MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014 - OCTOBER 5, 2014
riversideindependent.com
Investigation on Councilman Davis stalled and may not happen by Vickie Vértiz The Press Enterprise reported that, while it has been over three months since an investigator determined Riverside Councilman Paul Davis may have violated the city charter, city council members have still not held a hearing on the accusation. This is in the wake of several investigations into the conduct of city council members accused of harassment and of violating the city charter. The Enterprise is not sure if the council will ever look into the findings because there are no sufficient reasons exist to do so. This is due to retiring City Manager Scott Barber who said he will withdraw the complaint that led to the investigation in the first place. Barber filed complaints almost six months ago against Davis and Councilman Mike Soubirous stating that they interfered with his job performance, an act in violation of the city charter, creating “a hostile work environment,” said the Enterprise. Davis and Soubirous denied the accusations. An investigation of the incidents including Soubirous
brought inconclusive results, ending up in a lack of acting by the council in July. A report written by attorney Leonard Gumport this June on the Davis accusation showed that Davis did likely violate the charter by giving an improper order to Community Development Director Al Zelinka, said the Enterprise. While Gumport also found that Davis likely criticized the performance of Barber on the job, it did not break the charter with the same gravity and was not considered harassment. Though the District Attorney is the one in charge of prosecutions, the council can still make a decision on charter violations based on the Davis findings. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to further action came when Barber himself told the council on September 10 that he would be “dropping all my employment claims upon my retirement” at the end of this year, said the Enterprise. The paper added that, in a closed-door session Tuesday, September 23, the council is expected to discuss next steps. Gardner wants the matter to be
men were transported by ambulance to a local hospital. One male was pronounced deceased by doctors and the second was admitted to the hospital for his injuries. A third male victim was identified and treated and released for similar injuries. The victim’s identities are being withheld at this time
Liquor store roof-top burglary suspects arrested
pending confirmation of their identities and notification to next of kin. Investigators from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station and Investigators from the Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit responded and assumed the in-
In early months of 2013, Detectives of the Riverside Police Department investigated a series of liquor store roof-top burglaries that occurred in the City of Riverside. On April 11, 2013, at about 1:00 AM, RPD detectives received a break in the case when an alert Riverside police officer noticed the suspect vehicle, a commercial van, parked to the front of Goody’s Market, located at 9475 California Avenue. As officers approached the vehicle, the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed and led officers on a vehicle pursuit that ended in the City of Corona. Two suspects ran from the vehicle and eluded capture; however, police personnel were successful in recovering evidence left inside and near the suspect vehicle. Simultaneously, additional officers arriving at Goody’s Market noticed two additional suspects run away from the business. The same two suspects were ultimately located and arrested a short distance away from the business. The suspects were identified as Jerome Grigsby, 26 years of age, and Curwun Flowers, 24 years of age, both residents of Los Angeles. Both suspects were released from custody pending further investigation. Detectives collected and submitted physical evidence recovered from the suspects and multiple crime scenes. After examination of the evidence, detectives linked both suspects
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Paul Davis - Courtesy Photo
dealt with, acknowledging that the council could disagree with the conclusion of the investigation, take no action, or punish Davis in some way they see fit. But Councilman Andy Melendrez told the Enterprise that he “could not think of any reason to move forward” with a hearing. Soubirous himself said the process has been so flawed that it needs to be dismissed so they can focus on other matters. Davis personally tried to get an update on his case status but got no response from the city, said the Enterprise. An additional discouraging element is cost to the city for said investigations. Two Please see page 4
I-15 shooting leaves 1 dead, 2 wounded; investigation continues On September 20, 2014, at 6:33 PM, deputies from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station responded to numerous calls of shots fired in the vicinity of the I-15 southbound freeway and the El Cerrito off-ramp. Officers arrived on scene and found two males suffering from gunshot wounds. Both
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