California

Hells Angels sites across West raided

Law enforcement agents Wednesday raided Hells Angels motorcycle gang hangouts across the West and made at least 57 arrests after a two-year undercover investigation into drugs and guns.

Federal agents hit Hells Angels headquarters and clubhouses in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Arizona, Washington state, Nevada and Alaska in pre-dawn raids.

Forty arrests were made by federal officials, and local police arrested another 17 in California on state charges. It was not immediately clear how many people were arrested on local charges in other states.

The investigation included law enforcement agents who offered to buy explosives from members of the motorcycle gang. Donald R. Kincaid, special agent in charge of the Los Angeles office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said stolen military explosives were purchased.

Minnesota

Sex offender agrees to face kidnap charges

The man accused of kidnapping a college student from a mall parking lot agreed to be sent to North Dakota to face charges Wednesday, saying barely a word even after an outburst from a woman in the Crookston courtroom who pleaded, “Tell us what you did with the girl!”

Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., a 50-year-old convicted rapist, spoke only to tell the judge he understood what was happening. He faces kidnapping charges in North Dakota and could appear in court there as early as today.

Meanwhile, about 1,700 people answered a call to renew the search for 22-year-old Dru Sjodin, the University of North Dakota student who disappeared Nov. 22 after she left her job at a Grand Forks, N.D., mall.

As darkness fell, however, the search again netted nothing and was called off for the night.

California

Scott Peterson pleads not guilty to homicide

Scott Peterson pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, again denying the allegations that could give him the death penalty.

Judge Al Girolami scheduled trial to begin Jan. 26.

The hearing in Modesto came a day after prosecutors for the first time hinted at parts of their theory behind the Laci Peterson slaying. Assistant Dist. Atty. Rick Distaso revealed that authorities believe Laci Peterson was killed at home, then her body was transported in a pickup truck, weighted down and tossed into the San Francisco Bay.

Washington, D.C.

Indictment announced in Internet drug sales

Federal prosecutors announced a 108-count indictment Wednesday against a dozen people and two companies for allegedly selling controlled substances, mainly Viagra and weight-loss drugs, over the Internet illegally.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., charges that customers were able to purchase the drugs with inadequate or no medical supervision, little diagnostic testing and scant monitoring of the person’s response to the drugs as required by law.

Charges include illegal distribution of controlled substances — such as the diet drugs Bontril, Phentermine and Adipex — and illegal use of a communications facility to perform the distribution.