Mitrice Richardson's remains to be exhumed

Authorities are expected Wednesday to exhume the remains of Mitrice Richardson, the missing woman who was found dead almost a year after being released from the Los Angeles County sheriff's Malibu station, her father confirmed.

Richardson’s family is hoping further testing will help determine how the 24-year-old died. Since Richardson's skeleton was discovered in a rugged Malibu Canyon ravine last August, the sheriff’s department has been dogged by criticisms of its handling of the remains.

Homeless man dies after Venice beating; another transient arrested

A 52-year-old homeless man beaten on the streets of Venice has died from his injuries and another transient is now facing murder charges, police said Wednesday.

Los Angeles police detectives said the victim was initially believed to have fallen, but witnesses came forward saying his head injuries were the result of an attack.

Rodney King free on bail after arrest on suspicion of DUI

Rodney G. King Jr. was free on bail Wednesday after being arrested in Moreno Valley on suspicion of driving under the influence.

King, 46, was the subject of the infamous videotaped beating by Los Angeles police in March 1991 that resulted in four officers being tried. Their acquittal led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Prosecutors in Jaycee Dugard case release video showing kidnappers filming children at parks

El Dorado County Dist. Atty. Vern Pierson released video clips and parole documents in the Jaycee Lee Dugard case -- chilling images of kidnappers Phillip and Nancy Garrido filming children while trying not to attract attention.

The release of the video and documents coincided with the publishing of Dugard's memoir, "A Stolen Life," which chronicles 18 years of rape and terror. Pierson said he released the new information related to the Garrido case "to highlight the gravity and severity of the mistakes made, and in hopes of improving the supervision and detection of sexual predators," he said in a written statement.

Alleged Halle Berry stalker charged with felony

A convicted felon arrested after he was caught for a third time at the home of Halle Berry was charged Wednesday with felony stalking in a series of incidents that the actress said made her fear for her life.

Richard Anthony Franco, 27, was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, said Deputy L.A. County Dist. Atty. Wendy Segall of the Target Crimes Unit.

Beach bar brawl in Corona del Mar leaves one hospitalized

A man was in the hospital with serious injuries after a bar brawl in Corona del Mar, police said.

Newport Beach police responded about 6 p.m. Monday to a call about a fight in the parking lot of Big Corona Beach, police spokeswoman Kathy Lowe told the Daily Pilot.

Korean culture workshop continues Sheriff Lee Baca's community outreach

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and other law enforcement officials from the region will participate Wednesday in an all-day Korean culture workshop.

The event hosted at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles is aimed at getting cops accustomed to “distinctive Korean cultural values and behaviors,” according to a statement issued by Baca.

Nursing center indicted in patient death

A Montrose nursing center has been named in a grand jury indictment for abuse and neglect after a patient killed himself by discharging a handheld fire extinguisher down his throat, officials said.

The indictments were announced Monday against the Verdugo Valley Skilled Nursing and Wellness Centre and former administrator, Phyllis Paver, claiming they were complicit in attempts by patient Charles Morrill to kill himself three times before his February 2009 death, State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris announced Monday.

Halle Berry felt 'terrorized' by alleged stalker, court papers say

Halle Berry detailed in court papers three incidents of an alleged stalker tresspassing on her property over the last few days.

Berry's statements were made in a court filing seeking a temporary restraining order against the suspect, who has been arrested.

Suspected drunk driver injures pregnant woman

A suspected drunk driver who collided with several cars and then fled, leaving an injured and pregnant passenger behind, was in custody Wednesday morning, police said.

Police tried to pull the man over for a traffic stop at about 3:18 a.m. near 58th and Hoover streets, but he refused to stop, said LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman.

Victim in penis-severing case recovering after surgery

A man whose penis whose was cut off, allegedly by his wife, was recovering after surgery, officials said.

The 51-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was rushed late Monday to UC Irvine Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery on Tuesday, officials said.

Wife arrested in penis-severing case; life sentence possible

A woman who allegedly laced her husband's dinner with drugs and then cut off his penis with a 10-inch kitchen knife could face a life sentence if convicted in the attack.

After officers arrived at the couple's Garden Grove home, Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, allegedly made a spontaneous statement to police that her husband "deserved it."

Queen of the Stone Age's Nick Oliveri arrested after standoff

Nick Oliveri, who rose to fame as the bassist and singer with Queen of the Stone Age, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of domestic violence after a five-hour standoff with SWAT officers at his Hollywood home, police said.

Oliveri was taken into custody about 10:30 p.m. after Los Angeles police officers knocked down his front door. Officials said that police had feared earlier in the evening that he had taken his girlfriend hostage, but about 8:30 p.m., the woman walked out of the home on Hobart Boulevard.

Crime alerts for Chinatown, Sawtelle and seven other L.A. neighborhoods

Crime reports are up significantly in nine L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of the latest week of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times’ Crime L.A. database.

Seven neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Chinatown (A) was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.9 over the last three months.

Sawtelle (H) topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 26 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 18.8 over the last three months.

One neighborhood triggered alerts for both violent and property crime.

Alerts are based on an analysis of crime reports for June 30–July 6, the most recent seven days for which data are available.

Tightened borders force immigrant smugglers to take risky sea routes

Before dawn Tuesday, California National Guard troops spotted a suspected smuggling boat moving up the coast from San Diego.

The boat had no lights and after about an hour, it headed for shore at Crystal Cove State Park, near Newport Beach in Orange County.

Santa Ana man deported in connection with 1982 Guatemala massacre

Nearly 30 years after the massacre of dozens of men, women and children during Guatemala's civil war, a Santa Ana maintenance worker who was allegedly a member of the elite military unit that carried out the killings was deported and turned over to authorities in that country to face charges.

Pedro Pimentel Rios is accused of being among some 20 members of an elite Guatemalan army unit known as the Kaibiles that murdered at least 160 villagers — including nearly 70 children under age 12 — in the village of Dos Erres in December 1982, according to immigration officials. Other reports of the massacre, including one by the Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, put the total number of dead as high as 251.

Serious crimes continue historic drop, LAPD says

Serious crime in Los Angeles dropped about 8% during the first six months of this year, continuing nearly a decade-long trend, city officials announced Tuesday.

Violent crimes fell by nearly 10%, including an 8% drop in homicides with 147 killings recorded since the start of the year, police said.

TV producer ordered extradited to face charges in wife's murder

A federal judge found probable cause Tuesday to extradite a former producer of the "Survivor" TV show to Mexico to face charges that he killed his wife at a Cancun resort and dumped her body in a sewage tank.

A shackled Bruce Beresford-Redman, 41, showed little emotion as U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian announced the finding.

Homicide suspected in death of Wasco State Prison inmate

Kern County authorities are investigating as a homicide the death of an inmate from Los Angeles at Wasco State Prison.

The 54-year-old man, whose name was withheld pending notification of next of kin, was found dead in his cell in the prison’s reception center late Friday, according to a statement released Tuesday by the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation.

Judge upholds Lancaster's policy on prayer before meetings

Lancaster officials have the right to pray to Jesus before council meetings, a U.S. district judge ruled this week.

According to information released by the city Tuesday, the judgment allows Lancaster to continue its invocation policy, which has been in place since August 2009.