Category: la mesa

Man Pleads Not Guilty to Murder in La Mesa Trolley Stabbing Death

A man accused of fatally stabbing another man at a La Mesa trolley station pleaded not guilty on July 20 to a murder charge. Steven Calhoun, 39, is accused in the July 13 stabbing at the 70th Street Trolley Station on Alvarado Road. La Mesa police responded around 8:40 p.m. to a report of a…


Man Pleads Not Guilty to Murder in San Diego Trolley Stabbing Death

A man accused of fatally stabbing another man at a La Mesa trolley station pleaded not guilty on July 20 to a murder charge. Steven Calhoun, 39, is accused in the July 13 stabbing at the 70th Street Trolley Station on Alvarado Road. La Mesa police responded around 8:40 p.m. to a report of a…


Man Gets 55 Years in Prison for Fatal Shooting at La Mesa Motel

EL CAJON, Calif.—A man convicted of gunning another man down in the parking lot of a La Mesa motel was sentenced March 24 to 55 years to life in state prison. Lorenzo Bogus, 26, was convicted by an El Cajon jury of second-degree murder and a firearm-use allegation in the Sept. 10, 2021, shooting at…


La Mesa Fire Kills Dog, Destroyed an Apartment, Damages 3 Others

LA MESA, Calif.—A fire inside a La Mesa apartment building Dec. 25 left a dog dead, displaced six people and damaged three other units. The blaze was reported around 1:40 p.m. on San Juan Street, the San Miguel Fire-Rescue department told the San Diego Union-Tribune. A child told firefighters that the blaze started in the…


La Mesa Fire Kills Dog, Destroys Apartment, Damages 3 Others

LA MESA, Calif.—A fire inside a La Mesa apartment building Dec. 25 left a dog dead, displaced six people and damaged three other units. The blaze was reported around 1:40 p.m. on San Juan Street, the San Miguel Fire-Rescue department told the San Diego Union-Tribune. A child told firefighters that the blaze started in the…


La Mesa Company, Owners Pleads Guilty to Selling Fake Virus Cleaner

SAN DIEGO—A La Mesa-based sanitation company and its owners pleaded guilty Dec. 1 to federal charges for selling a product with false claims that it could eradicate viruses, including the one that causes COVID-19. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Integral Hygienic Solutions, Inc.—doing business as TruClean—claimed its TruClean 365 product could eliminate the virus…


U.S. Supreme Court Sides With La Mesa Resident in Nazi-Looted Painting Suit

LA MESA, Calif.—The U.S. Supreme Court revived on April 21 a lawsuit brought by a La Mesa resident who claimed he and his family should have ownership of a French Impressionist painting looted from their ancestor by the Nazis. The dispute over Camille Pissarro’s “Rue Saint-Honore, Afternoon, Rain Effect” stems from a lawsuit filed by now-deceased…


Judge Rules Against Ex-La Mesa Police Officer Challenging His Firing

SAN DIEGO—A judge has again ruled against former La Mesa police officer Matthew Dages in his bid to overturn the city of La Mesa’s decision to uphold his firing. In a ruling issued on April 12, San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal confirmed her earlier tentative ruling that the city’s Personnel Appeals Board’s decision…


Man Gets Probation For Arson Fire in La Mesa Chase Bank

EL CAJON, Calif.—One of two men charged with setting fire to a Chase bank in La Mesa—following last year’s contentious protest outside the city’s police headquarters—received a term of probation on Nov. 30. Ricky Bernard Cooper, 34, pleaded guilty last month to arson and burglary charges for the May 30, 2020, fire inside the Chase bank branch at 4791…


Man Pleads Guilty to Arson in Randall Lamb Fire During La Mesa Protest

EL CAJON, Calif.—A man who set fire to a historic commercial structure in downtown La Mesa following a police brutality protest that devolved into rioting pleaded guilty on Oct. 27 to arson and vandalism charges. Daniel Louis Sandoval, 44, from Campo, was arrested about six months after prosecutors accused him of burning down the Randall…