Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Crime

Santa Ana man pleads guilty to a DUI crash that almost killed his family

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Leonardo Morales, a 23-year-old Santa Ana man pleaded guilty Friday to a drunken driving crash in which the SUV he was driving erupted into flames just before two California Highway Patrol officers rescued him, a woman and their two young children, according to the O.C. Register.

Morales admitted to single counts apiece of several felonies including driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and driving with a blood-alcohol level exceeding the legal limit of .08 percent or more causing injury as well as two counts of child abuse and endangerment. Continue reading→

A candlelight vigil to be held in DTSA tonight to honor the Florida shooting victims

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The LGBT Center OC, which is located in Santa Ana, is hosting a candlelight vigil tonight, Sunday, June 12, 2016, at 6:30 pm this evening, to give our community to honor and heal in the wake of the horrific mass shooting at a gay club in Florida yesterday, in which 50 innocent people were killed and another 54 victims were injured.

The event will begin at CO4, at 6:30 p.m., located at 305 E. 4th St., Second Floor, Santa Ana, CA, and continue with a walk to Sasscer Park and back to CO4 for a candlelight vigil at 7:00 p.m.

Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen, a candidate for the 46th Congressional District, released this statement today regarding the shooting: Continue reading→

Two Santa Ana auto theft suspects arrested in Irvine

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Irvine Police Department Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PRESS RELEASE #06/06/2016

Subject: Officer Observations Lead to Weekend Stolen Car Arrests

Contact : Farrah Emami, Public Information Officer, 949-724-7112, femami@cityofirvine.org

Irvine, CA – The observations of alert Irvine officers resulted in the arrest of three suspects in two separate stolen car cases over the weekend.

In the first case, two suspects were arrested Friday, June 3, 2016. They are identified as Alfredo Mercado, 43, and Jaime Reynoso, 35, both of Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man arrested in Irvine after a stolen vehicle pursuit

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Irvine Police Department Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PRESS RELEASE #06-08-2016

Subject: Man Arrested Following Vehicle Pursuit

Contact : Farrah Emami, Public Information Officer, 949-724-7112, femami@cityofirvine.org

Irvine, CA – The Irvine Police Department (IPD) has arrested a man following a vehicle pursuit. The suspect is identified as Carl Gonzalez, 33, of Santa Ana. He was arrested on charges including evading a police officer, obstructing/resisting a peace officer, hit and run causing property damage, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia. At the time of his arrest, the suspect was on parole.

At approximately 3:30 a.m. today, June 8, 2016, an Irvine Police officer attempted a vehicle stop in the area of Harvard Avenue and Warner Avenue. The driver of the vehicle failed to yield and the officer initiated a short pursuit. Continue reading→

Orange County employee charged with $55K workers’ compensation fraud

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County Efforts Continue to Target Worker’s Compensation Fraud

(Santa Ana, CA) — An ongoing effort by the County of Orange to target suspected instances of worker’s compensation fraud resulted in the arrest this week of a man who claimed to have been disabled after an on-the-job vehicle accident.

While completing community service hours for an earlier DUI conviction, Bartolo Hernandez Orona was a passenger in a County truck in August 2009 when the driver hit a tree. In 2014, he filed a worker’s compensation claim for injuries, claiming to be completely disabled by the accident after having undergone two back surgeries.

He is accused of seeking work between November 2014 and August 2015 as a day laborer and observed moving furniture down a flight of stairs, gardening and riding a bicycle. Continue reading→

Transgender woman shot while walking on Harbor Blvd. early this morning

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A transgender woman was shot early this morning at around 3 a.m. as she was walking at the 1100 block of S. Harbor Blvd., in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

After the shooting, the victim went to a gas station about a half mile from the scene of the shooting, to report the incident. When the SAPD showed up she eventually became uncooperative but did indicate that the shooter was a man in a gray hat. Continue reading→

Woman charged with setting fires at two Santa Ana stores so she could steal goods

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Erika Rubi Hernandez Valeriano, a 41-year-old transient woman, pleaded not guilty today to two charges of arson, after she allegedly set fires in two stores while she stole shopping carts loaded with goods, according to the O.C. Register.

The first arson/shoplifting crime happened on Oct. 4, 2015 at the Santa Ana Walmart that is located at 3600 W. McFadden Ave. and the second crime happened on May 30 at the El Super Market located at 2445 S. Bristol St., according to the OCFA. Continue reading→

Pimp sentenced after taking nearly $50K from a prostitute in Santa Ana

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15NF1059/15NF2346

Date: June 9, 2016

MAN SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS IN PRISON FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING, PIMPING, AND PANDERING WOMAN AND ATTEMPTED PIMPING OF ANOTHER WOMAN BY THREATENING THE VICTIMS

*Defendant received nearly $50,000 from trafficking one of the victims

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced today to 14 years in state prison for the human trafficking, pimping, and pandering of a woman, and attempting to pimp another woman by threatening both victims. The defendant received nearly $50,000 from the trafficking of one of the victims. Johnny Lee Guyton Jr., 46, Henderson, Nevada, was found guilty by a jury on May 17, 2016, of one felony count of human trafficking, one felony count of pimping, two felony counts of pandering, and one felony count of attempted pimping. Guyton also received mandatory lifetime sex offender registration as a term of his sentence.

On April 21, 2015, Guyton was charged in case 15NF1059 with two felony counts of human trafficking, two felony counts of pimping, two felony counts of pandering. This case was subsequently consolidated with case 15NF2346. Continue reading→

O.C. Sheriff Hutchens addresses the Jail Special Handling Log fiasco

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Sheriff Hutchens Addresses Jail Special Handling Log

SANTA ANA, Ca. (June 09, 2016) – Today in court there was discussion of the jail informant notes and special handling/classification log. I want to provide the public with some background as to the discovery of the log and the steps that have been put in place to ensure this doesn’t occur in the future.

In February 2016, one day prior to a hearing on the Henry Rodriguez case, we were provided personal notes kept by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy. This deputy worked in the Special Handling Unit. These notes were not part of our general documentation practice and protocol for record keeping in the jail. The discovery of these notes were shared with the court and the Department of Justice. Continue reading→

The OCDA turns over a recently discovered Sheriff’s jail log to defense attorneys

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 12ZF0137 (Wozniak)/12ZF0128 (Dekraai)

Date: June 9, 2016

OCDA TURNS OVER RECENTLY UNCOVERED OCSD SPECIAL HANDLING LOG TO COURT AND FILES BRIEFS REQUESTING HEARING TO TURN OVER MATERIAL TO DEFENSE AND PROTECT PRIVILEGED DATA

*OCDA sets out concrete action plans to remedy OCSD’s previous nonproduction of documents

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) today turned over to the court a complete copy of the newly obtained Special Handling Log (SH Log) from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), and filed briefs to seal privileged data and request a court hearing to turn over discovery to the defense in the People v. Scott Dekraai. In May 2016, hearings in People v. Daniel Wozniak were held in the Honorable John D. Conley’s courtroom to confirm that the defense is being given all the materials to which they are entitled, and portions of recently-uncovered set of jail records were produced to defendant Wozniak by the OCSD in response to third-party subpoenas served on OCSD by the defense.

During the recent May court hearings in Wozniak, the OCSD custodian of records testified that OCSD management and command staff previously knew nothing of the existence of a set of jail records called the SH Log described in court as a daily activity log of the jail’s special handling deputies. Correspondingly, the OCDA did not know of the existence of this set of jail records. Continue reading→

Two men charged with pimping a teenage girl and a woman in Costa Mesa

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 16WF1188

Date: June 7, 2016

MAN ARRAIGNED FOR TRAFFICKING AND ATTEMPTING TO PIMP MINOR TEENAGE GIRL AND ALSO CHARGED WITH PIMPING AND PANDERING ANOTHER WOMAN WITH CO-DEFENDANT

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was arraigned today for trafficking and attempting to pimp a minor teenage girl and was also charged for pimping and pandering another woman with his co-defendant. Marice Lavell Curry, 25, Fresno, is charged with one felony count each of human trafficking of a minor, attempted pimping of a minor, pandering with a minor over 16 years old by procuring, pimping, and pandering. If convicted, Curry faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and four months in state prison.

Donald Ray Phelps Jr., 23, Fresno, is charged with one felony count of pimping and one felony count of pandering. If convicted, Phelps faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. They are both being held on $100,000 bail and must prove the money is from a legal and legitimate source before posting bond. They were both arraigned today and are scheduled for pre-trial on June 15, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department W-12, West Justice Center, Westminster. Continue reading→

Repeat offender sentenced to life in prison after trying to rape three women in Westminster

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 11WF3019

Date: June 6, 2016

FLORIDA INMATE SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS CONSECUTIVE TO TWO LIFE SENTENCES IN PRISON FOR ASSAULTING, KIDNAPPING, AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTING THREE WOMEN NEAR WESTMINSTER PARK

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Florida inmate was sentenced today to two life sentences to be served consecutively to 10 years and eight months in state prison for assaulting, kidnapping, and sexually assaulting three women near a park in Westminster. Arnold Eduardo Martinez, 35, Blackwater Correctional Facility, Florida, was found guilty by a jury on May 4, 2016, of one felony count of attempted kidnapping to commit a sexual offense, three felony counts of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense, two felony counts of kidnapping to commit a sexual offense, one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury, and one felony count of false personation. Sentencing enhancements for great bodily injury and great bodily injury to a sexual assault victim were found to be true. Continue reading→

OCDA prosecutor and investigator recognized for fighting financial fraud

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Date: June 3, 2016

OCDA PROSECUTOR AND INVESTIGATOR RECEIVE AWARDS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FINANCIAL CRIMES INVESTIGATORS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Deputy District Attorney Donde McCament and Investigator Jennifer Friedl of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) were recognized this week by the Southern California Chapter of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI) for their outstanding commitment and exceptional performances in combatting insurance fraud. Friedl received the prestigious Rick Brady Financial Crimes Investigator of the Year award, and McCament received the William D. Neumann Prosecutor of the Year Award.

Each year, the IAFCI honors those prosecutors and investigators who demonstrate an outstanding dedication to advancing the ideals of criminal justice and fighting financial crimes. Continue reading→

Two Santa Ana men and six others convicted of trying to hook up with prostitutes

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney

Date: June 3, 2016

EIGHT MEN CONVICTED OF LOITERING WITH INTENT TO COMMIT PROSTITUTION OR AGREEING TO ENGAGE IN PROSTITUTION

*Conviction details of sex purchasers are featured on the OCDA website

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) convicted eight men in May 2016 of loitering with the intent to commit prostitution or agreeing to engage in prostitution. The defendants in these cases approached a woman whom they believed to be a prostitute, or loitered in areas known for prostitution and human trafficking in Orange County. Each of the defendants below agreed to engage, or loitered with the intent to engage, in commercial sex with a woman and were subsequently arrested by law enforcement.

Defendant/Conviction/Sentence: Continue reading→

Man charged with pimping a 13-year-old girl in Santa Ana

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 16CF1494

Date: June 3, 2016

MAN CHARGED WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING, PIMPING, AND PANDERING 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN ORANGE COUNTY

*Victim in this case is the youngest filed victim since the HEAT Unit’s establishment in 2013

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged today with human trafficking, pimping, and pandering a 13-year-old girl in Orange County. John Wayne Calhoun, 30, San Bernardino, is charged with one felony count of human trafficking of a minor, two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, one felony count of pimping a minor, and one felony count of pandering with a minor under 16 years old by procuring with sentencing enhancement allegations for human trafficking by force or fear and a 2012 felony conviction for inflicting corporal injury upon a spouse or cohabitant in San Bernardino County. If convicted, Calhoun faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. Calhoun is scheduled for a continued arraignment on June 24, 2016, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined. Continue reading→