Crash Victim Awakens from Coma; Updates from the 2011 Police Blotter

SUV CRASH: A young man who recently suffered brain damage in a crushing collision in Chatsworth that sent six people to the hospital is out of a coma, authorities said this week.

, 19, of North Hollywood, was wearing a seat belt as he sat in the front passenger seat when the SUV in which he was riding was T-boned late Dec. 17 at Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Plummer Street, a site of many near misses and collisions, according to local residents.

Officer Jennifer Ward, with Los Angeles Police Department Valley Division, said she spoke with Pineda’s doctor and was told he had two brain surgeries and while he is “awake” his vital signs continued to be monitored.

“He remains in the hospital,” Ward said. “He’s being treated for brain swelling.”

Ward added there were no immediate plans to transfer Pineda out of Northridge Medical Center.

Pineda was in an SUV driven by , 19, of Sherman Oaks.

Four teens -- three females and one male -- were in the back seat. One suffered a broken leg in two places. Not all of them wore seat belts, police said.

Ward said Thrasher was taking one of the teens home and they were within one block of their destination. She said they were all friends and some played in a band together.

Ward did not release the names of the back-seat passengers because they were minors.

The driver of the other SUV was , 24, of Chatsworth. Anderson was not treated at the scene. No arrests were made, according to Ward.

The accident remains under investigation.

Preliminary findings indicate Anderson was traveling south on Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Thrasher was traveling north, attempting to turn left or west onto Plummer Street when the collision happened at 11 p.m.

Mail fraud, bank robbery and shooting-death cases closed this year.

PONZI SCHEME: Eliott Jay Dresher, a  63-year-old Chatsworth man who allegedly raked in about $13 million from a bogus NASCAR apparel business pleaded guilty this fall to federal mail fraud, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Dresher was accused of stealing and falsely telling investors they were financing a NASCAR merchandising business, bilking dozens of victims in a Ponzi scheme that siphoned money from friends, family members and others.

Investigators say Dresher ran the operation for 10 years and early investors were paid with money from later victims.

The indictment also alleged four counts of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud.

The scheme collapsed when he was unable to make payments to investors, according to the indictment.

BANK ROBBERY: The case against alleged bank robber James Jon Erhardt came to a close earlier this month.

Erhardt, 44, of Chatsworth, was accused of robbing the on
Devonshire Street in Chatsworth and a Woodland Hills bank where he was a
customer.

He allegedly took $3,935 at the Union Bank, 21821 Devonshire St., on May 18.

Erhardt also allegedly used force, violence and intimidation to rob $3,900 from the Bank of America, 5959 Canoga Ave., in Woodland Hills, the day before.

He is currently in federal prison.

According to the FBI, Erhardt passed a note to a frightened Bank of America teller saying he was armed, and demanded $100 bills. He is seen on a surveillance tape robbing the bank where the manager said he was a regular customer, authorities said.

In both cases, Erhardt, who was identified in a photographic lineup, used the same technique, according to the FBI complaint.

HOMICIDE: Then in a tragic shooting death of a Chatsworth High School graduate, , a Porter Ranch businessman was sentenced to seven years in prison for the alcohol-fueled shooting death of a childhood friend who worked as an NBCUniversal executive.

 was also ordered to pay $3.7 million in restitution to the family of whose wife was pregnant with twins at the time of his death on March 18.

Armstrong and Kaplon, both 32, meet in fifth grade.

Armstrong pleaded guilty in September to involuntary manslaughter of Kaplon who was shot in Armstrong's garage.

Attorneys said both men had been drinking at the time.

Kaplon’s widow, Kristi, said Armstrong should have killed himself and not a second goes by that she doesn’t wish he were dead.

She asked the judge to "punish this devil and send him to the harshest prison."

The Kaplons met in preschool. The twins were born in May. The couple also had a toddler at the time of the shooting.

A drunken Armstrong approached Kaplon with an AR-15, a "fearsome" civilian version of the M16 rifle, placing the muzzle against the accountant's chest, Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Stodel said.

Armstrong "was trying to be a tough guy," making "a sad attempt to be funny," when he pointed the loaded weapon at Kaplon and twice pulled the trigger, Stodel told the court.

After the shooting, "one of the first things he did was lie and lie and lie" to police in order to "protect himself" and "lessen the impact of what he'd done," the prosecutor said.

But defense attorney James Blatt said the rifle went off when the two men accidentally bumped into each other.

Sexual molestation, hit-and-run, a bizarre freeway chase and two murder cases remain open pending court hearings.

FONDLING: is a 24-year-old Van Nuys man accused of impersonating a police officer and fondling at least five young girls near in Chatsworth.

Rogero worked as a martial artist in Chatsworth.

He’s is expected in court once again on Jan. 13.

Rogero, who is being held in lieu of $5.5 million at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility downtown Los Angeles, was initially charged with 18 felony charges and one misdemeanor count including kidnapping for child molestation and lewd acts on a child.

At the time Rogero was arrested on June 14, 2011, police said they believed there were additional victims.

HIT-AND-RUN: Steven Rush of Porter Ranch and his daughter, Dominque Marie Rush, are due in the Van Nuys Superior Courthouse on Jan. 17 for a preliminary hearing in the hit-and-run death of a Chatsworth High School senior, .

Dominique Marie Rush, 23, is charged with vehicular manslaughter and other charges stemming from the crash that killed the 17-year-old who was riding a bicycle in Canoga Park with a friend about 9 p.m. on April 20.

Steven Rush, 44, is charged with being an accessory after the fact.

The Rushes remain free on bail.

MOLESTATION: On Jan. 23, a case resumes involving the in Chatsworth, followed by the trial set to begin on March 20 downtown Los Angeles.

A young girl alleges she was sexually molested by former pastor, , who was criminally charged for a Jan. 8, 2009 molestation.

Approximately one year prior to the allegation, Leon sexually assaulted another child and that child complained of the abuse to another pastor at Chatsworth Four Square Church, according to the complaint filed by the young victim’s attorney.

Instead of immediately reporting the abuse to police as is required by California law, the pastor is accused of utilizing his position of influence over the girl by discouraging her from taking any further action, according to the complaint.

Neither the pastor, the Chatsworth Four Square Church nor any other of the defendants took any action to investigate, discipline or more closely supervise Leon's conduct with children at the church, according to the complaint.

Defendants at all times knew that Leon's position as pastor at the Chatsworth Foursquare Church would provide access to families with children both on church grounds and in the community, according to the complaint.

Leon pleaded no contest and was convicted of one count of child abuse, according to the District Attorney’s office. One count of sexual battery was dismissed at sentencing on Jan. 11, 2010.

At that time, Leon was sentenced to 365 days of jail as a condition of probation and was placed on formal probation for five years.

Additionally, a "Keep Away" order was also imposed for five years.

The crime happened on the church grounds.

RAMPAGE: Then the case against Chatsworth resident, , continues in the Los Angeles Superior Court downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 24.

Tanner, 31, was accused of stabbing his mother, assaulting a peace officer and committing a carjacking on Dec. 24, 2010.

Tanner is being held at Men’s Central Jail in lieu of $1.9 million bail.

He was initially charged with one count each of assault with a deadly weapon, a knife; assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury; kidnapping for carjacking; attempted carjacking; and felony evading law enforcement, according to a release issued by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Tanner was additionally charged with two felony counts of carjacking, two misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run driving and nine felony counts of assault on a peace officer, authorities said.

The rampage started with the stabbing of Tanner’s mother while she was driving on the Antelope Valley Freeway near Sylmar where she was pushed from the car, authorities said. He is also accused of stealing a car with a 4-year-old child inside and crashing it. Tanner then stole a sheriff’s patrol car.

Tanner allegedly drove the patrol car off a 100-foot embankment, which started a fire.

If convicted, the defendant faces a possible sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

STRANGULATION: On Jan. 25, Chatsworth resident, , will once again face charges of killing his then-girlfriend, , 62.

Pearson, 58, turned himself in to police on June 14.

He remains in custody at North County Correction Facility in Castaic in lieu of $1 million bail.

Pearson allegedly strangled Hyde between June 13 and 14, according to the felony complaint. Police officials said they believe the couple was arguing when Pearson allegedly strangled the Chatsworth woman in the apartment they shared in the 9200 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

DOUBLE SLAYING: And, the case against convicted felon will round out the month of January with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 26 in the case of an engaged couple whose decomposing bodies were found at a Chatsworth home.

Zubek, 43, could face the death penalty in the double slaying of his Lassen Street housemates, , 40 and his fiancé , 28, a Chatsworth High alum.

He was charged with two counts of capital murder including a special circumstance allegation. Zubek was convicted as the "Hole in the Wall" bandit in 1993 on federal bank robbery charges.

A woman, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, said the couple lived in an apartment complex she owns on De Soto Avenue before moving in with Zubek.

The woman said Lee and Williams were extremely polite and would help anyone who asked. She said she considered them friends.

The decomposing bodies of Lee and Williams were found in the 20400 block of Lassen Street on Aug. 12. Police believe they died of multiple gunshot wounds sometime in July.

Zubek is also being held in a separate case for allegedly firing on police when they closed in on him in Encino.

He was previously charged with six counts of assault with a firearm on a peace officer and one count each of being a felon with a gun and carrying a loaded, stolen firearm.

Zubek was being sought in connection with the slayings when he was spotted Aug. 21 by detectives near Noeline Avenue and Ventura Boulevard.

He allegedly turned and fired at police after detectives began chasing him on foot.

Then, Zubek allegedly pulled a pistol on an officer when he was found on a roof in the 4600 block of Libbit Street early on Aug. 22.

A LAPD officer eventually shot Zubek in the hip.