Santa Ana Police Department
Advisory: SAPD Detectives investigate marijuana grow
Orange County Fire Authority responded at 7:00 AM this morning to a fire alarm coming from a commercial building in the 1100 block of East 17th Street.
When OCFA personnel arrived, five males fled the business in various vehicles. Continue reading
Santa Ana Police Department
For Immediate Release: January 9, 2015
Contacts: nstanfield@ochca.com, (714) 834-2178; abertagna@santa-ana.org, (714) 245-8029
Advisory: Foodborne Illness Investigation at Cholula’s Bakery
(Santa Ana) – One January 6, 2015 the Orange County Health Care Agency closed Cholula’s Bakery in Santa Ana and began a foodborne illness investigation after receiving several reports of illness related to eating Rosca de Reyes Bread distributed by the bakery on January 5 and 6, 2015.
Based on preliminary laboratory results from product samples that indicated the presence of a synthetic drug in the bread, the investigation will be handed back to the Santa Ana Police Department for criminal investigation. Confirmatory laboratory results are expected in one to two weeks. Persons who believe they have consumed the tainted bread are encouraged to contact the Santa Ana Police Crimes Against Persons Unit at (714) 245-8390. Continue reading
The Santa Ana City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an enforcement plan to shut down illegal pot shops in the city now that Santa Ana residents voted Nov. 4 to legalize and tax medical marijuana collectives, according to the OC Register.
Under the plan, city officials will begin shutting down illegal stores after Feb. 5, which is when city officials are scheduled to have sorted out which shops will be allowed to continue operating, according to the Voice of OC. Continue reading
For Immediate Release: November 18, 2014
Contact: Deanne Thompson, dthompson@ochca.com, 714-834-2178
Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Works in Orange County
(Santa Ana) – A new report from the Orange County Health Care Agency found that adult clients of the County’s drug and alcohol treatment programs experienced significant reduction in drug use, improved health, and social functioning; increased employment rates; and a reduction in arrest, incarceration and reliance on medical services. The report examines the treatment outcomes for over 11,000 clients of Behavioral Health – Substance Use Disorder services between 2011 and 2013.
“We know that treatment works and can reduce drug/alcohol misuse and dependence,” said Mary Hale, County Health Behavioral Health Officer. “In addition to reduced drug and alcohol use, our clients also reported improvements in other areas of their lives such as decreased arrests and increased employment – becoming more productive members of our community.” Continue reading
A group of local students led by Emmanuel Gonzalez, a Beckman High School student, has organized a protest in Santa Ana against the murder of 43 students who went missing Sept. 26 after a confrontation with police in Iguala, 80 miles southwest of Mexico City.
There are allegations that the Mayor of Iguala and his wife conspired with the police and drug gangs to kill the 43 students who had come to town to collect money and had commandeered buses. Continue reading
Is the Santa Ana City Council doomed to repeat the mistakes of Los Angeles’ Measure D? Two years ago, Los Angeles’ City Council drafted Measure D, which trounced two competing citizens’ initiatives to regulate the medical marijuana market in Los Angeles. Many assume that Measure D was an extremely restrictive knee jerk reaction to what the council felt would be an overly permissive medical ordinance. Those who closely examined all three ordinances discovered that Measure D would create an unenforceable coercive monopoly, as opposed to the seemingly less restrictive but more empowering citizen created alternatives. The voters assumed that the City would be able to enforce its incredibly restrictive ordinance and have become increasingly disappointed as they realize that absolutely nothing has changed in LA. Hindsight is 20/20.
What happened?
LA’s ordinance did not allow for the operation of enough collectives in the city to meet the needs of the patient population. As a result, the market supported the continuing operation of non-Measure D compliant facilities. Those who qualified for a collective in LA and continued to try to cooperate with Measure D’s restrictions have found themselves burdened with costs and difficulties that destroy their ability to serve patients while those collectives who skirt the requirements simply operate outside the law without paying any of the associated costs.
Nothing changed with the exception that those who were willing to comply were damaged beyond repair and a few larger collectives who could pay to participate in a coercive monopoly failed to see the fruits of their scandalous behavior and have began to beg for enforcement from a city that does not have the funds to shut down 900 supposedly illegal collectives.
As above, so below. Continue reading
A woman stripped off her clothes inside a Santa Ana market yesterday and died shortly after she was subdued by store employees, according to the Fountain Valley Patch.
Shortly before 9 a.m., a woman in her 40s began yelling and screaming in the liquor section of the El Toro Market in the 1300 block of West First Street, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said, according to the O.C. Register.
Two store employees, a security guard and the store’s manager subdued her and called authorities, but the woman died while paramedics and police were en route to the scene. Continue reading
Dustin Sean Ross McDonald
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release: August 15, 2014
Case# 14CF2681
SANTA ANA – A Garden Grove man will be arraigned today for the special circumstances shooting-murder of a man and attempted murder of two women in Santa Ana. Dustin Sean Ross McDonald, 23, is charged with one felony count of special circumstances murder by lying in wait, and two felony counts of attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation. He also faces sentencing enhancements for the personal discharge of a firearm causing death or great bodily injury. If convicted, he faces a sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. McDonald is scheduled to be arraigned today, Friday, Aug. 15, 2014, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined. Continue reading
Three Santa Ana City Council Members, including Michele Martinez, David Benavides and Angie Amezcua have placed an 85A item on the agenda for this Tuesday’s City Council meeting, regarding medical marijuana.
These Council Members would like to place a measure on the November General Election ballot that would allow voters to vote against the sale of medical marijuana by collectives/dispensaries. Continue reading
A proposed Santa Ana City Council sponsored ballot initiative to tax and regulate medical marijuana collectives could soon create a situation where, of some 150 shops city officials estimate are selling the drug, only 12 would likely be allowed to continue operating, according to the Voice of OC.
The city’s proposal would restrict the shops to industrial zones and would also be banned from opening within 1,000 ft. of schools, parks and residential areas. Only a fraction of land isolated to the city’s southern corners meet the requirements, meaning 18 to 24 shops could open, officials estimate, according to another Voice of OC article. Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release: May 22, 2014
*Complaint charges that misleading marketing has grown opioids into multi-billion dollar industry at expense of patient health
SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) and Office of the County Counsel for the County of Santa Clara (OCCCSC) have filed a civil consumer protection lawsuit against five large pharmaceutical companies for endangering patients and deceiving doctors by intentionally misrepresenting the dangerously addictive nature of opioids, or a class of narcotic prescription painkillers, to expand their market and profit for the drugs.
The Complaint was filed yesterday, May 21, 2014, against Purdue Pharma L.P., Cephalon, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Endo Health Solutions Inc., and Actavis, Inc. Continue reading
Santa Ana Police Department – National Take Back Day
On Saturday, April 26, 2014, the Santa Ana Police Department in collaboration with the Los Angeles Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is hosting a NATIONAL TAKE BACK DAY.
NATIONAL TAKE BACK DAY will provide a unified opportunity for the public to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications to law enforcement officers for destruction. Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release, Case # 12CF1289: February 27, 2014
DRUG SUPPLIER TO FACE TRIAL FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES SHOOTING-MURDER AS REVENGE FOR STOLEN DRUGS
SANTA ANA – A drug supplier will face trial today for the special circumstances kidnapping and shooting-murder following a drug deal where his drugs were stolen. Jose Felix Zepeda, 41, Los Angeles, is charged with one felony count of special circumstances murder during the commission of a robbery, one felony count of kidnapping for ransom, reward, extortion, and to exact from another person money and other valuable things, and one felony count of conspiracy to commit a crime with a sentencing enhancement for possession of a substance to distribute exceeding one kilogram. If convicted, Zepeda faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Opening statements are scheduled to begin this morning, Feb. 27, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. in Department C-28, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading
Santa Ana School Police Department
At approximately 6:40 PM, Thursday evening, Santa Ana School Police received a call from the custodian at Adams Elementary school of a suspicious person on the campus. School Police Officers responded and began searching for the subject. Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release: December 6, 2013
OCDA RECEIVES $386,060 STATE GRANT TO INCREASE FIGHT AGAINST DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS
SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) has received a $386,060 state grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to address the problem of driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs in Orange County. This is the fourth OTS grant awarded to OCDA in an effort to improve detection and prosecution of alcohol and drug-related DUI cases. The OTS grant is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Between 2005 and 2012, the OCDA received over $1.3 million in OTS grants to facilitate the prosecution of DUI alcohol and drug cases by allowing deputy district attorneys and clerical support staff to focus exclusively on DUI cases. Continue reading