Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Crime

The OCDA strongly opposes three CA State Senate bills that increase crime in California

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2017

SB-10, SB-421, SB-620

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY STRONGLY OPPOSES STATE SENATE PROPOSED BILLS THAT CHANGE FIREARM ENHANCEMENTS, PRETRIAL RELEASE, AND SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) strongly opposes three California State Senate bills that change firearm sentencing enhancement requirements, bail and pretrial release, and sex offender registration. Crime victims’ rights leaders Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III (Marsy’s Law) and Erin Runnion (The Joyful Child Foundation) joined the OCDA at the news conference to voice their opinions. Continue reading→

The SAPD is looking for an overweight suspect who has robbed two Arco gas stations

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Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Detectives Asking For Media & Publics Assistance In Identifying Armed Robbery Suspect

Crime Type: PC 211—Armed Robbery (Black Handgun)

Synopsis: On 7/6/2017 at approximately 11:30 p.m., the suspect committed an armed robbery at the Arco Gas Station located in the 1700 block of East Dyer Road. Approximately an hour and a half later, the same suspect committed another armed robbery at the Arco located in the 3400 block of South Main Street. Continue reading→

Two Santa Ana gang members were arrested after a police pursuit on Sunday night

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Shortly before 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Santa Ana police tried to stop a vehicle for various violations including no license plate and no seatbelts, according to NBC News.

The driver, a documented gang member who was later identified as Jesus Arturo Martinez, refused to pull over so the police began to pursue his vehicle on local streets at speeds that topped 90 mph. At one point the suspect even drove the wrong way on the street, according to the SAPD. Continue reading→

Segerstrom High School coach arrested for an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship with a student

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Sports 8 Comments

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Arrests Segerstrom High School Coach For Inappropriate Sexual Relationship With Student/Athlete

Arrested: Tracey Stephan Fulford, (52) Santa Ana

On 7/08/17, at about 10:30pm, a 19-year old female victim came to the Santa Ana Police Department accompanied by her parents. She reported to officers that while she was 16 years old and a student at Segerstrom High School, she became involved in an inappropriate relationship with her male basketball coach, who she identified as 52-year old Tracey Stephan Fulford of Santa Ana. The victim reported that during private basketball lessons she willingly followed Fulford into a storage room and other locations in the school gymnasium and they would engage in inappropriate sexual acts. The relationship continued past her 18th birthday at which time they engaged in consensual sex away from the school. Continue reading→

A Tustin man was shot and killed in a possibly gang-related shooting on Sunday

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Israel Corpus and a Friend, from his Facebook page

The Tustin Police Department is investigating a shooting which resulted in homicide, on Sunday, July 9. The incident occurred on Mitchell St. between Red Hill and Browning, at about 3:56 p.m., according to the Tustin Police Department.

The deceased man has been identified as 23-year-old Israel Corpus of Tustin, according to the O.C. Coroner. Corpus died at the Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man convicted of a hit and run crash that killed a 12-year old girl in Westminster

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Aleksandar Apostolovic, 29, of Santa Ana, a convicted felon who fled from police in an SUV and then crashed into another vehicle, killing a 12-year-old Westminster girl, has been sentenced to 23 years to life in prison, according to the O.C. Register.

Apostolovic’s accepted charges of second-degree murder and evading a police officer causing death in his plea deal on June 30. Continue reading→

Former SAUSD Trustee Nadia Davis Lockyer arrested for battering her 76-year old husband

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The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office Thursday arrested Nadia Davis Lockyer, 46, of Long Beach, a former SAUSD School Board Member and a former Alameda County supervisor, who is the wife of Bill Lockyer, a 76-year old former California attorney general, at a Twain Harte vacation home on suspicion of battery on a spouse, according to the Union Democrat.

The Sheriff’s Office received a call from inside a home on Fireside Drive near Twain Harte Lake at about 10:55 a.m. The caller said an intoxicated woman was yelling and throwing things. That woman turned out to be Nadia. Continue reading→

The SAPD is looking for three suspects who robbed a jewelry store in a mercado

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Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Detectives Asking For Media & Public’s Assistance in Identifying Suspects In Jewelry Store Smash & Grab Robbery

On Sunday June 18, 2017, at approximately 2:13 p.m., three suspects, who appear to be male Hispanics in their early twenties, walked into the Superior Market (1710 S. Main St., Santa Ana) wearing dark clothing and covering their faces with skull printed bandanas.

The three suspects approached the independent jewelry counter of Queen Jewelry and suspect one smashed the jewelry display case with a hammer. Continue reading→

The SAPD is conducting a DUI and Drivers License checkpoint this Saturday night

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Sat., July 8th, 2017, 9:30PM to 2:30AM, 500 W. Warner Street

SANTA ANA POLICE STEP UP DUI ENFORCEMENT

The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint on Saturday July 8th, 2017. It will begin at 9:30 PM and is scheduled to conclude at 2:30 AM. It will be conducted in the area of 500 West Warner Street, in the City of Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man heading to prison due to a multi-million dollar bank fraud scheme

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Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 6, 2017

California Payment Processing Company President and Part-Owner Sentenced to Prison for Fraud Scheme

A Santa Ana, California man was sentenced today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for his role in processing unauthorized withdrawals of millions of dollars from consumer bank accounts, the Justice Department announced.

Neil Godfrey, 79, was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release by Judge Eduardo Robreno in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge Robreno also ordered Godfrey to pay a $50,000 fine and entered a $100,000 forfeiture money judgment against the defendant. Godfrey pleaded guilty in July 2015 to a one-count Information charging him with wire fraud. The Information described how Godfrey, working as a payment processor, knowingly enabled fraudulent merchants to withdraw money from consumers’ bank accounts without the consumers’ knowledge or consent. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man charged with stabbing and trying to murder four Anaheim residents on the 4th of July

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Gino Liam Fuentes, a 20-year-old Santa Ana man, was charged on Thursday, July 6, with four counts of attempted murder for allegedly going on a Fourth of July stabbing rampage, injuring four family members, before being subdued by a Good Samaritan, according to the O.C. Register.

Fuentes could be looking at a mandatory life sentence if convicted as he is facing a sentence-enhancing allegation of premeditated attempted murder. He is also charged with inflicting injury on an elder adult and criminal threats, both felonies, and additional sentence-enhancing allegations of the personal use of a deadly weapon and inflicting great bodily injury. Fuentes is set to be arraigned on July 21.  Continue reading→

The SAPD is looking for an armed and dangerous kidnapping, robbery and carjacking suspect

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Pedro Vazquez Espinoza

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Detectives Request Assistance In Locating Armed and Dangerous Suspect For Kidnapping/Robbery/Carjacking

On 6/10/2017, Suspects Pedro Vazquez Espinoza and Graciela Campos (currently in custody for this crime) committed an armed kidnap for robbery. Both suspects ordered the victim to drive them to Anaheim, where they then carjacked her vehicle and fled.

Campos was later arrested in the victim’s vehicle with one of the two firearms used in the original crime. Suspect Vazquez Espinoza is believed to still be armed and dangerous. There is currently a $200,000.00 warrant out for his arrest in this case. Continue reading→

Man busted for trying to recruit fake teen hookers online in Orange County

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

July 5, 2017

Case # 17CF1662

MINNESOTA MAN ARRAIGNED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ATTEMPTED PIMPING OF TWO FICTITIOUS MINORS HE MET THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Minnesota man was arraigned today for human trafficking and attempted pimping of two fictitious minors he met through social media.

Defendant: Nigel Ezekiel Samuels, 25, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Charged today with: Continue reading→

Santa Ana woman gets two years in jail for her actions against a Buddhist temple

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

Trang Thu Pham strikes again

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 16CF0751

Date: July 5, 2017

WOMAN SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN JAIL FOR 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 religious property

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A woman was sentenced to two years in county jail today for committing a hate crime, grand theft, and vandalism for stealing three gold statues from a Buddhist temple in Santa Ana.

Defendant: Trang Thu Pham, 48, Santa Ana

Pleaded guilty today to felony counts of: Continue reading→

Non profit partners with the SAPD to provide immediate help to domestic violence victims

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Domestic Violence, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: HUMAN OPTIONS PARTNERS WITH SANTA ANA PD TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE, ON-SITE ASSISTANCE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

Human Options, an Orange-County based nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence, is partnering with the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) to provide immediate, coordinated domestic violence assistance services to victims and their families.

The SAPD received 5,947 domestic violence-related calls in 2016. As a result of this high rate of calls, the SAPD identified a need for immediate, on-site specialized assistance for domestic violence victims and their families. Human Options, a nonprofit that has been leading the way forward to ending domestic violence for 35 years, has partnered with the SAPD to establish “The Coordinated Domestic Violence Response Coalition” which will strengthen legal advocacy services offered to all victims, increase victims’ access to support and services through the domestic violence response team, and develop and promote best practices/policies for responding to the crimes of domestic violence. Continue reading→