Archive for March 2008

THE T-TOWN TRAGEDY OF MARCH 8TH

HOW THE ROD RUN’s SECOND ACT BECAME A TRAIN WRECK

Temecula, CA – My home dictionary defines ‘tragedy’ as, ‘a serious drama describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (as Destiny), having a sad end that excites pity or terror; a disastrous event. The occurrences of March 8th that led to the death of Shaun Vilan may never be fully known except to God. The tavern where the initial confrontation started says no one was served any alcohol there, implying that all parties were either sober or all parties were served alcohol somewhere else. All information about the off-duty officer was kept from the press so there is no way to check the past history of the off-duty cop. What we do know is that besides being a year away from his Master’s, Shaun Vilan had a past history of violent confrontation. We know that Shaun Vilan’s group of eleven people became involved with the cop’s party of nine when the cop slapped or grabbed a woman’s buttocks in Shaun’s group. The apology offered by the cop to the woman’s husband failed to sooth the alienation that occurred and probably the incident simmered. After the cop left to take a breather, either to grab some fresh air or clear his head, Shaun’s group split into two’s to look for said cop, missing him as he sat across the street behind a van. It is perhaps then the off-duty policeman armed himself. Several minutes later after discovering the cop, the conflict came to a tragic end as Shaun, the father to a seven year old son, lay dead and the wingman to Shaun, wounded after being shot in the ass, possible only if the man was fleeing the cop. We may never know how much alcohol played in raising the temperaments of all parties involved, but it seems that restraint, which could have prevented things from reaching a fatal fever point, was dulled. It is also almost a given, due to the recent political rhetoric and flap over the latest Vogue cover, that had the two opposing groups been different colors or cultures, the authorities would have been alerted to ‘possible trouble’ on the horizon by the tavern owners, who because of the newness of their liquor license, would have wanted to avoid any such trouble. The deadly consequences that took place could have been averted had any of the peripheral people either identified the off-duty cop as a cop, had doused water on the fire-fight, or intervened and alerted security. For these reasons, the blame for this tragedy has to be placed on all the parties present but not the two combatants. As the definition stated at the beginning of this article, Destiny started when the two men (Shaun and the off-duty cop) crossed paths. It was up to the supporting players of this real life drama to change Fate. Unfortunately they didn’t.   

3 men and a female teen arrested after assault and kidnapping in Lake Elsinore

Lake Elsinore, California - On Friday, March 21, 2008, about 3:52 P.M., officers from the Lake Elsinore Police Department arrived at the scene of reported disturbance occurring in front of a residence located in the 300 block of N. Main St., Lake Elsinore. Witnesses reported seeing a white male adult being assaulted by 3 other white male adults. The 3 suspects forced the male victim to the ground, handcuffing him and placing him in the trunk of a silver Honda Civic.


Registration records for the suspect vehicle led officers to a residence in 27000 block of St. Andrews Ln., Valley Center (San Diego County). Deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department quickly responded to that residence, arriving there just before the 3 suspects and their victim. Deputies arrested the suspects without incident, after which the victim was freed from the trunk. The victim, Matthew Farrenbaugh, age 21 of Valley Center, sustained injuries to his head during the assault. Farrenbaugh was treated at a San Diego-area hospital and is expected to recover.

Investigators from the Lake Elsinore Sheriff”s/Police Department responded to the Valley Center residence andGabrielle Jones of Lake Elsinore took custody of the 3 suspects: Ryan Thomas, Tyler Rothermel, and Samuel Mandock, all age 21 and all of Valley Center. Investigators later arrested Gabrielle Jones, age 18 of Lake Elsinore, in connection with this incident.

Investigation revealed Thomas, Rothermel, and Mandock suspected Farrenbaugh of involvement in the recent theft of an automobile belonging to one of their associates. Taking matters into their own hands, they trailed Jones to Lake Elsinore. Once there, Jones directed them to the residence on Main St. where she knew Farrenbaugh to be hiding out.

Thomas, Rothermel, Mandock, and Jones were subsequently booked on felony conspiracy, kidnapping, and assault charges at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Robert Presley Detention Center. Inquiries regarding this matter can be directed to Investigator Bill Stens at the Lake Elsinore Police Department, (951) 245-3300.

IN TEMECULA, QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT UNARMED CITIZEN SHOT DEAD BY AN OFF-DUTY COP

Temecula, CA – On March 8th, a Saturday night after the Rod Run had shut down for the evening in Old Town Temecula, an altercation between a man carrying a concealed weapon and a group with a woman in it who had her ass patted or grabbed by that man, ended with one man being shot to death and another being wounded after being hit twice by gunfire. The man with the concealed weapon was not charged or taken into custody. Why?? Because he is a police officer. However, like all the cities mentioned in the title of this piece, you have to wonder if T-town will join those other cities that have had policemen shot unarmed citizens and then let the cops walk? A number of questions put cracks in the official run-up of the story as presented in the mainstream media.

1. Although initially apologizing for grabbing the woman’s ass by saying that ‘he thought it was his sister’, you have to ask yourself, what brother grabs his sister’s ass like she a ‘ho’? (Only bros that sleep with their sisters, I think) So was that a bullshit ‘wink-wink’ apology?

2. Why did the cop and his sidekicks wait outside for the woman’s group to exit after said apology?

3. Why are the restaurant’s owners afraid to say anything until they talk to their lawyers?


4. Why did the ‘authorities’ say they would have to wait for a report of how much alcohol might have been in the cop’s blood when after a car accident occurs, they can tell within minutes whether a non-cop person is ‘under the influence’?

5. Why isn’t there a policy for any off-duty officer to surrender their firearm (checking their piece) when at an alcohol-fueled event in place? There is official security at all events.

6. Since the police (on-duty Temecula ones) arrived within 5 minutes after the gunsmoke cleared, why didn’t the cop’s sidekicks ‘call for back-up’ as soon as the quarrel began, or try to intervene?

7. Why will this place (the site of the shooting) be allowed to continue to operate despite the fresh blood on the steps (figuratively) when a teenager who arrived drunk after a music show was over at Cuppy’s brought the ‘heat’ that shut down the all ages non-alcoholic music venue? Is the real god of this valley actually named ‘Mammon’?

8. Will Temecula follow suit of other American cities who have looked askance as cops become ‘judge, jury, and executioner’ of American citizens?

One thing is sure. A young father who had turned his life around and was only a year away from his Master’s has left behind a son of seven. Who will answer these questions with any degree of accuracy to Shaun Vilan’s son? We will, here at The Full Value Review. Stay tuned for further details.

INNER CITY BLUES THEN IS ALL AMERICA’S BLUES NOW

MARVIN GAYE WROTE IT DECADES AGO & IT’S STILL TRUE


As this next election draws closer a host of different issues surround it and the candidates running for office. For all my young readers, this whole current mess regarding the ‘war’ (invasion), the recession (Yes, Virginia, there is a recession going on, thanks to greedy oil men and the ‘war’), local things [like the fatal shooting by a (off duty) cop against an unarmed citizen], and tax relief, may seem very contemporary. However, like Obama said in his landmark speech on race, delivered today (I believe), things have become stagnant in this country, and they’ve been that way for a long time. As if to backup this point, just the other day I was listening to some Marvin Gaye and one song in particular hit me. It hit me because I remembered when I first heard it, and what was going on then, which is remarkably similar to what is going on now. Presented here are the prophetic words penned by that genius singer/songwriter:

INNER CITY BLUES (MAKE ME WANNA HOLLER)

Rockets, moon shots

Spend it on the have-nots

Money, we make it

‘Fore we see it, you’ll take it

Inflation, no chance

To increase finance

Bills pile up, sky high

Send that boy off to die

Hang ups, let downs

Bad breaks, set backs

Natural fact is

Honey, that I can’t pay my taxes

Crime is increasing

Trigger happy policing

Panic is spreading

God knows where, where we’re heading

Oh make me wanna holler

The way they do my life, oh baby.

It was the ‘inner city’ blues then but now, thanks to past administrations, and particularly the Bush Administration, the above refrain has become the ‘all American’ blues, sung in chorus to Bush’s ‘haves’ and ‘have-mores’. The coming election is the most critical in this nation’s history and gives ample reason why, around here we say, ‘the only bush we trust is hers, ‘cause a vote for McCain means more of the same’.

San Jacinto Youths arrested for “Tagging” Graffiti Around Town

San Jacinto, California - On March 11, 2008, the San Jacinto Problem Oriented Policing Team (POP Team) completed another graffiti investigation resulting in the arrest of a 16 year old male juvenile. The investigation revealed evidence and the identity of the suspect responsible for defacing public and private property since July 2007. The suspect was linked to 645 square feet of graffiti defacement that occurred at 38 different locations around town via the Graffiti Tracker database. The estimated total amount of damage committed by the suspect is in excess of $6,450. The suspect is a student at the San Jacinto High School.


Over the past week, two additional incidents have resulted in the arrest of other “taggers” within the city. One 17 year old male juvenile was observed by district employees damaging San Jacinto High School property on a weekday night. They attempted to stop the suspect, however he fled the campus. An employee observed a San Jacinto patrol unit in the area and notified him of the incident. The patrol officer broadcast a description of the suspect and a perimeter was established around the school.

As a ground search started, the Sheriff Department’s helicopter arrived on scene and located a male matching the suspect description at a nearby by shopping center. POP Team deputies responded and after a short foot pursuit captured the suspect. The suspect was positively identified by District staff and arrested for vandalizing 7 doors on the campus. The juvenile was linked to 2 additional graffiti crimes via the database for an additional 130 square feet of damage. The total amount of damage is estimated at $2,000.

On February 29, at about 10:20 am, patrol officers responded to graffiti vandalism in progress. They located and arrested a 13 year old male for spray painting graffiti on block walls in the area of Sussex Rd. The juvenile was linked to 9 incidents and 135 square feet of damage in the area. The total amount damage is about $1,350.

To date: 20 (19 juveniles and 1 adult) suspects have been identified and linked to more than $63,450 in damage in more than 516 graffiti incidents.

The City of San Jacinto, the San Jacinto Unified School District, San Jacinto Public Works, City Attorney, and the San Jacinto Police Department have joined together to aggressively combat the problem of wanton and willful damage to public and private property. As a reminder, the Graffiti Program telephone numbers are:

Graffiti Removal : 654-4041
Tip & Reward Line: 537-6407

If anyone has additional information regarding this investigation, please contact the San Jacinto Police Department (951) 654-2702.