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YEAR IN REVIEW: March 2014's Top 10 Stories

10. Man Sneaks Into UC Davis Dorm Room, Crawls Into Woman's Bed

It was 6 a.m. on Monday when Shelby Sanders woke up to a stranger crawling on top of her.

Shelby, her twin sister, Savanna, and their roommate had no idea that cameras inside their UC Davis dorm caught the man dressed all in black wandering the halls as they slept.

"Then she got up, and said 'He was on top of me; he was over me,'" she said.

9. Fairfield Man Arrested After Allegedly Biting Off Infant Son's Nose

joseph cooper father nose bite

Officers arrived at a home on Alaska Avenue where Cooper, the child's 17-year-old mother and other family members were.

When they arrived, the officers found a 1-month-old infant bleeding from the face. The infant was taken in for medical treatment, where staff at Oakland Children's Hospital discovered one-third of the child's nose had been severed. In addition, the infant suffered a skull fracture and a brain hemorrhage.

8. Sister Helps Rescue Sacramento Girl From Sex Slave Epidemic

Investigators tell CBS13 that the family called from a Denny's off of Interstate 80 in Sacramento saying that the teen was being held at a local motel.

"She was being forced against her will to commit these acts of prostitution," said Sacramento County Sheriff's Sgt. Lisa Bowman.

She's only 14, and investigators are concerned there could be other vulnerable girls

7. Illegal Pot Grows Adding To California's Water Woes

In Calaveras County, one rancher told CB13 that he's got pot growers with cartel ties living on his property – stealing water.  He's discovered a half-dozen grows on his vast land by looking for the signs.

James found another grow on his property when he stumbled on an irrigation pipe the growers had buried underground, using a pond as a water source.

"They tapped the reservoir and, of course, drained all the water. So that affects me and the cattle," James said.

 

6. Folsom Company Says Covered California Plan It Paid For Hasn't Arrived

United Reported Publishing has made three payments of $3,700 each. Each of the more than $11,000 in checks has been cashed by Covered California, yet no account numbers or cards had been delivered.

5. Sacramento Father Stabbed To Death Protecting Daughter In Fight

Shannon Gregg's girlfriend says he was doing what any father would do: protect his daughter and friends when a fight broke out on their front doorstep.

But things got out of control in seconds, and Shannon lost his life.

"He loved his kids. He loved his family, and he'd do anything for 'em," Shelly Doyle said.

That is his legacy as a father: He loved his kids so much that he was willing to die for them.

4. Multi-Vehicle Crash On Sacramento Freeway Caught On Video

At around 8 a.m. Monday, a CBS13 news crew was getting ready to report from the scene of a crash on westbound Interstate 80 near Greenback Lane, when several vehicles on eastbound Interstate 80 suddenly crashed.

CHP says rubberneckers caused the first crash, which sent a truck into the median. As cars subsequently slowed amid the chaos, approaching vehicles didn't stop in time and struck vehicles in front of them. The entire crash was caught on video. At least five vehicles were involved.

3. Peeing In Pools Can Create Dangerous Neurotoxin Cocktail

The next time you jump in a pool, think twice before you skip a trip to the bathroom. The chemical stew could harm more than just your reputation.

Researchers found that when uric acid—a compound in our urine—combines with chlorine, the result is two potentially dangerous chemical byproducts.

2. Big Brother, Small City: River Islands Will Feature Heavy Surveillance

A new, scenic development surrounded by winding waterways is billed as a safe haven.

Only four bridges lead in and out of the area with security checkpoints and a fiberoptic video surveillance program. Every license plate scanned on those roads will be cross-checked with a DMV database for stolen cars.

The first homes are already going up at River Islands, and the people who move in can expect to be part of a new era in policing.

Cops could also surprise suspicious individuals through remote one-way speakers—the same shown in a video of a Southern California city where cameras are set up at a park with high crime. In that video, teens scrambled after the video operator warns them the park is closed.

It's Big Brother in a small city.

 

1. Sacramento Cabbies Upset Over Proposed Hygiene, Dress Code Requirements

Facing growing competition from web-based rides Uber and the ride-sharing service Lyft, some Sacramento taxi drivers say the proposed cabbie crackdown could put the brakes on their business.

 

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