Cypress Ca

Six people, including a parolee who had been sought for two years, were arrested on drug-related charges Saturday in a raid of a home on Marion Avenue, police said. The parolee was identified as Bennie Kuhn Jr., 44, of Cypress. The other suspects were Randy Hendrickson, 47, and Adam Jackson, 31, both of Cypress; Brian Gelfand, 22, of Cerritos; Gregory Kolano, 42, of Buena Park; and Julie Leicht, 23, of Huntington Beach.

A woman accused of pilfering thousands of dollars from a Cypress High School athletic booster fund during her time as the club's treasurer is to be arraigned today, authorities said. Peggy Lou Shaw, 45, faces a grand theft by embezzlement charge for allegedly writing 15 checks to herself or to "cash" totaling $11,700 and depositing them in her personal account over the course of several months. She faces up to three years in prison if convicted, authorities said.

The City Council tonight may set a fee for those arrested and booked into Cypress City Jail. The council is expected to vote to amend a resolution, creating a booking fee for arrested suspects. In 1998, more than 1,300 people were booked into the jail. The council will also elect its new mayor and mayor pro tem tonight, for one-year terms. Mayor Anna Piercy, who served as mayor pro tem in 1999, will also be awarded the Mayor's Plaque for her work.

Sheri Loewenstein, one of five top administrators who have fled the beleaguered Westminster School District over the last year, was named superintendent of the Cypress School District. Loewenstein, who will begin July 1, resigned from the Westminster district in November after 16 years, including 16 months as superintendent.

Two women were arrested early Monday on suspicion of possessing stolen property and conducting a major counterfeiting operation out of a Cypress hotel, authorities said. "This looks like a fairly good-sized operation," said Sgt. Steven Ramsey, a spokesman for Cypress police. "We won't know the full extent until our detectives look into it further." Anna Marie Franks, 26, of Seal Beach and Rebecca Lupe Gonzalez, 36, of Santa Ana were arrested about 7:30 a.m.

Cypress, with a population of less than 50,000, rarely makes big headlines. But an apparent hate crime this week--the latest in a string of incidents this year--has some residents concerned that the quiet city could mistakenly become known as a bastion of white supremacists. "I can say very strongly that I don't think a bunch of skinheads have moved into town," said Tim Keenan, a member of the City Council and mayor pro tem. "I would hate for Cypress to get a label as a place where this happens."

Two-hit pitching from a player who just recently took up the game of baseball and two home runs from a player who had a broken leg earlier this season propelled Cypress into the Thursday's U.S. final of the Little League World Series. Kerrie Cordero struck out 12, including seven of the first nine he faced, and walked two while getting strong support from Eddie Zamora in Cypress' 9-0 victory over Brooklyn, Mich., in Tuesday's first round.

Hoping to save money, Cypress School District trustees have authorized Supt. William D. Eller to look into contracting with a private service for garbage pickup without going through city government. The school system now contracts for trash removal with cities within the district: Cypress, La Palma and Buena Park. Those cities, in turn, contract with private trash companies.

Plans for a $1.7-million landscaping project on Ball Road from Bloomfield Street to Valley View Street are in the works. The City Council gave the go-ahead for city engineers to start designing a complete rehabilitation plan for Ball Road. The suggested plan includes construction of center median islands, irrigation, and pavement resurfacing and repairs. Plans for landscape improvements along the parkway have been delayed.

In a legal move that surprised city officials, the Cottonwood Christian Center on Monday sought a federal court injunction to block the city from taking 18 acres of church property on which to build a Costco. A church spokeswoman said the 102-page motion would prevent the city from taking "immediate possession" of Cottonwood's property near the Los Alamitos Race Course, an act allowed under eminent domain proceedings. City Atty.

A Cypress man accused of beating his 2-year-old niece to death was in critical condition after he was found hanging in his jail cell, authorities said Tuesday. Michael Balderas, 29, who was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, tried to hang himself early Sunday by tying a bedsheet to a light fixture in his cell at Orange County Jail, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino. Balderas appeared to be fine when a deputy checked on him during the 4:40 a.m. wake-up call, Amormino said.

A Cypress man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of beating his 2-year-old niece to death, police said. Michael Balderas, 28, had legal guardianship of Jo-Jade, whose parents are incarcerated in Texas, according to authorities. The child's last name was not released. An autopsy showed that the girl was severely beaten below the waist, police said. Police were called to the 5400 block of Twin Lakes Drive about 4:20 p.m.

A Westminster man was arrested Wednesday and later charged after DNA evidence linked him to the 1994 slaying of an 18-year-old man, the Cypress Police Department said Thursday. Brian Zumbado, a 26-year-old construction worker, is suspected of fatally stabbing Eddie Alexander Young of Anaheim during a fight in a Cypress parking lot. Law enforcement officials say DNA samples taken from Zumbado after a 2004 conviction for spousal battery link him to the stabbing.

A Cypress man who worked as a substitute teacher at Corvallis Middle School in Norwalk has been charged with sexually molesting a 13-year-old student. Ricardo Arvizu, 32, faces three counts of committing a lewd act upon a child under 14, authorities said Thursday. Arvizu was arrested Tuesday after Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies found the girl, who had been reported missing by her parents, at his home.

A substitute teacher was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after he was found harboring a 13-year-old girl overnight at his Cypress home, police said. Ricardo Arvizu, 32, who was booked at the Norwalk sheriff's station, was scheduled to appear today in a Cerritos courtroom, where more charges could be added, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Connolly.

Cypress police have asked the public's help to determine whether a child abuse suspect might have victimized other children. Patrick David Guevara, 29, of Cypress was arrested Jan. 10 on suspicion of sexually abusing two girls. Guevara faces nine felonies, including committing a lewd act on a child under 14, and continuous sexual abuse and sodomy, said Mark Macaulay, an Orange County district attorney's spokesman. Guevara has been booked at Orange County Jail.

Members of Cottonwood Christian Center broke ground Saturday for their new church in Cypress, ending a five-year saga that made national headlines and made the church a symbol of religious rights. "We are ecstatic that we are able to move forward and put our efforts into actually building our new home and not having to fight any more," said the Rev. Mike Wilson, a Cottonwood pastor.

After months of negotiations culminating in what appeared to be a workable compromise, Cypress announced Tuesday that it had reached an impasse with neighboring Los Alamitos on an agreement to move a church and build its first superstore. Cypress' news release blames the stall on Los Alamitos' "refusal" to allow balance on traffic issues. At stake is the proposed construction of a Costco store at -- and relocation of the Cottonwood Christian Center to -- sites off Katella Avenue in Cypress.