🌱 Trial Starts For Ex-La Mesa Cop + East County High-Speed Chase

Good morning, La Mesa-Mount Helix! Here's everything you need to know to get this day started.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and nice. High: 74 Low: 45.

Here are the top stories today in and around La Mesa-Mount Helix:

1. Opening statements and testimony began in the trial of Matthew Dages, a former La Mesa police officer, who is accused of lying about the basis of his May 27, 2020, arrest of Amaurie Johnson, a young Black man who was waiting for friends outside an apartment complex near the Grossmont Transit Center. (City News Service)
2. A man was detained Wednesday morning after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended at an El Cajon gas station. The incident started with a domestic violence call in the City Heights neighborhood. (City News Service)
3. One of two men charged with setting fire to a Chase bank in La Mesa following last year's contentious protest outside the city's police headquarters received a term of probation this week and was ordered to stay away from several La Mesa businesses connected with post-protest looting. (City News Service)
4. Authorities asked the public this week to keep an eye out for a 20-year-old Indiana woman who went missing in San Diego more than three weeks ago. The last known whereabouts of Lateche Norris were in the East Village on Nov. 4, when she was seen with her boyfriend, 25-year-old Joseph "Joey" Smith, according to the San Diego Police Department. (City News Service)
5. The number of local flu cases continues to climb, San Diego County health officials said Wednesday, prompting another reminder to get vaccinated for the illness. The county's seasonal total stands at 423 cases following 70 infections reported for the week ending Saturday. The five-year average for that date is 401. (City News Service)

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Today in La Mesa-Mount Helix:

• Library Task Force Meeting — City of La Mesa. (4 p.m.)

La Mesa-Mount Helix Patch Notebook

• La Mesa Chamber of Commerce: "With a smart thermostat, you choose when to save. We all know San Diego weather in winter is unpredictable. With a smart thermostat, you can remotely adjust your temperature, allowing you greater control over your business's energy use." (Facebook)

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— Kristina Houck

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming La Mesa-Mount Helix Daily? Email kristina.houck@patch.com.