Police will investigate student’s death on cliffs Sandy Khoo, an 18-year-old student at San Diego State University, reportedly died after falling off the Torrey Pines cliffs on Feb. 14 but her mother is suspicious about the accident. At the mother’s urging, San Diego detectives are investigating. Khoo’s last phone call was made from 4585 College Ave. at 12:04 a.m. to inquire about the bus schedule. Khoo’s mother and friends can’t understand why she was out so late. “Her friends couldn’t believe it and I couldn’t believe it either,” said Khoo’s mother, Saw May Khoo. “At nighttime at that hour, she would not have gone alone.” Saw May Khoo said her daughter often requested an escort home after late-night classes. Khoo died from multiple blunt force injuries after falling nearly 50 feet, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office. A backpack, water bottle and flashlight — still turned on — were found near her body. She had been at the beach on Feb. 13 and had caught a cab to a trolley station to return to the university, her mother said. Khoo was seen on campus later that evening around 7:45 p.m. by other students.  “This doesn’t appear to be anything but a tragic accident,” San Diego Lt. Ernie Herbert said. Detectives are interviewing family and friends to try to determine why Khoo was on the cliff late at night.  “If there was any evidence of foul play, I’d be the first to bring it forward,” Herbert said.   Khoo’s body was seen on the cliffs by a passerby on Torrey Pines beach around 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 14. “I want to tell people [to] just come forward to give me some information and peace of mind,” Saw May Khoo said.  Anyone with information is urged to call police at (619) 531-2293 or (888) 580-8477. Ardath fire station hosts two open houses La Jollans interested in meeting their local fire fighters can attend an open house at Fire Station No. 9 on Saturday, March 6 or the following Saturday, March 13, at 2 p.m. at 7870 Ardath Lane. The open house events are part of an ongoing campaign to raise money to renovate the fire station. La Jollan Sally Ricchiuti launched the campaign with a private fund-raiser at her home after she toured the facility and decided it needed help. The fire fighters have requested new beds with linens, new carpeting, a remodel of the kitchen and gym equipment. For more information visit http://kindtonine.shutterfly.com or e-mail [email protected].   La Jollan charged in animal-cruelty case A La Jolla man admitted to pinning down and choking his 10-week-old Labrador retriever for 20 seconds to teach it a lesson, according to Lt. Dan DeSousa with the county’s Department of Animal Services. The owner took the puppy to an emergency veterinary clinic because it could not walk, had difficulty breathing, had red-tinged saliva and its gums were blue. The puppy, named Coco, went into cardiac arrest and died two days later. Veterinary staff notified the Department of Animal Services.  David Hale Warner, 50, admitted to restraining and choking the puppy because it scratched his girlfriend’s nose and then was barking while the girlfriend was on the phone, according to DeSousa. Warner has been charged with felony animal cruelty charges, punishable by imprisonment or a fine of not more than $20,000, or both. He also has an outstanding warrant for domestic violence. Warner was arraigned on Feb. 26 and will return to San Diego Superior Court on March 9.  Muirlands will introduce new synthetic field La Jolla will cut the ribbon on a new athletic field made of synthetic turf, a new running surface and a fitness unit at Muirlands Middle School on Saturday, March 6 at noon. The field will be used by the middle school students and the La Jolla High baseball, field hockey, soccer and lacrosse teams. Parents and school staff raised more than $1.3 million for the project that took three years to complete. The school district matched the first $500,000 the community raised, tapping into its funds earmarked for high school athletic fields, according to Howard Frank, chair of the Turf It committee. “The project is really significant because it has the potential to benefit every single student in La Jolla,” Frank said. “The old field was absolutely unsafe and was really an embarrassment. People were getting hurt in P.E. classes.” The synthetic field is expected to save more than two million gallons of water each year. Jeff Jacobs, son of Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs, made the largest contribution to modernizing the field, although Frank declined to specify the exact amount. “It was by far the most significant donation and a key to us being able to complete this project,” Frank said. For more information, call (858) 459-4211.