SAN DIEGO — At least 45 accidents as well as some street flooding was reported Monday morning on the county’s freeways as morning commuters made their way on wet, slick roads. The busiest hour for officers was between 7 and 8 a.m. when 24 crashes were reported, the CHP said. Between midnight and 7 a.m., 19 collisions were tallied, the California Highway patrol said, Drivers also had to find a detor entrance to south Interstate 5 after the Carmel Valley Road on-ramp was shut down due to flooding. CHP Officer Ray Scheidnes said people just drive too fast for the conditions, “When the pavement is wet they should automatically slow down,” he said. Most of the accidents so far have been fender benders and solo spin outs, some involving minor injuries. No major injuries have been reported, Scheidnes said.
SAN DIEGO — Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 19-year-old woman whose body was found Tuesday night in a men’s bathroom at San Diego City College. Police have not released her name, but her cousin identified her as Diana Gonzalez, a National City resident and student at the college. College President Terrence Burgess said on Wednesday morning the death was “a case of domestic violence,” but police have not confirmed that. Gonzalez, who has an 9-month-old daughter, was married to Armando Gabriel Perez, 37. She had a temporary restraining order against him stemming from a Sept. 21 kidnapping, according to court records. A court hearing on the restraining order was set for Tuesday. Homicide Lt. Kevin Rooney said a fellow student found the woman’s body about 10:05 p.m. in the M building on B Street near Park Boulevard. Detectives said Armando Gabriel Perez is the main suspect right now.
CHULA VISTA — A 20-year-old Chula Vista man has been arrested in connection with the beating death of a man at a party over the weekend, police said Monday. Alejandro Sanchez was arrested Sunday following the death of Joseph Pete Baars, 21, who was found lying in the street at Krista Court near Hidden Vista Drive about 2:15 a.m., said Chula Vista police. Investigators said Baars was attending a large party in the neighborhood and may have gotten into an argument that led to a fight. Baars suffered major injuries to the head and face and died shortly after. Sanchez was later arrested, and police are searching for other partygoers who were involved in the fight.
Friends and family Monday were mourning the weekend deaths of two young women who were thrown from their vehicle as it rolled down a steep embankment off Interstate 15 in City Heights. The women, who were identified by the Medical Examiner as Elizabeth Belete, 19, and Cassandra Lopez Robinson, 21, were driving a Nissan Altima south on Interstate 15 near the Interstate 805 transition ramp just before 7 p.m. Saturday when their car crossed two lanes of traffic and sideswiped a Lexus GS300, according to the California Highway Patrol. Both cars went off the road and down the embankment, the CHP said. The Nissan rolled over several times and the two women were thrown from it. The women were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. The three people in the Lexus were taken to the hospital with minor injuries
SAN DIEGO — A 14-year-old boy was hit by a car in front of Scripps Ranch High School Thursday morning before school started. The incident occurred at about 7:40 a.m., police said. Traffic was held up in front of the school as emergency crews responded. The student sustained minor injuries to his knee, hip and right shoulder, police said. Paramedics were transporting the student to a hospital, but police could not confirm which one. The driver of the car remained on the scene. Police did not have additional information on the driver.
ALPINE — A woman killed in a weekend crash involving a suspected drunken driver was an Alpine resident who volunteered as the parade coordinator for a local equestrian group. Cathrine Marie Harless, 63, died Saturday at 8:25 p.m. after her Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup was hit head-on by another pickup on Alpine Boulevard at Dunbar Lane just east of Flinn Springs, said California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings. The other truck crossed the double yellow lines and drove directly in front of her. Harless and both of her dogs died at the scene, Pennings said. She was a longtime member of the Winchester Widows, a small group of horsewomen who ride in parades and portray characters from the Old West, said club President Barbara Franzese. The club rides in about 15 parades a year. The group has appeared in the Mother Goose Parade in El Cajon and four times in the Rose Parade in Pasadena. The members also raise money for various charities through community events. Harless had worked as a florist and did the flowers for the riders. She always rode her horse Sam at the back of the group so she could watch over everyone, Franzese said. “She was always very encouraging, friendly and helpful,” said Franzese of her friend. Harless had just dropped off a friend with whom she boarded her two horses and was on her way home when she was hit. The driver of the truck that hit her was identified as Brian Peterson , 40, of Rancho Bernardo, Pennings said. He was hospitalized and will face charges of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter, Pennings said. Other charges also might be filed against him. Funeral arrangements for Harless are pending. She is survived by two daughters who live in Montana, Franzese said.
EAST COUNTY — A 90-year-old Lakeside man was killed Tuesday night in a head-on crash on the Barona Ranch Indian Reservation, the California Highway Patrol said. The accident was reported at 7 p.m. on Wildcat Canyon Road at Old Barona Road. Authorities said the man was driving a Ford Crown Victoria south on Wildcat Canyon Road when he crossed into oncoming traffic for an unknown reason. His car struck a Land Rover head-on. The Land Rover’s two occupants were wearing seat belts and suffered minor injuries, said the California Highway Patrol. They were treated at a hospital. The Ford’s driver, who was not belted in, died. His name was not released. There was no evidence that drugs or alcohol were a factor, the CHP said.
BONSALL — A 12-year-old Riverside County girl was killed Saturday night in a head-on collision in Bonsall, authorities said Sunday. The girl lived with her mother in Hemet, according to the county Medical Examiner’s Office. Her name was not released pending notification of her relatives. The crash happened shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday on eastbound state Route 76, east of East Vista Way. For unknown reasons, the driver of a 1956 Volkswagen Beetle lost control of the vehiicle while going west on the highway and veered into oncoming traffic, hitting a Buick Regal sedan. The driver of the Volkswagen and the girl, who was in the front passenger seat but not wearing a seat belt, were ejected. The girl died about 20 minutes later. Three people, including the drivers of both vehicles, were taken to hospitals for treatment.
NORTH COUNTY — A two-vehicle crash killed one person and injured three others on the Bonsall Bridge over the San Luis Rey River Saturday night, the California Highway Patrol said. The crash occurred on the bridge between Vista and Bonsall about 9:10 p.m. Witnesses reported two people were ejected into the middle of the road, and one, a woman, was not moving. One person was declared dead about 20 minutes later. The CHP shut down state Route 76, also known as Mission Avenue, south of Old River Road and north of Vista Way. A North Comm fire dispatcher said a medical helicopter was sent to the scene.
