Judge drops bail slightly to $1.2M for LA official

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The bail amount has been lowered slightly for the Los Angeles County assessor and the tax consultant he is accused of bribing to lower taxes on clients' properties.

City News Service reports Assessor John Noguez and Ramin Salari's bail has dropped from $1.4 million to $1.16 million on Monday, despite requests from the defendant's lawyers to drop them more substantially.

Noguez's lawyer had requested $100,000 bail and Salari's lawyer had sought $575,000 bail.

Prosecutors allege the assessor accepted more than $185,000 in bribes to give the reductions.

The defendants were arrested Wednesday morning and each has been charged with more than 20 felonies as the result of an ongoing investigation into corruption at the assessor's office.

E.T. immortalized in wax around the world

LOS ANGELES (AP) — E.T. the extra-terrestrial is making appearances around the world.

Madame Tussauds is unveiling wax likenesses of the otherworldly star of Steven Spielberg's 1982 film "E.T. — the Extra-Terrestrial" at six of its international locations Monday.

The wax figures were crafted at Merlin Studios in London and will be on view at Madame Tussauds museums in Los Angeles, Sydney, Tokyo, London, Berlin and Amsterdam.

The exhibit features the iconic scene from the film where a blanket-wrapped E.T. rides in the makeshift basket of little Elliot's BMX bicycle.

"E.T. — the Extra-Terrestrial" recently marked a 30th anniversary.

San Diego policeman investigated over hair-pulling

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Police Department is investigating an officer who apparently pulled a distraught woman by the hair outside her burning home.

A video taken at the scene Friday appears to show an officer grabbing the woman's hair and dragging her several feet after she took some swings at him.

The woman appears to have been pulled away from firefighters who were keeping her from the burning house.

The fire caused an estimated $400,000 damage. The cause is under investigation.

The paper says a jury found that the same officer used unreasonable force in a 2009 incident that injured a homeless advocate, who was awarded nearly $4,000 in damages.

Suspect subdued with stun gun and hogtied dies

EASTVALE (AP) — A suspected prowler has died after being subdued with stun guns and hogtied by Riverside County deputies.

Investigators say deputies answering the prowler call in Eastvale early Sunday chased the man after he tried to break into a house. Eastvale is north of Norco in western Riverside County.

There was a struggle and deputies shocked him with Taser stun guns at least twice before he was tied up.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound suspect stopped breathing and died at a hospital.