New Santa Ana | Monthly Archives: October 2015

Murder charge against a gangbanger dropped when he agrees to testify against his friend

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Jaime Prieto Rocha

Jaime Prieto Rocha, 42, a Santa Ana gangbanger pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on Friday and agreed to testify against his fellow gang member, 27-year-old Irvin Tellez, in exchange for prosecutors dropping a murder charge, according to the O.C. Register.

Rocha was sentenced in Harbor Court on Friday to 16 years in prison.

Rocha and Tellez left a bloody trail in Santa Ana on Sept. 2, 2013, when Tellez shot one woman and left her with permanent injuries and shot another, who died in the back seat of Rocha’s car. Continue reading→

Rally in support of the proposed Anaheim homeless shelter set for 11/17 in Santa Ana

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Entertainment, homeless, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

A rally will be taking place in Santa Ana on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, at 9 a.m., at the Orange County Hall of Administration, located at Building 19 at the Santa Ana Civic Center, in support of the proposed homeless shelter at Kraemer Place, in Anaheim.

The residents that live in the areas surrounding the location of the proposed homeless shelter have thus far shown up in great numbers to voice their opposition to the location of the shelter at several forums held over the past few months. Continue reading→

Man sentenced after giving drugs to underage girls, having sex with them and pimping them

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 14NF2910

Date: October 30, 2015

MAN SENTENCED TO 19 YEARS AND FOUR MONTHS IN PRISON FOR HAVING UNLAWFUL SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH FOUR UNDERAGE GIRLS, PROVIDING THEM WITH DRUGS, AND TRAFFICKING THREE OF THE VICTIMS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced today to 19 years and four months in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration for having unlawful sexual intercourse with four underage girls, providing them with drugs and trafficking three of the victims. Daryl Anthony Hicks, 57, Midway City, was found guilty by a jury Oct. 7, 2015, of three felony counts of human trafficking of a minor, four felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon, three felony counts of furnishing a controlled substance to a minor, and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.

Circumstances of the Case

Between February 2014 and July 2014, Hicks met 16-year-old Jane Doe 1 and 17-year-old Jane Doe 2 in Santa Ana. Hicks knew the victims were minors and gave them methamphetamine on multiple occasions, paid Jane Doe 2 to undress and took illegal nude photographs of her, and paid the victims for sex on multiple occasions. Continue reading→

Man flips out and gets tased after trying to burn down a 7-Eleven at McFadden and Fairview

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

What did you do for fun on Friday night? Julio Torres, a 30-year-old Santa Ana resident tried to set a 7-Eleven store, at the 2700 block of West McFadden, in Santa Ana, on fire, according to the O.C. Register.

Apparently Torres called the SAPD, when he arrived at the 7-Eleven store, just before 4 p.m., and told the police that there were people trying to kill him.

Torres locked himself into the 7-Eleven store’s manager’s office and refused to come out. The customers and employees ran for safety when the police arrived. Continue reading→

Free flu shots events in Westminster and Santa Ana set for Nov. 6 and 13

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Andrew Do, Disease, Entertainment, Orange County, Santa Ana, Westminster Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 30, 2015

CONTACT: Brian Probolsky, brian.probolsky@ocgov.com, (714) 834-3110

Get Your Flu Shot! Supervisor Andrew Do hosts Free Flu Shots Events in Westminster and Santa Ana

(Santa Ana, CA)— It’s time to get your free flu shot. This November, Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do will be hosting two free flu shot events in Westminster and Santa Ana. Both events are co-sponsored by the Orange County Health Care Agency and run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Continue reading→

Student government at Santa Ana College receives funds from the RSCCD Foundation

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana College Associated Student Government

RSCCD Foundation Board Member Arianna Barrios, Santa Ana College President Dr. Erlinda Martinez, RSCCD Board Student Trustee Raquel Manriquez, Santiago Canyon College ASG Representative Sophia Cho, RSCCD Foundation Board Member Nelida Yanez, and RSCCD Chancellor Raúl Rodríguez

October 28, 2015

Contact: Judy Iannaccone, Director, Public Affairs For Immediate Release, (714) 480-7503, iannaccone_judy@rsccd.edu

Donations Will Assist Efforts to Provide College Students with Government and Leadership Experiences

(Santa Ana, CA) — At a regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting on October 26, the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) Foundation Board donated $10,000 to the Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College Associated Student Government organizations to help provide students on both campuses with important government and leadership opportunities.

“The Foundation is committed to our students and has repeatedly expressed its desire to ensure that they are the first to benefit financially from our upcoming education consulting endeavor across the globe,” said Rancho Santiago Community College District Foundation Board Member Arianna Barrios, who helped present the checks along with fellow Foundation Board member Nelida Yanez. “Since our first wave of project revenue is not anticipated to arrive until early next year, our partners at Chevron were gracious enough to assist us with this donation of funds. We know the dollars will be put to good use.” Continue reading→

Calle Cuatro’s annual Noche de Altares (Day of the Dead) event set for Nov. 7

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Entertainment, Family, Food, Latinos, mexico, music, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

El Centro Cultural de Mexico is hosting their annual Noche de Altares (Day of the Dead) event on Saturday, November 7 , from 1:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at 4th and Birch Streets, in Santa Ana.

Since 2002, El Centro Cultural de Mexico has been organizing Noche de Altares, or a Night of Altars, a community based Día de los Muertos celebration, where families, students, community organization and businesses come together to create an authentic cultural experience that reflects Mexican tradition and what makes up our communities today. Organized by volunteers, the purpose of the celebration is to honor the ancient traditions of the festival and bring community members together through art, culture, and compassion. Continue reading→

Two Santa Ana men arrested for burglary and grand theft in Fountain Valley

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Daniel Vasquez

On October 26, 2015 at approximately 5:22 am, Fountain Valley Police Officers were dispatched to the area of Mt. Gustin Street and Berg River Circle (which is just west of Centennial Park) in reference to a vehicle burglary in progress by two male suspects.

When Officers arrived on scene, they located one male subject running away from the area. Officers stopped the subject and identified him as Daniel Vasquez, 5/10/96, of Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s police officers have lost confidence in Chief Carlos Rojas

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Civic Affairs, Public Safety, Santa Ana 7 Comments

Santa Ana’s police officers have had enough of their Police Chief, Carlos Rojas. They requested a vote of no confidence during the Oct. 8 meeting of the city’s police officers association, according to the Voice of OC.

Rojas claims to not know why his police officers are upset – which underscores how out of touch he is.

One of the big reasons the local police officers are unhappy is the chronic understaffing at the SAPD. The Voice of OC also reports that the officers “are also upset over what they call overzealous attempts at holding them accountable for misconduct.” Continue reading→

The Santa Ana Library is holding a logo contest

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community Alert: CONTEST: SANTA ANA PUBLIC LIBRARY IS LOOKING FOR A LOGO / DISEÑE UN LOGO PARA LA BIBLIOTECA PUBLICA

The Santa Ana Public Library is seeking a unique logo design that will be the library’s new image. In hopes of making the process a community effort, the Library has launched a contest for all residents to submit their logo designs.

We are looking for a design that depicts the Library’s commitment to the City of Santa Ana and its people. The logo will serve to promote the library. It will be a recognizable symbol of the library and a presence in the community.

Contestants should consider the Santa Ana Public Library’s mission in literacy, diversity, community, technology, information, youth, our history, and future. Continue reading→

More Santa Ana city executives suspected of having sex with their subordinates

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Alvaro Nunez, Civic Affairs, David Cavazos, Doug McGeachy, Santa Ana 9 Comments

Santa Ana Police Department Deputy Chief Douglas McGeachy

Investigations of Santa Ana Deputy Police Chief Doug McGeachy and code enforcement head Alvaro Nunez recently began after other employees alleged that they were dating subordinates in the police and code enforcement departments, according to the Voice of OC.

This alleged behavior should not come as a surprise given that Santa Ana’s overpaid City Manager, David Cavazos, has been dating an employee in his Planning Department (we know who she is but won’t publish her name as that might invite litigation). Continue reading→

City of Santa Ana to host economic development strategic plan forums

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Development, Entertainment, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community Alert: City of Santa Ana to Host Economic Development Strategic Plan Forums

The City of Santa Ana will be hosting three community forums in November to garner feedback on a new Economic Development Strategic Plan. Local residents and businesses are invited to share their thoughts on the City’s plan for economic development and to learn about how economic development affects jobs, public safety, roads, business growth, educational opportunities and shopping choices.

The firm helping to create the Economic Development Plan, RSG, will be presenting data gathered on different metrics such as employment, education, real estate lease/sales rates, property turnover and business performance during the forums. RSG will field questions, ask questions and invite feedback. Additionally, there will be interactive stations at the events for input, and a survey that can be taken onsite or online. Continue reading→

The SAPD is looking for a man who robbed a 7-11 and an AM/PM mini mart

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Detectives Request Media and Publics Assistance Identifying Suspect Wanted in Two Robberies

Synopsis: On 10/29/15 at approximately 3:48 am the photographed suspect entered the 7-11 store located at 1203 South Standard, (a block from Kennedy Elementary School), simulated a weapon (possible firearm) at the victim and demanded money in English.

At approximately 6:12 am the same suspect entered the AM/PM Mini Mart located at 1222 East First Street, (near Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediate School) again simulated a weapon and demanded money. The suspect fled on foot. Continue reading→

No need to panic over the new mosquito species in Orange County

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Disease, Health and Medical, Orange County, Orange County Vector Control District, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Asian Tiger Mosquito

Orange County Vector control officials are freaking out over reports from Orange County residents about a new invasive species of mosquito, know as the Asian tiger mosquito, at two homes in Los Alamitos and an industrial park in Huntington Beach.

They are also hunting down and killing another non-native and invasive tropical species called the Yellow Fever mosquito, which has turned up in part of Mission Viejo and is now in Garden Grove and Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

The Vector Control District tried to spray toxic chemicals throughout central Orange County a few weeks ago only to be rebuffed because they did not file the right paperwork to be able to spray over Disneyland. They did this ostensibly to try to stop the common house mosquitoes as they can carry the West Nile Virus. However there have only been 63 cases of the West Nile Virus in Orange County this year – and only two deaths (both elderly men in their 80’s. Continue reading→

Man found bleeding from a neck wound near Our Lady of Guadalupe Church

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana 3 Comments

An unidentified man in his 30s was found walking while bleeding from a wound in the neck today at 2:55 p.m., at the 200 block of North Grand Ave., in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

SAPD police officers found the man after they received a call about him. The victim was taken to the Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he underwent surgery. The man is expected to survive. Continue reading→