Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: Crime

Oakland felon charged with pimping two teens in Santa ana

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 17CF2907

Date: January 2, 2018

OAKLAND FELON SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS IN PRISON FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING, PIMPING, AND PANDERING TWO TEENS IN ALAMEDA COUNTY AND ORANGE COUNTY

*Plea to the court, judge struck two prior serious and violent felony convictions

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A felon from Oakland was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in state prison today for human trafficking, pimping, and pandering two teenagers in Alameda County and Orange County.

Defendant:

Dartelli Marquece Golston, 23, Oakland

Pleaded guilty today to the following felony counts: Continue reading→

Santa Ana man who crashed a stolen vehicle into a police officer’s bike facing multiple charges

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 18CF0057

Date: January 3, 2018

MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING POLICE OFFICER AFTER CRASHING INTO OFFICER’S PATROL MOTORCYCLE WITH STOLEN VEHICLE

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged today with assaulting a peace officer after crashing into the officer’s patrol motorcycle with a stolen vehicle.

Defendant: Nicholas Raymond Mauro, 32, Santa Ana

Charged today with the following counts: Continue reading→

Garden Grove church volunteer sentenced to only five years in prison after molesting a 14-year old girl repeatedly

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 14WF4071

Date: January 3, 2018

GARDEN GROVE CHURCH VOLUNTEER SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR CONTINUALLY SEXUALLY ABUSING 14-YEAR-OLD CHURCH MENTEE

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Garden Grove church volunteer was sentenced today to five years in state prison for continually sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl he mentored at church.

Defendant: Vincent Daniel Lavello, 53, Garden Grove

Pleaded guilty on Aug. 17, 2015, to the following felony counts: Continue reading→

Homeless man charged with murdering a Santa Ana woman while trying to rape her

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 18CF0058

Date: January 3, 2018

TRANSIENT MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES MURDER DURING ATTEMPTED RAPE AFTER VIOLENTLY ASSAULTING 76-YEAR-OLD HOMELESS WOMAN IN SANTA ANA

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A transient man is scheduled to be arraigned today for special circumstances murder during attempted rape after violently assaulting a 76-year-old homeless woman in Santa Ana.

Defendant: Rosendo Xo Pec, 22, Transient

Charged today with: Continue reading→

Man arrested for murdering an elderly lady near the Southwest Community Center

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

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Detectives Investigating Homicide 1600 Block West First Street – Suspect In Custody

Victim: Betty Jane Willis (76)

Arrestee: Rosendo Xo Pec (22)

On 01-1-18 at approximately 4:14 a.m., a citizen called the Santa Ana Police Department after hearing someone yelling for help in the parking lot of 1605 W. First Street. *Officers arrived and found an unresponsive 76-year-old female victim lying on the ground. Officers detained a male that was attempting to flee the scene. Continue reading→

OC Sheriff’s Department investigators looking to ID home burglary crew

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https://www.facebook.com/OCSheriff/videos/10155578891389678/

OCSD Investigators looking to ID home burglary crew

ROSSMOOR, Ca. (Dec. 28, 2017) – Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department are looking to identify a three-man crew suspected of burglarizing multiple homes in recent weeks.

Three suspects caught on video Dec. 26 attempting to enter a home in the 2800 block of Tigertail Drive are believed to be connected to at least five burglaries in the unincorporated community of Rossmoor. Continue reading→

The OCDA used DNA evidence to stop a serial thief who left blood at a crime scene

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 17WF2856

Date: December 29, 2017

OCDA’S RAPID DNA PROGRAM STOPS SERIAL THIEF AFTER BLOOD FOUND AT CRIME SCENE CONNECTED DEFENDANT TO HIS PROFILE IN LOCAL DNA DATABASE

*Defendant is also charged with multiple Crime-Bail-Crime enhancements for thefts committed while out of custody

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) Rapid DNA program stopped a serial thief after blood found at a crime scene connected the defendant to his profile in the Local DNA Database. The defendant is also charged with multiple Crime-Bail-Crime enhancements for thefts committed while out of custody for other felony 2017 cases.

Defendant: David Navor Andrade, 26, Garden Grove

Charged today with the following: Continue reading→

Former Santa Ana postal worker gets 6 years in prison for selling stolen credit cards

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Former Postal Employee Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Selling at Least 6,240 Credit Cards Stolen from the U.S. Mail

SANTA ANA, California – A Garden Grove man who worked for the United States Postal Service for more than two decades was sentenced today to 75 months in federal prison for stealing thousands of credit cards from the U.S. Mail and selling the credit cards on the black market.

Chinh Vuong, 49, was sentenced by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who also ordered the defendant to pay $325,085 in restitution to Chase Bank USA and American Express. Continue reading→

Two L.A. men charged with pimping and pandering a teenager in Santa Ana

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 17CF3297

Date: December 29, 2017

TWO LOS ANGELES MEN CHARGED WITH PIMPING AND PANDERING 15-YEAR-OLD RUNAWAY GIRL IN ORANGE COUNTY

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Two men from Los Angeles County were charged today with pimping and pandering a 15-year-old runaway girl in Orange County.

Defendant: Brandon Lamar Aaron, 29, Hawthorne

Felony Charges: Continue reading→

Three men led police on a pursuit from Fullerton and were arrested in Santa Ana last night

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You might have heard a commotion last night, Dec. 28, with police helicopters and lots of sirens, at the 5 Freeway. Turns out it was a police pursuit that led to the arrest of three men, according to the O.C. Register.

The incident began at around 8:20 p.m. when Fullerton police officers tried to pull over the suspects as they were driving a Dodge Ram truck, for a vehicle registration violation. This prompted the suspects to flee – and one of them three a handgun out of the window of the vehicle. Continue reading→

The SAPD shot at a suspect they arrested at a traffic stop on Christmas Day

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While most of us were celebrating Christmas Day on Monday, SAPD police officers had to shoot at a suspect who they had stopped for a vehicle violation at about 1:43 p.m., at 11521 Salinaz Drive, in the area of Newhope St., south of Trask Ave., in Garden Grove, according to the O.C. Register.

No one was injured in the shooting.

The police were able to recover a firearm at the scene, according to the SAPD. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man who informed on the Mexican Mafia gets a reduced prison sentence

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 05CF3926

Date: December 22, 2017

GANG INFORMANT SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS IN STATE PRISON FOR 2005 ATTEMPTED MURDER OF RIVAL GANG MEMBER

*Sentence reduced based on testimony that led to federal and state convictions of 79 gang members affiliated with the Mexican Mafia; FBI in collaboration with U.S. Attorneys’ Office request leniency in detailed letter

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Oscar Daniel Moriel, a gang informant, was sentenced today to 17 years in state prison for the attempted murder of a rival gang member in 2005. The defendant’s informant work and testimony led to the federal and state convictions of 79 criminal street gang members affiliated with the Mexican Mafia, a notorious Hispanic prison gang infamous for their violence and criminal enterprise, and resulted in dozens of prison sentences totaling 293 years. Continue reading→

Female gangbanger gets 45 years in prison for dragging a woman to death in Little Saigon

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Fountain Valley, Gangs, Garden Grove, Little Saigon, OCDA, Westminster Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 10WF0524

Date: December 22, 2017

FEMALE GANG ASSOCIATE SENTENCED TO 45 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDERING WOMAN BY DRAGGING HER WITH CAR

*Co-defendant in this case was previously convicted and sentenced

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A female associate of a criminal street gang was sentenced to 45 years to life in state prison today for murdering a woman by dragging her several blocks on the outside of her car.

Defendant: Lynn Ai Quach, 27, Garden Grove

Found guilty by a jury on Sept. 4, 2014, of: Continue reading→

A Good Samaritan saved a Santa Ana woman who was being sexually assaulted in a vehicle

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Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Detectives Arrest Suspect In Attempted Rape Case, Believe There May Be Additional Unreported Victims

Jorge Cruz De Armas (27) Tustin, suspected of kidnapping and attempting to sexually assault a 28-year-old woman, was arrested in Costa Mesa last night. Santa Ana Police detectives arrested 27-year-old Jorge Cruz De Armas at his workplace after evidence at the crime scene led police to his identity.

On Monday at about 4:30 p.m., De Armas contacted the victim and offered her a ride. The victim accepted the offer and willingly entered his vehicle. Moments later, De Armas asked the victim if she wanted to have sex with him and she refused. De Armas drove the victim to an alley in the 1600 block of East Palm Street in Santa Ana where he attacked the victim. Continue reading→

The SAPD is conducting a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint on Friday, Dec. 22

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Drugs, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department

AdvisorySAPD conducting DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint Fri, December 22th, 2017, 9:30PM – 2:30AM, 500 W. 1st Street

SANTA ANA POLICE STEP UP DUI ENFORCEMENT

The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint on Friday December 22nd, 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 W First Street, in the City of Santa Ana.

The primary purpose of a DUI Checkpoint is to deter impaired driving, not to increase arrests. All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as ensuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. The DMV reports that unlicensed drivers are 4.9 times more likely to cause a fatal crash than a licensed driver. Continue reading→