Mom Sentenced After Fire Reveals her Son Alone

Toddler in a Fire Leads to Sentencing

A woman pleaded no contest Wednesday to a child endangerment charge for leaving her toddler alone in a Long Beach apartment where a fire broke out in December.

Firefighters who battled the blaze in North Long Beach found the boy, 2, alone in the building, which caught fire in the absence of his mother. Patience Aruomah, 32, was sentended to five years probation and 30 days of Caltrans work by Long Beach Superior Court Judge Richard Romero.

The boy had been left alone for several hours before the Dec. 6 fire erupted, police said. Firefighter Charles Hakopian was searching the second-story apartment when he fell through the floor up to his elbows, according to Long Beach Fire Capt. Rich Brandt. Hakopian pulled himself up, continued the search and found the toddler, who was in respiratory arrest, according to Brandt. Paramedics were able to get the youngster breathing again on the way to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. The fire was apparently caused by an electrical problem in the kitchen area, and caused an estimated $100,000 damage. There was substantial damage to the upstairs apartment and some damage to the unit below.

Man Found By the Long Beach Freeway Called Murder

An assault victim discovered Monday night by the Long Beach (710) Freeway died before dawn Wednesday and his death is being investigated as a murder.

The victim was identified as 24-year-old Danny Logan of Long Beach by the L.A. County Coroner's Office, which is investigating the cause of his death.

A Long Beach police officer driving on the northbound 710 found Logan lying in the #1 lane, just north of the 3rd Street onramp, at about 11:15 p.m. The officer stopped and performed first aid and called for paramedics. The victim's body "had sustained trauma to his body," said a Long Beach police department news release. Logan was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

Investigating detectives found that Logan was assaulted on the bike path below the 6th Street offramp of the southbound 710 Freeway.

Police are seeking information and ask the public for any information they have regarding the attack, the motive of which remains unknown.
 Contacts to offer information: Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Hugo Cortes and Peter Lackovic at (562) 570-7244.  Anonymous tips can be reported via text or web by visiting www.tipsoft.com.

City News contributed to this report.