Updated: Missing Child FOUND: 15-year-old Stephanie Cudd, Possibly Endangered

Update 1-28: "Our prayers have been answered," the family said in a statement. "Carl MArino of Butler and Associates Investigation located Stephanie. While she is not home, we know that Stephanie is safe and nearby." 

 Sheriff's detectives believe that Concord resident Eva Nichols, 39, hid Cudd in her home during the entire time the teen was missing. They charge that Nichols, Cudd's boyfriend's mother, faked a phone call and misinformed investigators. In one instance, detectives say that Cudd was hiding in a crawl space as they searched Nichols' house.
More here: http://www.insidebayarea.com/top-stories/ci_17343775

Stephanie Cudd, a 15 years old sophomore at College Park High, has been missing for 3 days… She is approx 5’ 4” about 100 pounds, last seen in her home last Sunday night.

15-year-old Stephanie Cudd, is missing.

The girl pictured above, 15-year-old Stephanie Cudd, is missing from Martinez/Pacheco area.

Her friends and family aren’t sure if she ran away or left under other circumstances, they just want to find her. She did take a suitcase full of clothes, according to a family friend, but her parents aren’t sure why she would have left.
She’s from the Martinez/Pacheco area, and the photo shown above is the most recent picture of her.
Unconfirmed but information is she did not bring her cell phone with her, and the sim card was missing. Her computer was also totally cleaned out, all of her accounts were deleted.

Stephanie Cudd, Facebook photo

If anyone has any information on her location, they can contact the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department at 925-646-2441, case # 10-2199 

More information: 
Claycord.com: http://claycord.com/2010/12/01/15-year-old-girl-missing-from-martinezpacheco/
Missing Person website: http://www.findstephaniecudd.com/
Facebook Missing page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Find-Stephanie-Cudd/136126229774608
Stephanie's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000948458050
Photo from: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1139.snc4/148182_1689221105890_1098570637_31911359_6485357_n.jpg

Redding: Missing teen's story to air on national TV show

A missing Redding teen will again be the topic of a national television program on CNN’s HLN channel.

Jacob Berlinghoff, 33, father of Jean Marie Berlinghoff, 15, said he’s set to be on the “ISSUES with Jane Velez-Mitchell” show today at 4 p.m. In the show Velez-Mitchell “takes a stand on some of the most emotionally charged ISSUES of the day,” according to the show’s website.

Jean’s been missing since Nov. 10 and is believed to be with her uncle, Charles David Berlinghoff, 44, of Los Angeles. Charles Berlinghoff is wanted on a $100,000 warrant for keeping Jean from her parents.

Early after Jean went missing her family and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office asked for an Amber Alert – an urgent bulletin telling law enforcement agencies and media of an abduction – issued in the case, but the California Highway Patrol office that issues Amber Alerts from Sacramento said the case didn’t meet the law’s criteria.

CHP officials and sheriff’s investigators said it appeared Jean went willingly with Charles Berlinghoff and she wasn’t in immediate danger of harm.

Jacob Berlinghoff said he didn’t know whether the Amber Alert angle of Jean’s story will be addressed on the ISSUES program or not. He said he wants to tell as many people as possible that the two many be hitchhiking or panhandling anywhere around the country.

“This is a great chance to get Jean’s picture out there,” he said.

Eight days after Jean’s disappearance the story was featured in a five-minute segment on the Nancy Grace show, which airs at 5 p.m. on the same channel. Both are on cable channel 56 in Redding.
Grace questioned why the CHP hadn’t issued an Amber Alert for Jean.
“I don’t understand why there was not an Amber Alert,” Grace said.

Charles Berlinghoff was convicted of sex crimes in Shasta and Tehama counties in the 1990s but the cases were later dismissed and expunged. Grace argued that his history should have been cause for an Amber Alert.
Berlinghoff said Jean’s story may again be on Nancy Grace but he’s not sure when. Jean’s mother, Heather Vega, 33, of Redding, was on the show via telephone during on Nov. 18 segment.

For his appearance on ISSUES, Berlinghoff said he’ll use Skype, a video conferencing program, from his home in northeast Redding.

Shasta County Secret Witness, Inc., and an anonymous donor have teamed up to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to Charles Berlinghoff’s arrest and conviction.

Anyone with information about Jean Berlinghoff’s whereabouts should contact Secret Witness at 243-2319 or the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office at 245-6540.

Source article: http://www.redding.com/news/2010/dec/01/missing-redding-teens-story-air-national-tv-show/

State Fire Marshal: Hmong Festival Under Investigation After Boy Burned

The state fire marshal is investigating the Sacramento Hmong New Year Festival, which is held at Cal Expo, after a boy was critically burned there during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- State law requires that any festival held on state property must obtain a permit from the state Fire Marshal's Office.
However, the office said it doesn't have a permit on record for the event, which began Thursday and ended Sunday.
The investigation was launched after a 9-year-old boy was burned by a space heater inside a tent.
A spokesperson for the state fire marshal told KCRA 3 that the office didn't know there was an event being held at Cal Expo until after the festival ended."Any time you have an assembly of more than 50 people inside of a structure, inside of a room or even inside of a tent -- which is what this one was -- a permit from the state Fire Marshal's Office is required," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said.
Cal Expo police confirm to KCRA 3 that they are investigating the incident.
KCRA 3 contacted organizers for the Hmong festival Monday, but no calls were returned.
Source article: kcra.com Link

RRU: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Stand-alone fire department would be costly

Severing ties with Cal Fire and creating an independent Riverside County fire department would increase costs by $46.6 million a year, a new report concludes. 


In addition, setting up a stand-alone agency would require the county to replace three state-owned fire stations at a one-time cost of $11.9 million, the analysis found.
Riverside County has contracted with Cal Fire for fire protection since 1946. The Board of Supervisors ordered the study earlier this year amid concerns over the administrative fee the state agency charges.
Cal Fire proposed increasing the fee at a time when the county faced budget cuts.
"The study clearly shows we have a good deal with Cal Fire," board Chairman Marion Ashley said Monday.
"Cal Fire is functioning extremely well."
It's the second time in five years the county has analyzed the costs of establishing a separate fire department. A 2005 report concluded that remaining with Cal Fire was the county's best option.
The county, through its contract with Cal Fire, provides fire protection for the unincorporated areas, 19 cities and one community services district. Under the current arrangement, it costs $178 million to do so.
With a stand-alone agency, the costs would jump by $46.6 million, the result of staffing increases, county overhead and a $22.7 million boost in pension liabilities, according to the report.
Of the $46.6 million, the 20 contracting agencies would be responsible for $21.4 million; the county would pay for $25.2 million out of its general fund. The report assumed cities would continue contracting with the county.
Ashley said the "sticker shock" alone should be enough to keep the county from pursuing its own department.
"This is not a time to spend $25 million more in general fund money to operate a fire department," he said.
Still, Ashley said studying the issue was worthwhile, given the potential rise in Cal Fire's fees.
At the same time the county began the latest study, officials were negotiating with Cal Fire for budgetary relief. Under recently retired director Del Walters, Cal Fire eventually agreed to provide the county $2.2 million in savings.
Supervisor Jeff Stone, who requested the study, said Monday that analyzing whether to create a stand-alone department was never about the quality of Cal Fire. The report found Cal Fire's effectiveness excellent.
Stone said studying the issue sent a message to Cal Fire that the county has options. He said he believes it contributed in the negotiations between the county and Cal Fire.
"This is an exercise we should do every five years to make sure Cal Fire is kept in check," Stone said.
Source article:  http://www.pe.com Link