One-man crime wave

Halloween tricks by Antioni De Jesus Murrillo, 21, were no treat to the Marin County residents who encountered him. Already on probation for felony auto theft in San Mateo County, Murrillo allegedly demanded money from a woman driver on Riviera Circle in Larkspur at about 6pm Tuesday, Oct. 31, according to the Twin Cities Police Department. Frightened, the woman leaped out of her 1999 Cadillac Seville; Murillo hopped in and drove off. He smashed into a 1993 Volvo at Magnolia and Baltimore avenues in Larkspur, but kept going, only to collide with three other vehicles at the corner of Redwood and Corte Madera avenues. Two people reported minor injuries. Murrillo abandoned the crumpled Cadillac. Soon after, a resident in the 400 block of Corte Madera Boulevard reported an attempted car break-in, followed quickly by a home alarm and burglary report one block away. Murrillo allegedly escaped by stealing a Subaru Forester. At 8:40pm, he was arrested in downtown San Francisco. Murrillo was booked into the Marin County Jail on charges of carjacking, auto theft, hit and run and grand theft, with bail set at $150,000.

Appealing Wal-Mart

An appellate court recently heard arguments in a suit charging that a separate environmental impact report should have been created for a 176,000-square-foot Wal-Mart superstore currently being built east of Highway 29 in American Canyon. "It hinges on whether or not a superstore needs an additional environmental review," says American Canyon city manager Richard Ramirez. In 2003, the city approved plans for an unnamed "big box" store at the site. A 24-hour Wal-Mart superstore was announced in summer 2004. Two groups filed suit to stop the project, but a Napa County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the city and Wal-Mart. An appeal was filed in August 2005. The appellate court is expected to issue a ruling in the next 90 days. The Wal-Mart superstore is under construction and scheduled to open early next year.

Facts on meth

It's often easier to get Internet directions for making methamphetamine than it is for concerned parents to find useful online information about this insidious drug. That's why the Petaluma Health Care District worked with the Drug Abuse Alternatives Center and Alan Fitch of Pacific Clear Stream Media to create Your Teen and Meth: A Parent's Story, A Parent's Guide. The video is online at www.pcmediagroup.com/yourteenandmeth/index.htm; it's also available at the Redwood Health Library, 11 Fifth St., Petaluma, or by calling 707.778.9114. "We think it could be useful to people anywhere, so that's why we have it on the Internet," explains community health educator Teresa Jensen. "The goal is to help parents take action if their teen is using meth."

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