-frisks'
To Pedro Serrano, a New York City police officer, his low rate of stopping and frisking people while patrolling the South Bronx was a sign he was exercising restraint in using the controversial law enforcement technique. His bosses saw it differently. To them, Serrano's 2012 record of just two stop-and-frisks suggested he was not doing enough to protect people in the crime-ridden 40th Precinct, whose residents are mostly black and Latino.
Los Angeles Times

The Courts

Lawmaker panel approves some court funding
An Assembly subcommittee voted Wednesday to restore $418 million to California's judiciary, but not before one lawmaker shared some tough words for the state's court system. "While the state grappled with a budget crisis, court administrators sometimes have acted fiscally irresponsible," Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills) said in his statement. He noted that the judiciary spent almost half a billion dollars upgrading the database for court records, then abandoned the struggling project.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

City of L.A. urged to hire more animal techs to avoid elimination of overnight shift
A city panel Tuesday recommended the hiring of 16 new animal technicians to avoid eliminating overnight staffing at Los Angeles animal shelters. Brenda Barnette, general manager of the Animal Services Department, said the new workers would avoid the need to end staffing of the graveyard shift and help promote animal safety.
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. City Council members irate over arsenic emissions
Los Angeles City Council members Wednesday expressed fury at recent revelations that arsenic emissions from a battery-recycling plant in nearby Vernon pose a danger to as many as 110,000 people, and called upon the city attorney to look into possible legal action. "I'm outraged. I'm appalled," said Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents Boyle Heights and chairs the council's committee on the environment. The committee had summoned officials from the South Coast Air Quality Management District to a hearing on the risks posed by Exide Technologies.
Los Angeles Times

City Election

Greuel to study raising retirement age of current L.A. workers
Los Angeles controller and mayoral hopeful Wendy Greuel said Wednesday she would consider raising the retirement age for current city workers, along with other changes to the city's pension systems, to help Los Angeles close persistent budget gaps. But Greuel, in comments at Cal State Northridge, said she would seek changes only through collective bargaining, not by forcing new rules on workers.
Los Angeles Times

Wendy Greuel PAC releases new video with Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson and Wendy Greuel are coming to a website near you - courtesy of an independent group backing her mayoral campaign. A week ago, the businessman and former NBA star endorsed Greuel to succeed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Working Californians has now made a 60-second video of the endorsement. It will appear on news websites, and a shorter version may eventually run on TV.
KPCC