Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Department conducting DUI/Drivers License checkpoint Friday, August 3rd, 2012, 7:30PM -1:30AM, 2300 N. Tustin Avenue
SANTA ANA POLICE STEP UP DUI ENFORCEMENT
The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, August 3rd, 2012. It will begin at 7:30PM and is scheduled to conclude at 1:30AM. It will be conducted in the area of 2300 N. Tustin Avenue, in the City of Santa Ana. Continue reading
Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Police Department Gang Homicide Detail arrest four suspects wanted for July 17th 2012 murder
On Tuesday, July 17, 2012, at approximately 2120 hrs. patrol officers responded to the area of 700 E. Chestnut St. on a call involving shots fired and a wounded male. Upon arrival, officers found 18-year-old Edgar Ortiz suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body. Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release: August 1, 2012
Contacts: Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, Office: 714-347-8408, Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, Office: 714-347-8405, Cell: 714-323-4486
OCDA HOSTS 13th ANNUAL SUMMER YOUTH EDUCATION CONFERENCE FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
SANTA ANA – Orange County high school students will have the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look next week at what it’s like to be a prosecutor, police detective, and judge during the 13th Annual Summer Youth Education Conference. This weeklong program will begin Monday, Aug. 6, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. and will include over 35 hours of hands-on activities, culminating in a mock trial and a graduation ceremony on Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. Continue reading
Imagine if you will that instead of an unarmed Manuel “Stomper” Diaz getting chased down and shot in the back, the victim had been some random white skateboarder in Anaheim Hills? And what if the shooter had been a Latino cop? Oh my. What a different outcome we would have – or would we?
The O.C. Register today asked for calm in Anaheim, opining “The Register’s Editorial Board urges calm and healing at this time of division in the community. We believe a small minority may feel there is something to be gained by inciting further violent confrontations. Nothing is to be gained by fanning animosity on either side of the issue.” Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release, Case # 10CF2436: July 20, 2012
Contacts: Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, Office: 714-347-8408, Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, Office: 714-347-8405, Cell: 714-323-4486
Drunken driver sentenced to 15 years in prison for Severely injuring MOTHER and 2-YEAR-OLD BY crashing into victims while THEY WERE walking on sidewalk
SANTA ANA – A drunken driver was sentenced today to 15 years in state prison for injuring a mother and her 2-year-old daughter and hitting three others by crashing into them as they were walking on the sidewalk. Miguel Angel Sandoval, 44, Santa Ana, was found guilty by a jury June 5, 2012, of one felony count each of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, driving with a blood alcohol content of over .08 percent causing bodily injury, and two felony counts of mayhem, with sentencing enhancements and allegations for causing bodily injury to multiple victims, causing great bodily injury to Claudia G., causing great bodily injury to a child under 5 years old, and two prior felony convictions for commercial burglary in 2003. Continue reading
Carlos and Alfonso Bustamante
A lawsuit filed this week in Orange County Superior Court accuses Alfonso Bustamante, the twin brother of Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante, “of repeatedly abusing his position as a licensed psychologist by secretly engaging in a “side relationship” with the female half of a married couple seeking counseling,” according to the OC Weekly.
“Damien Edwards claims in his seven-page lawsuit that Bustamante–who is the married brother of Carlos Bustamante, the disgraced Republican politician–is guilty of professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of confidentiality and intentional infliction of emotion distress.”
Remember those emails I got from one of Bustamante’s ex-girlfriends, starting back in 2009? She implicated Alfonso as well as Carlos. And looking back at her emails she was rather coy as to which one she was allegedly dating. Continue reading
Norberto Santana, the Editor in Chief at the Voice of OC, said today on KPCC’s Airtalk that the Voice of OC is going to sue the County of Orange to compel the release of the letter written by “Alisa Drakodaidis, which reportedly contains allegations of improper actions by several county supervisors and District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.”
Orange County officials are now arguing that the public should not see the details of the Drakodaidis letter because “the letter contains personnel information, the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” according to the Voice of OC. Continue reading
Santa Ana Police Department Advisory
UPDATED INFORMATION ON STRANGER ABDUCTION/SEXUAL ASSAULT
DATE: 7/18/12
LOCATION: 1400 S. Townsend
SUSPECT: Male, Hispanic, 25-35 years of age, thin to medium build, Short Spiked up black hair, with a thin mustache, and medium complexion. Continue reading
UPDATE: District Attorney Tony Rackauckas Monday quashed the release of a politically explosive letter sent to the Orange County Board of Supervisors by an attorney representing Deputy CEO Alisa Drakodaidis, who abruptly went on a medical leave in the wake of sex crimes charges against former county Public Works executive Carlos Bustamante, according to the Voice of OC.
“Indications are that Orange County Deputy CEO Alisa Drakodaidis is the latest high-level official heading out the door in the wake of the Carlos Bustamante sex crimes scandal,” according to the Voice of OC. Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney
Press Release, For Immediate Release: July 17, 2012
Contacts: Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, Office: 714-347-8408, Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, Office: 714-347-8405, Cell: 714-323-4486
BOXING COACH TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR MOLESTING TWO 14-YEAR-OLD BOYS IN HIS SANTA ANA HOME
SANTA ANA – A boxing coach will be arraigned today for sexually assaulting two 14-year-old boys, whom he met through a Santa Ana boxing club. Anthony Serrano, 45, Santa Ana, is charged with four felony counts of lewd acts on a child and faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison if convicted. The People will be requesting Serrano be held on $200,000 bail at his arraignment today, Tuesday, July 17, 2012, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined. Continue reading
Local sports legend Anthony Serrano, the head of the Santa Ana Boxing Club, has been arrested, according to the OC Weekly. The official press release about this arrest has not yet been issued by the Orange County District Attorney’s office. According to the Weekly, the “police arrested Serrano on charges that he sexually abused one of his boxers.”
Serrano has run the Santa Ana Boxing Club for the last ten years and is listed on their contact page. The boxing club is part of the Orange County Youth Commission, which “was launched in 1997 by Rosemarie Avila and a group of concerned community members who recognized the needs of children in high-poverty areas of Orange County and wanted to make a difference in their lives,” according to their website. Continue reading
A married San Fernando councilman who publicly revealed that he was having an affair with a colleague last year has resigned, according to he L.A. Times, which also stated that “Councilman Mario Hernandez’s resignation came just days after the City Council unexpectedly fired the city’s police chief.”
Hernandez had an affair with a fellow Council Member, and he did the right thing and resigned. What about Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante? He has been charged with a plethora of felony sex crimes and public theft, and Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas basically called him a predator. Why hasn’t Bustamante done the right thing and resign from the Santa Ana City Council? Continue reading
Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante’s arrest is a tragic situation that should have been resolved many years earlier.
I am deeply disappointed by our County government’s inability to quickly identify and take swift action against all those who didn’t do their job – upholding a workplace that is free from sexual harassment, abuse of authority and abuse of women.
It is a tragedy that many in our County government choose not to listen or turned a blind eye, possibly thinking an investigation would be too embarrassing, too financially costly or as seemingly apparent, a way to protect one of their own, regardless of the potential for serious criminal charges. Continue reading
Sex Crime Defense Attorney Paul J. Wallin thinks Carlos Bustamante could mount a good defense
Can Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante mount a successful defense and defeat the sex crime charges he is facing? Paul J. Wallin, a local attorney who is a leading expert in defending those accuse of sex crimes thinks he can.
I know Wallin quite well. I used to work for him many years ago, as a marketing director for his firm, Wallin & Klarich. This firm defends many professionals, including teachers and other government employees, who are charged with sex crimes. They also handle all sorts of other criminal defense matters.
Wallin submitted a comment over at the Voice of OC, outlining why he thinks Bustamante isn’t getting a fair shake – and may indeed have a decent defense. Here is Wallin’s comment: Continue reading
It turns out that Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante’s last hurrah was the 2nd Annual Santa Ana Independence Day event at Centennial Park, which was held last Sunday. He was arrested the very next day, after parking his car in a parking structure at City Hall, on charges of sex crimes and public theft.
One of the things that always bothered me about Bustamante was his overstated patriotism and gung ho attitude towards public safety. It always felt fake to me. He once compared himself to movie character Forrest Gump, a pretty dumb guy who made out over time by being in the right place at the right time. That is the story of Bustamante’s life. Continue reading