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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Churches and Religion

Santa Ana mosque volunteer faces new charges for molesting a 7-year-old girl

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana, Tustin Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15CF0405

Date: August 2, 2016

FORMER MOSQUE VOLUNTEER FACES NEW CHARGES FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO CAME FORWARD AFTER MEDIA COVERAGE OF PRIOR INCIDENTS

*The defendant also faces additional charges for sexually assaulting two victims listed in the original complaint

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former mosque volunteer is scheduled to be arraigned today on additional charges for sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl who came forward after seeing media coverage of prior sexual assaults. Ahmad Henry Osman, 54, Tustin, is charged with seven felony counts of performing lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 and one felony count of oral copulation with a child 10 years or younger, with a sentencing enhancement allegation for multiple victims. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 105 years to life in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned this morning, Aug. 2, 2016, in Department C-5, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

Osman is accused of violating his position of trust as a volunteer at the Indo Chinese Islamic Center (IIC) in Santa Ana. At the time of the crimes, the defendant taught classes at IIC and befriended the victims and their family members. Continue reading→

Poll – should Santa Ana spend $2.5M to help Mater Dei’s expansion?

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Education, Politics, Santa Ana 15 Comments

The City of Santa Ana has spent a fortune over the years accommodating the requests of Mater Dei High School, a private Catholic school. Now Mater Dei is asking for more city funding, to the tune of $2.5 million dollars, to come out of our city’s beleaguered General Fund, to help them as they go about building a new parking structure and a 30K sq. ft. academic building. They are asking the City to pay for construction and engineering work associated with the removal/realignment of several streets where homes have been acquired by Mater Dei High School, to expand their campus.

Is this an appropriate expenditure for our City?  Consider that Mater Dei is a private, not public school. While they do give out scholarships to low income students, the reality is that many of Mater Dei’s students don’t live in our city and quite a few of them come from high income families. Continue reading→

80-year-old missionary charged with molesting young girls in Tustin

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Santa Ana, Tustin 2 Comments

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 16CF0858

Date: April 5, 2016

LAW ENFORCEMENT SEEKS PUBLIC’S HELP IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL VICTIMS OF 80-YEAR-OLD MISSIONARY CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ASSULTING TWO GIRLS UNDER AGE 10

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Tustin Police Department (TPD) are seeking the public’s help identifying potential additional victims of an 80-year-old missionary charged with sexually assaulting two girls under the age of 10. Douglas Dale Whinery, 80, Tustin, is charged with four felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, and two felony counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years old or younger, with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing lewd acts upon multiple victims. If convicted, Whinery faces a maximum sentence of 100 years to life in state prison. Whinery was arraigned today, and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on April 12, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

At the time of the crime, Whinery was a former pastor and missionary and was actively involved at Olive Crest Church in Santa Ana, Foothills Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, and Grace Church in Yorba Linda. The defendant had access to children. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Peace and Unity March and Rally set for April 30

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana 1 Comment

A Peace & Unity March and Rally has been set for Saturday, April 30, 2016. This is a community city-wide event that will take place at Jerome Park, located at 2215 McFadden Ave., in Santa Ana.

The march will start at 11 a.m. and the rally will start at 12 noon.

The event will include:

  • A Resource Fair
  • Food
  • Live Music
  • Testimonies
  • Speeches by city officials
  • A prayer for the city

Continue reading→

Woman facing multiple felony charges after stealing gold statues from a Buddhist temple

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Little Saigon, Santa Ana, Vietnamese Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 16CF0751

Date: March 22, 2016

WOMAN CHARGED WITH HATE CRIME, GRAND THEFT, AND VANDALISM FOR STEALING THREE GOLD STATUES FROM BUDDHIST TEMPLE IN SANTA ANA

*Defendant was out of custody after being convicted of vandalism of a religious property

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A woman was charged with committing a hate crime, grand theft, and vandalism today for stealing three gold statues from a Buddhist temple in Santa Ana. Trang Thu Pham, 45, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of grand theft and one felony count of vandalism of a religious property with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing a hate crime. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. Pham was arraigned today and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on March 30, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Suspect in theft of Buddhist statues arrested on South Harbor Blvd.

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Little Saigon, Santa Ana, Vietnamese Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: UPDATE – SAPD Detectives Request Assistance In Locating Suspect Wanted In Theft Of Buddhist Statues

On 03/18/16 detectives received information that suspect Trang Thu Pham was in the 900 block of South Harbor Blvd. Detectives contacted Pham and she was placed in custody for the no bail probation violation warrant.

Pham was transported to SAPD where she was interviewed by detectives reference the current allegations. Based on that interview she was booked into the SAPD Jail for two counts of Grand Theft and the no bail warrant. Continue reading→

Tustin woman convicted for stealing over $400K from Holy Family Cathedral School

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Education, OCDA, Orange, Tustin 2 Comments

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case #15CF0347

Date: January 6, 2016

FORMER OFFICE MANAGER CONVICTED AND SENTENCED FOR EMBEZZLING MONEY FROM CATHOLIC SCHOOL FUNDRAISING PROGRAM

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former office manager was convicted and sentenced today for embezzling money from a Catholic school’s fundraising program. Adela Maria Tapia, 40, Tustin, pleaded guilty to a court offer of two felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement, 13 felony counts of money laundering with sentencing enhancement allegations for aggravated white collar crime over $100,000, and property loss of over $200,000. Tapia was sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison stayed pending the completion of one year in jail and five years formal probation over an objection by the People, who argued for a state prison sentence without the possibility of probation. Tapia was also ordered to pay over $438,000 in restitution. Continue reading→

Rep. Sanchez reacts to Pope Francis’ address to the U.S. Congress

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Loretta Sanchez Leave a comment

Pope Francis

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Representing California’s 46th Congressional District

STATEMENT, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Morris, 202-225-2965, Emily.Morris@mail.house.gov

REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ STATEMENT ON POPE FRANCIS’ ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46) released the following statement after Pope Francis’ address to the Joint Meeting of Congress:

“Pope Francis’ words of compassion, hope and reconciliation during his address to the Joint Meeting of Congress were refreshing and much needed, especially in light of the divisive rhetoric that has gripped our nation in the last few months.

“I hope my colleagues will take the Pope’s message to heart. The Pope called for dialogue and reminded us of shared social responsibility: ‘A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all of its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the problem.’ As members of Congress, we must come together and work on solutions to the problems we have the ability to solve. Continue reading→

Rep. Sanchez describes Pope Francis as “unpredictable and exciting”

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Loretta Sanchez, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Loretta Sanchez at Religion in America Show

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Representing California’s 46th Congressional District
PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 23, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Morris, 202-225-2965, Emily.Morris@mail.house.gov

REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ: POPE FRANCIS IS UNPREDICTABLE, EXCITING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To mark Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46) shared her views on Pope Francis at “Coffee@WaPo: Religion in America” a forum hosted by The Washington Post earlier this week.

“People want to know the Pope; he is drawing people to the Catholic Church,” said Congresswoman Sanchez. “People who are not Catholic are hearing his message.” Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s new Celebration Church will celebrate their grand opening on Sep. 13

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Entertainment, Family, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Santa Ana's new Celebration Church

Santa Ana has a new church, called the Celebration Church.  They are celebrating a grand opening on Sunday, Sep. 13, at 11:15 a.m.  The Celebration Church is located at 555 E. Memory Lane, in north Santa Ana. They are across the street from Santiago Park, near the Town and Country Manor Retirement Center.  The church entrance is off of Lawson Dr.  The building was formerly occupied by the Community Bible Church.  That congregation appears to have moved to Huntington Beach.

Dr. Gary Tangeman is the lead pastor at this new church. He was formerly the senior pastor at Crossroads Church, in Bremerton, WA, according to Linkedin.  He wrote the book The Disciple Making Church of the 21st Century published in 1996 by Christian Literature Crusade.  Tangeman posits in this book that the church exists to glorify God by making disciples, and that pastors and lay leaders alike need to understand and utilize certain crucial principles of ministry to accomplish this goal. Continue reading→

Man arrested for molesting children whose families attend a Jehovah’s Witness church in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Santa Ana, Tustin Leave a comment

Jose Aguilera

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Santa Ana & Tustin Police Departments Arrested Suspect For Multiple Counts Of Sexual Assaults Against Children.

On 9/4/15, after a joint investigation between the Santa Ana Police Department and the Tustin Police Department, detectives arrested Jose Aguilera, 41, of Santa Ana, for multiple counts of sexual assaults against children.

Aguilera met, and befriended, the four families of his victims at the Kingdom Hall Jehovah’s Witness church in Santa Ana where they worship. Aguilera is not an employee of the church. Aguilera created situations where he was allowed to visit the victims’ homes or transport victims in his car. The alleged assaults occurred when Aguilera was alone with the children. Continue reading→

Church volunteer charged with sexually assaulting young boys

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Garden Grove, Orange County Leave a comment
Isai Beltran

Isai Beltran, Courtesy of the Orange County District Attorney’s office

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15WF1312

Date: July 23, 2015

OCDA AND GGPD SEEK PUBLIC’S HELP IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL VICTIMS OF YOUTH GROUP VOLUNTEER CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEXUAL BATTERY OF MULTIPLE YOUNG BOYS

WESTMINSTER, Calif.– The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) and the Garden Grove Police Department (GGPD) are seeking the public’s help identifying potential additional victims of a youth group volunteer charged with sexually assaulting two boys under the age of 18. Isai Beltran, 25, Long Beach, is charged with two felony counts of performing lewd acts on a child under the age of 14, one misdemeanor count of sexual battery, and one misdemeanor count of child annoyance. If convicted, Beltran faces a maximum of 10 years in state prison. Beltran is out of custody on $100,000 bail, and is scheduled for a continued arraignment, tomorrow, July 24, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. in Department W-12, West Justice Center, Westminster.

Between January 2013 and December 2014, Beltran is accused of working as a youth group volunteer at several churches in Los Alamitos and Cypress. Continue reading→

Rabbi recognized for faith-based care at Hoag Hospital

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Health and Medical, Newport Beach, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Rabbi Reuven Mintz

Rabbi Recognized for Faith-based Care at Hoag Hospital 

Rabbi Reuven Mintz Receives Fairhaven Memorial Park’s Oliver Halsell Care Award

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 16, 2015 – For Newport Beach resident Rabbi Reuven Mintz, serving others is not just about providing a service to the community – it’s a personal calling. The director of the Chabad Jewish Center in Newport Beach, a leader of The Friendship Circle, and volunteer at Pastoral Care Services at Hoag Hospital, Rabbi Mintz wears many different hats, and his passions lie in making the lives and well being of others a priority during times of need. He also is known for protecting and guiding the lives of others, and offers solace to those whose lives come to an unfortunate end.

Rabbi Mintz is the July/August recipient of Fairhaven’s Oliver Halsell Care Award. Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary, with locations in Santa Ana and Mission Viejo, created the recognition program in 2012 to pay tribute to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional care in their profession and community, improving the lives and spirits of those they help. Continue reading→

Former church volunteer convicted of molesting six boys and distributing porn

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Costa Mesa, Courts, Crime, Newport Beach, OCDA Leave a comment

Christopher Bryan McKenzie Sr

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 12HF3538

Date: July 1, 2015

FORMER VOLUNTEER SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER CONVICTED OF MOLESTING SIX MINOR BOYS AND POSSESSING AND DISTRIBUTING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

SANTA ANA – A former volunteer Sunday school teacher was convicted today of molesting six minor boys and possessing and distributing child pornography. Christopher Bryan McKenzie Sr., 51, Costa Mesa, was found guilty by a jury of 10 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old, one felony count of attempted lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old, four felony counts of using a minor for sex acts, two felony count of attempting to use a minor for sex acts, two felony counts of distributing pornography to a minor, and one felony count of possession of child pornography with sentencing enhancements for substantial sexual conduct with a child and committing lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old against more than one victim. McKenzie faces a maximum sentence of 160 years to life in state prison at his sentencing on Sept. 4, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-40, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

At the time of the crimes McKenzie worked as a swimming pool cleaner. The defendant was a volunteer Sunday school teacher at Christ Church by the Sea in Newport Beach between 2004 and 2006 and at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa. Continue reading→

Job Fair at Calvary Church of Santa Ana set for July 7

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Calvary Church of Santa Ana

FREE JOB FAIR with 30+ Orange County Companies

Calvary Church of Santa Ana is hosting a free job fair on Tuesday, July 7, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at their Fellowship Hall, located at 1010 N. Tustin Ave, in Santa Ana. Register for free here.  Read the FAQ regarding Church Job Fair events.

Between 30 and 50 companies will be at this job fair.  Applicants should dress to impress and wear comfortable shoes.  They should also bring plenty of copies of their resume.

Some of the companies that participate in these job fairs include: Continue reading→