OCSD Gets $100K grant to fight Alcohol-related Crime

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, California – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department OCSD) today announced it  has been  awarded a $100,000 grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to battle alcohol-related crime. According to Sheriff Sandra Hutchens “the Sheriff’s Department will use the grant funding to expand our specialized task forces to target crimes related to the sale of alcohol, over-intoxication and narcotics related problems through the use of multiple enforcement and education strategies,”

For example, just last Friday, September 14, Sheriff’s deputies and ABC agents conducted a “Minor Decoy” operation at licensed establishments in unincorporated South Orange County, Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo, Trabuco Canyon and Ladera Ranch. The businesses included liquor stores, convenience stores, bars and restaurants. The operation uses individuals, who are under the age of 20, to attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages. If the minor decoy is able to purchase alcohol, the business is issued a criminal citation and may also face administrative disciplinary action.  

While the OCSD reported  100% compliance from the establishments visited during the “Minor Decoy” operation last week and that all businesses visited requested to see identification and denied sale to the minors, one subject was issued a citation after observing the decoy was denied alcohol and subsequently offered and purchased alcohol for the decoy. The subject was cited and released for the violation.

This grant is one of 58 awarded in California that will assist more than 80 law enforcement agencies through ABC’s Grant Assistance Program (GAP).

“The program improves the quality of life in neighborhoods,” said ABC Director Jacob Appelsmith. “We’ve seen a real difference in the communities where the grant program resources have been invested.”

The GAP Program was created in 1995 to strengthen partnerships between ABC and local law enforcement agencies. The program is designed to put bad operators out of business, keep alcohol away from minors and bring penalties such as fines, suspensions or revocations against businesses that violate the law. The GAP Program has distributed over $20 million to local law enforcement to combat alcohol-related crime. ABC is a Department of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

While we applaud ABC and the OCSD’s efforts, use of these funds is reactive, as opposed to sending the funds directly to the target communities.  A summary of our research over the last ten years can be found here, including other recommendations.

DUI Santa Ana Man charged with killing a woman

 

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Steven Todd Newcomer will be arraigned tomorrow for killing a woman by crashing into her motorcycle after making an unsafe turn into an intersection according to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office.

Newcomer, 44, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count each of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated without gross negligence and hit and run causing death. Newcomer is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 31, 2012

At approximately 8:40 p.m. on April 12, 2012, 32-year-old Kimberly Krause was riding her motorcycle eastbound on Chapman Avenue approaching the intersection at Pioneer Lane in Garden Grove. Newcomer is accused of driving while under the influence of alcohol westbound on Chapman Avenue toward the same intersection. 

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As Krause legally passed through the intersection on a green light, Newcomer is accused of making a left turn in front of the victim without yielding to oncoming traffic. The defendant is accused of crashing into the victim and throwing her from her motorcycle. Newcomer is accused of briefly stopping at the scene before fleeing into a nearby residential complex to a friend's home. He is accused of failing to call 911 to seek help for the victim. 

Officers from the Garden Grove Police Department (GGPD), who investigated this case, responded to the scene and located Krause lying at the corner of the intersection. She was transported to the University of California, Irvine Medical Center and pronounced dead at 9:01 p.m. due to multiple blunt force traumatic injuries. 

Approximately 10 minutes after the crash, Newcomer is accused of being located by GGPD walking inside the residential complex near the crime scene. He is accused of displaying objective signs of alcohol intoxication including bloodshot eyes and emitting a strong odor of alcohol. At midnight, over three hours after the crash, the defendant is accused of having a blood alcohol level of .14 percent. 

Speeding DUI Driver Sent to Jail for Killing Friend after Crashing into a tree

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - Andrew Stueber was sentenced today to one year in jail and put on formal probation for five years for killing his friend after slicing his car in half by crashing into a tree. Andrew Stueber, 27, was found guilty by a jury Feb. 8, 2012, of one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office, at approximately 2:10 a.m. on Aug. 1, 2009, Stueber was driving in a Ford Mustang after a night of drinking with friends at Goodys Tavern in San Clemente. He was the designated driver. He was speeding on Avenida Vista Montana at over 55 mph in a 35 mph zone with friends Edmund Vandecasteele, 22, Robert Nichols, 22, and Kyle Nance, 21, as passengers in he car. 

Stueber lost control of his car while driving at a high rate of speed and crossed over onto the wrong side of the road. He then crashed into a tree, severing his car in half. 

Stueber was transported to the hospital to be treated for head trauma. Approximately two hours after the crash, he had a blood alcohol level of .09 percent. 

Vandecasteele, who had been riding in the front passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene due to multiple traumatic injuries. Nichols and Nance, who had been riding in the back seat, were transported to the hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises. 


Deputy District Attorney Nancy Hayashida of the Homicide Unit prosecuted this case. 

July 4th Party is over – Time to Count the DUI arrests

 

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - The Fourth of July Holiday  Avoid the 38 DUI Campaign period has completed its  deployment of a Sobriety Checkpoint, special DUI Saturation Patrols and officers on routine patrol focused on impaired drivers to lower deaths/injuries on our streets and highways.

The AVOID Anti-DUI Program was launched in the winter of 1973 to bring law enforcement agencies together in countywide clusters to crack down on the drinking driver and reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by alcohol related crashes. Funding, provided by grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, allows counties to add overtime hours, reassign officers, and conduct public awareness campaigns during the increased enforcement periods.

With Independence Day falling on a Wednesday,  the OCSD figures that many in the  community will be taking the rest of the week off and so DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols will be out in force throughout the weekend in Orange County.

Police, Sheriff and the CHP encourage all motorists to report impaired or dangerous drivers this summer – Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1 anytime you encounter that dangerous driver.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the 48 hour effort from 12:01 AM Tuesday, July 3, 2012 through Midnight Wednesday, July 4, 2012 officers representing 38 county law enforcement agencies arrested 78 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Compare this to the holidays from  12:01 AM Friday, December 18, 2009 through Midnight Sunday, January 3, 2010 Deputies and Officers  arrested 602 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We made the argument then and continue to make the argument that while the AVOID program is well intentioned, it is not pro-active and may be wasteful.

For example,  we continue to assert that whether a city is the safest city in the county -  the state or the nation -  or not is primarily a function of residents and local governance, not law enforcement. Take for instance the leadership demonstrated by the cities of Lake Forest and Mission Viejo: Lake Forest's ordinance issuing a 45-day moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in the city or the Mission Viejo City Council  pioneering work with underage drinking, being the county's first to pass the Social Host ordinance.  Certainly these two cases illustrate a more cost-efficient and proactive approach to public safety than say the AVOID program final 2009 Holiday results  which required three law enforcement agents  for every  arrest. 

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) is a multi-faceted law enforcement agency with approximately 3,800 sworn and professional staff members along with more than 800 reserve personnel  who provide law enforcement services to 670,000 Orange County residents in 12 contract cities and the unincorporated County areas through 24-hour police patrols, investigative units, parking control and vehicle abatement services.

Additionally, the OCSD provides  coroner, forensic science, correctional facilities, hazardous device squad, communications, court security, John Wayne Airport security, harbor patrol and many other services to the more than three million residents of the County of Orange

Unlicensed DUI Driver to be arraigned for Killing Passenger

Unlicensed DUI Driver to be arraigned for Killing Passenger

Posted by CotoBlogzz 1-12-2010 9:00 AM

WESTMINSTER, CA - Vincente Garcia Ramirez is scheduled to be arraigned today on charges of killing his female passenger after losing control of his car and crashing into a tree.

Ramirez, 23, Huntington Beach, is charged with one felony count of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated without gross negligence and one misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle without a valid license. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison. TheOrange County Dsitrict Attorney's office has announced it will be requesting $100,000 bail at Ramirez's arraignment later today, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010.

At approximately 2:00 a.m. on Jan. 9, 2010, Ramirez was driving in Garden Grove with a female friend in the passenger seat, 22-year-old Joyce Lopez. The defendant is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol without a driver's license after spending the evening at a bar and a house party, where he consumed several alcoholic beverages.

Ramirez is accused of losing control of his Nissan Altima after driving at an unsafe speed on Magnolia Street. He is accused of driving up the center divider of the road and crashing into a tree. Ramirez is accused of killing Lopez, who was transported to University of California, Irvine Medical Center and pronounced dead at 6:30 a.m. due to blunt force trauma.

DUI Female Driver Arraigned for Hit-and-run and Subsequent Death

Posted By CotoBlogzz 01-11-2009 06:00 PM

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - Shana Lynne Calderon was arraigned today for hitting a pedestrian and fleeing the scene while driving under the influence of alcohol, which resulted in the victim's death one week later.

Calderon, 21, Newport Beach, is charged with one felony count of hit and run causing death, one misdemeanor count each of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or more, possession of controlled substance paraphernalia, and driving without a valid license. If convicted, Calderon faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison and is out on $100,000 bail. She is expected to be in court for a pre-trial hearing Feb. 25, 2010

At approximately 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2009, Calderon is accused of driving a white 1995 Ford Explorer southbound on the California State Route 55 as it turned into Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa. She is accused of moving into the right hand turn lane at the intersection of Newport Boulevard and 19th Street. While the victim, 29-year-old Michael McLaughlin, stepped into the street, Calderon is accused of striking McLaughlin with the car, causing him to hit the windshield and fly into the street. She is accused of parking her vehicle nearby, walking to the scene, and speaking to a witness that had congregated. Calderon and her passenger then fled the scene. The victim was transported to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he succumbed to his injuries a week later due to blunt force trauma to the head.

Approximately two hours later, Calderon turned herself in to the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD). Calderon is accused of displaying objective signs of intoxication including bloodshot and watery eyes, flushed face, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol on her breath. She is accused of possessing two hollowed-out pen containers used to ingest prescription drugs. Calderon is accused of driving without a valid driver's license.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Ed Berakovich at (714) 347-8492 or CMPD Investigator Rick Cummings at (714) 754-5264.

Holiday DUI Crackdown Results Unveiled

Posted by CotoBlogzz



According to the California AVOID Anti-DUI program, the 2009 Winter Holiday Mobilization crackdown on impaired drivers has ended “resulting  in a significant number of DUI arrests from the Sobriety Checkpoints, Special Saturation Patrols and routine
patrol in the Orange County “AVOID the 38” DUI Campaign.”

A press release for Orange County prepared by the AVOID program states that  “from 12:01 AM Friday, December 18, 2009 through Midnight Sunday, January 3, 2010 Deputies and Officers representing 38 county law enforcement agencies have arrested 602 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs” – this means that there were more than three law enforcement agents for every arrest.


There were 30 DUI- related traffic accidents with injuries, but fortunately no DUI- related deaths were reported in Orange County this Holiday Season.


The task force reports that “law enforcement officials will be conducting more AVOID anti-DUI efforts throughout the county and region during Super Bowl Sunday, St Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo before planning for the Summer Campaign periods. The Orange County Sheriff, Police, and the CHP encourage all motorists to help make their c

The AVOID Anti-DUI Program was launched in the winter of 1973 to bring law enforcement agencies together in countywide clusters to crack down on the drinking driver and reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by alcohol related crashes. Funding, provided by grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, allows counties to add overtime hours, reassign officers, and conduct public awareness campaigns during the increased enforcement periods.

The overall goal of the awareness campaign is to let drivers know about the countywide increased enforcement periods and warn drivers that the only way to "AVOID" the county's law enforcement officers is to drive sober. Increased enforcement periods are active statewide during the National Anti DUI Mobilization Campaigns, which are Mid-December through New Years; Mid August through Labor Day weekend and during the high traffic holiday periods on Memorial Day weekend and Independence Day weekend. Additionally, Avoid Patrols deploy on nights with high incidents of DUI offenders and DUI collisions such as Halloween, Super Bowl Sunday, St Patrick's Day and Cinco De Mayo.

DUI Driver Charged with Killing Woman by Rear-Ending Car

Posted By CotoBlogzz

SANTA ANA, CA - Robert Serrano was charged and arraigned today with rear-ending a car stopped at a red light and killing an 18-year-old woman in the vehicle.

Serrano, 36, Chino Hills, is charged with one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated and sentencing enhancements and allegations for causing bodily injury to multiple victims and fleeing the scene. He has a prior 2005 conviction for driving under the influence. If convicted, Serrano faces a maximum sentence of 17 years in state prison. Serrano is being held on $250,000 bail and is scheduled for a continued arraignment on Jan.15, 2010

At approximately 2:00 a.m. on Jan. 3, 2010, Serrano is accused of becoming intoxicated and leaving a bar with a friend. He is accused of driving a black BMW eastbound on MacArthur Boulevard, where a Toyota Scion was stopped at a red light at the intersection at Main Street in Santa Ana. Serrano is accused of rear-ending the Scion and fleeing the scene on foot, leaving an injured passenger in the car. The 18-year-old passenger in the Scion was transported to the hospital and later died from her injuries. The Santa Ana Police Department arrested Serrano at noon the same day.

Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case. 

CHP Public Arrest Log WE 2/4/2007 - Too many, too close for comfort

The fewest arrests were logged by the CHP for week ending 2-4-2007 in quite a long time. The bad news is that there were two Ladera Ranch residents arrested for DUI, one from Trabuco Canyon and Coto de Caza resident, C. Barraza, arrested 2/4/200 for California Vehicle code violations 23152(a) and 23152(b).