1. SUV Driver Sends Officer Flying

About 2:00 a.m. Monday, a California Highway Patrol officer was hit by an SUV. The officer was thrown about 10 feet before landing in a hedge. The officer was assisting a motorist whose car had stalled on the freeway.

The police officer was listed in stable condition at a nearby hospital. The accident occurred after the fast-moving white SUV drove onto the shoulder where the two cars were parked. The SUV struck the officer before plowing into the police car. The driver of the stalled car was unhurt.

The SUV rolled completely over. The driver climbed out of the SUV and took off, running in the direction of a nearby off-ramp. Because another police vehicle was nearby, the police caught the driver quickly. He was charged with drunk driving, property damage, causing personal injury, and leaving the scene of an accident.

The driver had no license and no insurance. He had been convicted a year ago of driving while intoxicated. At that time he had also injured someone and also fled the scene. He was sentenced to jail for six months. But because the jail was so overcrowded, he was released in one month.

"What can we do?" said a policeman. "There are a lot more drunk drivers out there every night than there are police. The only time we can get them off the streets for good is when they kill someone."

2. Boy Drowns in Neighbor's Pool

Hunter Smith, 5, drowned in a swimming pool after apparently wandering away from two teenagers, one of whom was his babysitter. Paramedics and hospital staff members spent several hours trying to revive Hunter. Police pulled the unconscious boy from the cold water of the neighbor's pool about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday.

The babysitter was 16. The other teen was her boyfriend, 17. The boy's parents had no comment about their son's unfortunate death.

Police questioned both teens separately as to how the accident occurred. Their stories did not match. The girl said Hunter disappeared while she was using the bathroom. The boy said Hunter disappeared while he was using the bathroom. After further questioning and some searching around the house, the police determined that the boy disappeared while both teens were using the bedroom.

"They had actually put him in the bedroom closet, but were so busy with each other that they never saw or heard the boy leave the closet and the house," an officer said. Charges might be filed against the teens for involuntary manslaughter and against the neighbor for leaving the gate to the pool unlocked.

3. Woman Dies in House Fire

An 80-year-old woman died Tuesday afternoon in a fire. The blaze was reported about 2:30 p.m. at a home on Sunnyside Avenue. The victim was identified as Mary Cass. Her husband, Roy Cass, 80, was not at home at the time of the fire. Investigators from the local fire department were trying to determine the exact cause of the fire. They said it looked like the woman had fallen asleep on the sofa with a cigarette in her hand.

The value of the home was estimated at $700,000. The Casses were married in 1945. Both of them had been smokers throughout most of their lives.

Mr. Cass said, "Six months ago, we decided to quit smoking, because we wanted to live to be 100. So we went to a smoking cessation clinic. The clinic worked! We both managed to quit a month ago. At least I thought we both did. I can't believe she was smoking behind my back."

Mr. Cass started sobbing after his remarks. He repeatedly cried out his wife's name. Authorities took him to a nursing home where he could be kept under surveillance.

"We've had too many instances of long-time married couples who, if they discover their spouse is dead, commit suicide within 48 hours," said a nursing home spokesperson. "Mr. Cass's behavior has been erratic, from talking nonstop to crying to staring vacantly. We are going to have to watch him closely."