Terry Bork

Federal authorities thought the state indictment was seriously flawed. Some lawyers in the civil securities cases worried that the Los Angeles district attorney's office moved too fast with too little. And most everyone thought that Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner was simply out for political glory after the office's crushing defeat in the McMartin Pre-School child abuse case. But the three prosecutors who worked to convict Charles H. Keating Jr.

Federal authorities thought the state indictment was seriously flawed. Some lawyers in the civil securities cases worried that the Los Angeles district attorney's office moved too fast with too little. And most everyone thought that Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner was simply out for political glory after the office's crushing defeat in the McMartin Pre-School child abuse case. But the three prosecutors who worked to convict Charles H. Keating Jr.

City Councilman William Van Cleave was arrested Thursday after failing to appear at a pretrial hearing in downtown Los Angeles. Van Cleave had been ordered to stand trial for allegedly forcing a woman into his car by using his city badge. He faces charges of false imprisonment and unlawful use of a badge. Investigators arrested Van Cleave at his home, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Terry Bork. He was jailed without bail.

Five people were charged Friday in connection with two bank robberies, including one in San Pedro in which a security guard was killed and another in Los Angeles in which a guard was shot in the back. Four men and one woman are accused in the July 20 robbery of the Home Bank in San Pedro and the July 26 robbery of the Gilmore Bank in Los Angeles. Security guard Juan Corona was shot and killed at the San Pedro bank. Gabriel Gomez, a guard at the Gilmore Bank at 6291 W. 3rd St.

Councilman William Van Cleave must stand trial on charges that he flashed a city badge and bullied a woman into a car last year, a judge ruled Friday. The case stems from an incident last July in which Van Cleave, 48, got into a dispute over money with a customer at his hardware store. He allegedly pushed the woman toward a car and told her, "I'm the police around here. You're under arrest," said Deputy Dist. Atty. Terry Bork. The woman got out of the car after being driven a few blocks.

After his fourth jury trial, a Woodland Hills construction contractor was found not guilty of bribing a Los Angeles Unified School District inspector. Kambiz "Ken" Maleki, who owns K & M Construction in Woodland Hills, said he was angry that he was prosecuted four times but was glad that his name was finally cleared after a downtown jury announced its verdict Friday.

Arraignment of the accused killer of a 450-pound biker was postponed until Tuesday because no public defender had been assigned to the case. Daniel Ray Waring, 43, faces two counts of murder in the Dec. 8 slayings of Hells Angel Laurence Lajeunesse, 45, known as "Large Larry," and his live-in girlfriend, Tammie Ann Brannigan. Commissioner Richard L.

A Los Angeles County judge ordered the co-founder of frozen yogurt giant Pinkberry on Thursday to stand trial for allegedly assaulting a homeless man on the side of an East Hollywood road after the victim testified that the entrepreneur repeatedly struck him with a tire iron. In a preliminary hearing for yogurt mogul Young Lee, the alleged victim testified this week for the first time, saying that Lee hit him in the head with the tire iron at least twice before chasing him through a busy street to continue the attack.

After his fourth jury trial, a Woodland Hills construction contractor was found not guilty of bribing a Los Angeles Unified School District inspector. Kambiz "Ken" Maleki, who owns K & M Construction in Woodland Hills, said he was angry that he had been prosecuted four times but was glad that his name was finally cleared when a jury announced its verdict Friday.

Baldwin Park City Councilman William Van Cleave pleaded no contest Wednesday to impersonating a police officer and disturbing the peace in a deal that allowed him to walk out of court a free man. Prosecutors dropped the more serious charge of false imprisonment stemming from an incident in which Van Cleave allegedly threatened a woman to collect a debt. Van Cleave is pleased with the outcome because he will be able to continue to serve on the City Council, his lawyer said.

The state suspended the licenses of two church-affiliated day-care centers where children allegedly were sexually molested and forced to eat worms and pick each other's noses during employee-led games of truth-or-dare. The former director and one employee of the Kids Palace centers have been charged, and the investigation is continuing, authorities said.