Know victims of assault under pretense of acupuncture therapy? The OCDA needs your help.

Posted by CotoBlogzz 12-29-2010

SANTA ANA, CA - The Orange County District Attorney's Office is seeking the public's help in identifying potential additional victims of  Thuan Van Nguyen, charged with sexually assaulting a woman in his Santa Ana home under the pretense of performing acupuncture therapy.

Nguyen, 56, Santa Ana, will be arraigned on an amended complaint for two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery by fraud, three misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, and one misdemeanor count of practicing acupuncture without a license.

On July 3, 2010, 38-year-old Jane Doe went to the Nguyen's Santa Ana home to receive acupuncture therapy. The victim's mother had met Nguyen at a pharmacy in Westminster and he is accused of claiming to be an acupuncture therapist who could help her with her physical ailments.

Nguyen is accused of taking the victim into a bedroom, which contained no medical or massage equipment.  Jane Doe reported the sexual assault to the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) the following day.

Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact SAPD Detective Mike Judson at (714) 245-8378 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Carl Waddell at (714) 834-7538.

The OC Justice - Victim is famous, you get life, otherwise DUI treatment is fine.

Posted by CotoBlogzz 12-22-2010

SANTA ANA, CA -  Andrew Thomas Gallo  was sentenced today to 51 years to life in state prison for murdering three people, including a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball player, and injuring a fourth victim in an early-morning car crash, according to the Orange County Districy Attorney's (OCDA) office.

Gallo, 23, San Gabriel, was found guilty by a jury Sept. 27, 2010, of three felony counts of murder, one felony count of fleeing the scene of a traffic collision involving death or permanent injury, one felony count of driving under the influence causing injury, and one felony count of driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol causing injury.  Gallo has a prior San Bernardino County conviction for driving under the influence in 2006 and was on probation for this conviction at the time of the crash.

On the other hand, Jessica Lynn Shekell was convicted October 28, 2010, for killing two sisters and injuring their two nieces by crashing head-on into their vehicle while driving the wrong direction on the freeway.  Shekell, 22, Anaheim, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, one felony count of driving with a blood alcohol level over .08 percent causing bodily injury, and sentencing enhancements for causing great bodily injury. Shekell faces a maximum sentence of 19 years and eight months in state prison.

But wait, there is more: Trevor Mark Coffman,  convicted of causing a high-speed freeway crash, killing two elderly passengers and severely injuring their elderly driver, is  expected to be sentenced to four years in state prison at his sentencing hearing Jan. 7, 2011, while  Hope-y, Change-y Judge Robert Fitzgerald  gives treatment to DUI driver who kills pedestrian in Hit& Run Incident.

A pattern seems to be emergeing from the OC:  If the victim is famous, you face life, otherwise DUI treatment is fine


This case was investigated by the Fullerton Police Department and prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Susan Price of the Orange County District Attorney's Office Homicide Unit.

Cypress woman stopped with bean bag gun, faces chargers for shooting at officers with semi-automatic firearm

Posted By CotoBlogzz 12-22-2010

SANTA ANA, CA  - Brinda Sue McCoy was charged today for shooting at responding police officers after calling 911 and initiating stand-off.

McCoy, 47, Cypress, is charged with five felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm on a peace officer and two felony counts of discharging a firearm with gross negligence with sentencing enhancements for the personal discharge of a firearm. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 58 years in state prison. The

According to the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office, at approximately 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2010, McCoy is accused of calling 911 and stating she needed assistance. Responding Cypress Police Department officers attempted to get McCoy to come out of her residence. McCoy is accused of refusing to leave her house, pointing a firearm at her head, and then at the ceiling before pointing it directly at officers outside. Police warned the defendant that if she fired her weapon, she would harm police officers. McCoy is accused of firing the gun twice at police officers who were stationed behind two parked vehicles outside the defendant's home. SWAT stopped McCoy using a bean bag gun.

Predator's parole revoked - not Thanks to Dept. of Mental Health

Posted by CotoBlogzz 12-22-2010

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Earlier today, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas released the following statement:

"I want to thank the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Secretary Matthew Cate for their hard work in the case involving convicted sex offender Lawrence Brown.  Brown's parole was revoked today by CDCR, which gives the Orange County District Attorney the ability to file a petition to have brown declared a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP).  He was sentenced to 90 days in prison as a result of his parole-violation arrest on Nov. 17, 2010. The Orange County District Attorney's Office will be filing a petition within the statutory time.  A jury will be able to see Brown's full history and decide whether he is a SVP who poses a danger to the community.  Brown is a convicted repeat child rapist who should never be allowed to walk the streets and hurt innocent victims." 

The real question is, what took the parasitic bureaucracy California Department of Mental Health so long?


Last month,  Rackauckas along with Senator Lou Correa, Tustin Police Chief Scott Jordan, and a representative from the Santa Ana Police Department held a press conference earlier to warn the public that Brown, was scheduled to be released on parole in Orange County after serving 25 years of a 49-year sentence for brutally sexually assaulting two young girls after kidnapping them in broad daylight, and the reason according to the the DA, the Department of Mental Health had failed to submit a Request to File a Petition to the Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA), making it legally impossible for the OCDA to file a Sexually Violent Predator petition to have Brown civilly committed. 

Let's hope the deaprtment is getting its act together, alebeit after a public outcry for its actions.

Housecleaner who worked in Dove Canyon faces molestation charges

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – The Orange County Sheriff Department (OCSD)  is seeking the public's help in identifying potential additional victims of a housecleaner who is charged with molesting a 5-year-old girl in 1995  and 10-year-old girls in 2009 and 2010.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office, Omar Alirio Guzman, 43, Mission Viejo, is charged with five felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 against Jane Doe #1, two felony counts each of lewd acts on a child under 14 against Jane Doe #2 and Jane Doe #3, and one felony count of aggravated sexual assault on a child under 14. Guzman is also charged with sentencing enhancement allegations for substantial sexual conduct against Jane Doe #1 and committing a sexual offense against multiple victims. If convicted, he faces a minimum

In 1995, Guzman is accused of meeting 5-year-old Jane Doe #3 while working as a housecleaner in her Dove Canyon home. The defendant is accused of sexually assaulting Jane Doe #3 on multiple occasions while working in the victim's home. The victim reported the crime to her mother, who reported it to police. The Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) investigated the case. 

Between February 2009 and December 2010, Guzman is accused of becoming acquainted with 10-year-old Jane Doe #1 and 9-year-old Jane Doe #2 while they were visiting the defendant's relative at his Mission Viejo home. During this time, Guzman is accused of sexually assaulting Jane Doe #1 on several occasions while at his home.

Jane Doe #1 reported the sexual assault to her mother, who reported it to police. Upon further investigation, Guzman was also linked to the crimes against the other two victims. The 1995 case for Jane Doe #3 was first presented to the Orange County District Attorney's Office when the 2010 investigation was presented for filing.  Jane Doe #3 does not know Jane Does #1 and #2. 

Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact OCSD Investigator Margie Sheehan at (714) 647-4067 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Randy Litwin at (714) 347-8794. 

No Joke: McAneny, an attorney charged with stealing from widow

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA   - Attorney Redmond Peter McAneny  has been charged with stealing $117,000 from a widow after representing her in a case regarding her late husband's life insurance policy. The money had been deposited into a client trust account as mandated by law.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office, McAneny, 55, Huntington Beach, is charged with one felony count of grand theft by embezzlement with a sentencing enhancement for property damage over $65,000. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison. McAneny was arrested today by Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA) Investigators.

In 2008, McAneny is accused of representing widow Debbie S. in securing her late husband's life insurance proceeds. The victim and her husband had been going through a divorce and he had changed the terms of his trust before his death, leaving it unclear if his wife or son would receive his life insurance benefits. A settlement was reached to divide the insurance policy in half, and a check for over $117,000 was issued to a trust fund account for Debbie S. on July 10, 2008. 

On July 15, 2008, after depositing the check into his client trust fund account, McAneny is accused of stealing the $117,000 from Debbie S. and depleting the trust account by writing himself numerous checks with no reference to any case. McAneny is accused of failing to pay the victim any of her settlement. 

This case was investigated by the OCDA and State Bar of California.

 

Suzanne Denise Bowman to be arraigned on grand theft charges

Posted by CotoBlogzz

SANTA ANA, CA - Suzanne Denise  Bowman, a 14-year employee of  Scheurer Architect, a Newport Beach architectural firm will be arraigned tomorrow for embezzling over $150,000 to finance personal expenses including travel purchases. 

According to the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office, Baumann, 40, Anaheim Hills, is charged with two felony counts of grand theft and one felony count of second degree commercial burglary with sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime over $100,000 and property damage over $65,000. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months in state prison. The OCDA will be requesting Baumann be held on $160,000 bail

Beginning in 1996, Baumann worked for Scheurer Architect in Newport Beach. She is accused of being responsible for overseeing the company's financial accounts and records and stealing over $115,700 by charging unauthorized purchases on three different company credit cards. Baumann is also accused of stealing over $44,000 from the company's bank account to pay charges on her personal credit card. The defendant is accused of spending the money on personal expenses including travel expenses, concert tickets, and items online from Amazon.com. 

In early May 2010, a Scheurer Architect employee noticed a missing check that Baumann made payable to herself. After an audit of the corporate accounts, the theft was reported to the Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD). 

On May 16, 2010, Baumann is accused of going to NBPD and using a stolen company credit card to pay for a massage therapy license to start her new business. 

After further investigation by NBPD, Baumann was arrested yesterday, Dec. 14, 2010. 

A Most Capricious & Deed Violating HOA Board

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Houston, TX- According to a PRWEB piece by Paul McHugh titled Tanglewood Homeowners Association Hit With Large Jury Verdict

A Harris County jury last week awarded damages and attorneys' fees totaling almost $500,000.00 against Tanglewood Homes Association, Inc. for its violations of deed restrictions. The jury found that over a two year period that the Association acted in an arbitrary or capricious manner towards the homeowners. 

In 2008, the homeowners had brought suit against the homeowners association in Cause No. 2008-65420, Feldman v. Tanglewood Homes Association, Inc., in the 80th Judicial District Court of Harris County, Texas on account of the Association's failure to enforce the more than fifty year old protective covenants. A second part of the trial to be held next year addresses still additional damages arising out of the incident.

Read more

Laguna Woods Suicide

Posted by CotoBlogzz

LAGUNA WOODS, CA – According to Orange County Sheriff Department (OCSD) spokesperson, a person jumped off   the Laguna Woods Village Number 2 Tower in Paseo del Lago West earlier today at around 06:30 a.m.

.

The fall was fatal and while the incident is still under investigation, at the moment the OCSD views it as a suicide

OCSD Nabs Safety Grant for DUI Education Program

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - The Orange County Sheriff’s Department  (OCSD) has been awarded a new $70,293  safety grant by the California Office of Traffic Safety for a year-long comprehensive Driving under the Influence Education Program for traffic safety efforts in the South Operations region and the Cities of Stanton and Villa Park.

The special DUI Education and Enforcement grant is to assist in efforts to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and other drug related collisions by focusing on under-age drinking and young impaired drivers in the community.  The education efforts include facilitating teen peer to peer education efforts, conducting multimedia events at local schools and using student journalists as part of the High School Media Challenge program to help reach the 30,000 high school students in the region.

In addition to the education efforts, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will also be conducting targeted underage drinking enforcement efforts.  These events will be used to curb underage alcohol use at sporting events, school dances, house parties and other areas where underage drinking is occurring.  These enforcement efforts are already underway in the region. 

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In 2009, over 10,839 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.  California data for 2009 shows that 950 died in Alcohol Impaired Collisions, a 7.6 percent reduction in deaths from 2008.

Students, others, charged with Disorderly Conduct Outside UCI’s Chancellor’s Office

Posted By CotoBlogzz

SANTA ANA, CA  - The Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA) filed charges today against 19 students and sympathizers for being disorderly outside the Chancellor's Office and refusing to leave the University of California, Irvine (UCI) campus.

John Bruning, 24, Santa Ana, and James Eric Lagergren, 23, Irvine, are both charged with one misdemeanor count each of false imprisonment and obstruction of a public place. Lagergren is also charged with one misdemeanor count of being a public nuisance.

Eric Kitayama, 26, Anaheim Hills, is charged with two misdemeanor counts of trespassing, and one misdemeanor count each of disturbing the peace and refusal to disperse.

The following 16 co-defendants are charged with one misdemeanor count each of trespassing, disturbing the peace, and refusal to disperse:
    Moosa Matt Azadian, 21, Anaheim 
    Rachel Denice Burton, 21, Irvine 
    Juan Antonio Castillo, 48, Santa Ana
    Fernando Chirino, 28, Irvine
    Ryan Sinclaire Davis, 22, Santa Ana
    Saron Ephraim, 22, Tustin
    Sandra Flores, 20, Irvine
    Dennis Lopez, 32, Irvine
    Evangelina Nevarez, 36, Los Angeles
    Sylvia Van Pham, 22, Fountain Valley
    Celene Perez, 28, Los Angeles
    Whitney Lauren Shepard, 22, Irvine
    Indar Smith, 22, Irvine
    Aida Belaynes Soloman, 21, Irvine
    Irendeep Kaur Srai, 22, Irvine
    Samiyyah Jowharah Tillman, 22, Irvine

All the defendants are UCI students except Castillo, Nevarez, Perez, and former student Kitayama. If convicted on all counts, they face a sentence ranging from probation to one year in jail. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 29, 2010

According to the OCDA’s office, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2010, 17 defendants except Bruning and Lagergren are accused of trespassing onto the UCI campus, entering the fifth floor of Aldrich Hall, and gathering outside the Office of the Chancellor. The defendants are accused of disorderly conduct involving over 40 people inside and outside the building. They are accused of chanting, yelling slogans from their various protest groups, blowing whistles, and pounding on the walls and floor. They are accused of disrupting approximately 400 UCI employees working in Aldrich Hall, who were evacuated at 11:00 a.m. due to the protests. 

While the 17 defendants were inside Aldrich Hall, Bruning and Lagergren are accused of pushing a dumpster against the doors of the west exit outside the building. Lagergren is accused of heaving a dumpster into the middle of Pereira Street, one of the main streets on the UCI campus, and blocking traffic.

At 11:15 a.m., UCI Police read a dispersal order using a portable bullhorn. The 17 defendants inside are accused of refusing to leave, sitting down in a single-file line, continuing to yell, and banging on walls. The UCI Police arrested each defendant. The Irvine Police and Newport Beach Police assisted in dispersing those gathered outside. Bruning and Lagergren were not arrested at the scene.

According to the OCDA’s office, UCI has designated areas to practice free speech in a safe and effective manner without disrupting the normal operations of the University. The UCI Code of Student Conduct places appropriate limitations on where demonstrations may be held without discrimination, and all students are expected to adhere to this Code. In California, entering any land with the intention of interfering with or obstructing lawful business is misdemeanor trespassing. 

Two-Time DUI, Porshe driver convicted of crashing into Ferrari splitting in half and killing a man

Posted by CotoBlogzz


SANTA ANA, CA  - Jeffrey David Kirby  was convicted today of killing a man and injuring his passenger after crashing his Porsche into the victim's Ferrari, causing it to slam into a light pole and spilt in half according to the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office.

Jeffrey David Kirby, 53, Costa Mesa, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence while intoxicated and a sentencing enhancement for causing great bodily injury was found true.  He has a prior conviction for driving under the influence in 2002. Kirby faces a maximum sentence of 13 years in state prison at his sentencing Feb. 4, 2011,

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on March 11, 2009, Kirby was speeding in his 1977 Porsche with a 32-year-old female passenger, Lynn Marie Nabozny, alongside a 2004 Ferrari driven by 45-year-old Charles David Lewis, Jr., on Jamboree Road in Newport Beach. Kirby lost control of his car due to his unsafe speed and crashed into Lewis' vehicle. Lewis lost control of his Ferrari, which crashed into a cement light pole and was torn in half. Kirby swerved and came to a stop on Jamboree Road for several seconds before accelerating and leaving the scene.

A Newport Beach Police officer, who had been passing northbound on Jamboree, observed the crash and immediately stopped to assist Lewis and called for back up. Lewis was trapped inside the front half of the Ferrari, which had to be dismantled in order to remove him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Lewis' 23-year-old passenger, Lacy Lynn White, was ejected from the car and landed on the nearby dirt embankment. White was transported to Western Medical Center to be treated for several bone fractures, lacerations and abrasions.

After leaving the scene, Kirby parked his Porsche, which had body damage consistent with having been involved in a crash, on Bison Avenue. Within minutes of the crash, a responding Newport Beach Police officer observed Kirby's parked car and saw the defendant and Nabozny walking outside of the defendant's vehicle. Kirby and Nabozny were both apprehended. When contacted by officers, the defendant was emitting an odor of alcohol, slurring his speech, and had bloodshot and watery eyes. He was arrested at the scene.

At approximately 3:00 a.m., two hours after the crash, Kirby had a blood alcohol level of .13 percent. Nabozny was arrested for public intoxication and later released.

Brown's Green Energy for the Birds

Posted By CotopBlogzz 12-06-2010


OAKLAND, CA -- Attorney General (AG) Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced an agreement to upgrade the quarter-century-old wind turbines in Altamont Pass to make them more efficient and less deadly to migratory birds.   According to the AG "this landmark settlement mandates the replacement of outmoded wind turbines with newer models that are more efficient, generate more power and are less harmful to eagles, falcons and other birds."

The Altamont Pass Wind Resources Area in Alameda and Contra Costa counties is the site of the world's first wind turbines. According to the AG, these units, constructed more than three decades ago, are now outdated, inefficient and deadly to thousands of birds each year. 

Today's settlement is between environmental groups, the state, and NextEra Energy Resources, the largest turbine operator at the site. Under the agreement, NextEra will upgrade all its older-model turbines. Scientific data shows that newer, larger turbines are more efficient and kill far fewer birds. 

In September 2005,  Alameda County renewed permits for the turbines, but several various parasitic bureaucracies including several Audubon Society chapters and Californians for Renewable Energy (CARE), a local environmental group, challenged the permits in a lawsuit under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

Under the agreement, NextEra will replace some 2,400 turbines over the next four years and will shut down all its existing turbines no later than 2015. The company also has agreed to erect the new turbines in environmentally friendly locations. 

NextEra agreed to pay $2.5 million in mitigation fees, half to the state's parasitic bureaucracies Energy Commission's Public Integrated Energy Research Program and half to East Bay Regional Park District and the Livermore Area Regional Park District for raptor habitat creation. 



But wait, there is more - just wait until Brown takes over from the Governator

OCSD trying to keep distance from deputy charged with sexual assault of minor while responding to theft call

Posted by CotoBlogzz 12-02-2010

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA –  Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Cole appeared in court today after the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) filed charges based on accusations that led to his initial arrest in June.   

On June 23, 2010 Cole, 41, Hisperia, was accused of being on duty and responding to a call from a home located in an unincorporated area of Tustin.  The mother of 17-year-old Jane Doe had called OCSD reporting that her jewelry was stolen. Cole is accused of entering the home and talking to the mother, Jane Doe, and Jane Doe's sister in the living room. He is accused of entering Jane Doe's bedroom and telling the victim to take off some of her clothes and then leaving her bedroom. After talking to the mother and sister in the living room again, he is accused of going back to Jane Doe's room and closing the door.  Once Cole left the residence, the victim immediately disclosed the sexual assault to her mother.

Cole has been charged with violation of Section 289 (h) of the Penal Code and will be held

at the Orange County Jail until his arraignment before a judge.  The Orange County Sheriff (OCSD) Department publicly reported Cole’s  arrest in June and he has been on administrative

leave since then. He had posted bond and was released from jail.

Assistant Sheriff Mike James said of the re-arrest today: “Today is a very difficult day for us as we arrested one of our own for a crime that is the worst violation of public trust. This arrest stems from a very thorough, five-month long investigation we conducted with the Orange

County District Attorney’s office.”

Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Randy Litwin at (714) 347-8794.

Scott Cole, OCSD Deputy to be arraigned for sexual assault on teenage girl

Posted by CotoBlogzz, December 2, 2010

SANTA ANA, CA  - Scott Cole, an Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) deputy will be arraigned today on a charge of sexually assaulting a teenage girl while on duty, according to the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office.

Cole, 41, Hesperia, was charged today with one felony count of sexual assault  of a minor. If convicted, Cole faces a maximum sentence of three years in state prison. TheOCDA's officis seeking the defendant be required to register as a lifetime sexual offender. The defendant is being held on $20,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned today, Dec. 2, 2010.

On June 23, 2010, Cole is accused of being on duty and responding to a call from a home located in an unincorporated area of Tustin. The mother of 17-year-old Jane Doe had called OCSD reporting that her jewelry was stolen. Cole is accused of entering the home and talking to the mother, Jane Doe, and Jane Doe's sister in the living room. He is accused of entering Jane Doe's bedroom and telling the victim to take off some of her clothes and then leaving her bedroom. After talking to the mother and sister in the living room again, he is accused of going back to Jane Doe's room and closing the door.  Once Cole left the residence, the victim immediately disclosed the sexual assault to her mother.

OCSD began the initial investigation after being contacted by the victim's mother to report the crime. The Orange County District Attorney's Office assisted in the subsequent investigation. Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Randy Litwin at (714) 347-8794.