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LASD Homicide – Unsolved Unit Solves 24 Year Old Case 1011 1024 SIB Staff

LASD Homicide – Unsolved Unit Solves 24 Year Old Case

LASD Homicide – Unsolved Unit Solves 24 Year Old Rape/Murder Case of a 67-Year-Old Female Victim

On January 19, 1996, Mary Lindgren was discovered brutally beaten, raped, and murdered inside her 1ST-floor bedroom at the “Covina Villa Retirement Home,” an assisted living center for senior citizens. Mary Lindgren lived alone in her room and was discovered by facility staff at approximately 7:30 am. Rescue personnel responded to the location and pronounced Mary Lindgren dead at the scene. Mary Lindgren was 67 years old at the time of her murder.

Homicide investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene and assisted the Covina Police Department with the murder investigation. Sheriff’s Homicide investigators, along with a Department crime lab scientist and forensic identification specialist, conducted a thorough and exhaustive crime scene investigation. Several items of evidence, including DNA, were collected and held for forensic analysis. Investigators conducted extensive interviews with facility staff members, residents, and their families, outside vendors, contractors, delivery personnel, as well as neighbors living near and around the facility. All were cleared and excluded as potential suspects in this case.

DNA evidence, believed to belong to the suspect, was recovered from the crime scene and analyzed by the forensic biology section of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Crime Lab. Although the suspect DNA profile was developed, the unidentified male offender’s DNA profile did not match any profiles within the state or federal criminal justice DNA databases.

Homicide investigators, in this case, initiated state and national crime broadcasts to participating law enforcement agencies, detailing Mary Lindgren’s murder. Throughout the years, investigators continued to send out the crime broadcasts, which resulted in several leads of possible suspects connected with similar criminal behavior. All leads were thoroughly investigated by Homicide investigators but failed to lead to a suspect in Mary Lindgren’s murder.

In 2019, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office collaborated with LASD Homicide Investigators assigned to the Unsolved Unit, to submit the unidentified offender’s DNA profile to the California State Department of Justice a state-of-the-art DNA search and identification process. In July of 2020, California Department of Justice officials notified investigators from the Sheriff’s Homicide Unsolved Unit and the District Attorney’s Office of their results. Utilizing the results provided by the California Department of Justice, detectives focused their investigation on the probable suspect. Subsequently, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Investigators assigned to the Unsolved Unit, along with Sheriff’s Crime Lab personnel, identified David Adolph Bernal, a 46-year-old El Monte resident. His DNA was a match collected from the body of Mary Lindgren and was the suspect in her murder. On August 6, 2020, members of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau served an arrest and search warrant for David Bernal in the city of El Monte and arrested him for the 1996 murder of Mary Lindgren.

Bernal is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, August 7, 2020, in the Los Angeles Superior Court. His bail was set at $2 Million.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org/

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Youth Services Unit Distance learning 755 1024 SIB Staff

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Youth Services Unit Distance learning

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, YOUTH SERVICES UNIT DISTANCE LEARNING

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Youth Services Unit, has developed an online curriculum for explorer recruits for Academy Class 104. This explorer recruit class is comprised of 160 recruits from LASD and participating police agencies.

This online curriculum allows recruits to attend online “live” classes to continue the academy from home, without compromising their ability to graduate.

For the first time, the 16 weeks LASD Explorer Academy has ever gone “online.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is committed to keeping our young recruits safe while practicing social distancing.

Angeles National Forest Issues Leases for Regional Emergency Communications System 779 1024 SIB Staff

Angeles National Forest Issues Leases for Regional Emergency Communications System

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST ISSUES LEASES FOR REGIONAL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

ARCADIA, Calif. — An important component in modernizing communications among first responders in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area is underway. On February 7, 2020, Rachel Smith, Angeles National Forest (ANF) Deputy Supervisor, signed the leases for the first five (5) of 13 proposed towers for a new Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systemoperated by the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) Authority. This LMR system
will unify local, state, or federal emergency responders’ communications with a single state-of-the-art network.

This follows an Oct. 31, 2019, decision to lease the 13 sites in the Angeles National Forest and now clears the path for
tower construction to begin. The leases are for 30 years of operation and maintenance.

“This will significantly improve communications for first responders in L.A. County,” said Smith. “The signing of the tower leases is a big step towards developing a modern public safety network.”

“The communications towers in the forest will help protect the region’s first responders that are risking their lives to protect the public, and we thank the USFS for these leases.” Scott Edson, Executive Director, Los Angeles Interoperable Communications System.

The 13 project sites, distributed across the Angeles National Forest, are part of a proposed 60-site LMR system across LA County. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing federal funding for the county-wide LMR project.

The Angeles National Forest manages land for a variety of multiple uses, including mountain top communication sites.
Site specific analysis was completed to meet Forest Service requirements for protection of natural resources, and to
ensure that the project follows the ANF Land Management Plan. All 13 sites on National Forest System land were previously designated and managed as communication sites.

For additional information regarding this decision contact: Justin Seastrand, Public Services Staff Officer. For more information regarding the LA-RICS Land Mobile Radio project, contact Wendy Stallworth-Tait, wendy.stallworthtait@la-rics.org

D.A Files Charges – Former LASD Deputy Involved in Lancaster Shooting 150 150 SIB Staff

D.A Files Charges – Former LASD Deputy Involved in Lancaster Shooting

D.A’S OFFICE FILES CHARGES ON FORMER LASD DEPUTY INVOLVED IN LANCASTER SHOOTING, AUG 21, 2019

On August 21, 2019, Lancaster Deputy Angel Reinosa reported being shot by a sniper, while in the parking lot of Lancaster Sheriff’s Station.  As a result, we deployed a massive amount of resources to capture the suspect.  Within days, investigators learned that Reinosa had completely fabricated the entire incident and there was no sniper, no shots fired and no injury sustained by Reinosa.

Immediately following, a criminal investigation was launched by Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.  After it was determined that the account of the incident was created by Reinosa and was a complete lie, the criminal investigation focused on the criminal actions of Angel Reinosa.  A short time later, Reinosa was no longer employed by the Sheriff’s Department.

The investigation was subsequently presented to the District Attorney’s Office for consideration of filing criminal charges. 

Today, January 16, 2020, the District Attorney’s Office filed three counts against Angel Raul Reinosa and a warrant was issued for his arrest.  The criminal counts include:

148.5(a) PC                                    Filing a False Police Report, a misdemeanor
1871.4(a)(1) Insurance Code          Insurance Fraud, a felony
1871.4(a)(2) Insurance Code          Insurance Fraud, a felony

These Insurance Code sections are pertaining to the Workman’s Compensation claim.

Armed with the warrant, at 2:30 pm, Detectives from the Internal Criminal Investigation Bureau arrested Angel Reinosa for the charges, after a traffic stop in Sylmar.  He was transported and booked at the County Jail Inmate Reception Center, where his bail was set at $40,000.   He is currently scheduled for arraignment on January 17, 2020 in Department 30 of the LA Superior Court in Los Angeles.  The case number is BA484557.

credit card over laptop
#FraudFriday-Credit Bureau scam 900 900 SIB Staff

#FraudFriday-Credit Bureau scam

#FraudFriday-Credit Bureau Scam

We’ve all seen well known Credit Bureau Companies are being affected by data breaches. Wouldn’t you know it? People may have already started putting up fake websites meant to look like the official Equifax settlement claims website.
With these types of breaches, fake websites are popping up, making themselves look like legitimate credit bureau companies offering reimbursement for being a victim of a data breach. But beware these offers are fake, and you will be at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft or scammed straight out of your money.

How this scam works:

• Advertisements are posted throughout social media instructing people to file a claim to get money for possibly being a victim of a data breach
• Once a person is convinced, they are directed to click onto a link that will instruct them to enter personal information
• Once the personal information is entered, the scammers will have your information which can be used to open fraudulent bank accounts or credit cards.
• Once the claim has been submitted, the victim might get a response indicating they have not been a victim of a data breach.
There are three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

If you receive an email, advertisement, or phone call advising you may be a victim of a data breach, do not provide personal information until you verify the notification is legitimate.
You may be sure you’re going to the right site by going directly to the actual credit bureau websites or calling the credit bureau directly.

A couple more things to remember. You’ll never have to pay to file a claim for these benefits. And anyone who calls and tries to get you to file a claim is almost certainly a scammer.

#LASD

#throwBackThursday 900 900 SIB Staff

#throwBackThursday

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY

#ThrowbackThursday LASD has a competitive athletic tradition. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Semi Annual “World Serious” & Sgt. Brian Wilson Memorial Softball Tournament is held twice a year to honor Sgt. Brian Wilson.

This year, on September 6-8, 2019, the tournament took place at Cerritos Regional County Park in the city of Cerritos. There were 25 teams that participated in this event.

Congratulations to the Norwalk Station Softball Team for taking the championship!  After 8 games, they had beaten several teams throughout the County over the weekend-long tournament.  It was a great time to watch the good talent on the field, cheer them on, decompress and meet and enjoy each other’s families.  Deputy Travis Jaime was awarded the MVP for his outstanding defense and solid hitting! It’s the 3rd consecutive time that this team won the championship of this game. Well done Norwalk!

It is an honor to continue a tradition that Wilson had such a passion for. The tournament brings unit/station pride, as well as LASD camaraderie. We would like to thank all those who participated in this event, as well as the family and friends who came out to support the players.

*Carson ball team picture from lasdretired.org

*Norwalk picture from Norwalk Station