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Man convicted of brutal rape, assault in El Monte faces 125 years in jail
Monrovia WEEKLY Temple MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 7, 2014 VOLUME 19, NO. 35
Monday Edition of the
CITY
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Sex offender returns to Sierra Madre after serving eight years in prison
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Dozens protest SGUSD member Denise Menchaca; Claim multiple Brown Act violations BY SHEL SEGAL
-Courtesy Photo
A 19-year-old man accused of repeatedly raping a clerk at an El Monte convenience store was convicted late Friday afternoon, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced. Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Valenzuela said the jury deliberated for less than two hours before finding Joseph Leo Amaya guilty of two counts of forcible rape, two counts of sexual penetration by foreign object and one count of assault Please see page 3
Andrew West Reid Jr, (then 52) -FBI Booking Photo
Andrew West Reid Jr, 60 -Courtesy Megans Law, FBI
A Former Sierra Madre Film coordinator, known legally as Awest, 60, has been released from Federal prison after serving eight years for child molestation. The 11-year-old girl who was sexually abused by AWest, who was living in Sierra Madre, was awarded $5.4 million by a Pasadena judge Nov 16 , 2010. The ‘artist,' who legally changed his name from Andrew West Reid Jr. to “Awest,” served
sources confirmed that Awest worked as an Independent Contractor/Film coordinator for the city of Sierra Madre in somewhere between 20002004, working as liaison with the city and major film studios. He helped scout locations and was liason with many film studios in Hollywood for shoots in Sierra Madre. Awest sexually molested and photographed the young girl nude, according to court
Chu addresses national monument designation for San Gabriel Mountains Wells Fargo and Professional Child Development Associates (PCDA) announced last week that the bank would be donating a $7,500 matching challenge grant to help refurbish the organization’s playground for children with disabilities. PCDA is a nonprofit organization whose focus is on child development serving children and families, when there is a concern regarding development or behavior, including children with a diagnosis of autism, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, premature
birth, genetic syndromes, and other developmental or behavioral concerns. “Much of the treatment done at PCDA is play-based so a newly repaired and upgraded playground will make a phenomenal impact in the advancement of our children, and will mean the world to the families we serve,” said Dr. Diane Cullinane, a developmental pediatrician and PCDA executive director. “When a child has developmental or behavioral difficulties, open spaces that are customized Please see page 6
an eight-year sentence in federal prison for molesting the girl, who was 6 years old at the time of the crime. Prosecutors say Awest, who worked in the record industry and in production design and art direction for children’s TV programming, became friends with the girl’s family through his own daughter, who is the same age as the victim. Sierra Madre Weekly
records. Awest acted as his own attorney and appeared by way of telephone during several hearings in the course of his trial. Awest's last known address is at 38 E. Mira Monte Avenue, Sierra Madre, according to the Megan's Law website. Records indicate he has registered with the Sierra Madre PD as required by law.
Chanting slogans like “shame on you,” several dozen San Gabriel residents marched outside of Restaurant 261 on Mission Drive on Aug. 21 to protest the city candidacy of former San Gabriel Unified School District Board Member Denise Menchaca as she hosted a fundraiser inside the restaurant. Scott Bowles, a San Gabriel businessman who organized the event said the city is better off without Menchaca. “The city of San Gabriel has had enough in the eight years of her politics as Please see page 4
Rep. Schiff urges Department of Justice to fund body-worn cameras for local police departments Rep. Adam Schiff (DCA) announced that he is circulating a letter to his colleagues which will be sent to Attorney General Eric Holder urging the Department of Justice to help fund local police departments’ purchase of small body-worn cameras in order to increase transparency, decrease tensions between police and community members, and create a record of events. Schiff, who is a member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee and former Assistant U.S. Attorney, stated: “As the investigation into the death of Michael Brown
illustrates, the circumstances of an officer-involved shooting can arouse the strongest passions in a community and breed an atmosphere of profound distrust. Having a video record of events not only deters the use of excessive force, but it also helps dispute or demonstrate claims of police brutality – in either case it improves community confidence in a just result. Studies done in localities that have implemented body-worn cameras have shown a positive impact by demonstrating a commitment to transparency and accountability and helping to deescalate potentially tense interactions.
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"Given the Department of Justice’s crucial role in helping state and local law enforcement adopt best practices, I believe it’s time to expand our support to include assis-
tance to law enforcement agencies that would like to adopt body-worn camera technology for their police officers. The Department Please see page 5