Off the I-15

I almost fell for this one.

When I got into the office on Monday, I had an e-mail waiting. Actually, I had far more than one e-mail waiting, but one caught my attention. “Notice from Department of the Treasury” was the subject.

Inside it told me that the IRS had done some calculations, and I was getting an additional tax return of $186. Signed, John Stewert, Director, Exempt. Organization, Internal Revenue Service.

SWEET!

But before I clicked “here” to access my refund form, I googled “John Stewert” and “IRS,” and after sifting through a couple of Daily Show fan sites, I found out, sadly, that I was not getting an extra $186 for Uncle Sam and almost the victim of a scam.

One Web site stated:

“It is a scam. The IRS will never, never email you unless you first contact them. They WILL NOT EVER email you to tell you you owe money or are due to receive a refund; or for any other reason. Count on it.”

Which was more convincing than the initial e-mail I received.

Click through to this site to learn more about this tricky IRS scam.

Aaron Aupperlee | city editor

It started a couple of days ago, at about 4 p.m., with a call to the newsroom from a concerned citizen who had just seen several undercover police cars speed by with lights ablaze and thought we might want a heads-up. I turned up our newly-rehabilitated police scanner and listened intently for a sign of what excitement might be afoot. Was it a drug lab? An explosion? An alien abduction?

A few minutes later, a report came across the airwaves. A woman was at Wal-Mart “throwing chairs,” the dispatcher said.

“Were they her chairs or the store’s chairs?” on of my newsroom associates wanted to know.

A good question, and if I had been a little less pressed for time, I might have gone over to check the situation out. Despite the appealing thought of getting a photo capturing the irate customer in the act of launching furniture, I figured that she would probably be disarmed and possibly in handcuffs by the time I made it over to the store, so I didn’t bother to make the trip.

Looking through the printout of police logs the next day, I noticed there was a report of an incident at Wal-Mart’s address at about 4 p.m. So how did “woman throwing chairs” get translated into police-speak? The call was listed as a “suspicious circumstance.”

I’m not sure how I was supposed to decode that one.

No really, he did, and the stranded motorist was me.

I’ve been having car problems this week. I thought it was the alternator, the fuel pump, the fuel filter. Now it’s just broken, sitting in my driveway. But this morning, it was broken sitting at the intersection of L Street and West Main Street causing a little traffic backup.

Thankfully, Det. Gary Hart from the Barstow station of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department happened to pull up next to me and noticed my distress. Hart parked behind me to ward off any unsuspecting drivers and then pushed me from the intersection to a nearby parking lot.

When I finally got a set wheels under me and made it to the sheriff’s station to check the logs, I noticed a press release waiting for me:

“On 013008 at about 0900 hrs Det. Hart was traveling on Main St. near L Street when he observed a white male adult stopped in a black 4 door vehicle with the hazard lamps activated. Upon contact with the male subject he claimed that he was with the “press” and could block traffic if he wanted to. It was apparent to Det. Hart that the motorist was simply distraught and embarrassed about the current disabled status of his vehicle and to save self respect opted to state that we was with a newspaper, which was unsuccessful.

Det. Hart calmed the almost hysterical male and had him get back into his vehicle and pushed this car from the roadway into a parking lot a short distance away.

The motorist was not cited for impeding traffic. The identity of the male subject is not being disclosed due to possible embarrassment it may cause his employer and loyal readers.”

That motorist, of course is me.

Thanks Det. Hart for giving me a push there.

Aaron Aupperlee | city editor

Normally we would have re-written this account in our own words, but Dan Foster, the author of the following e-mail nails it.

I thought this might be an interesting story ? Yesterday, my girlfriend (Joni) who is a 48 year old dental assistant in Barstow, noticed two black men breaking into her new rental car through the window of her dental office. In her scrubs, and leaving a patient still in his chair with his mouth open, she bolted out the back door and tackled one of them and wrestled him to the ground, thwarting the car theft or robbery. The guy was totally surprised and was screaming and fighting to get her off him. She wrestled him on the concrete until he was able to squeak out of his jacket. He got up and ran away. She got his jacket; she handed it to the police officers.

The other guy was chased by Joni’s co-worker (Tami) back into his apt complex. The girls raised enough attention, that the apt manager noticed and was able to identify the men and where they live.

This long, lanky, muscular 48 year old soccer mom has a few bumps and bruises… but a good story to tell.

Thanks Dan and good job Joni and Tami.

The holiday season can be a deadly mix of travel, parties and bad weather for many in California. Alcohol-related deaths on California’s roadways increase between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Agencies across California encourage people who decide to drink to appoint and designated driver and to drive defensively during the season.
Here are some other tips:

How to report a drunken driver

• Call 911 and tell them you wish to report a drunk driver.
• Give the exact location of the vehicle, including the name of the road or cross streets and the direction the vehicle is traveling.
• Give a complete description of the vehicle, such as make, model, color and license plate.
• Describe the manner in which the vehicle is being driven.

How to Spot a Drunk Driver
The following signs can help you detect an impaired driver on the road:
• Turning with a wide radius
• Straddling the center of the road or lane marker
• Appearing to be drunk (i.e., eye fixation, face close to windshield, drinking in the vehicle)
• Almost striking an object or another vehicle
• Weaving or zigzagging across the road
• Driving on surfaces other than a designated roadway
• Swerving or abruptly turning away from a generally straight course
• Turning abruptly or illegally
• Driving slower than 10 mph below the speed limit
• Stopping without cause in a traffic lane
• Stopping inappropriately
• Following others too closely
• Drifting or moving in a straight line
• Erratic braking
• Driving into opposing or crossing traffic
• Signaling that is inconsistent with driving actions
• Slow response to traffic signals, including sudden stops and delayed starts
• Driving with headlights off
source: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Try these non-alcoholic cocktails at your next party. Your non-drinking guests and designated drivers will thank you!

Virgin Bloody Mary

1 can tomato juice
1 ounce lime juice
3 ounces club soda
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 pinches cumin powder
1 shake of celery salt
1 teaspoon horseradish

Mix all ingredients except club soda into a large pitcher.
Salt the rim of a highball glass.
Add club soda to glass, then add the Bloody Mary Mix (from step 1).
Garnish with celery stalk and top with lemon pepper.

Freshing Raspberry Daiquiri

2 ounces Sweet & Sour mix
2 ounces Sierra Mist Soda
4 ounces of raspberry puree
Whipped cream

Place ingredients in blender and add ice.
Mix until desired thickness.
Pour into a tall glass and top with whipped cream.

Tommy O’Collins

½ cup club soda
1 and a half tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 to 2 packets sweetener 1 to 2 ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender.
Blend on high for 10 seconds until light and frothy.
Pout over ice into tall glass.
Makes one 8 ounce serving.

Sweet and Sassy Mary

1 cup vegetable cocktail juice
1 to 2 packets sweetener
1 dash celery salt
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
2 drops Tabasco
1 lime wedge
1 cucumber spear for garnish

Combine all ingredients, except lime and cucumber, in an old-fashioned glass and stir well.
Squeeze lime wedge over mixture and add wedge to drink.
Stir and garnish to serve.

Bald Bishop

1 ounce chilled orange juice
1 and one half ounces lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar De-alcoholized burgundy or other non-alcoholic wine

Fill tall glass halfway with ice.
Add orange juice, lemon juice and sugar.
Top off with burgundy.

Chocolate Amaretto Crème

½ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup club soda
½ tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 to 3 packets sweetener
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 dash bitters
1 to 2 ice cubes
Combine all ingredients in blender.
Blend on high for 10 seconds, until smooth and creamy.
Pour into cocktail glass and serve with straw.

Sparkling Julep

De-alcoholized sparkling white wine or non-alcoholic white grape juice
Mint-flavored sparkling water
Sprig of mint
For each serving, combine in champagne flute, white “wine” and sparkling water in roughly equal portions.
With sweeter “wines” use slightly more mint mixer to taste.

Texas Sunrise

8 ounces chilled orange juice
¾ ounce grenadine syrup
Cracked or shaved ice (optional)
Add orange juice to glass and add grenadine.
Let syrup settle on the bottom or stir, as desired.
Add ice (optional) if desired.

Tropical NOT-A-Colada

¾ cup unsweetened pineapple juice
½ banana
2 to 3 packets of sweetener
1 teaspoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon coconut extract
3 to 4 ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender.
Blend on high for 30 seconds, until smooth and creamy.
Pour into fancy glass and serve with straw.

source: The California Office of Traffic Safety

We all know Barstow’s a small town, but in the double-homicide trial of Kenden Ige, the courtroom seemed extra small. Before the trial could start, the court had to declare the following conflict of interests:

• The defense jury consultant is a personal friend of the judge.
• The court reporter’s husband is a California Highway Patrol officer and a witness in the case.
• The court clerk worked for the Barstow Police Department, the investigating agency in the case, during the time of the crime as a police services assistant and as the court liaison when the reports were filed.

Luckily, the Ige had no objection and allowed all conflicted parties to stay in the courtroom.

Aaron Aupperlee | Staff writer

Oakland Post editor killed while reporting on local bakery

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Police said they recovered a gun linked to the slaying of an Oakland journalist during a series of early morning raids Friday that targeted members of a Black Muslim splinter group that operates a chain of bakeries.

Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey, 57, had been working on a story about Your Black Muslim Bakery before he was ambushed and slain Thursday morning near the Alameda County courthouse in downtown Oakland, his colleagues said.

Oakland Police Lt. Ersie Joyner said he believes the seven people arrested Friday include the people responsible for Bailey’s death. Police say they still do not have any motive for Bailey’s killing, and that they had no knowledge that he was working on a story about the bakery.

Before dawn, officers raided the Muslim group’s headquarters at the original bakery on San Pablo Avenue, as well as three houses in Oakland. They arrested seven people, including the son of the group’s founder, on various charges including homicide, robbery and assault, but it was unclear if any of those charges were tied to Bailey’s slaying.

“The search warrant yielded several weapons and other evidence of value including evidence linking the murder of Chauncey Bailey to members of the Your Black Muslim Bakery,” said Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan, who said the raids were part of a yearlong investigation into a variety of violent crimes.
Those include two homicides earlier this year and a kidnapping and torture case in May, Joyner said.

Joseph Debro, an Oakland businessman who writes a column for the Post, said Bailey had recently asked him for information about Your Black Muslim Bakery’s financial troubles for a story Bailey was writing.

“To him it was just another story,” Debro said. “He wasn’t apprehensive or anxious about it at all. He said he was working on a bunch of stories and this was one.”

According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, the last journalist killed in the line of duty in the U.S. was Robert Stevens. The photo editor died Oct. 5, 2001, after an anthrax mailing to American Media Inc. in Florida.

Your Black Muslim Bakery was founded in 1968 by the late Yusuf Bey as a haven for struggling urban families. It sells natural baked goods alongside books by Malcolm X and other black leaders.

Bailey was a longtime reporter for the Oakland Tribune before becoming editor of the Post, a weekly newspaper geared toward the Bay Area black community, earlier this year.

He had written stories for the Tribune about the bakery and its founder when Bey was facing rape charges in Alameda County. Most of those charges were later dropped, although one was still pending when Bey died in 2003.

Bey’s son, Yusuf Bey IV, who was in custody Friday, took over the original bakery and several franchises. In 2005, he was accused of being the ringleader in a group of black Muslims who smashed liquor bottles in Oakland corner stores and berated the Muslim owners for selling alcohol to the black community, because alcohol is forbidden by Islam.

Your Black Muslim bakery has been plagued with financial problems for several years, culminating in a bankruptcy filing last October.

In a declaration filed with the bankruptcy court on June 29, Yusuf Bey IV conceded he was “inexperienced in the business world,” and had “received advice and consultation from those who had proven to me they did not have my best interests at heart.”

Interested in reading a face-to-face interview with a notorious Barstow criminal serving time in a state prison?

Perhaps not this year.

The governor recently vetoed a bill that would have eased restrictions on members of the media when interviewing inmates. According to state senate documents, the bill would have allowed journalists to interview inmates in person, face-to-face, prohibited audio monitoring of interviews, and banned administrative retaliation against an inmate for participating in an interview.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation allowed interviews from 1975 to 1996 when it adopted emergency regulations that hampered the media’s access. Similar bills have been vetoed seven times before, the documents state.

In his attached veto message, Schwarzenegger echoed rationale used in past vetos.

“For the past two years I have vetoed similar measures because these bills would allow the media to glamorize murderers and thereby once again traumatize crime victims and their families,” he wrote.

In addition to publicly stating his veto, the message directs the state corrections department to develop new regulations concerning media access with the interests of the media and the victims in mind.

— Aaron Aupperlee | Staff writer

I’ve read the advice before and now even written some of my own, but I know I will be a victim of some sort of e-mail scam in the not too distant future.

Why?

Because I am too curious.

I love getting those e-mails — the ones where I’ve won 3.2 million Euros in the Hungarian lottery or some rich oil tycoon in Yemen recently died and left me his fortune — I love them. It is fun to see the tricks scammers play to get us to believe them. The wording they use, the desperation they can portray and the trust they can solicit.

For a moment, I allow myself to believe I really am a millionaire and then investigate further. I like to click on links to see where they take me. I like to open attachments to see what’s inside. I like to … I am sure this is making our IT person at the paper sick.

Because I am so curious as to how these scams work, I will most likely fall victim to one myself.

Here are a few examples of well-intentioned people falling victim to scams from the U.S. Postal Service and FBI Web site, www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.

I went to jail for a scam that I innocently fell into!! My husband and I had recently went to a company party that was held at a nearby casino. While we were there we signed up for give-a-ways. Everything from trips to jackpots for money. When we returned home we didn’t think anything of it again.

Three weeks after our trip, I received a letter in the mail with a $2,900.00 check. It stated that I had won a jackpot. I called the number on the letter and also called the bank that the check was written from. Everything checked out fine. We had never won anything before and I just assumed that my “weird” feeling was from not knowing what to expect when you win. I went to a cashing agent a couple of days later. I had got off work too late to go by my bank.

While I was waiting to have the check cashed, the agent had called the police! Within ten minutes I was handcuffed and lying on the floor. I went to jail and spent the night. Agents from Florida were there 6 hours later to interview me. I was an emotional mess! I have 2 little girls and a husband at home that was scared also. I was not granted a bond until the police investigated the check and my story. Thank God they believed my story and realized that I was an innocent bystander. I was released the following afternoon. I might not have lost any money, but I lived in hell for 48 hours. Beware! I hope no one has to go thru what I did.

Puppy scams. People steal photos from websites. Even photos now with watermark. Send them by email to buyers inquiring through a scam ad they have placed online and in the newspapers. They email these stolen photos and in return ask the buyer to wire the money to get the puppy shipped to them. They are luring people in by asking a minimal amount compared to the usual prices of the breeds. Of course there is no puppy and no recourse from a buyer sending money this way! I bet hundreds of thousands to millions have been scammed by this! I get contacted monthly from buyers who have been scammed or contact me because photos were stolen from my website and sent to them by these scammers.

— Aaron Aupperlee | Staff writer

A group of Barstow sheriff’s deputies trained early on Monday with a new piece of equipment, a shield used to protect officers as they advance into a precarious situation.
But before the training could conclude, all responded to a call where they might have employed the new equipment.

Sgt. Rob Ciolli said deputies cut training short on Monday when a call came in from Newberry Springs about an armed man who threatened to kill himself.

“We thought, ‘Wow, we’re going to have use [the shield] right now,’ ” Ciolli said. “But it did not come to that. We didn’t have an active shooter.”

After combing Newberry Springs, with deputies stopping at the post office and various locations believed to be former residences of the man, he was found inside his truck at a gas station. He had two guns, a revolver and rifle, inside the truck.

Ciolli said the man was taken into custody “for his own benefit” without incident and transported to a behavioral health facility in San Bernardino.

The man was not arrested or charged with any crime. Ciolli, however, believes the deputies saved his life by tracking him down.

“He was definitely a threat,” he said. “He would have endangered himself.”