Congresswoman asks for probe into disappearance
U.S. Rep Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, last week Thursday said she has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the disappearance of a woman who was released in September from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Mitrice Richardson, 24, a Cal State Fullerton graduate, vanished after being released from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station after midnight on Sept. 17, 2009. She had no car, no purse and no cellphone. She had been arrested at Geoffrey’s Malibu for not paying a dinner bill and was reported by staff to have been acting strangely. Authorities have searched Malibu hills and canyons several times without finding a trace of her.
Waters asked the Justice Department in a May 5 letter to investigate alleged civil rights violations by the deputies.
“I believe that Mitrice’s civil rights were violated when she was arrested and then let go in the middle of the night without money, a phone or transportation,” Waters said in a statement.
Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the department, said last week Thursday that the deputies followed policy, the report states.
“We believe that everything was done right,” Whitmore said in the report, adding that Sheriff Lee Baca “obviously believes that nobody’s civil rights have been violated.”
Whitmore said Baca welcomes an investigation by the Justice Department or any other agency.
Waters previously had asked the FBI to investigate the disappearance, but she said she was told by the agency that it does not probe adult missing persons.
Memorial retreat planned for Emily Shane
A retreat for children in honor of Emily Rose Shane is scheduled to take place May 15 at 33204 Mulholland Highway from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event is a day for Shane’s friends and loved ones to come together to share thoughts, heal, and celebrate her life. It will be immediately followed by a planting ceremony at Zuman Organic Farm.
Sina Khankhanian, 26, of Winnetka, pleaded not guilty in connection with 13-year-old Emily Rose Shane’s death on April 3. Judge Keith L. Schwartz ordered Khankhanian jailed on the $3 million bail recommended by the prosecution. He is expected to appear at the Airport Branch Courthouse in Los Angeles June 15 for a preliminary hearing.
The complaint alleged he used a deadly weapon, an automobile, to commit the crime, according to a press release by the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
Detectives said Shane was walking home from a friend’s house at 5:11 p.m. along the 29000 block of Pacific Coast Highway near Heathercliff Road when Khankhanian, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer, hit her. Investigators believe Khankhanian may have intentionally crashed his car. But they do not believe he intended to hit her.
The investigation, which has been assigned to homicide detectives, will be ongoing.
The Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s assistance in investigating this case. They are asking that witnesses who observed the accident and can give a description of the vehicle’s behavior to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide bureau at 323.890.5500. The car was a 2008 blue, four-door Mitsubishi Lancer with the personalized license plate “JOOGEE.”
More information about the memorial event can be obtained by e-mailing kim@namasteretreats.com or by calling 310.589.2673.
FEMA declares Animal Disaster Preparedness Day
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Citizen Corps has declared May 8 as National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day.
The declaration is meant to raise awareness about the importance of planning for the safety of both pets and pet owners before disaster strikes.
Pets currently are not included in FEMA’s disaster preparedness plans. Citizen Corps, along with local Emergency Survival Programs (ESP), are encouraging members of the community to consider their pets when preparing for the approaching hurricane, tornado and wildfire seasons, as well as other disasters, such as earthquakes. Those that work with animals could talk with shelters in the area to identify pet friendly shelters for pet owners and provide veterinarians and kennels with tips on disaster preparedness to share with pet owners. Additionally, they could consider partnering with a local pet store to hold an event offering “pet disaster kit shopping lists” and giveaways such as identification tags.
More information can be obtained online at www.lacoa.org, or by calling 310.456.2489 ext. 260.
Legacy Park construction reaches the halfway point
The construction of Legacy Park last week reached the halfway point, according to a May 3 press release issued by the City of Malibu.
Located in the Civic Center on the parcel of land that used to house the annual Chili Cook Off, the more than $50 million Legacy Park will house a storm water treatment facility. The storm drain and underground infrastructure have been completed and installed. The street infrastructure, including the curbs and gutters surrounding the park, are also nearly complete. The project is scheduled for completion in September.
“This project to help protect ocean water is a top priority for Malibu-our construction crews worked around the rain to ensure that progress on Legacy Park would continue and we would reach the halfway point in a timely manner,” Mayor Jefferson Wagner said in the press release. “Our vision of Legacy Park acting as an environmental cleaning machine will soon become a reality.”
In the next few months, residents will see the large mounds of earth disappear as construction crews grade and shape the contours of the main park, creating an open space for passive recreation and environmental education. The walkways and benches, which line the viewing areas that will attract visitors, will soon be installed. As the project enters its final phase of construction, the donor walls highlighting the broad community support for Legacy Park will be erected, the release states.
Legacy Park is going to transform 15 acres in the heart of Malibu into a central park, which will capture more than two million gallons per day of storm water and urban runoff that flow from the surrounding watershed so it can be cleaned, disinfected and recycled. The project will also restore and develop important riparian habitat, as well as provide a living learning center for six coastal habitats.
The press release describes Legacy Park as “an important step toward the city’s commitment to improve ocean water quality -specifically in Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon and the world-famous Surfrider Beach-and provide an ecologically friendly environment for residents and visitors to treasure.”
In addition to the Legacy Park construction, the Paradise Cove Stormwater Treatment Facility is anticipated to be completed within a few weeks. The Paradise Cove facility has the capacity to capture, clean and disinfect up to 1.3 million gallons per day of storm water and urban runoff from Ramirez Creek and the surrounding watershed.
BY Olivia Damavandi