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Although the message of not drinking and driving is a simple one, DUIs account for about 3,200 arrests each day throughout the United States. Additionally, about one third of those arrests are by repeat offenders. The OC Sheriff and local police departments will be out in force on July 4 to nab those who are driving drunk, or even just buzzed. They may set up routine checkpoints to check whether drivers have been drinking, or they may target individuals who are driving erratically. Cell phones allow concerned citizens to act as an enforcement unit of their own, reporting drunk drivers on highways or in their neighborhoods. Those who have been reported may arrive home to find the police waiting for them in their driveway.

Police on patrols may be extra vigilant on holidays, paying close attention to drivers and the way they are driving. If you make an illegal U-turn, fail to completely stop at a stop sign, drive above the speed limit, or weave or drive erratically, they may be more inclined to stop you to check for a possible DUI. Once you are pulled over, there are certain things you should do, and not do, to get the best outcome for your situation:

  1. First, it’s important to realize that you don’t have to be drinking to be found guilty of DUI. If you are tired, drowsy, have taken sleeping pills, allergy medicine, prescribed or unprescribed painkillers, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant medication, have been smoking or vaping pot etc., a police officer may arrest you for generally “Driving while intoxicated.” If you have been drinking alcohol, you may also be arrested for the secondary “Driving while BAC > 0.08%” charge.
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Peter Herz, a 61-year old Westminster resident, pleaded guilty to a possession of child pornography charge in February. This offense is among many that are eligible for lifetime sex-offender registration. Before his arrest and incarceration, Herz reportedly had a job as a pianist and musical director for Laguna Beach’s “Pageant of the Masters.” Sources say he was also an accompanist at Cal State Fullerton’s Theater Department.

Herz was targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) “Operation Predator,” an initiative designed to protect children from sexual predators and to identify and rescue victims of child exploitation.

While Herz was out on bond and waiting for trial, he allegedly obtained new electronic devices and obtained new images of child pornography on them. In total, Herz was reportedly in possession of more than half a million images and roughly 400 videos of child pornography.

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A jailed inmate and his attorney are facing federal charges for a scheme to allegedly distribute drugs to an Anchorage Correctional Complex for sale between inmates, according to federal prosecutors.

Kit Lee Karjala, a 54 year-old attorney and her 33 year old client, Christopher Brandon Miller, an inmate at the ACC, are charged with distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, drug conspiracy, and providing and possessing contraband in prison.

A statement made by the Alaska U.S. attorney’s office on Thursday said that Karjala and four other inmates allegedly started this smuggling ring during the second half of last year and continued “until the present”. Prosecutors claim that Karjala allegedly took advantage of her attorney-client visits to smuggle drugs to Miller, and also other inmates that were not her clients. Karjala would allegedly transfer the drugs while blocking the cameras and then the inmate would allegedly carry the drugs “inside his body” into the jail, according to the statement.

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A New Jersey judge was scolded by his peers for ruling that an Essex County mom was guilty of child abuse and neglect because she occasionally smoked marijuana.

On Thursday the Essex County mother was cleared of her charges almost three years after the birth of her son, who was born with some marijuana in his system because the mom smoked occasionally during her pregnancy to help with her appetite and anxiety.

After giving birth, the hospital notified Child Protection. As a result of the report, the agency was supervising her parenting of the children and required that she attend drug counseling.

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Richard Dabate, a 40 year old man from Connecticut, was charged with the alleged murder of his wife after the police found electronic evidence which included data from her Fitbit fitness tracker.

In December 2015, Dabate told the police that he left his home to go to work at 8:30 a.m., but then received an alert from his home security system, that the alarm had been activated. Dabate claimed to have emailed his boss from his car to let him know he would be late for work. But, the evidence had indicated that the alarm had not been activated, and that Dabate had actually emailed his boss from his laptop at home. Dabate also allegedly checked the time of his wife’s exercise class from his laptop.

Dabate had told police that he was unable to stop an intruder from shooting and killing his wife after she had returned home from her exercise class. The Fitbit data records, however, told a different story. The data showed Connie Dabate’s movement up until 10:15 a.m. on the day she was killed in December 2015, almost an hour after Richard Dabate claimed she had died. Dabate claimed that he confronted an intruder after he returned to his home around 9 a.m. and that his wife returned home during the confrontation.

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A former beauty queen, Mrs. Orange County, is suspected of sharing explicit images of a 4 year old family member with a Southern California Marine. 25 year old Meaghan Breanna Alt was charged on Friday with possessing pornography and committing lewd acts on a child.

Alt appeared for a brief hearing on Friday afternoon in a courtroom at the Orange County Jail complex in Santa Ana; however she did not enter a plea on her charges. If found guilty she could face up to 14 years in state prison.

Alt showed no signs of emotion during her short time in the courtroom, she was seemingly calm and answered the judge clearly with a “yes” when asked if she understood the charges.

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Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller stood in court with his trademark pink mohawk on Wednesday and was sentenced to three years probation and 100 days in jail for a list of felonies involving multiple clashes with the Orange County police. Miller who is 36 years old, plead guilty to about a dozen felonies and misdemeanors which included assault on a peace officer, battery and resisting arrest.

Miller got a plea bargain with Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert Fitzgerald. He was given double credit for his 50 days of time served, so he will not have to spend any more time behind bars, his attorney Cameron Talley said.

Talley reported that Miller has two strikes on his record now and could have some serious consequences if he violates his probation. According to Miller’s lawyer the former champion MMA fighter had lost his job as a commentator for Fox Sports and became engulfed in depression after allegations of domestic violence with his ex-girlfriend in his Mission Viejo home in 2013. In February a jury acquitted him of those charges that seemed to have triggered his problems.

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The trial for a Long Island, New York, foster father who is accused of numerous allegations of sexual abuse with children in his care began on Wednesday. Prosecutors describe his home as tranquil in appearance, having a nicely manicured lawn and classic cars parked in the driveway. But, was “like a prison” for the boys he was raising. Many of these boys suffered from mental illness or low I.Q.s.

According to the prosecutors in this case against Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu, boys would wake up in the middle of the night to find Mr. Gonzales-Mugaburu allegedly on top of them. At other times, the boys would be chasing the dogs around the house and would allegedly find him sexually abusing another child.

One boy allegedly allowed the rape to happen. He hoped that if he submitted to Mr. Gonzales-Mugaburu and kept his attention on him, that he would be less likely to sexually abuse his younger brother.

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Overnight between March 27 and March 28, several homeowners in the Dover Shores area of Newport Beach reported that someone had attempted to vandalize and burglarize their homes. Newport Beach spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella said, “In each of these cases, an unknown suspect had used brute force, possibly a kick, to force open the front door to the residence.”

Although nothing was taken in those incidents, witnesses had reported to the police that they had seen a white man with a muscular build, along with an SUV near the scene of two of the crimes around the same time.

The next night, between the hours of 7 and 10 p.m. another home in the Newport Beach area was burglarized. “The door was forced open in the same manner as the other homes,” Manzella said. The resident was not home at the time of the crime. According to Manzella, watches and several items of jewelry were stolen.

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A 32 year old Florida man, Anthony Mendez, was found Monday night allegedly under the influence of drugs and unresponsive with a child in his car. He was arrested on suspicion of child neglect.

Drivers found Mendez unresponsive at the wheel of his car around 7:30 p.m. according to the Collier County Sheriff’s arrest report. The report states that witnesses called 911 and while waiting for deputies to respond, an off-duty firefighter treated Mendez. He had a pulse, but was barely breathing.

A woman that was stopped behind Mendez at a traffic light said that it appeared as though he was sleeping. She tried to wake him but couldn’t. The off-duty firefighter saw the woman pounding on the driver’s side window of Mendez’s car and pulled over to help. The firefighter told officials that when he saw Mendez slumped over the steering wheel, he proceeded to pull the man out in case he needed CPR.

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