Parole

Cover of Darkness: S.F. Police Turned a Blind Eye to Some of the City's Most Dangerous Criminals — Who Were Also Some of Their Most Trusted Sources

Gov. Brown's Frequent Use of Pardons is Retro California

Between 1991 and 2010, California's governors granted pardons to 20 convicted criminals. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned 21. On Monday, Brown pardoned 79 felons. Brown's use of pardons represents the larger shift in the criminal justice mindset he has overseen in the state -- higher rates ... More >>

Police Bust 34 Fugitives in Criminal Sweep

You probably didn't really notice, but San Francisco streets are actually a little bit safer today. The cops rounded up a mass of alleged criminals yesterday in a citywide effort to get wanted fugitives behind bars.

Police Arrest "Tall Guy, Short Guy" in Connection to 11 Robberies

San Francisco police tracked down the two guys -- one tall, one short -- who they say are responsible for holding up a slew of restaurants, phones stores, and even a hot tub business over the last month. Officer Carlos Manfredi says police arrested 40-year-old Ray Faar, of San Francisco, and 48-year ... More >>

Cops Seize 10 Guns in the Bayview on Saturday Alone

On August 7, Mayor Ed Lee held a press conference at Calvary Hill Community Church near the Bayview district to announce that he was dropping his pursuit of the controversial "Stop-and-Frisk" policy. SFPD Chief Greg Suhr joined him, to declare that the department would be implementing a new anti-gun ... More >>

State Supreme Court, Legislature Want to Give Juveniles Serving Life Sentences a Shot at Parole

On June 6, 2007, Rodrigo Caballero, a 16-year-old member of the Vario Lancas gang in Los Angeles, jumped out of a green Toyota and opened fire on three Val Verde gang rivals walking down the street. He missed two of his targets, but the third caught a non-fatal gunshot wound near the shoulder blade. ... More >>

John Fradet Allegedly Stole Unbelievble Amount of Alcohol From Restaurant

San Francisco police have caught up with a window-smashing burglar who they said hit the same downtown business (literally) four times where he swiped $7,000 worth of booze. Officer Carlos Manfredi tells us that 40-year-old John Fradet was arrested yesterday on suspicion of burglary after police bus ... More >>

Kenneth Harding Protests Boggle the Mind

Today it was reported that the man who penned The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People has died. Today it was also reported that a small group of people who all but certainly never read that book blocked Muni trains in protest of the shooting death of Kenneth Harding as he fled from police, one y ... More >>

Antonio Roberson Created Bay Bridge Traffic Jam Yesterday, Police Say

Police now have a little more information about yesterday's shooting that closed down the lower deck of the Bay Bridge for most of the morning, ruining your commute to work. Antonio Roberson, 29, was taken into custody yesterday morning after his car crashed near the S-Curve as police chased him acr ... More >>

Prison Break: Realignment Inmates Enter Rehabilitation in S.F.

Law Enforcement to Round Up Homeless Sex Offenders Tonight

Homeless Sex Offenders: smart on crime? ​California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced trick-or-treaters will be safer since cops will keep homeless sex offender parolees indoors tonight in San Francisco. That announcement comes even while Harris' office is defending Jessica's Law -- the bal ... More >>

Homeless Sex Offenders in San Francisco Move Indoors

Sex offenders are moving inside.While all homeless sex offenders in San Francisco will have to report to round-up centers on Halloween, there will likely be fewer transients who need to check in this year.​In the last six months, San Francisco's public defender has quietly won temporary stays on J ... More >>

Hundreds of Ex-Cons Headed to San Francisco

​An estimated 700 ex-convicts who would ordinarily be handled by state parole authorities will be transferred to San Francisco for monitoring beginning tomorrow, and some are raising questions about whether the city is ready to deal with the influx of newly released prisoners.The process, known by ... More >>

Oakland Cops Illegally Strip-Searched Black Men in Traffic Stop, Must Pay $205,000

​A federal judge has ruled that Oakland police officers performed unconstitutional strip-searches of two black men they pulled over as part of an unnecessary traffic stop, and must pay $100,000 to each victim as a result.U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel found that Ofc. Ingo Mayer, in t ... More >>

Kenneth Harding Had Gunshot Residue on His Hand, Police Say

Kenneth Harding​More evidence emerged today that police say confirms 19-year-old Kenneth Harding had been firing his gun at the cops before officers shot and killed him Saturday afternoon. Police say that gunshot residue was found on Harding's right hand, which supports witness statements that Har ... More >>

Kenneth Harding Update: Ten Shots Fired in Six Seconds in Bayview Shooting

SFPD​SFPD released a map today which shows the 10 shots fired in yesterday's Bayview shooting, where police officers shot and killed 19-year-old Kenneth Harding. Harding, who was chased by SFPD officers after he dodged paying his Muni fare, allegedly fired shots at police, who then retaliated wit ... More >>

Giovanni Ramirez, Accused of Beating Bryan Stow, Could Be Released

Could be free soon​UPDATE: A judge decided today that Ramirez will remain in prison another 10 months for parole violations. Last month when police arrested Giovanni Ramirez, on suspicion of beating Giants fan Bryan Stow, there was a wave of relief that perhaps someone would be held accountable. B ... More >>

Eddy Zheng's Deportation Case Will Not Die

In the final battle. ​In 2005, the East Bay Express published a story called "The Last Stand of Eddy Zheng."  Well, it's been six years and Zheng is still standing -- in more or less the same spot. But now the man who was paroled only to face deportation is seeing his saga enter its final rou ... More >>

Thief Steals Bike During Test Ride in Upper Haight, Then Comes Back for His Identification

I'll be back ... for my identification ​Some criminals just aren't that smart -- and this story is proof. A 49-year-old parolee came into American Cyclery Too on Saturday afternoon to test ride a bike. The ex-con put on his best act, pretending he wanted to buy the $1,000 specialized hybrid. He le ... More >>

Sex Offenders Forced Into Homelessness a Bad Idea, Task Force Says. Duh.

The government thought good and hard about this...​A law enforcement task force has recommended the state do what common sense would have suggested a long time ago: Repeal the provision of Jessica's Law that banishes paroled sex offenders to homelessness. It's about time. We wrote about this perfe ... More >>

Gary Scott Holland Charged With Murder and Attempted Rape of Kathleen Horan

Kathleen "Kate" Horan​The alleged murder of Kathleen Horan has taken an even more macabre turn with the announcement of the charges against suspect Gary Scott Holland this morning. Not only does the parolee face murder and robbery counts -- but also attempted rape.District Attorney Kamala Harris a ... More >>

Chelsea's Law Threatens To Force San Francisco Sex Offenders Into Homelessness For Life

Living like this for 10 years?​Republican Attorney General Candidate Steve Cooley is drawing heat from Kamala Harris' attorney general campaign for remarking that "You know what gets an initiative passed in California? Name it after a female ... Jessica's Law, stuff like that." Call that a sexist ... More >>

Expired Pot Card Lands Parolee in Trouble, Possibly Jail

Do not let me expire​It's vital for medical marijuana patients to renew their recommendations as soon as the cards expire. This advice is too late for a motorist pulled over while driving near the Alemany Boulevard housing projects. His car is impounded, his pot is gone, and his parole officer was ... More >>

Sex Offenders Searching For One-Night Stands

Case workers allege that sex offender Nicholas Chaykovsky, pictured in December, died because of Jessica's Law.​State corrections officials will now allow sex offenders living transient because of Jessica's Law sleep indoors -- as long as they don't establish a "pattern of residency." Now, playing ... More >>

Corrections Department: Putting Parolee Program Next to School Was Only Option

You see? There was a perfectly good reason for placing a parolee help center a stone's throw from a grade school -- which means sex offenders are legally barred from entering. ​State corrections officials say they had no choice but to award a contract to aid paroled sex offenders to a non-profit t ... More >>

Contract To Help Sex Offenders Awarded To Non-Profit They're Forbidden to Enter

Paroled sex offenders are now being told they are no longer welcome at the city site specifically designated to service them​Paroled sex offenders forced into homelessness in San Francisco by Jessica's Law used to have at least one place they could call "home": the day-reporting center for parolee ... More >>

August Longo, Democratic Party Official with Checkered Past, Dies at 65

August Longo​August Longo was a man who presents challenges for an obituary writer. The wheelchair-bound 65-year-old died of undisclosed causes on or around April 6 according to his Facebook page. A straight accounting of his past, obituary style, would be to note that he was San Francisco's regio ... More >>

Man Who Outraced Cops One Of 20 At-Large Sex Offender Parolees

​You may have read about the sex offender wanted on a parole violation who played Dukes of Hazzard with the cops this week. A parole agent spotted Matthew Thrasher in his gold Toyota Corolla (hardly the General Lee) around the Great Highway and Lincoln Way on Tuesday afternoon, news accounts repor ... More >>

Better Off Dead?

Did Jessica's Law kill a homeless sex offender?

S.F. Man Fails To Register As Sex Offender -- Because He's Dead

​According to the state's sex offender registry, Nicholas Chaykovsky has been in violation of registration requirements since Sunday. He has a decent excuse. He's dead.   Chaykovsky died at age 61 last month after suffering a heart attack. And though the San Francisco Police Department s ... More >>

State Supreme Court To Homeless Sex Offenders: Tough Luck, For Now

Same old, same old...​The California Supreme Court dealt a smackdown to the state's sex offenders today, ruling it is constitutional to enforce the residency restrictions of Jessica's Law on sex offenders released on parole. The law passed by voters in November 2006 states sex offenders can't have ... More >>

No Way Out

Inmate Lonnie Morris is a role model, antiviolence program leader, and darling of the media. But will the parole board see past his crime?

Suspect in Taxi Stabbing Given Away By Bloody, Ringing Phone

Is Bruce there?​Bruce Lee Griffin, the suspect charged with attempted murder in the wake of his alleged beating, stabbing, and robbery of cab driver Balvinder Singh on Jan. 11, isn't going to be confused with Moriarty anytime soon. Police claim Griffin, 26, left his cell phone behind in Singh's ca ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Perverting Justice

Jessica's Law prevents paroled sex offenders from residing near schools or parks. That means they can only live one place in S.F.: on the streets.

Rock On: Is Simplistic Smash 'n' Grab Robber Menacing Chinatown Again?

The 'River Rock Burglar,' portrayed here by Billy Joel, has hit five San Francisco stores in the past two weeksIn the annals of criminality, there are numerous men and women who have earned dubious distinctions via decisions such as wearing paraphernalia emblazoned with their names or places of busi ... More >>

Democratic Party contest pits bad boy Chris Daly against dark-past-lugging August Longo

What Moore Do You Want?

Barred for Life

Desperate prison lifers turn to Charles Carbone when trying to navigate the unfair process of parole denials

Baring Equality

The cases of a young defendant and a repeat offender attorney show power and privilege tip the scales

The Infiltrator Who Proved Nothing!

A rebuttal from Lie Detector

Bullshitting the Lie Detector

Infiltrator cooks up a criminal past. A PAX TV show absolves him of it. Ain't it a great country?

Innocence Arrested

Albert Johnson was exonerated for a crime he didn't commit, but not before spending over a decade in prison. Why guiltless people get jailed -- and how to stop it.

The Last Hope

A new law gives one more chance at freedom to abused women sent to prison for killing their batterers

Savage Love

Perverted Justice?

Or is a new law that puts sexual predators in long-term psychiatric lock-up really -- and finally -- justice for perverts?

Steal Now, Don't Pay Later

The AIDS Civil War

The promise of a new treatment has opened a painful divide

C.R.U.S.H. (Part II)

Five months ago, two black homicide detectives got fed up with the police department's inaction on black-on-black murders. Thus was born the Crime Response Unit To Stop Homicide (CRUSH): Six cops with the grit and guile to tackle the toughest cases in t

C.R.U.S.H. (Part I)

Five months ago, two black homicide detectives got fed up with the Police Department's inaction on black-on-black murders. Thus was born the Crime Response Unit to Stop Homicide (CRUSH): six cops with the grit and guile to tackle the toughest cases in the