Articles Tagged with orange-county

Published on:

Chad Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, is a wide receiver who played mostly for the Cincinnati Bengals since 2001. He signed with the Miami Dolphins on June 11 of this year, but was dropped following his arrest last month.

He and his wife Evelyn Lozada had a fight after she discovered a receipt detailing the purchase of condoms. What started out as an argument allegedly turned violent. Lozada told police that Johnson head-butted her during the altercation. Johnson was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. The following day, Johnson was dropped from the Miami Dolphins as a result of the arrest.

Continue reading →

Published on:

The Orange County register reports that a Laguna Niguel resident was arrested for drinking and having sex with her son’s underage friends since 2005. The woman, a 45-year old mother of three, is reportedly a “hockey mom” who allegedly met some of her son’s teammates during a sleepover at her home.

When interviewed by sheriff’s detectives, the woman first denied the allegations, but finally admitted to having sex with the older boy. She insists that she thought the older of the two boys was 18, like her son. He turned out to be 16. The woman’s Orange County criminal defense attorney insisted that she was going through a tumultuous divorce at the time, but that she wasn’t pursuing the boy. He also stated that the woman rebuffed the advances of the younger 13-year old.

Continue reading →

Published on:

Most police stations around the country lag behind the times. Often, VHS recorders are used in patrol cars and carbon copy forms are still widely distributed. In fact, it was only last year that the San Francisco police department got email addresses.

Some progressive (and well-funded) police departments are getting some new toys to help fight crime. For example, portable fingerprint scanners that cost about $2500 each are being used in the field to identify suspects and bring up outstanding warrants for arrest on the spot.

Continue reading →

Published on:

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:

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:

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:

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:

You have two prior strike felony convictions. That means that any felony you’re convicted of in the future, risks a prison sentence of 25 to life. You’re driving down a road in Santa Ana and you see a police officer’s patrol car stopped at a red light. What do you do? Slow way down? Take a quick right? Prosecutors say David Araujo Reyes of Santa Ana inexplicably gunned the car and ran right into it, injuring the officer inside. He then got out and surrendered.

Aggravated assault, or assault with a deadly weapon, is a type of assault that can cause great injury to another person. These kinds of criminal offenses are known in Orange County as “wobblers.” A prosecutor can file an assault or aggravated assault charge as either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the circumstances of the crime.

Continue reading →

Published on:

The Huntington Beach Police Department is cutting $1.5 million from this year’s budget. It will cut $1.1 million budget from next year’s budget?  Just how are they able to do that and keep us safe at the same time?

The Huntington Beach Police Department in Orange County has already cut 50 positions in the last four years, and more are expected. Desk hours have been reduced. Residents are encouraged to report crime online instead of calling an officer out to their home. (The Department does make an exception to this reporting recommendation for domestic violence cases or other cases where violence may be imminent.)

Continue reading →

Published on:

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 →

Contact Information