On his professional website, Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski describes his role as “manny,” “babysitter,” “buddy,” “big brother,” “role model” and “mentor” and lists credentials such as LiveScan and background screenings as well as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, lifeguard and TrustLine certifications. …
By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ROBERT BURNS WASHINGTON — The Pentagon today will present plans to the White House to send up to 10,000 more troops to the Middle East, in a move to beef up defenses against potential Iranian threats , U.S. officials said. The officials said no final decision has been made yet,…
By DAVID A. LIEB JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A tornado caused heavy damage in Missouri’s capital city as severe weather swept across the state overnight, causing at least three deaths and injuring nearly two dozen people as homes and businesses were ripped apart. The National Weather Service confirmed that the large and destructive tornado moved…
Let’s play a game, the self-defense instructor says on the Red Line. Let’s think like the bad guy. Let’s scout for the best victims. We are on a downtown train, heading to a class she’s teaching. I’ve been to one already. It’s easy to spot what I’m looking for. A young woman in a hoodie…
Two pedestrians were injured Wednesday in a crash involving a wheelchair and a dump truck in Costa Mesa, authorities said. A man sustained minor injuries, while a woman was severely injured, police said in a news release. Both were transported to a local hospital. An electric wheelchair and cane were left behind at the site…
SANTA ANA — A man who operates an Orange County-based babysitting service is facing charges of sexually assaulting two boys, 7 and 8, one in Laguna Beach and the other in Los Angeles, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski, 30, of Costa Mesa faces 90 years to life in prison if convicted of three felony…
The judge in the capital murder trial of Charles “Chase” Merritt, accused of fatally bludgeoning the four-member McStay family, refused Wednesday to dismiss charges against him, rejecting defense allegations that prosecutors withheld favorable evidence from them. The hearing out of the jury’s presence before San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith prompted heated…
The Sacramento Police Department is again facing accusations of police brutality after a video of officers and a security guard forcing a 12-year-old boy to the ground and placing a “spit mask” over his head went viral. The Police Department is not investigating the officers involved. The boy,…
Michelle Morris, whose foster homes in Orange and Riverside counties were hailed as a godsend by some and denounced as a nightmare by others, has surrendered her license in the aftermath of a 16-year-old girl’s death. Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for the California Department of Social Services, said the license was voluntarily handed over effective…
Gene W. James, the next highest vote getter for City Council who was not elected during the last election, and the clear favorite to be appointed to fill the recent vacancy in the council left by the unexpected death of Mayor Steve Swartz by those in attendance at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, addresses the council…
