At about 11:30 PM on Friday October 14th an adult male suspect exited his vehicle and shot at an occupied parked vehicle multiple times, at at 200 N. Lacy, in Santa Ana.
The vehicle was struck multiple times and the female and male passengers were not struck, according to SAPD Case Number 16-27216. Continue reading
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
Case # 14CF2681
Date: October 14, 2016
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Garden Grove man was sentenced today to 114 years in state prison for shooting into a vehicle which killed a man and injured two women. Dustin Sean Ross McDonald, 25, was found guilty by a jury on June 14, 2016, of one felony count of first degree murder, two felony counts of attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation, and sentencing enhancements for the personal discharge of a firearm causing death or great bodily injury.
On Aug. 12, 2014, McDonald arranged to meet with the three victims in Santa Ana for what they thought would be a drug transaction. At approximately 11:30 p.m. that night, the defendant drove up to the victim’s vehicle, just north of the Orange County School of the Arts, in the area of East 12th Street and Main Street, stepped out of his vehicle, and walked around to the front passenger side of the victims’ vehicle while armed with a firearm. The defendant fired approximately 10 shots at the victims, murdering the front passenger, 23-year-old Aaron Chavez. McDonald wounded both the 21-year-old female driver of the vehicle, Ashlee Caldwell, and the 28-year-old female passenger, Ingrid Gonzalez. Continue reading
For Immediate Release: October 12, 2016
Contact: HCA Communications, Media Line: (714) 834-2178, Email: HCAComm@ochca.com
Drop-Off Unwanted Prescriptions at More Than 30 OC Locations on ‘National Take Back Day’
(Santa Ana, CA) – The Health Care Agency encourages community members to drop-off expired, unused or unwanted prescription medications between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on “National Take Back Day” occurring Saturday, October 22 at more than 30 locations throughout Orange County.
“I encourage people to clean out their medicine cabinets and bring in expired, unused or unwanted prescription medication because one of the main sources of drug misuse in individuals over the age of 12 is prescription pain medication they’ve taken from a friend or family member,” said Dr. Eric Handler, County Health Officer. “The opioid epidemic is nationwide and it’s important we address it through participating in events like ‘National Take Back Day.’” Continue reading
Photo by Chris Schmidt
John Redman, a 54-year-old man was struck and killed as he crossed the 2649 W. First Street shortly before dawn Monday, according to the Orange County Coroner.
SAPD investigators believe that it is highly unlikely that Redman was using the crosswalk when he was hit, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading
Today at about 4:30 p.m. a woman who lives at 1309 N. Berni called the SAPD and reported that her house was shot at and bullets struck her house, according to SAPD Case number 16-26702.
Officers arrived on the scene and located a single bullet that penetrated the front door. No one was injured. At this time there was no suspect information available and no identified motive. Continue reading
The biggest civic issue in Santa Ana, without a doubt, is the horrible rise in violent crime – ever since the current City Council majority took power. You might recall that they fired former SAPD Police Chief Paul Walters, after he saved our city from bankruptcy. That is when they hired the current overpaid City Manager, David Cavazos, who later got caught having an affair with a Santa Ana city employee in the Planning Department. And they hired inexperienced first-time Police Chief Carlos Rojas – who has been over his head ever since.
The current City Council majority also got rid of the SAPD’s anti-gang squad. And look at the results. Shootings and stabbings just about every day. Over 800 crimes a week reported by crimemapping.com. The people of our city are afraid – and justifiably so. Continue reading
A male juvenile was shot in the stomach this afternoon at about 4:45 p.m. at 1665 W. Cubbon, in Santa Ana, according to SAPD Case number 16-26535. Continue reading
Brandi Alma Valadez
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney
Case # 16CF2555
Date: October 6, 2016
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A woman has been charged with sexually abusing children by forcing them to commit lewd acts on each other in front of her. Brandi Alma Valadez, 40, was charged on Oct. 3, 2016 with two felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14, two felony counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14, and two felony counts of child abuse, with a sentencing enhancement for multiple victims. The defendant has lived in multiple cities. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison. Valadez is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled for a continued arraignment on Nov. 4, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana.
In August 2014, Valadez, who knew the victims and was in a position of trust, is accused of being aware that John Doe 1, who was under the age of 13, committed lewd acts on Jane Doe, who was under the age of seven, in her residence. The defendant is accused of forcing John Doe 2, who was under the age of 10, and Jane Doe to engage in lewd acts with each other. Valadez is also accused of sexually assaulting Jane Doe. The defendant is accused of abusing Jane Doe and John Doe 2 by willfully inflicting unjustifiable physical pain and mental suffering on the children. Continue reading
Santa Ana Police Department
Arrested: Maurice Alexander Topps (42) Laguna Woods
Suspect Maurice Topps was taken into custody on 10/3/2016 while SAPD officers were investigating a computer theft he was involved in at the Santa Ana College Campus.
Based on information gathered during this investigation, to date, Maurice Topps has been identified in at least seven commercial burglaries in the cities of Santa Ana, Orange, and Anaheim. Additional burglaries are being investigated, as well as investigative leads for additional suspects involved in the burglaries. Continue reading
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
Case # 16CF2553
Date: October 4, 2016
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged and arraigned yesterday for assaulting and attempting to murder a school police officer by gouging his eye and choking him. Enrique Martinez, 28, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of attempted murder on a peace officer, one felony count of attempted mayhem, one felony count of resisting an executive officer, one felony count of assault on a school police officer, one felony count of battery on a peace officer, one felony count of reckless driving while evading a peace officer, and one felony count of burglary. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison. Martinez is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 13, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading
City of Santa Ana
Community: Santa Ana Police Department Receives Third Consecutive COPS Grant Award of $1.25M
SANTA ANA – For the third year in a row, the Santa Ana Police Department was awarded $1,250,000 in grant funding for the addition of 10 police officers by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). This brings the total amount awarded to $3.75 million for the addition of 30 police officers over the past three years.
Mayor Pulido attested, “One of our top priorities is the safety of our community and we are committed to hiring more police officers.” Continue reading
DTSA 2nd Street Promenade
The homeless problem in Santa Ana is beginning to impact our local schools. In the latest incident, which occurred last Monday at around 6 a.m. in the morning, a female student at the CSUF Grand Central Arts Center was leaving the building, which is in DTSA at the 2nd Street Plaza, when a female homeless person immediately confront the student in an aggressive manner.
The victim asked that the individual leave her alone, but the individual got more aggressive to the point of hitting the student. The student then fled to the parking structure area, in hopes that security at the structure might assist, with the attacking individual still in pursuit. As police were called, the suspect fled before police could arrive and was of course not found once they did finally show up on the scene. Continue reading
Pheach Phath, a 66-year-old man died in a one-car collision on Sunday morning, after hitting a brick wall at the corner of East Edinger Avenue and Cedar Street, in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.
The SAPD heard about the crash early on Sunday morning, at 5:54 a.m. They reported that no other car was involved in this incident. Continue reading
Santa Ana crime summary for the week of 9/25/16, courtesy of Crimemapping.com
The elections are upon us and the Santa Ana City Council incumbents who are up for re-election – Vince Sarmiento and Roman Reyna, want you to believe that crime is going down in our city. However even though the SAPD does not report their crime log (unlike many other cities including Anaheim, Irvine and Fountain Valley), we can take a look at the crimes occurring in our city on Crimemapping.com.
Crimemapping.com reports that there were over 800 crimes committed in Santa Ana during the past week, from last Sunday through yesterday. These crimes included: Continue reading
Photo by Igmar Rodas
If you saw the caution tape around Santa Ana’s Civic Center this morning please don’t panic. It is just an SAPD training exercise, according to my sources.
The Civic Center has become a real problem over the past year as the homeless population has exploded. Just a few weeks ago an altercation between SAPD police officers and a homeless man led to a police shooting. The homeless man died as a result of his injuries. Continue reading