Articles Posted in Arrest

Published on:

by

Angele Hardman allegedly walked into a Macy’s store and asked the clerk to try on a valuable, $4000 ring. When the ring seemed to get stuck on her finger, the clerk attempted to remove it with water and lotion. When the clerk’s back was turned, Hardman allegedly took off the ring and swallowed it. She then was reported to have presented the clerk with a fake copy of the same ring.

The clerk immediately noticed the discrepancy and called store security. Hardman was searched, but because the ring was not found among her belongings, she was released. After reviewing surveillance video, the store contacted police, and detectives arrived at her home for the purpose of investigating the incident.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

When you think of felony assault and battery charges, you probably envision murderous weapons like guns and knives, not french fries. The California Penal Code defines assault as “an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on [another] person.” Battery is similarly defined as “any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon [another] person.”

Are french fries capable of inflicting a “violent injury?” When James Hackett and his wife began arguing after purchasing a meal at McDonald’s, his 11-year old stepdaughter attempted to stop their arguing. This angered Hackett, who allegedly then grabbed the container of french fries and threw them at her; they hit her in the face and chest.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

Police in Boulder, CO received a call about a man passed out in front of his car. When they investigated, medics were already tending to him, describing him as “drunk as crap.” The man was George Boedecker, the founder of Crocs footwear.

After telling police officers that he had pulled over to take a nap, he allegedly changed his story to say that his girlfriend was driving the vehicle. Since there was no woman present, officers questioned the identity of the female. Boedecker said she was a “really f—–g famous singer” and asked if they had ever heard of Taylor Swift.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

Police arrived at an apartment in Pennsylvania very early in the morning to find a man bleeding from chest wounds on the second floor landing. Emergency personnel immediately transported  Billy Brewster to the hospital where he died from his injuries less than two hours later.

The suspect responsible for stabbing the man was his fiancée, Na Franklin. During the night, they began an argument, which escalated into domestic violence. At one point during the argument, Ma allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him twice. Unfortunately, one of the stab wounds punctured his heart.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

Miguel Alexander Vargas, 28, on trial in Orange County for the most severe form of domestic violence or spousal abuse charges for murdering his common-law wife, was recently tackled by courtroom deputies at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana after the judge denied a motion to allow him to represent himself.  He was then ordered removed from the courtroom by the presiding Orange County judge and yelled “I’m not f—— going!”

Vargas has already had two similar outbursts: earlier in the day, he was forcibly removed from court after ranting to the jury to the jury pool “this case is fake- the victim is still alive” and ignoring orders from the judge to remain quiet. In May, Vargas was subdued in the holding cell when he refused to cooperate, calling the judge a “f——– idiot.”

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

In Orange County (and all of California), crime victims with damaged or destroyed property are entitled to restitution. Criminal restitution requires that the defendant in a criminal case pay for the victim’s damages- he must replace or repair damaged property, pay for counseling, if necessary, and pay direct damages like medical bills that resulted from the criminal act.

Patricia Short-Lyster is one such victim. Around 2008, she bought a 1975 Dodge Adventurer pickup truck. Her father, a former auto mechanic, encouraged her to buy it because it was in excellent condition. In 2009, Leroy Stanley vandalized Short-Lyster’s truck so badly that the driver’s side door of the vehicle could no longer be opened. Stanley was arrested and pled “no contest” to the charges. (Pleading “no contest” allows a defendant to avoid having the conviction used against him in a subsequent civil trial).

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

In 2009, an elderly woman got nervous and dialed 911 when a woman outside her home repeatedly rang her doorbell. She did not recognize the person at the door and did not open it. The woman, Marcelina Diaz, eventually left, but soon returned with a large bag . Inside the bag were latex gloves. This time, Diaz climbed a wall into the back yard. She pried open a screen door, only to find the sliding glass door locked. She was caught looking for another entry when the police arrived.

Diaz gave officers a fake name and birthday. Officers found the bag and gloves in the backyard. Besides being charged with felony residential burglary and making a false representation to a police officer, Diaz was charged with possession of burglary tools, a misdemeanor.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

Boyd Twin, a resident of South Dakota, was arrested and charged for assault with a dangerous weapon. The victim of the assault was his companion, also the mother of his children. The crime took place in front of the children, all of whom were under the age of nine years old. Twin told his companion to “choose which child he should kill first.” The children later needed counseling.

Twin pled guilty to the crime of assault with a dangerous weapon. At his sentencing hearing, Judge Charles Kornmann sentenced Twin to 78 months in prison, plus three years’ supervised release. Then Twin smiled.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

The adult film star Jenna Jameson allegedly crashed into a light pole in the Orange County city of Westminster recently. When officers arrived, she was showing signs of intoxication, so police conducted a field sobriety test, which she failed. Her blood alcohol content (BAC) was above 0.08, and she was arrested for driving under the influence.

While criminal law is clear on the definition of DUI, it is not clear on what you should do if you are stopped for DUI. Jenna Jameson’s first mistake was in taking the field sobriety tests. Did you know there are no consequences to refusing these tests? You should exercise that right.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

Just two years ago the Orange County criminal inmate population was low enough that  Orange County actually closed down a few criminal jail wards. Coincidentally, the State of California decided at that same time, that its prisons were overflowing and it enacted legislation to send a good percentage of state prison criminal inmates back to the counties from which they were sentenced, to be housed by the local jails.

This would be a convenient use of public resources, except that since this “realignment” in October, 2011, Orange County jail populations have increased steadily- mostly through minor DUI and domestic violence arrests.

Continue reading →

Contact Information
19200 Von Karman Ave, #600
Irvine, CA 92612
Phone: (949) 477-8088 Fax: (949) 477-8089

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2016 – 2024, Law Offices Of Staycie R. Sena
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design