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Stanford University employee arraigned on charges of lying about rapes that shook campus

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

A Stanford University employee was arraigned Monday on charges that she repeatedly lied about being viciously raped as part of a revenge plot against a co-worker — fabricated claims that sparked widespread panic about a sexual predator stalking women across the campus.Jennifer Ann Gries, of Santa Clara, appeared solemn and did not speak Monday while making her first appearance in court on two felony counts of perjury and two misdemeanor counts of making a false crime report. She was ordered to return to enter a plea on June 21; in the meantime, she allowed to remain free on supervised release.Prosecutors say Gries, who works for housing services at the university, lied about being raped to in a vendetta against a co-worker, whom she felt had romantically spurned her.The first report came on Aug. 9, when Gries claimed she was in a parking lot near the Munger Residence Hall when an unknown man grabbed her, took her into a bathroom and raped her. She made the report at Valley Med...

TurboTax firm fires man after Instagram posts falsely linking drag shows to child sexual abuse: lawsuit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

A former employee for Mountain View-based financial software giant and TurboTax owner Intuit claims in a new lawsuit that the company illegally fired him for social media posts linking drag queens to sexual abuse of children.Brian Gilton, described in the lawsuit as “a passionate 37-year-old white male who regularly exercises his rights to participate in political activity, including political speech,” worked as a senior content designer for Intuit for three years, until his termination in August, according to the lawsuit.Intuit sent Gilton packing over two Instagram posts about two weeks apart in June 2022, he claimed in the lawsuit filed last week in San Francisco County Superior Court.“We’ve got 2-year-old babies at drag shows, and contemporary leftists are cheering it on to prove how ‘progressive’ they are,” the first of the posts said, according to the lawsuit.The second post said, “you’re not a bigot if you don’t want your three-year-o...

Alamo’s Bryan Terrace offering Mt. Diablo views on one-third-acre setting with community pool/tennis

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

Enjoy single-level living bordering dedicated open space with views of rolling hills at the foot of Mount Diablo.It doesn’t get much better than this Bryan Terrace garden home at the top of Alamo’s Stone Valley Road.The expansive one-third-acre property is home to 142 Golden Ridge Road, one of 46 garden homes tucked in this exclusive neighborhood near the Macedo Ranch staging area and picturesque hiking trails that traverse the hillsides.Steps from the community tennis/pickleball court, swimming pool and hiking trails, Bryan Terrace offers a rural ambience just minutes from downtown Alamo and freeways, and less than 2 miles to top-rated schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.The light-drenched floor plan offers more than 2,800 square feet of living space with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. A spacious loft with a walk-in closet is an ideal fourth bedroom, game/media room or home office.Behind the manicured front landscape and courtyard entry are beautif...

In push to block Biden judicial picks, GOP revolts against plan to replace Feinstein on panel

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

By Manu Raju and Lauren Fox | CNNSenate Republicans are prepared to block Democratic efforts to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the powerful Judiciary committee, ratcheting up pressure on the 89-year-old California Democrat to resign or return quickly to allow President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees to be confirmed.Democrats would need 60 votes to replace Feinstein on the panel, but senior Republicans in leadership and on the committee made clear Monday that they would not give them the votes to do that. The result: At least 12 nominees — and maybe more — could be stalled if Feinstein does not return soon.The stakes are high for Democrats, who could see key agenda items thwarted — both on the committee and on the Senate floor — if they are unable to replace Feinstein and the California Democrat does not return to Washington soon.Faced with the prospect that the effort to replace Feinstein will fail, Democrats will be under increasing pressure to find a way out of ...

Warriors embrace cowbells and raucous Kings crowd in Sacramento

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

SACRAMENTO — The Warriors have heard everything from unkind taunts to ringing cowbells over the years as the visiting playoff team. No matter how bad it gets, they savor a rowdy opposing crowd. It’s motivation.This Warriors team learned first-hand that some road arenas come playoff time are louder than others. Golden 1 Center showed out for its playoff debut this weekend and jumped to the top of a long list of hostile environments the playoff veteran Warriors team has experienced.“They haven’t been to the playoffs in how long? That’s 16 years of energy that they’ve been waiting for,” Jordan Poole said. “We expected it to be loud, and it’s the playoffs, too. So all arenas are gonna raise the level a little bit of energy and excitement. This is why we play basketball. Playoffs are the most exciting part.”Sacramento fans bombarded the Warriors with a cacophony of cowbell rings that amplified a crowd already excited for its fir...

Los Gatos party mom asks judge what sentence would be if she pleaded guilty as charged

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

The Los Gatos party mom accused of hosting drunken sex-fueled parties for her teen son and his high school friends wants a judge to tell her what her sentence would be if she pleaded guilty as charged.Shannon O’Connor, 48, has been jailed 18 months since her October 2021 arrest on a 39-count complaint charging her with felony child endangerment and misdemeanor furnishing liquor to minors, child molestation and sexual battery. Prosecutors say she arranged the parties and encouraged the teens to have sex hookups that weren’t always consensual.She has pleaded not guilty and was scheduled Monday for a preliminary hearing, an opportunity to challenge the evidence against her as a judge decides whether it’s sufficient to warrant a full trial.But Deputy District Attorney Rebekah Wise said that O’Connor has instead asked Judge Elizabeth C. Peterson to tell her what sentence she’d receive if she were to plead guilty instead. O’Connor will return to court F...

Man convicted in fatal shooting of his uncle in Pinole

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

MARTINEZ — A 26-year-old man has been convicted of murder in the fatal 2021 shooting of his uncle in Pinole, authorities said.A sentencing date for Jeramy Dorsey, who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a police officer after the shooting, was not available. Dorsey was convicted April 11 of second-degree murder with an enhancement of intentional discharge of a firearm in the death of his uncle, Surako Follings.He was not convicted of another charge: attempted murder of a police officer, authorities said. The jury failed to reach a verdict on a charge of assault with a firearm, which resulted from Dorsey pointing a gun at his aunt after shooting his uncle.Dorsey fatally shot Follings on July 8, 2021 in the 1100 block of Encina Avenue.Dorsey’s aunt testified during the trial that Dorsey had previously lived with her and her husband, but that he moved out before the killing. Dorsey then began threatening her husband on social media, but she advised him to ignore the menaci...

10 pounds of fentanyl found after Tenderloin, Oakland search warrant

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

(KRON) -- Prosecutors are asking the court to hold three suspected drug dealers in custody after law enforcement found 10 pounds of fentanyl and weapons in their possession last week, according to the San Francisco District Attorney. Pedestrian injured in two-vehicle crash in San Jose The search warrant was executed in the Tenderloin and at two separate residences in Oakland, the DA's Office said. Police reportedly found more than 10 pounds of fentanyl, meth, heroin, cocaine, alprazolam and synthetic pills. A rifle with a drum and three pistols were also found in the search, according to the DA's Office. The three suspects were identified as Gabriela Estrada, 25, Josue Fabricio Alvarez-Rivera, 26, and Anderson Hernandez-Ruiz, 22. All three were taken into custody after the search, and they now face felony charges. Each of the suspected drug dealers is now charged with numerous counts of possession for sale of controlled substances as well as transporting those substances. Additio...

NY woman driven to wrong address fatally shot by homeowner

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

HEBRON, N.Y. (AP) — A woman looking for a friend’s house in upstate New York was shot to death after the car she was riding in mistakenly went to the wrong address and was met with gunfire in the driveway, authorities said Monday.Kaylin Gillis, 20, was traveling through the rural town of Hebron with three other people Saturday night when the group made a wrong turn onto the property. They were trying to turn the car around when the homeowner, Kevin Monahan, 65, came out onto his porch and fired two shots, according to Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy.One round hit Gillis.The group drove to the neighboring town of Salem, northeast of Albany near the Vermont state line, and called 911, said Murphy, who noted the shooting took place in an area with limited cell phone service. Emergency crews arrived and performed CPR on Gillis but couldn’t save her.When officers arrived at Monahan’s house to investigate the shooting, he refused to come out, Murphy said. Author...

17 men arrested in California Sikh community shootings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:11 GMT

YUBA CITY, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in Northern California on Monday said they had arrested more than a dozen men from two warring criminal syndicates whose violent rivalry they say was responsible for a mass shooting at a Sikh temple and a brutal sword attack at a parade in 2018.Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupré said the two syndicates were responsible for multiple shootings where 11 people were shot, including five people at a Sikh temple in Stockton last year and two more victims at a temple in Sacramento last month.None of the victims died. Dupré said all of the men arrested are part of California’s Sikh community and were members of one of two rival groups whose feud was fueled by intense personal connections.“This started out as one group, and one faction broke off, and since then they have been rivals trying to outdo each other. Mainly they show up places and try to shoot each other,” Dupré said, comparing it to the U.S. Civil War “where brothers were figh...