Daily Briefs


Boy, formerly of Goleta, beat to death over birthday cake

A 9-year-old boy paid with his life for eating birthday cake that was supposed to go to the 2-year-old daughter of his mother’s boyfriend. [Chicago Tribune] Oriana Iris Garcia, 26, took her son Jack Gacia out of elementary school in... (Continue reading)

Trial ruled too tall a task for alleged Atascadero child snatcher

A woman accused of abducting a 4-year-old boy from an Atascadero homeless shelter will stay in a mental hospital, rather than standing trial for her alleged crimes. [Tribune] Annette Hale, 56, allegedly kidnapped a then-4-year-old Atascadero boy in August 2011.... (Continue reading)

Man survives plunge into SLO meat grinder

A worker at a wholesale grocer in San Luis Obispo almost lost his life inside a meat grinder Thursday, but a co-worker came to the rescue. [Tribune] At about 2 p.m., the worker, who is described as a man in... (Continue reading)

Motorcyclist killed in Templeton crash

An Arizona man died Thursday morning after being ejected from a motorcycle that collided with a semi-truck on Highway 46 near Vineyard Drive in Templeton. Shortly after 10 a.m., the semi-truck, which was headed west on Highway 46, slowed to... (Continue reading)

Lacey Fowler seeking release from jail

Former Cuesta College human resources analyst Lacey Fowler, who has been arrested four times in a span of less than two months, asked a San Luis Obispo judge to release her from jail. Judge Michael Duffy denied the request and... (Continue reading)

Cambria siblings killed in crash, driver was victim’s boyfriend

A 20-year-old woman and her 11-year-old brother died in a crash Tuesday afternoon in which the woman’s longterm boyfriend plunged a pickup more than 200 feet off a cliff adjacent to Highway 46 West. [KSBY] Patience Robbins, 20, and William... (Continue reading)

Video of California officers shooting unarmed man released

A federal judge has ordered the release of a police video that shows three Southern California officers opening fire on and killing an unarmed 35-year-old man who was mistakenly suspected of stealing a bicycle. [LA Times] In the June 2013... (Continue reading)

Men’s Colony inmates lacking religious life, grand jury says

A San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury report released Tuesday states one major issue exists at the California Men’s Colony: religious life has been placed on the “back burner.” Grand jury members inspected the prison last September and interviewed a... (Continue reading)

Cambria woman and boy killed in crash

A boy and a 20-year-old woman, both residents of Cambria, died Tuesday afternoon when a pickup truck plunged 300 feet off a cliff adjacent to Highway 46 West. [KSBY] The crash occurred eight miles east of Highway 1. A 22-year-old... (Continue reading)

Syphilis on the rise in California women and babies

Syphilis cases in California women more than doubled, and reports of the disease in newborns have more than tripled in the state over the last two years. [LA Times] The number of early reported cases of California women contracting the... (Continue reading)