The Berkeley Scanner

Peter Taraba's former housemate told The Scanner he was "kind of a hothead" when they lived together north of campus in 2024. This week, Taraba was charged with arson. Here's what we know about him.

Who is Peter Taraba, Berkeley Animal Shelter arson suspect? Peter Taraba's former housemate told The Scanner he was "kind of a hothead" when they lived together north of campus in 2024.

Work is underway to repair the Berkeley Animal Shelter after a recent arson fire, officials say, with reopening anticipated in early July. Here's the latest on the shelter fire — with a focus on who stepped up to help (and how you can, too).

Berkeley Animal Shelter targets July 6 reopening after fire Officials deemed the building unfit for public use due to the "toxicity of ambient smoke and burned debris" inside.

The suspect in a s*x crime case involving a child attending camp at UC Berkeley over the weekend has now been charged, court papers show.

Camp counselor charged with lewd acts on a child in Cal dorm On Tuesday, the DA's office charged Quaylin Wesley, a 27-year-old Oakland man, with eight felonies.

BREAKING: A shooting in South Berkeley sent a young woman to the hospital Sunday night. The woman, estimated to be 19 years old, was shot in the face, according to early reports.

Young woman shot, Berkeley police investigating The woman, estimated to be 19 years old, was shot in the face, according to early reports.

EXCLUSIVE: A homeless man who used anti-Black slurs and threatened children at a Berkeley school playground Saturday has been arrested, police report. We broke this story thanks to a reader tip.

Hate crime arrest after threats at Berkeley school playground David Celio "repeatedly shouted … slurs and threatened the children" through the fence, officials said.

SCOOP: UC Berkeley police arrested a summer camp staffer Saturday on suspicion of sodomizing a child overnight in a Cal dorm, authorities report. The suspect is an Oakland PE teacher who graduated from Cal, according to his LinkedIn page.

Camp staffer arrested after child s*xual assault at UC Berkeley UCPD identified the suspect as Quaylin Wesley, a 27-year-old Vallejo man.

EXCLUSIVE: The man police say started a fire at the Berkeley Animal Shelter last weekend, and later tried to flood it, had his dog taken during a recent arrest, The Scanner has learned.

Dog seizure preceded Berkeley Animal Shelter fire After the fire, police say arson suspect Peter Taraba flooded the shelter and then flooded the toilet in his Berkeley jail cell.

BREAKING: A deceased person was found on the UC Berkeley campus near Oxford Street on Friday morning. Gardeners found the body while working on one of the main campus pathways. The Scanner is the first to report this news.

Dead body found at UC Berkeley Gardeners found the body while working on campus Friday at the West Circle, in the bushes on one of the main campus pathways.

SCOOP: Berkeley police say they have arrested the man who set a fire at the Berkeley Animal Shelter over the weekend. BPD arrested Peter Taraba on Thursday on suspicion of more than 40 counts of animal cruelty, police said in response to a Scanner inquiry.

Berkeley Animal Shelter arson: arrest made Peter Taraba was arrested Thursday morning in connection with more than 40 counts of animal cruelty, police said.

SCOOP: A man with leptospirosis died in Berkeley in May after living in a "severely rat-infested RV" not far from Harrison Street, the city has confirmed.

Man with leptospirosis died after breeding rats in RV, city says "These are the first human cases of Leptospirosis in Berkeley in more than a decade," the city said.