Fog City News Briefs

By Lara Moscrip

May 29, 2007

Single-engine plane crashes in Napa County after engine failure

A single-engine plane crashed Monday about 3.5 miles southwest of the Napa County Airport after its engine failed, officials said.

Pilot Norman Pease, 70, of Orinda; Otis McCain, 62, of Lafayette; and Kenneth Crain, 84, of Orinda were taken to a medical center in Napa and treated for minor injuries, Napa County sheriff's Capt. John Robertson said Monday afternoon.

The Cessna 206 on Monday afternoon was upside down in a marsh. The plane departed from Concord, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

About 10 minutes about departing, the pilot radioed that he had a rough-running engine but decided he wanted to continue to Napa rather than returning to Concord, Gregor said.

The plane went down at 7:35 a.m., Gregor said.

"The plane was pretty badly damaged," Gregor said.

The pilot found a suitable place to make an off-site landing, but when its nose wheel touched down it was in some mud, which caused the plane to flip forward, Robertson said.

The men got out of the plane and called 911 to report the accident, Robertson said.

A helicopter will be used to recover the plane, Robertson said.

Authorities identify man killed at a Marin County beach

Marin County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mike Crain identified on Monday 26-year-old Casey Adams of Santa Rosa as the man who was killed early Sunday morning at a Marin County beach.

Sheriff's deputies responded to a fight at Dillon Beach, west of Tomales near the northern Marin County border, at about 1 a.m. Sunday and found the victim. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead, Marin Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mike Crain said.

According to Crain, sheriff's detectives found and arrested the three men they believe are responsible for the killing near the beach.

Robert Marcus, 20, of Elk Grove, Robert Martell, 24, of Antioch, and Daren Bell, 24, of Sacramento, were booked in to Marin County Jail on suspicion of murder, Crain said.

According to Crain, two separate groups were camping at Lawson's Landing, the two groups crossed paths, there was an argument between members of the groups and the argument escalated to violence.

According to Crain, there were many people at the beach and at the nearby Lawson's Landing campground at the time of the fight. Witnesses are asked to contact the Marin County Sheriff's Office at (415) 499-7265.

The three suspects are scheduled to be arraigned this morning at Marin County Superior Court.

An autopsy will be performed today to determine the cause of death of Adams.

One dead, two critically injured during Oakland crash

One woman has died and two women were reported to be in critical condition Monday night after the vehicle they were traveling in was hit by another vehicle in Oakland, according to Oakland police.

Responding Oakland firefighters used the jaws of life to extricate the women from the vehicle. The accident occurred around 8:51 p.m. near the intersection of 94th Avenue and Olive Street, according to Oakland police.

According to the fire department, it appears as though the vehicle had been hit on the driver's side and the impact caused it to crash into a wrought iron fence. The three women were transported to Highland Hospital, according to the fire department.

Two dead after early Monday Palo Alto crash

Two people are dead after an early Monday morning crash in Palo Alto and the driver of a blue Hyundai has been charged with driving under the influence, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The solo-vehicle crash on the northbound San Antonio Road off-ramp at U.S. Highway 101 was first reported to the CHP around 2:40 a.m., Officer Scott Cakebread said.

The Hyundai sustained major damage after rolling several times, causing two passengers to die from fatal injuries. The driver was able to remove himself from the wreckage.

He was transported to Stanford Medical Center.

The ramp was closed for several hours after the crash, reopening around 5:40 a.m., Cakebread said.

The CHP is asking for the public's help in providing any information regarding this collision. Any witnesses or those with information are encouraged to contact the Redwood City area CHP office at (650) 369-6261.

Memorial Day weekend drunk driving offenses increased

Arrests for drunken driving offenses in Bay Area cities and counties are up so far this Memorial Day weekend compared with last year, authorities reported.

Some 360 people were detained for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs between midnight Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol, which was reporting provisional figures for police and sheriff's agencies across the region.

Last year there were 340 DUI-related arrests during the same period.

One DUI-related traffic fatality was reported between midnight Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Last year also saw one DUI-death at this point in the four-day enforcement period.

Two DUI-related deaths in Palo Alto early Monday morning will be added to the next round of reported statistics, according to the CHP.

Students to dissect 27 crime scenes at second annual Forensic Challenge

More than 200 forensic investigation students from Bay Area high schools will be dissecting 27 crime scenes at the second annual Forensic Challenge today in San Jose.

The Mission Valley Regional Occupational Program and Central County Occupational Center, career-training centers, are hosting the event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"By observing our student teams, the public will realize that real crime scenes aren't processed like they are on TV's CSI show," forensic science instructor Gordon Sanford said in a statement.

About 120 students from Newark Memorial High School, American High School, Irvington High School, Mission San Jose High School, and Robertson High School will participate along with CCOC students.

Each of the 27 teams, based on their interpretation of the evidence, will make a presentation on why the district attorney's office should conduct DNA testing on their suspect to confirm evidence found at the crime scene.

The teams will be judged and then told if the district attorney's office would agree to conduct testing or why the evidence would not convince the district attorney's office to spend money on further testing.

The challenge is part of the student's final assessment of forensic investigation skills for the year.

The event will be held at the CCOC campus at 760 Hillsdale Ave.

Transit expert to speak at Wednesday public forum in Oakland

An internationally renowned transit and land use expert who has advocated heavy restrictions on cars is scheduled to speak at a public forum in Oakland Wednesday after meeting with three local mayors.

Enrique Penalosa was mayor of Bogota, Colombia, from 1998-2000 where he developed a bus-based transit system that reduced vehicle use. His plan helped turn a deteriorated downtown into a public space for pedestrians, according to AC Transit, one of the event's sponsors.

Penalosa also introduced "car-free" days to downtown Bogota as part of his broader project to increase access for all citizens to public spaces, reliable transportation and education.

During his tenure as mayor Penalosa also planted more than 100,000 trees and led efforts to improve housing for the poor and decrease pollution, AC Transit reported.

Wednesday's public forum with residents, urban planners and transportation officials will follow a private meeting with the mayors of Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro.

The cities of Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Bay Area Rapid Transit and the Transportation and Land Use Coalition have also sponsored Wednesday's events.

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