Downstroke

Trial set for Grinsell: Gina Rose Grinsell was arraigned in Butte County Superior Court Monday on charges she fatally strangled her baby last April Fool’s Day after secretly giving birth in her sorority bedroom.

Despite the discovery by authorities of the tiny body, wrapped in a Wal-Mart bag and left in a trash can in her room, Grinsell has so far pleaded innocent to charges of murder and abuse of a child causing death. After waiving a preliminary hearing and receiving two postponements of her arraignment, Grinsell and her legal team agreed to go to trial Dec. 1.

While Grinsell’s Chico attorney, Dennis Lattimer, told reporters Monday that he is preparing for a trial, there are also indications that a plea deal is being discussed, although no such deal has been offered. District Attorney Mike Ramsey said any plea bargain would be contingent on several factors, and that his office has given Grinsell’s defense team a “laundry list” of legal items to ascertain in advance of any further discussions.

Tag team or Nazis? Chico Police Community Services Officer Tim Truby confirmed rumors Tuesday that the graffiti painted at a Southwest Chico soul food restaurant was probably the work of a tag crew known as “Artists on the Run” and not “Aryans on the Rise,” as was initially thought.

The letters “AOR” and the tag “move” were both painted at Sharon’s Cookhouse on Dayton Road two weeks ago, prompting employees to wonder if they were being targeted by neo-Nazis, who have been spreading propaganda in Chico lately. An employee at Sharon’s said white friends told him AOR was probably an Aryan hate group, which seemed plausible as the restaurant has received several threats over the years.

Truby, who keeps a database of taggers and graffiti artists active in Chico, said AOR is a newer group that has hit up Chico High and other locations. He urged citizens to call police if they see vandalism occurring.

Tweeker vs. world: Chico police arrested 32-year-old Floyd Lujan in the wee hours of Tuesday morning after Lujan allegedly drove a car through the plate glass window of Tony’s Market on West Sacramento Avenue. in order to steal a $5 jug of red wine.

A few minutes later, according to a police press release, officers were called out to deal with “a naked man … ramming his vehicle into a parked car. He then drove it into the front of a house.”

Police arrested Lujan at 3:38 a.m. on the 1200 block of Normal Street while he was allegedly trying to steal a pick-up truck. The car used to ram Tony’s also had reportedly been stolen that night. Lujan, who was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine when arrested, was taken in without incident and charged with vehicle theft, burglary, vandalism, drug possession, being under the influence and violation of probation.