Trang Thu Pham strikes again
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE
Case # 16CF0751
Date: July 5, 2017
*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
Charlene Hanson, 71, was hit by a vehicle tonight, June 17, as she crossed the street away from her church, and was in critical condition at a hospital, according to the O.C. Register.
Hanson was leaving St. Joseph Church, on foot, crossing Civic Center Drive, heading due north, away from the church, when she was struck by a Toyota Tacoma at about 6:19 p.m. Continue reading
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Case # 15CF2004
Date: May 19, 2017
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced today to 60 years to life in state prison for sexually assaulting three girls under the age of 14 he met through church.
Defendant: Jose Luis Aguilera, 42, Santa Ana
Found guilty by a jury on April 28, 2017, of: Continue reading
Live, Work, Play, and Worship
A New Movement of Neighborhood Churches in Orange County
Santa Ana, CA – May 12, 2017 – Sovereign Grace Church in Old Towne Orange announces plans for a new congregation in Downtown Santa Ana. As in Orange, Santa Ana is becoming an attractive place to live, work, and play. Sovereign Grace want to add worship to the list.
“Remember back when neighborhoods had churches?” asks Pastor Eric Turbedsky. “The average church- goer in Orange County passes numerous churches on their way to a Sunday service. No wonder we find it so hard to love our neighbors. We don’t know our neighbors.” This move to worship where you live, not unlike the “buy local” movement, encourages people to invest in the life of their community. Continue reading
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LARGEST GRADUATION CLASS OF THE “OPEN WORD,” A BLOSSOMING REVIVAL IN CHRISTIANITY
SANTA ANA—Joyful cheers, applause and confetti erupted in the auditorium as 1,250 students graduated from Zion Mission Seminary on April 30, 2017. This is the largest graduating class in the United States from the program since its inception in 1984.
Zion Mission Seminary is known in the United States for its 6-month “Open Word” curriculum that teaches biblical prophecies and how they will fulfill. While theology schools and seminaries traditionally charge a great sum for tuition, Zion Mission Seminary is offered free of charge to the public. Continue reading
Jose Luis Aguilera
Jose Luis Aguilera, a 42, a Santa Ana man, was convicted today of several felony counts for molesting young girls that he met through his Jehovah’s Witness congregation, according to the O.C. Register.
Aguilera was convicted on four counts of lewd acts on a child younger than 14, but charges of kidnapping for child molesting and four counts of lewd acts on a child younger than 14 did not stick because the jury deadlocked. He was also acquitted of another count of lewd acts on a child younger than 14, according to court records. Continue reading
Jose Luis Aguilera, a 42, a Santa Ana man accused of molesting four girls aged 8 to 12 that he met at his Jehovah’s Witness congregation, is on trial this week, according to the O.C. Register.
Aguilera’s defense attorney, Sara Ross of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, told the jury that her client was a victim of “false accusations.” That’s right – Ross essentially said that all of the girls Aguilera allegedly molested are liars. Continue reading
The Power of Easter: Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary to Host 23rd Annual Easter Service
Join Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary for its 23rd annual Easter Sunrise Service titled “The Power of Easter” on Sunday, April 16. Families and community members will unite to hear inspirational Easter messages and music by The Praise Symphony Orchestra and The Calvary Church Celebration Choir.
Special guests will include Nelson Cook of Christian Business Men’s Connection, Pastor Ric Olsen from the Beacon Church of Orange and Pastor Drew Smithson of Orange County First Assembly. Continue reading
Support your local boy scouts! Santa Ana’s historic Boy Scout Troop 28 is hosting two pancake breakfast fundraisers this month and our boys really need your support. Show up and have a great breakfast cooked by the Boy Scouts!
The first pancake breakfast will be held on Sunday, February 5, 2017, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the First Congregational Church located at 2555 Santiago Rd., in Santa Ana’s Park Santiago Neighborhood. Continue reading
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Whitehead
City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County
Mayor Miguel Pulido and Councilwoman Michele Martinez will present, posthumously, the Exceptional Citizen Award to Reverend Lewis Whitehead, founder and former director of the Orange County Rescue Mission whom provided over 25 years of outstanding services, community leadership and many contributions to the City of Santa Ana, at tomorrow’s City Council Meeting.
Before making it his life’s goal to help homeless individuals, Reverend Lewis Whitehead served 20 years in the Marine Corps, then became a member of the First Baptist Church in Santa Ana and was ordained as a minister in 1962, ministering to the poor. From then on he pledged his life to serve the least, the last, and the lost. Often, he would go under freeway overpasses to give homeless individuals blankets, food, prayer and love. Continue reading
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
Case # 15CF0405
Date: August 2, 2016
*The defendant also faces additional charges for sexually assaulting two victims listed in the original complaint
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former mosque volunteer is scheduled to be arraigned today on additional charges for sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl who came forward after seeing media coverage of prior sexual assaults. Ahmad Henry Osman, 54, Tustin, is charged with seven felony counts of performing lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 and one felony count of oral copulation with a child 10 years or younger, with a sentencing enhancement allegation for multiple victims. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 105 years to life in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned this morning, Aug. 2, 2016, in Department C-5, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Osman is accused of violating his position of trust as a volunteer at the Indo Chinese Islamic Center (IIC) in Santa Ana. At the time of the crimes, the defendant taught classes at IIC and befriended the victims and their family members. Continue reading
The City of Santa Ana has spent a fortune over the years accommodating the requests of Mater Dei High School, a private Catholic school. Now Mater Dei is asking for more city funding, to the tune of $2.5 million dollars, to come out of our city’s beleaguered General Fund, to help them as they go about building a new parking structure and a 30K sq. ft. academic building. They are asking the City to pay for construction and engineering work associated with the removal/realignment of several streets where homes have been acquired by Mater Dei High School, to expand their campus.
Is this an appropriate expenditure for our City? Consider that Mater Dei is a private, not public school. While they do give out scholarships to low income students, the reality is that many of Mater Dei’s students don’t live in our city and quite a few of them come from high income families. Continue reading
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
Case # 16CF0858
Date: April 5, 2016
SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Tustin Police Department (TPD) are seeking the public’s help identifying potential additional victims of an 80-year-old missionary charged with sexually assaulting two girls under the age of 10. Douglas Dale Whinery, 80, Tustin, is charged with four felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, and two felony counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years old or younger, with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing lewd acts upon multiple victims. If convicted, Whinery faces a maximum sentence of 100 years to life in state prison. Whinery was arraigned today, and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on April 12, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
At the time of the crime, Whinery was a former pastor and missionary and was actively involved at Olive Crest Church in Santa Ana, Foothills Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, and Grace Church in Yorba Linda. The defendant had access to children. Continue reading
A Peace & Unity March and Rally has been set for Saturday, April 30, 2016. This is a community city-wide event that will take place at Jerome Park, located at 2215 McFadden Ave., in Santa Ana.
The march will start at 11 a.m. and the rally will start at 12 noon.
The event will include:
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
Case # 16CF0751
Date: March 22, 2016
*Defendant was out of custody after being convicted of vandalism of a religious property
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A woman was charged with committing a hate crime, grand theft, and vandalism today for stealing three gold statues from a Buddhist temple in Santa Ana. Trang Thu Pham, 45, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of grand theft and one felony count of vandalism of a religious property with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing a hate crime. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. Pham was arraigned today and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on March 30, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading