Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

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Free Santa Ana Media Summit set for July 12 in DTSA

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City of Santa Ana

Community: Santa Ana Media Summit / Cumbre de Medios de Comunicación de Santa Ana

The Santa Ana Media Summit is a day of free media training for us to learn how to get our stories out there with the help of the press, social media, PR and community engagement.

The Santa Ana Media Summit will bring together voices in journalism, social media, and media relations who will help equip you with tools and strategies to tell interesting stories and communicate who you are and what you do in the world. Continue reading→

The SAPD is looking for three suspects who robbed a jewelry store in a mercado

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Detectives Asking For Media & Public’s Assistance in Identifying Suspects In Jewelry Store Smash & Grab Robbery

On Sunday June 18, 2017, at approximately 2:13 p.m., three suspects, who appear to be male Hispanics in their early twenties, walked into the Superior Market (1710 S. Main St., Santa Ana) wearing dark clothing and covering their faces with skull printed bandanas.

The three suspects approached the independent jewelry counter of Queen Jewelry and suspect one smashed the jewelry display case with a hammer. Continue reading→

The SAPD is conducting a DUI and Drivers License checkpoint this Saturday night

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Sat., July 8th, 2017, 9:30PM to 2:30AM, 500 W. Warner Street

SANTA ANA POLICE STEP UP DUI ENFORCEMENT

The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint on Saturday July 8th, 2017. It will begin at 9:30 PM and is scheduled to conclude at 2:30 AM. It will be conducted in the area of 500 West Warner Street, in the City of Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man heading to prison due to a multi-million dollar bank fraud scheme

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Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 6, 2017

California Payment Processing Company President and Part-Owner Sentenced to Prison for Fraud Scheme

A Santa Ana, California man was sentenced today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for his role in processing unauthorized withdrawals of millions of dollars from consumer bank accounts, the Justice Department announced.

Neil Godfrey, 79, was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release by Judge Eduardo Robreno in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge Robreno also ordered Godfrey to pay a $50,000 fine and entered a $100,000 forfeiture money judgment against the defendant. Godfrey pleaded guilty in July 2015 to a one-count Information charging him with wire fraud. The Information described how Godfrey, working as a payment processor, knowingly enabled fraudulent merchants to withdraw money from consumers’ bank accounts without the consumers’ knowledge or consent. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man charged with stabbing and trying to murder four Anaheim residents on the 4th of July

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Gino Liam Fuentes, a 20-year-old Santa Ana man, was charged on Thursday, July 6, with four counts of attempted murder for allegedly going on a Fourth of July stabbing rampage, injuring four family members, before being subdued by a Good Samaritan, according to the O.C. Register.

Fuentes could be looking at a mandatory life sentence if convicted as he is facing a sentence-enhancing allegation of premeditated attempted murder. He is also charged with inflicting injury on an elder adult and criminal threats, both felonies, and additional sentence-enhancing allegations of the personal use of a deadly weapon and inflicting great bodily injury. Fuentes is set to be arraigned on July 21.  Continue reading→

Santa Ana man who accidentally shot and killed a teen facing more charges

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Do you remember Matthew Jacob Granados, the 22-year-old Santa Ana man who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of a teenage boy and was sentenced to nearly a year in jail, or time already served behind bars, and five years of formal probation?

Well Granados has only a few months out of jail for involuntary manslaughter, but he is already in trouble again, this time for a conflict with the SAPD two years ago and for allegedly attacking a stranger with a baseball bat last month, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

The SAPD is looking for an armed and dangerous kidnapping, robbery and carjacking suspect

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Pedro Vazquez Espinoza

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Detectives Request Assistance In Locating Armed and Dangerous Suspect For Kidnapping/Robbery/Carjacking

On 6/10/2017, Suspects Pedro Vazquez Espinoza and Graciela Campos (currently in custody for this crime) committed an armed kidnap for robbery. Both suspects ordered the victim to drive them to Anaheim, where they then carjacked her vehicle and fled.

Campos was later arrested in the victim’s vehicle with one of the two firearms used in the original crime. Suspect Vazquez Espinoza is believed to still be armed and dangerous. There is currently a $200,000.00 warrant out for his arrest in this case. Continue reading→

Man busted for trying to recruit fake teen hookers online in Orange County

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

July 5, 2017

Case # 17CF1662

MINNESOTA MAN ARRAIGNED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ATTEMPTED PIMPING OF TWO FICTITIOUS MINORS HE MET THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Minnesota man was arraigned today for human trafficking and attempted pimping of two fictitious minors he met through social media.

Defendant: Nigel Ezekiel Samuels, 25, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Charged today with: Continue reading→

Santa Ana woman gets two years in jail for her actions against a Buddhist temple

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Little Saigon, OCDA, Santa Ana, Vietnamese Leave a comment

Trang Thu Pham strikes again

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 16CF0751

Date: July 5, 2017

WOMAN SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN JAIL FOR HATE CRIME, GRAND THEFT, AND VANDALISM FOR STEALING THREE GOLD STATUES FROM BUDDHIST TEMPLE IN SANTA ANA

*Defendant was out of custody after being convicted of vandalism of religious property

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A woman was sentenced to two years in county jail today for committing a hate crime, grand theft, and vandalism for stealing three gold statues from a Buddhist temple in Santa Ana.

Defendant: Trang Thu Pham, 48, Santa Ana

Pleaded guilty today to felony counts of: Continue reading→

Non profit partners with the SAPD to provide immediate help to domestic violence victims

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Domestic Violence, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: HUMAN OPTIONS PARTNERS WITH SANTA ANA PD TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE, ON-SITE ASSISTANCE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

Human Options, an Orange-County based nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence, is partnering with the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) to provide immediate, coordinated domestic violence assistance services to victims and their families.

The SAPD received 5,947 domestic violence-related calls in 2016. As a result of this high rate of calls, the SAPD identified a need for immediate, on-site specialized assistance for domestic violence victims and their families. Human Options, a nonprofit that has been leading the way forward to ending domestic violence for 35 years, has partnered with the SAPD to establish “The Coordinated Domestic Violence Response Coalition” which will strengthen legal advocacy services offered to all victims, increase victims’ access to support and services through the domestic violence response team, and develop and promote best practices/policies for responding to the crimes of domestic violence. Continue reading→

The suspect in a fatal Santa Ana hit and run accident has turned himself in

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Roberto Mateo Garcia

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: UPDATE – Suspect Involved In Fatal Hit & Run Collision Turned Himself In To Police – Now In Custody

Today shortly after 10 am the suspect’s family brought suspect Roberto M. Garcia to Santa Ana PD headquarters and turned himself into Traffic Investigators. He is currently being interviewed as to his involvement.

Suspect Roberto Mateo Garcia has been booked into the SAPD Jail for felony hit/run collision causing great bodily injury or death. Suspect’s vehicle was located in the city of Anaheim.

Continue reading→

The SAPD is looking for a Santa Ana man suspected of a fatal hit and run of a pedestrian

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Roberto Mateo Garcia’s car

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Traffic Investigators Request Media/Public Assistance In Locating Suspect Wanted in Fatal Hit & Run Collision

Location: 1100 W. Warner Avenue

Synopsis: On 7/05/2017, Roberto Mateo Garcia (54) Santa Ana was driving a 2003 Ford Explorer Sport, two door white, license plate: 5WHF583 when he struck and killed a pedestrian. Garcia immediately fled the scene in the involved vehicle. Officers were unable to locate Garcia or the vehicle. Continue reading→

A bicyclist in his 50s was struck by a semi truck last night in Santa Ana’s west side

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An unidentified bicyclist in his 50s was critically injured on Monday night, July 3, when he was struck by a semi truck in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

The crash happened near Euclid and Second Streets at about 9:40 p.m. according to the SAPD. Continue reading→

Free live performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth set for July 27 at Birch Park

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City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Tragedy at Birch Park: Performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth – Obra de teatro Macbeth de Shakespeare

SANTA ANA, CA – Free live performance of one of Shakespeare’s final great tragedy, Macbeth, will be performed at Birch Park, Santa Ana’s Downtown Park, on the corner of Third and Birch Streets Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 7 PM. The Shakespeare by the Sea Theater Company is providing the performance. This is the famous story of Macbeth’s ambition to be King of Scotland, after being tempted by the prophecies of three mysterious witches. This leads Macbeth into a nightmarish world of evil, deceit, and murder. Monstrous actions run rampant as he and Lady Macbeth lose themselves to unstoppable drives of savagery and political atrocity. Continue reading→

Does lighting fireworks on the 4th of July make you a patriot?

Posted on by Posted in Historical, Santa Ana 6 Comments

When I grew up in the 70’s safe and sane fireworks were legal just about everywhere. Today they are only legal in a few cities here in Orange County, including Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Anaheim and Huntington Beach. If you have lived in Santa Ana for at least a year then you know that the 4th of July is insane here in town – with a plethora of illegal mortars and bottle rockets.

I would like to believe that the folks who fire off illegal fireworks in my city are patriots but I don’t think so. I think they are anarchists. They clearly don’t have much regard for the law. And that is not what the 4th of July is all about. Continue reading→