SANTA ROSA – When an armed robber fled an Exchange Bank in Santa Rosa back in November of 2016, he tossed off the cap and scarf he used to hide his identity. Those two pieces of evidence, collected by Sonoma County Sheriff’s detectives, were sent to a California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensics Lab […]
282
DOJ Criminalists and CHP Motor Carrier Specialist Assist in OIS Investigation
TEHAMA COUNTY – When a California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer was shot on Interstate 5 late Saturday night, March 25, 2017, and returned fire, a lengthy investigation that included California Department of Justice (DOJ) criminalists and a CHP motor carrier specialist was conducted. “Our DOJ criminalists are often called out to collect, examine and process […]
Criminalists Share Their Forensics Careers with 8th Grade Girls in Riverside County
RIVERSIDE – When you have a career that is often portrayed on television shows, you tend to have a captive audience when talking about what it is you do for a living. To make it even more interesting for hundreds of eighth grade girls learning about careers in forensics in Riverside County on January 12, […]
Humboldt County Jury Convicts Devin Schmidt of Arson
EUREKA – On January 19, 2017, a Humboldt County jury convicted Devin Lee James Schmidt, 24, of arson, following a trial that included testimony by California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) and Association of Criminalists-DOJ (AC-DOJ) Member Lynn Melgoza. Melgoza is criminalist supervisor at California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services. Schmidt started a […]
DOJ Criminalists’ Assistance in Shasta County Murder Investigation Leads to Suspect’s Arrest
BURNEY- On January 19, 2017, Shasta County Sheriff’s detectives arrested Juan Manuel Venegas, 39, for the murder of David Wicks, a Johnson Park gas station attendant who died after being sprayed with a flammable liquid and set on fire. The arrest followed a month-long investigation which included pieces of evidence that were sent to the […]
DOJ Criminalist Melanie Velasco Speaks at UCR’s “Evenings with the Experts”
RIVERSIDE – Those interested in the role that crime labs, and those who work in them, play in solving crimes, finding suspects, and identifying victims got a chance to hear from California Department of Justice (DOJ) Criminalist Melanie Velasco on Thursday, July 20, 2016. Velasco, a member of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) […]
Jury Calls For Death Penalty
A Sacramento jury handed down a death penalty verdict for convicted killer Richard Hirschfield last week. The jury foreman said it was the concrete DNA evidence that proved Hirschfield’s guilt in the murder of two UC Davis students 32 years ago. CSLEA member and Department of Justice (DOJ) criminalist Steven Myers testified in the trial […]
