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Child molestation suspect apprehended in Las Vegas - San Diego Union Tribune

March 3, 2007 - Posted in Agency, Car Rental, Deals, Discover Travel, Information, Las Vegas vacations, Shows, Vacation packages, Vacations, Videos

SAN DIEGO: A man wanted by San Diego police in connection with multiple allegations of child molestation going back to the 1970s is in custody in Las Vegas after trying to commit suicide, authorities said.
Steven Meredith Bimson, 64, was being held yesterday on $500,000 bond pending extradition to San Diego, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Police disclosed few details on the case, including where the molestation is believed to have taken place.
According to Marshal's service spokesman Omar Castillo, Bimson was found Monday semiconscious inside a rented car parked on the side of a Las Vegas freeway, with a hose running from the vehicle's exhaust pipe into the passenger compartment.
Bimson had been under investigation by San Diego police since January after a tip from Child Protective Services, said police acting Capt. Todd Jarvis. That led to the discovery of two molestation victims, Jarvis said. Detectives following up on the CPS lead eventually found three other victims, and investigators believe there could be more.
“These incidents occurred between 1974 and 2000,” Jarvis said.
All five victims identified so far are now adults, he said. –G.G.
SAN DIEGO: The California Highway Patrol is asking for the public's help in locating a car that was involved in a fatal hit-and-run on Interstate 15 north of Via Rancho Parkway about 3:45 a.m. yesterday.
The car is described as a gold 2008 or 2009 Mazda3 with right front-end damage, including a missing right-side mirror.
A pedestrian walking in the No. 5 lane of northbound I-15 was struck by a vehicle, possibly a gold Mazda3, and thrown from the passenger side of the car into a concrete barrier on the right shoulder, the CHP said.
After the accident, the driver fled, leaving some vehicle debris on the right shoulder, the CHP said.
A driver spotted the body on the freeway's right shoulder just before 4 a.m. and alerted authorities.
The victim, who was dead when the CHP arrived, was described as black, about 50 years old and apparently homeless, the Medical Examiner's Office said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Oceanside CHP office at (760) 757-1675. –S.S.
MIRA MESA: Police are looking for witnesses to a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist Wednesday in Mira Mesa. Authorities are still working to identify the victim, as well as the driver.
The bicyclist was struck by a red 2000 Dodge Neon in an apartment complex parking lot on Capricorn Way and dragged about 500 feet, said San Diego homicide Lt. Kevin Rooney. The driver then stopped and ran away.
The bicyclist died at the scene.
Detectives are investigating whether the driver knew the bicyclist and if he intentionally ran him over, Rooney said. Anyone with information is asked to call San Diego police at (619) 531-2293 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS. –K.D.
SAN DIEGO: A fire early yesterday that heavily damaged a Lake Murray home and also burned a neighbor's property was intentionally set, fire officials said.
The blaze was reported about 2 a.m. on Wallsey Drive near Mulvaney Drive. Firefighters arrived to find the garage of a two-story house on fire with flames spreading to the home, said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque
They had the fire knocked down in about 15 minutes. By then, the fire had caused about $800,000 in damage to the home and about $45,000 in damage to a neighbor's property, Luque said.
Most of the family members who live at the home were away on vacation. One of the residents stayed behind but was not home when the fire started, Luque said.
The house is owned by a parole agent with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The Metropolitan Arson Strike Team is investigating and determined it was arson. No arrests have been made. San Diego police also responded to the fire and are conducting an investigation. –A.M. & G.G.
SAN DIEGO COURTS: A teenager accused of breaking into a College Area home and sexually assaulting a woman who lived there pleaded not guilty in Superior Court yesterday to nine felony charges including rape, assault and attempted robbery.
Chadrick Jarrod Robertson, 17, who is charged as an adult, also faces allegations he used a knife in the attack, which occurred during a burglary.
Bail was set $1 million.
Attorneys did not discuss the facts of the case in open court.
San Diego police have said Robertson, who lives in Rolando, was arrested Monday during a traffic stop on suspicion of sexual assault. He is accused of raping a 47-year-old woman at knifepoint Aug. 13 in her 67th Street home.
Police said the attacker entered through an unlocked kitchen window about 4 a.m. Evidence collected from the scene matched the attacker's DNA, which was already in a local database, police said.
Robertson was released from a juvenile detention center days before his Monday arrest. Police said he has a juvenile record that includes a burglary and robbery in 2007. –D.L.
Staff writers Greg Gross, Susan Shroder, Kristina Davis, Angelica Martinez and Dana Littlefield contributed to this report.

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