Body in Storm Drain
San Diego police discovered a body inside a storm drain in San Ysidro on Thursday, Jan. 31. Police found the body after searching a location provided by an anonymous tipster.
Officials think the victim was traveling inside the drain before being knocked down by strong waters and being swept away. Officials do not suspect any foul play. Once the body was removed, workers were seen re-welding the manhole cover of the drain.
Silver Star
A 27 year-old San Diego-Based Marine Corporal, Miguel Madrigal, was awarded a Silver Star on Thursday, Jan. 31 for his actions under fire in Afghanistan.
A radio operator who trained at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, Madrigal gave medical attention to a wounded marine while coordinating a helicopter attack on enemy positions, all while under fire.
Madrigal successfully evacuated the marine and was awarded the Silver Star, the U.S. military’s third highest award for valor.
Girl Scouts Embezzlement
A former foreign exchange student from Ghana has been convicted of embezzling over $100,000 from the Orange County Girl Scouts, Orange County Prosecutors said Thursday. Between January 2010 and February 2011, Mawufemor Bierko, 35, worked as a staff accountant for the Girl Scout Council of Orange County.
Prosecutors said Bierko forged two checks each month for 11 consecutive months, a total amount of $102,479. The embezzlement was discovered when a supervisor found hidden columns in the financial spreadsheet with amounts entered in white font. Bierko was sentenced to five years and four months in custody and $102,479 in repayment to the Girl Scouts.
Saving a Police Officer
The San Diego police chief honored a local City Heights man, Robert Haley, for acting on his impulses in coming to the rescue of SDPD Officer Kelly Doherty. Haley was honored for his courageous act at the 22nd Annual Salute to Local Heroes this past Thursday for an incident that occurred in August of 2011.
Haley was standing on his front lawn when he witnessed Marcus Gonzalez, a convicted and wanted felon, hitting Officer Doherty. Upon seeing the situation escalate to punches, Haley and other citizens intervened and succeeded in apprehending Gonzalez. While holding the assailant in a bear hug, Haley was stabbed in his arm.
Women in the Marines
After the Defense Department lifted the ban on women serving in the U.S. Marine Corps last week, Gen. James Amos commented, “From the infantry side of the house, they’re more skeptical.” General Amos shared his concern for the ban, which will open positions to women in the U.S. Marines, at a conference in San Diego hosted by the U.S. Naval Institute and defense trade Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
While women have already been serving in supply troops and in combat in the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the ban will also open women to higher-ranking positions in infantry units and elite commando jobs in the Army and Marine.
