New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: Crime

The SAPD updates the officer-involved shooting of Armando Antunez

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, OCDA, Santa Ana 8 Comments

Armando Antunez

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Update From 8-2-2015

Suspect/Arrested: Armando Antunez (24) Santa Ana

On August 2, 2015, at approximately 6 p.m., SAPD Gang Enforcement Officers were conducting a patrol check in the area of 800 South Townsend.

Recently, this area has been plagued with increased violent gang crime and is part of a current gang injunction. Officers saw several gang members loitering in the alley and attempted to contact them. Continue reading→

The SAPD responded to an alleged riot at the OC Pride Festival on Saturday night

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, LGBT, Police Brutality, Santa Ana 5 Comments

A riot apparently broke out at the OC Pride Festival event that was held this Saturday, August 1, 2015, in Downtown Santa Ana. Details are sketchy but I did receive a number of pictures and the video above from an anonymous source who said that the trouble started late and the Santa Ana Police were there in large numbers by 11 p.m.

This disturbance has not been reported in the local media but it does show up on Crimeapping.com, which notes that there was a “Disturbing the Peace” arrest at the 300 block of N. Spurgeon St., in DTSA, at 11:51 p.m. on August 1.

There was also a riot in 1989, when six people were arrested after a fist-swinging brawl broke out among more than 50 militant gays and fundamentalist Christians at Orange County’s first Gay Pride Festival, as reported by the L.A. Times. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man among five men convicted of trying to hook up with prostitutes

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Daniel Santos Zamudio of Santa Ana

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Date: July 31, 2015

FIVE MEN CONVICTED OF AGREEING TO ENGAGE IN PROSTITUTION

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) convicted five men in July 2015 of agreeing to engage in prostitution. The defendants in these cases approached a woman whom they believed to be a prostitute in areas known for prostitution and human trafficking in Orange County. Each of the defendants below agreed to engage in commercial sex with a woman and were subsequently arrested by law enforcement.

Defendants:

Dean Gilbert Chance, 52, Huntington Beach. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution with a prior conviction for one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution in 2012. Accepted a court offer of 45 days in jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.
Kianoush Moghtaderzadeh Hosseini, 41, Irvine. Was convicted by a jury of one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Sentencing scheduled for Aug. 10, 2015.
Saul Rivera Mendoza, 33, Anaheim. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and must provide a DNA sample.
Derick Paul Penner, 32, Garden Grove. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Accepted a court offer of ten days of voluntary community service in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.
Damian Santos Zamudio, 38, Santa Ana. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Thirty days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and must provide a DNA sample.

Continue reading→

Man who embezzled over $5.6M from a Santa Ana piano company gets 18 years in prison

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Russell Eugene Dunbar

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Date: July 31, 2015

Case # 11CF2660

FORMER CONTROLLER OF SANTA ANA PIANO COMPANY SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON FOR EMBEZZLING OVER $5.6 MILLION DOLLARS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former controller of a Santa Ana piano company was sentenced today to 18 years in state prison for embezzling over $5.6 million from the business. Russell Eugene Dunbar, 58, was found guilty by a jury on Oct. 21, 2014, of 17 felony counts of forgery, 17 felony counts of falsifying records, and 16 felony counts of grand theft with sentencing enhancement allegations for committing an aggravated white collar crime over $500,000 and property damage over $2.5 million.

Fields Piano is a long established piano store in Santa Ana. In 2001, the owners hired Dunbar, a close friend, to be the controller for the business in charge of accounting for the company. Continue reading→

The SAPD is seeking a female suspect who stole a USPS package from a residence

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Property Crimes Detectives request assistance in identifying suspect committing theft of delivered package.

Suspect: Female-Hispanic, 20-25 years old, brown shoulder length hair, medium build, wearing a black V-neck tee-shirt, black tennis shoes. The suspect was last seen riding a purple or dark metallic mountain bike.

Summary: On 7-30-2015 at approximately 1:40 pm in the 1100 block of N. Linwood the female suspect is observed riding her bike up to the victim’s doorstep and removing a United States Postal Service package that had just been delivered. Continue reading→

Injured man claims he was stabbed at Original Mike’s restaurant

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

A man who was bleeding from a stab wound to the chest who was found by the SAPD while he was walking near the Center Justice Center courthouse on West Civic Center Drive and North Flower Street, early this morning at around 1:20 a.m. claimed that he was stabbed at at Original Mike’s Restaurant, located at 100 S. Main St., in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

The victim was located nearly a mile away from Original Mike’s when he was found by the police. The SAPD was not able to find any evidence at Original Mike’s restaurant showing anyone was stabbed in the area. Continue reading→

Parolee sex offender being monitored by GPS convicted of pimping in Santa Ana

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15CF0630

Date: July 30, 2015

PAROLEE SEX OFFENDER ON GPS MONITORING DEVICE CONVICTED OF PANDERING AND ATTEMPTED PIMPING OF 18-YEAR-OLD WOMAN

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A parolee sex offender on a GPS monitoring device was convicted yesterday of pandering and attempted pimping of an 18-year-old woman. Eddie Bridges III, 36, Compton, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of attempted pimping and one felony count of pandering by procuring. The defendant’s sentencing enhancements for prior prison convictions in 1996 and 1998 in King County, Washington, for possession with the intent to sell a controlled substance, a prior prison conviction for possession of marijuana in Maricopa County, Arizona, a prior prison conviction in Los Angeles County in 2007 for the pimping and pandering of a minor, and pimping and pandering of an adult, a prior prison conviction in Los Angeles County in 2011 for attempted pandering, and serving separate prison terms but not remaining free for five years were also found to be true. Bridges faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison at his sentencing on Sept. 11, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Two L.A. gang bangers convicted of breaking into homes in Orange

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, OCDA, Orange Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 13CF3793, 13CF2612

Date: July 29, 2015

TWO MEN CONVICTED OF ROBBERY IN CONCERT FOR BREAKING INTO TWO HOMES IN ORANGE FOR BENEFIT OF GANG

*Third co-defendant in this case pleaded guilty to robbery

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Two men were convicted today of robbery in concert after breaking into two homes in Orange for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Andre Ricardo Pierson, 25, Inglewood, and Dwight Ladale Stephen, 26, Los Angeles, were found guilty by a jury of seven felony counts of first degree robbery of a dwelling in concert, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon with sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity and vicarious use of a firearm by a gang member. Pierson’s prior prison conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon in 2010, and Stephen’s prior conviction for unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm in 2008 were also found to be true. The defendants each face a maximum sentence of 106 years and eight months to life in state prison at their sentencing on Aug. 21, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-40, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Three men charged with underpaying construction workers at Harvey Street Elementary School

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Business, Crime, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15CF1672

Date: July 29, 2015

THREE DEFENDANTS CHARGED WITH CONSPIRING TO UNDERPAY EMPLOYEES ON PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Three defendants have been charged for underpaying employees on public works projects. No Sung Pak, 74, Hollywood, and Michael John Ferrin, 40, San Pedro, and Scott Sung Yang, 44, Los Angeles, are each charged with five felony counts of taking and receiving a portion of a worker’s wage on public works and one felony count of recording a false forged instrument. Pak is additionally charged with 29 felony counts of willful failure to pay tax, two felony counts of misrepresenting facts to State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF), two felony counts of misrepresenting facts to workers’ compensation insurance company. If convicted, Pak faces a maximum sentence of 27 years and four months in state prison, and Ferrin and Yang each face a maximum sentence of five years and four months in state prison. The defendants are out of custody on $50,000 bail and were arraigned today. They are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 1, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

In 2005, Yang owned and operated Mackone Development. Yang is accused of working with Ferrin as his project superintendent to oversee his projects. Pak, who owns the business Pak’s Cabinets, is accused of working for Mackone Development as a subcontractor on several public works projects. Continue reading→

Man charged with trafficking a 16-year-old girl in Garden Grove, Santa Ana and Oakland

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Date: July 28, 2015

Case # 15WF1641

MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR TRAFFICKING 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL TO ENGAGE IN COMMERCIAL SEX ACTS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man is expected to be arraigned today for trafficking a 16-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts throughout California. James Justin Williams, 31, Oakland, is charged with one felony count each of human trafficking of a minor, pimping a minor, and pandering with a minor over 16 years old by procuring with a sentencing enhancement for human trafficking by force or fear. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison. The People will request he be held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined.

Circumstances of the Case

Williams is accused of being a human trafficker/pimp who exploits women and/or children for financial gain. Pimps often establish rigid rules that their victims are expected to follow including setting daily quotas that the victims are expected to fulfill. The victims are required to turn over all payment they receive for sex acts from sex purchasers to their pimp. Failure to follow these rules can result in physical and/or emotional abuse. Continue reading→

Gang member Alberto Licona facing felony charges after fleeing police and crashing

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Alberto Licona, Picture Courtesy of Facebook

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15CF1658

Date: July 28, 2015

GANG MEMBER CHARGED WITH DRIVING RECKLESSLY TO AVOID PEACE OFFICERS AND CAUSING CRASH THAT INJURED PASSENGERS

*Firearm tossed from vehicle still not recovered

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A criminal street gang member was arraigned today on charges of driving recklessly to avoid peace officers and causing a crash that injured his passengers. Alberto Licona, 18, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic, one felony count of evading while driving recklessly and causing serious bodily injury or death, and sentencing enhancement allegations for criminal street gang activity. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison. Licona is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing, Aug. 5, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

At the time of the crime, Licona is accused of being an active member of a criminal street gang. Continue reading→

Why have taggers in Orange County become so violent and dangerous?

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Crime, Gangs, Graffiti, Santa Ana 10 Comments

Photo Courtesy of the OC Weekly

A man was beaten and stabbed on Sunday night after confronting a group of taggers who were defacing a vacant house near Lincoln Avenue and Stinson Street, in Anaheim, according to the L.A. Times.

He was stabbed once in the lower back near South Stinson Street before another man “saw the incident, retrieved a handgun and shot four to five rounds into the air to stop the assault,” police Lt. Eric Trapp said, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

SAPD police pursuit ends with a suspect crashing his car into a pole

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Pursuit

SAPD gang detectives were apparently working on gang suppression in Santa Ana on Sunday night, in an area where there have been several shootings recently, when a vehicle they deemed to be of interest suddenly sped off.

There was a brief police pursuit of less than a minute when the suspect’s vehicle crashed into a pole, at about 9:22 p.m. in the 1300 block of South Flower Street, in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

Three men were shot on South Minnie Street early on Saturday morning

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Santa Ana shooting

It was another bloody Saturday in Santa Ana as three men were shot in the early morning, at around 4 a.m., near the 800 block of South Minnie Street, a few blocks from Villa Fundamental Intermediate School, according to the O.C. Register.

When SAPD officers arrived, they found two adult men struck by gunfire, both hit in the upper torso area. The victims were taken to a local hospital. A third victim, age 16, later came into the hospital with a gunshot wound in one of his legs. All of the victims are expected to survive. The teenager was treated and released to his parents. Continue reading→

Man sentenced to two years in prison for trying to pimp a woman in Santa Ana

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

OCDA Seal

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15CF0403

Date: July 24, 2015

MAN SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN PRISON FOR ATTEMPTED PIMPING OF WOMAN

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was convicted and sentenced to two years in state prison today for attempting to pimp a woman. Samuel Lee Hart, 29, Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty to one felony count of attempted pimping.

Circumstances of the Case

In February 2015, Hart drove 28-year-old Jane Doe to areas known for prostitution in Orange County with the intent to derive support from the money that Jane Doe received from performing commercial sex acts. The defendant pandered to the victim by promising her more money and encouraging the victim to engage in commercial sex.

On Feb. 25, 2015, officers from the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) noticed Jane Doe loitering in areas known for prostitution in Santa Ana. An SAPD officer approached the victim and conducted further investigation, in which they found that the defendant had attempted to arrange for the victim to perform commercial sex acts with the intent that the victim give him all of the money that she collected from sex purchasers. Continue reading→