New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Crime

Why was the trial of Kim Pham’s alleged murderers moved to Westminster?

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Courts, Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana, Westminster 3 Comments

I am trying to figure out why the trial of Vanesa Tapia Zavala, 25, and Candace Marie Brito, 27, who have both been charged with the brutal murder of 23-year old Chapman grad and writer Kim Pham, was moved from the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, to Newport Beach and then, late Monday, it was assigned to West Court, in Westminster, according to the O.C. Register.

As I understand it prospective jurors will be drawn from a Countywide pool, but moving the trial into, essentially, Little Saigon, and out of Downtown Santa Ana, sure looks like a big favor to Santa Ana’s City Council – and to the gentrifiers/hipsters in DTSA. The trial is going to be a media circus and holding it in Santa Ana would have been a daily reminder of how dangerous DTSA can be, for some. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man convicted of killing a pedestrian in a hit and run crash

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 13CF0131: February 5, 2014

MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING PEDESTRIAN IN HIT-AND-RUN CRASH

SANTA ANA – A man was convicted today of killing a pedestrian by crashing into the victim with his car and then fleeing the scene. Victor Manuel Arredondo Anaya, 28, Santa Ana, was found guilty by a jury today of one felony count of hit and run causing death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison at his sentencing March 28, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-38, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading→

SAPD DUI Checkpoint set for Feb. 8 at 800 W. First St.

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Alcohol, Bars, Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Police Department conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on February 8th, 7:30PM to 1:30AM in the area of 800 W. First

The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Saturday, February 8th, 2014. It will begin at 7:30PM and is scheduled to conclude at 1:30AM. It will be conducted in the area of 800 W. First Street, Santa Ana, CA. Continue reading→

Man who murdered his grandma and burned a house with kids in it convicted

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA Leave a comment

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 09ZF0074: February 4, 2014

MAN CONVICTED OF MURDERING GRANDMOTHER AND SETTING HOUSE ON FIRE WITH TWO YOUNG CHILDREN INSIDE

SANTA ANA – A man was convicted today of murdering his grandmother and setting her house on fire while his 8-year-old brother and 3-year-old niece were inside the home. Joseph Elija Ettima, 30, was found guilty by a jury Feb. 4, 2014, of one felony count of second degree murder, one felony count of arson of an inhabited dwelling, two felony counts of child abuse, and a sentencing enhancement for arson with an accelerant. As the defendant entered pleas of “not guilty” and “not guilty by reason of insanity,” the trial will now move into a second phase, the sanity phase. The sanity phase will begin Monday, Feb. 10, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. in Department C-41, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Ettima faces a sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole if the jury finds he was legally sane at the time of the murder. Continue reading→

Apologetic Bandit arrested in Lake Forest

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Orange County Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Lt. Jeff Hallock, (714) 904-7042/Gail Krause, (714) 623-8940

Apologetic Bandit arrested

LAKE FOREST, Calif. – (February 3, 2014) – On Friday, January 31, 2014, Orange County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Farhad Sharifi, 19, Aliso Viejo, on suspicion of committing numerous robberies over the course of the last 12-14 months. Sharifi was arrested early Friday morning after committing an armed robbery at the 7-11 convenience store located at 24386 Muirlands Blvd., in Lake Forest. Continue reading→

Vietnamese man sentenced for stabbing a man to death at a Garden Grove party

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Garden Grove, OCDA, Vietnamese, Westminster Leave a comment

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 09WF2495: February 3, 2014

MAN SENTENCED 16 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR STABBING-MURDER OF PARTY-GOER FOLLOWING ARGUMENT

WESTMINSTER – A man was sentenced Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, to 16 years to life in state prison for the stabbing-murder of a party-goer following an argument. Khanh Van Le, 43, Westminster, was found guilty by a jury, Oct. 21, 2013, of one felony count of second degree murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a knife.

Co-defendant Thao Thi Nguyen, 44, Anaheim, pleaded guilty, Nov. 22, 2013, to one felony count of accessory after the fact for lying to police about Le’s actions. Thao Nguyen was sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years of formal probation after the Court reduced the felony charge to a misdemeanor over the objection of the People. Continue reading→

Why poverty and crime are so persistent in Santa Ana

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Drugs, Education, Gangs, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana, Working Families 13 Comments

You want to know why Santa Ana is such a mess? We reported this week about a young man who dropped out of a good high school, Godinez Fundamental, and was shot dead at the age of 18, at 1 am. While he was not a gang member he was a drug runner, according to my son James who went to school with Jeffrey “Jay Jay” Enriquez, the shooting victim.

Enriquez had seven brothers and sisters. I can’t tell from his Facebook page if he had a dad around. In that he was just like a lot of kids in Santa Ana, which is Orange County’s youngest city – we have more kids under 18 than any other city in our County. Continue reading→

More bad news for DTSA – Westwood never recovered after a gang shooting in 1988

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana 8 Comments

Westwood isn’t what it used to be (Photo: Saul Gonzalez)

On Jan. 30, Karen Toshima was one of thousands of people who went to Westwood Village to have an enjoyable evening. Instead, she found death from a bullet fired by a member of a street gang. In her death, she joined the 60% of victims of gang murders who, like her, were innocent bystanders. Every person who was in Westwood Village on Jan. 30 can truthfully say, “But for the grace of God, it could have been me,” because Karen was not killed by a personal enemy. She was killed by our common enemy, a wantonly violent member of a street gang, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Toshima, a 27-year-old graphic designer, was celebrating a recent promotion with a night out in Westwood, according to the Daily Bruin.

That is exactly what Kim Pham was doing when she was stomped to death in Downtown Santa Ana, by a pack of vicious women and a few men too. Pham was waiting to get into a hipster nightclub, The Crosby, which has since announced that they are closing their doors. Continue reading→

SAPD needs help identifying a vehicle used in a drive by shooting

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Detectives request the media and publics assistance in identifying a vehicle involved in a drive by shooting.

On 1/28/14, SAPD Communications received several calls of shots fired in the area of 600 E. Chestnut. Witnesses reported that a black over gray late 90’s or early 2000’s Lexus or possibly an Acura 4 door was shooting at a male adult bicyclist.

The victim in this case was being chased by the suspects for several blocks. The last part of the incident was captured on video surveillance. In the video you will see a male adult on a red bicycle traveling east on Myrtle Street and the black suspect vehicle following behind. The rear male passenger shoots at the male bicyclist and misses. The vehicle fled and was last seen traveling northbound on Halladay Street. Continue reading→

SAPD homicide detectives arrest man for hit and run death of Martha Rodezno

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Homicide Detectives make arrest in the death of Martha Rodezno

On Wednesday January 29, 2014 Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Detectives arrested Jaqwun Laerin Turner (33) of Hawthorne for CVC 20001 (a) (b) 2 Hit and Run with permanent injury or death. Authorities arrested Turner at his residence.

Detectives obtained evidence that showed the victim in the area of Avery and the I-5 getting into a Petroleum Tanker driven by suspect Turner. On 12-8-2013 at approximately 2:43 AM the tanker was observed by a witness to be traveling northbound I-5 at the 22 freeway when a person was ejected from the passenger side of the Tanker. The Tanker was observed by the witness to continue driving on the northbound I-5 without stopping . Continue reading→

DUI Saturation Patrols planned for Super Bowl Sunday

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Lt. Jeff Hallock (714) 904-7042, Gail Krause, (714) 647-1840

DUI Saturation Patrols Planned for Super Bowl Sunday

SANTA ANA, California (January 30, 2014) – As the Super Bowl approaches and football fans across the country prepare for the game, the National Football League (NFL) the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have joined forces with the Orange County “Avoid the 38” DUI Task Force to spread the message about designating a sober driver on Super Bowl Sunday, because – Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. Continue reading→

Prosecutor says what matters is Pham’s death not who started the fight

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana 21 Comments

Contrary to reports that bystanders did nothing as a 23-year-old woman was fatally beaten outside a Santa Ana nightclub, an Orange County prosecutor said that as many as 15 people tried to come to the victim’s rescue, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“There’s been a lot of misinformation in this case,” OC Senior Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino said outside the courtroom Thursday. “There have been statements that this was a person who was beaten by four to five people while everyone stood around and did nothing except videotape — and that’s not accurate. There were plenty of people who got involved and tried to stop this altercation, plenty of people: security guards, friends of the victim, bystanders,” according to CBS. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man faces trial for hit and run crash that killed a pedestrian

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 13CF0131: January 30, 2014

MAN FACES TRIAL FOR KILLING PEDESTRIAN IN HIT-AND-RUN CRASH

SANTA ANA – A man faces trial today for killing a pedestrian by crashing into the victim with his car and then fleeing the scene. Victor Manuel Arredondo Anaya, 28, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of hit and run causing death and one misdemeanor count each of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and driving on a suspended license. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison. Opening statements are expected to begin this afternoon, Jan. 30, 2014, in Department C-38, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined. Continue reading→

DTSA imploding as restaurants close and artists are evicted

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Alcohol, Arts and Culture, Bars, Crime, Santa Ana 28 Comments

The party is over at The Crosby

The hipsters and gentrifiers are trying to argue that all is well in Downtown Santa Ana, in the wake of the brutal murder of Kim Pham, who was literally kicked in the head until she went into a coma, in front of The Crosby, a bar/restaurant. She later died in the hospital.

The Crosby is done. According to the OC Weekly they are not going to reopen. And the Memphis at the Santora is also done. They will apparently be replaced by a “High End Mexican Restaurant,” whatever the heck that is. Imagine the limo liberals from Irvine and Long Beach holding Drinking Liberally in a Mexican restaurant! LOL!

And Jack Jakosky, the owner of the Santora building served eviction notices yesterday on the Studio del Sotano and the Green Door Gallery, weeks after whitewashing a mural at the Santora and painting over the Studio del Sotano’s marquee. Continue reading→

Former Servite teacher posed as a girl on Facebook to get nude pics of boys

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Crime, Education, irvine, OCDA Leave a comment

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 13HF0513: January 29, 2014

MALE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSING AS TEENAGE GIRL ENCOURAGING SEX ACTS AND OBTAINING NUDE PHOTOS OF OVER 100 UNDERAGE BOYS THROUGH FACEBOOK

SANTA ANA – An Anaheim high school teacher was convicted and sentenced today to 10 years in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration for encouraging sex acts and soliciting and possessing nude photos and videos of over 100 underage boys by posing as a teenage girl on Facebook. Zachary Joshua Reeder, 31, Orange, pleaded guilty today to four felony counts of distributing pornography to a minor, two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, two felony counts of contacting a child with the intent to commit a lewd act, one felony count each of using a minor for sex acts, lewd act upon a child, possession and control of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography.

At the time of the crimes, Reeder was a history teacher at Servite High School, an all-boys college preparatory high school in Anaheim. Reeder previously worked as a history teacher and a walk-on assistant baseball coach for four seasons at Arnold O. Beckman High School in Irvine. Continue reading→