New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: Crime

DUI checkpoint set for Oct. 30 in Costa Mesa

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Alcohol, Costa Mesa, Crime Leave a comment

Costa Mesa Police Department

Advisory: DUI Checkpoint Scheduled for Friday, October 30, 2015

The Costa Mesa Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on Friday, October 30th at an undisclosed location within the city between the hours of 8 p.m. and 3 a.m.

The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely. Continue reading→

Gang member shot in the head and back in the French Park Neighborhood

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Michele Martinez, Santa Ana 7 Comments

Santa Ana shooting

A 21-year-old unidentified local gang member was shot in the head and back on Sunday night at around 9:15 pm., while driving an SUV in the French Park neighborhood, at the 1200 block of North Lacy, just south of Washington, according to the O.C. Register.

The SAPD police who responded to a call of shots fired found the shooting victim inside a vehicle.

Police reported that the shooter’s vehicle, a gray sedan, pulled up next to the victim’s vehicle, yelled out a rival gang name and then shots were fired. Continue reading→

SAPD requesting asistance locating suspect wanted in sexual assault of a minor

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Special Crimes Section Detectives Requesting Assistance Locating Suspect Wanted in Sexual Assault of A Minor

Wanted Suspect: Jose Gerrardo Espiritu (53) Santa Ana

On March 1, 2015, at 5:30 am, Santa Ana Police Department patrol officers were called to investigate a sexual assault of a 16 year old female. Their investigation revealed the victim was assaulted by Jose Gerrardo Espiritu. Espiritu is the live-in boyfriend of a relative to the victim. Continue reading→

DMV worker, 5 others charged in sophisticated identity theft scheme using Puerto Rican ID’s

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Federal Government, immigration Leave a comment

DMV worker, 5 others charged in sophisticated identity theft scheme

Defendants allegedly used Puerto Rican birth certificates to create new identities

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A clerk at the California Department of Motor Vehicles office in El Monte and five others have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly selling legitimate birth certificates and Social Security numbers obtained from Puerto Rico to individuals willing to pay thousands of dollars to obtain new identities.

DMV clerk Tracey Lynette Jones, 33, of Long Beach, surrendered to federal authorities Monday and was arraigned Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court. Jones, who entered a not guilty plea, was released on a $25,000 bond and ordered to stand trial Nov. 24 before U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man arrested on suspicion of starting a fire that displaced seven residents

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Fires, OCFA, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Victor Saul Arredondo

A Santa Ana man, Victor Saul Arredondo, was taken into custody on Wednesday for allegedly starting a fire in his home, a single-story duplex in the 1000 block of 2nd Street, according to the O.C. Register.

The OCFA firefighters showed up at 6:20 p.m. and were able to extinguish a small fire in the house. They determined that the fire began in the back of the house, where there were apparently no smoke alarms.

There were seven residents in total including six adults and one child. They were all in the house at the time of the fire but Arredondo was the only one who was in the back of the house, where the fire started. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man charged with molesting two girls, in Anaheim and in Santa Ana

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Cochino Alert, Crime, Santa Ana 3 Comments

A 40-year-old Santa Ana man named Ignacio Hernandez was charged this Tuesday with molesting two girls in Santa Ana and Anaheim, in the summer of 2011 and 2013, according to the O.C. Register.

Hernandez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail pending arraignment on Nov. 6. He knew a relative of the victims, according to the SAPD. One of the alleged incidents took place in Anaheim and the other in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Man loses his life savings to two men who told him the cash wasn’t safe in the bank

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Banking, Crime, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Santa Ana Robbery Suspect

Two men stopped to ask a 67-year-old Santa Ana man for directions sometime last week, then struck up a conversation with the man about money, according to the O.C. Register.

The two suspects told the man that his money was not safe in the bank – and then showed him $1,500 in cash that they were holding. They then made a bet with the man that if he could withdraw his life savings from the bank without complications they would give him their money. Continue reading→

Drive-by shooting by Heritage Park injures three victims including a boy

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Yet another drive-by shooting happened in Santa Ana early today, just after 2 a.m., at the 4600 block of West Melric Drive, according to the O.C. Register.

Two men and a boy were wounded by the attack, which took place just north of Heritage Elementary School and Heritage Park. Continue reading→

Santa Ana police save child taken in stolen car

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Suspect Steals Vehicle With 7 Month Old Child Inside, Officers Locate Vehicle And Child Unharmed

Friday, 10/16/2015, at 11:56 am, the victim called the Santa Ana Police Department to report his vehicle had just been stolen. The victim advised officers while inside a store in the 2500 block of South Main Street, he had left his keys, and his 7 month old child, in the vehicle. Continue reading→

MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate School on a lockout as the SAPD searches for a suspect

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Santa Ana School Police Department

Advisory: MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate School is on a Lockout as Officers search for suspect in the area. School and kids safe.

UPDATE: The lockout has been lifted as of 11:10 a.m.

SAPD is searching a residential area near the area of MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate School for a suspect in a crime. As a precaution only, the school has been placed on a Lockout.

School Police Officers are at the school and the students and staff are safe. The incident does not involve the school. Continue reading→

Two men wounded as robbers open fire near Los Amigos H.S. in Fountain Valley

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Fountain Valley Leave a comment

On Oct. 15, 2015, at approximately 12:40 a.m., Fountain Valley police officers responded to the 16300 block of Everest Circle, in Fountain Valley (just west of Santa Ana’s Centennial Park and just northeast from Los Amigos High School) regarding a call about fireworks or gunshots in the area. The officers searched the area but it was quiet when they arrived and no evidence of a crime was located.

Approximately forty minutes later the Fountain Valley Police Dispatcher received a call from a local hospital that two gunshot victims had arrived at their emergency room. Continue reading→

Blood stains left for over a day after a crime near Willard Intermediate School

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 5 Comments

Picture by Igmar Rodas

A crime scene on Parton and Washington, next to Willard Intermediate School left blood splattered on a wall and a 60 to 80 feet of a sidewalk.

Community activist Igmar Rodas noticed the blood and called the police. They said that a crime victim was chased to this point and set upon by a suspect who is now in custody.

This incident likely happened late on Oct. 12 or early on Oct. 13. Continue reading→

Former Santa Ana H.S. science teacher charged with having sex with a student in his classroom

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Alvar Albert Gonzalez

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15CF2324

Date: October 14, 2015

LAW ENFORCEMENT SEEKS POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL VICTIMS OF FORMER SANTA ANA SCIENCE TEACHER CHARGED WITH HAVING SEX WITH UNDERAGE FEMALE STUDENT INSIDE CLASSROOM

*The defendant in this case also ran an anime club at Santa Ana High School

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) and the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) are seeking the public’s help identifying potential additional victims of a former Santa Ana High School (SAHS) science teacher charged with having sex with an underage female student in his classroom. Alvar Albert Gonzalez, 45, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of unlawful sexual intercourse and one felony count of possession and control of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. He is out of custody on $20,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Suspect with a knife arrested after robbing a business near Bristol and Sunflower

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, David Benavides, Santa Ana Leave a comment

A man with a knife robbed a business today in Santa Ana at the 3800 block of South Bristol Street at around 1 p.m., according to the O.C. Register.

The man demanded that an employee of the targeted business turn over an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect took the money and fled from the crime scene. Continue reading→

Man dead after possible gang shooting at 17th and Spurgeon

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Another day, another gang murder. This time a man was fatally shot in what police are saying was a possibly gang-related attack, at about 7:35 p.m., at the 1700 block of North Spurgeon St., according to the O.C. Register.

The victim was hit in the upper body. Another man who may have been with the victim during the shooting was released after being questioned. He was not shot. Continue reading→