Traffic Safety Checkpoint in Villa Park Scheduled for July 6, 2012

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - - The Orange County Sheriff’s Department(OCSD) will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint in the City of Villa Park on Friday July 6, 2012, from 6:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m.  targeting  individuals who are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and/or driving a vehicle without a driver’s license.

The goal of the program is to reduce the rate at which the citizens of Orange County are killed or injured. Through implementation of these events, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department hopes to significantly reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage in each of our contract cities.

Grant funding for this program was comes  from the State of California’s Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

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:

Man to be arraiged for lighting transient & his possessions on fire

Posted By CotoBlogzz

SANTA ANA, CA - Hector Medina is scheduled to be arraigned today on charges of lighting a transient and his possessions on fire after dousing the victim's shopping cart with gasoline.

Medina, 32, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of arson causing great bodily injury with a sentencing enhancement for arson with an accelerant. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison. Medina is being held on $100,000 bail..

On Jan. 2, 2010, Medina is accused of working as a mechanic at Firestone Complete Auto Care at 100 S. Main Street in Santa Ana. At approximately 3:45 p.m. the defendant is accused of seeing 64-year-old transient Ruben Sandoval in the alley behind the auto shop. Medina is accused of becoming angry because the victim was back in the area after the defendant had warned him to leave and not return after finding Sandoval sleeping in his car on a rainy day two weeks earlier.

Medina is accused of taking a gas canister from the garage, approaching the victim and his shopping cart, and dousing the cart with gasoline. Some of the gasoline splashed from the cart onto Sandoval. Medina is accused of then lighting the cart on fire with a match. Flames from the cart jumped and lit the victim's beard on fire. Sandoval attempted to put out the flames on his face and caught fire to his hands.

A co-worker at the auto shop called 9-1-1. Sandoval suffered second and third degree burns to his body, face, and hands. All of the contents of his cart were destroyed, including all of his clothes, blankets, and food. Medina is accused of fleeing the scene. He was arrested shortly thereafter near his home.

Deputy District Attorney Andrew Katz of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.