Crime

Divers from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office returned to the scene of some shallow percolation ponds in north Morgan Hill as part of their ongoing search for missing teen Sierra LaMar. 

Juveniles punch man in face, steal phone

Investors who say they were cheated out of their homes and life savings by “a very slick” businessman occupied a sizable portion of the courtroom Friday inside the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill, where supporters and accusers seated in opposite sides of the audience created a clear fissure.

The family of Sierra LaMar and a community that remains devoted to finding her marked the one-month anniversary of her disappearance with a scheduled prayer vigil and balloon release Monday night.

It’s been one month since Sierra LaMar’s parents discovered their 15-year-old Morgan Hill daughter was missing. Tonight, Sierra’s family will hold a special vigil and balloon release at Burnett Elementary, 85 Tilton Ave., at 6:30 p.m. to mark the one-month anniversary. 

Investors who say they were cheated out of their homes and life savings by “a very slick” businessman occupied a sizable portion of the courtroom Friday inside the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill, where supporters and accusers seated in opposite sides of the audience created a clear fissure.

With more than 7,500 personnel hours devoted to the nearly month-long search for missing Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, authorities are saying they haven’t started thinking about how much the investigation might cost in terms of tax dollars.

The primary cause of deaths on local streets and highways remains drunken driving, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office and the "Avoid the 13" DUI Task Force will keep up with its DUI enforcement in the county as a result of a recent $101,500 grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety. The Sheriff’s office will administer the grant for the entire county on behalf of the Santa Clara County Police Chiefs’ Association.