Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: OC Sheriff

A Santa Ana man suspected of murder was killed in a fight with an O.C. jail inmate

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ORANGE, Ca. (January 19, 2020) –At approximately 4 p.m. on Jan. 18, an inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. The inmate, 57-year old Kirk Price, was transferred to the hospital December 27, 2019 due to injuries he sustained during a fight with another inmate.

Price, a Santa Ana resident, was arrested March 25, 2016 by Tustin Police investigating the death of  OC Boxing MMA Academy owner Fahness Lutalo, who died the day before Price’s arrest by a man who walked into the gym and shot him several times, according to the O.C. Register.

Price was booked into Orange County Jail on March 25, 2016, by the Tustin Police Department on suspicion of murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the in-custody death. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will conduct an in-custody death review. No additional information will be released at this time.

The O.C. Sheriff’s Department opens a housing unit for U.S. veterans

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The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will open its first-ever housing unit for select inmates verified as U.S. veterans, which is expected to support successful transition post-release.

Housing Unit for Military Veterans (HUMV) at the Theo Lacy Facility will include 32 beds, patriotic-themed murals on the walls, 55-inch televisions, game room-style tables, and flags representing each branch of the military hung overhead.

To participate in HUMV, inmates must meet specific security criteria and agree to actively participate in the programming.

Inmates assigned to the unit will get access to additional privileges including more out-of-cell time and programming tailored to veterans such as peer mentoring, post-release employment resources and workshops, financial planning classes, and substance abuse services, among other programs.

HUMV inmates will be moved in starting January 2, 2020.

“This is not just a new housing unit with different paint on the walls. This is a program model designed to go one step further in better assisting those who have served our country,” said Sheriff Don Barnes. “The Sheriff’s Department dedicates much time and resources to build diverse and effective programming for all inmates with the hope that when released from custody, individuals will not recidivate.”

OCSD Correctional Programs has partnered with 10 agencies to provide programming for HUMV, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Tierney Center for Veteran Services, Working Wardrobes and the Orange County Probation Department, among others.

O.C. Sheriff Barnes rips a Judge’s orders regarding use of waist restraints

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Kathleen Roberts

Statement from Sheriff Don Barnes on Recent Court Ruling Concerning Court Security

On Monday Orange County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Roberts issued an order prohibiting the use of waist restraints for all inmates who are transported to Orange County courthouses and held in Sheriff operated holding cells. The order represents significant judicial overreach and a failure to take into account the safety of inmates, court staff and members of the public.

Interestingly Judge Roberts had initially recused herself from the issue citing her family’s current association with and her past membership of the ACLU, a political advocacy group that routinely advocates against law enforcement, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and the concept of incarceration in general. Days later, in contrast to her own self-declared conflict, Judge Roberts made a decision for the entire Orange County Superior Court system that was very much consistent with the ACLU’s anti-incarceration agenda.

At issue is my new policy requiring inmates to wear waist restraints while being transported to court and while being held in court holding cells. The policy is an outgrowth of our new classification system. As background, all correctional facilities use a classification system to determine the housing placement of inmates with a primary focus on their safety.

Proper classification ensures inmates are housed appropriate to individual needs and placed in cells where they will be most secure. As part of my jail reorganization, OCSD implemented a new objective classification system that incorporates industry best practices. The system is designed to maximize the amount of time inmates can spend out of their cell in a dayroom with other inmates. Maximized out of cell time is more conducive to programming that enhances the opportunity for rehabilitation and reductions in recidivism. Due to the nuances and expanded liberty of the new system, inmates of different classifications are put together when transported to and held at court. When inmates of different classification level are mixed it is necessary to use waist restraints as a means of preventing assaults and other nefarious activities.

Although the change in classification is largely for the benefit of inmates, the Public Defender has made a political decision to challenge the waist restraint policy. In fighting the policy, these lawyers have grossly distorted the restrictiveness of the waist restraints implying they prevent inmates from engaging in basic human needs such as eating and using the bathroom. The facts prove otherwise. In-cell video footage shows inmates eating, using the bathroom and engaging in other basic human needs, such as blowing one’s nose. The restraints, however, do accomplish the goal of limiting the type of movement that would be necessary to use violence against another inmate or staff. Since the implementation of the restraint policy, assaults inside court facilities have been reduced by 60%, and there have not been any major disturbances. In short, inmates entrusted to our care are significantly less likely to assault or be assaulted.

Unfortunately the order issued Monday relies on the public defender’s false narrative. My staff and I are appealing the court order. I am confident that a higher court will recognize past legal precedence, the safety benefits of the restraints, my statutory authority as Sheriff to provide for the care and custody of inmates, and the authority given to me through the Memorandum of Understanding between the Superior Court and the County of Orange regarding court security.

Over $1.25 M worth of Fentanyl seized in an O.C. drug raid

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Fentanyl seizures set to more than double for third year in a row

SANTA ANA, Ca. – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) has seen a marked increase in seizures of fentanyl thus far in 2019, with one recent seizure equaling almost half of the total amount of fentanyl seized in the entire year of 2018.

Multiple enforcement, narcotics, gang and interdiction teams covering OCSD contract cities and unincorporated areas work tirelessly to interdict illicit drugs. Pharmaceutical fentanyl, a synthetic opioid pain reliever, is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Illicit fentanyl, sold on the street, started to emerge locally in 2017. In 2016, teams seized less than one pound of fentanyl. In 2018, teams seized 44 pounds of fentanyl. Thus far in 2019, teams have seized more than 100 pounds of confirmed fentanyl, more than doubling from 2018 totals with two and a half months left in the year.

“The threat this extremely potent drug poses to our community is increasing exponentially, not subsiding,” said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes.
A recent seizure in north Orange County on October 16, 2019, included more than 18 pounds of fentanyl, along with 5 pounds of heroin, half of a pound of meth, $71,000 in cash, and a loaded semi-automatic handgun. The fentanyl from this seizure has a street value of more than $1.25 million and contains more than 4 million fatal doses, enough to overdose every person who resides in the County of Orange.

The increase in the presence of fentanyl has had deadly consequences. According to the California Department of Health, statewide fentanyl deaths increased 614% from 104 in 2014 to 743 in 2018. Orange County fentanyl deaths jumped by 564% from 14 in 2014 to 93 in 2018.

OCSD has sponsored legislation with Orange County’s California Senator Pat Bates that would help protect Californians from the dangers of fentanyl and pursue illegal distributors. The proposed bills have been defeated for the last four years. In March 2019, the State Senate declined to pass Senate Bill 161. Sen. Bates introduced similar legislation in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Senate Public Safety Committee blocked SB 1103 in 2018 and SB 176 in 2017. In 2016, the Assembly Appropriations Committee did not approve SB 1323.

“Our Sacramento legislators can no longer ignore the direct and legitimate threat of fentanyl,” said Sheriff Barnes. “Drug trafficking organizations are taking advantage of gaps in the law. Until we categorically include enhancements for trafficking fentanyl and make its penalties similar to other illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, we are enticing and encouraging drug traffickers to increase the supply of fentanyl into California at the expense of children and families in our community.”

“I hope the shocking increase in fentanyl seizures in Orange County will serve as a wake-up call to my legislative colleagues to finally confront the dangers of fentanyl,” said Senator Bates. “The state has a responsibility to deter those who seek to profit from the addiction of Californians. I will continue to work with Sheriff Barnes and other law enforcement leaders to champion solutions in the Legislature.”

The unborn child of an O.C. inmate died on Saturday

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An in-custody death of an unborn child occurred at the University of California Irvine Medical Center in Orange, CA.

On July 27, 2019, a 30-year-old inmate housed at the Orange County Jail’s Intake and Release Center was transferred to OC Global Medical Center related to her pregnancy.

Later that day, she was transferred to UCI Medical Center, where it was determined her unborn child, estimated to be approximately 27 weeks, was deceased.

The official cause of death is pending investigation by the Coroner’s division. An autopsy will be conducted and a cause of death will be determined. The identity of the inmate will not be released at this time.

The inmate was booked into Orange County Jail following an arrest by the Orange Police Department on July 21, 2019 for two misdemeanor warrants.

This case will be investigated by the Orange County District Attorney’s office and an in-custody death review will be completed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

A 19-year-old DUI driver was arrested after crashing into the fence of an O.C. jail early today

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At about 3:30 a.m. this morning, a 19-year-old crashed her car into the entrance gate of the James A. Musick jail facility, according to the O.C. Sheriff’s Twitter feed.

The unidentified female driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and booked into OC jail.

A brown Range Rover suffered front-end damage near the guard-shack building of the jail, at 13502 Musick. A metal gate was also bent and knocked to the ground, according to the O.C. Register.

The suspect was not booked into the jail she crashed at. The Musick facility temporarily stopped housing detainees as of July 18 while the department makes changes to its jail operations and builds new facilities, according to ABC News.

The Sheriff’s Department posted “We are grateful no OCSD personnel were injured in this collision. While this damage can be fixed, we know that’s not always the case with DUI collisions. Losing a loved one or friend is irreparable. Please always designate a driver or coordinate a ride.”

People are mailing greeting cards soaked in meth to the O.C. jails

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The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has deployed new proactive efforts to reverse the increase in drug trafficking that has been experienced within the four county-run jail facilities in Orange County over the last eight years.

Many factors have contributed to the increase in attempts to smuggle drugs into county jail. Most notably, California Assembly Bill 109 (AB109), enacted in October 2011, shifted the supervision of lower-level felons from the state prison system to county sheriffs’ and probation departments. More commonly known as Realignment, AB109 was aimed at quickly reducing the California state prison population.

In reality, AB109 has filled county jails across the state with felons, now serving their time at facilities that were not designed to house inmates serving long-term sentences. County jails were intended to house inmates who are awaiting trial, or whose sentences were less than one year. With AB109, county jails now house a mix of short term inmates and those serving multi-year sentences. This combination of low-level offenders and career criminals creates a marketplace for drug activity hindered only by security measures employed by OCSD.

“There is a sophisticated criminal element inside of our jails doing everything they can to deliberately circumvent our security procedures,” said Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes. “These state-prisoners-turned-county-inmates are more criminally sophisticated, increasing both the amount of contraband inside of Orange County Jails and inmate assaults on staff. This is a statewide challenge that we are all dealing with. It is important for the public to know the reality of these problems and the consequence of poor public policy.”

Since AB 109 took effect in 2011, there has been a substantial increase in drugs and drug contraband inside Orange County’s jails. From 2008-2011, there were an average of 57 seizures of drugs in jail per year. From 2012-2017, the five years after the implementation of AB 190, that number ballooned to an average of 468 seizures per year, with 2017 hitting an all-time high of 738 seizures of drugs with the jail system.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department efforts to reduce contraband include a variety of strategies and alterations to policy. In July, limitations were placed on certain types of mail that will no longer be allowed to be sent to inmates. In 2019 alone, custody canines have alerted to 147 greeting cards containing narcotics mailed to inmates, with the majority of the cards soaked in methamphetamine.

From January 1- March 31, 2019, 35 individuals being booked into jail have attempted to enter with narcotics concealed on or in their person. These concealed narcotics consisted of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, or prescription medications.

Searches of cells are conducted regularly and randomly, and inmates are searched when first booked into jail, and after they attend court. Body scanners, similar to those used at airports, have been added at the Intake Release Center to ensure that inmates are not coming into the jail facility with drugs hidden on or inside their person. Trained custody canines search cells and the mail room and are trained to detect cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, Suboxone, and other contraband. In 2018, custody canines located and seized drugs and contraband 291 times. In 2019 thus far, they have found 203 items, including more than 14 grams of cocaine and 282 Suboxone strips.

Assaults by Orange County Jail inmates have increased exponentially since implementation of AB109. Prior to AB 109, from 2007 to 2011, there was an average of 26.8 inmate-on-staff assaults per year. From 2012 to 2017, there was an average of 64.5 inmate assaults on staff per year – a 140-percent increase. Inmate-on-inmate assaults are increasing as well. From 2007 to 2011, there was an average of 334 inmate-on-inmate assaults per year. From 2012 to 2017, there was an average of 745 inmate-on-inmate assaults per year – a 123 percent increase.

In 2017, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department began a program to reduce the number of overdose deaths, both in custody and in the community, by training deputies to deploy Nalaxone, an opioid antagonist designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. From January 1-July 1, 2019, 28 inmates have received Nalaxone within Orange County Jails, setting the pace to at least double Nalaxone deployments from custody operations last year.

“The safety and security of those in our custody is one of the main tenets of our duty as a sheriff’s department,” said Sheriff Barnes. “We will never stop implementing innovative ideas, deploying new strategies, and educating the community to do everything we can to keep those both in our custody and within our communities safe.”

Anaheim man arrested after going on a murderous rampage in Lake Forest

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LAKE FOREST, Ca. – Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies have arrested James Carlos Melendrez, 25, of Anaheim, on suspicion of multiple offenses including attempted murder, carjacking and felony hit and run.

The incidents occurred in the city of Lake Forest, beginning this evening around 5 p.m. near the Salvation Army store on Rockfield Blvd. The suspect was involved in a physical altercation near the store, and then fled into an apartment complex on Ridge Route Drive. He entered a residence occupied by a male and female. He was confronted by the male inside the residence, and fled.

The suspect then ran across Rockfield into a residential neighborhood. He entered a home on Danby Drive occupied by a woman and two juveniles by smashing a back window. The suspect entered the home and armed himself with a knife. The woman fled into the neighborhood in an effort to lure the suspect away from the teenagers. The suspect chased the female down Danby Drive onto Mullin Road and stabbed the female multiple times.

During the stabbing, multiple subjects a white BMW driving through the neighborhood stopped to assist. The suspect began chasing the subjects and then carjacked their vehicle. The female stabbing victim was transported to the hospital by the Orange County Fire Authority in critical condition.

The suspect then exited the neighborhood driving onto Lake Forest Drive and Muirlands Blvd. He was driving erratically into oncoming traffic. A felony hit-and-run collision occurred on Muirlands Blvd. when the suspect struck a pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk. The pedestrian, a female in her 50s, was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

The suspect then drove onto Aspan Street where he collided with another vehicle. He exited the vehicle and fled the area on foot into a trailer park across Muirlands Blvd. He attempted to break into a residence and was unsuccessful. He then attempted to carjack multiple vehicles on Muirlands Blvd. A cyclist passing the scene pepper sprayed the suspect and deputies arrived on scene and arrested him. It was a total of nine minutes from the time Dispatch received the first call to the time when the suspect was in custody.

The suspect was transported to the hospital prior to being booked into Orange County Jail. He will be booked on suspicion of attempted murder, carjacking, felony hit and run, among multiple additional offenses.

We believe there is no further threat to the community. The investigation into this incident is ongoing. #

The teen escapee from the OC Juvenile Hall has been caught

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Ike Souzer, 15, a teenage murder suspect who escaped from juvenile hall in Orange, was back in custody Saturday morning after 21 hours on the loose and his sister defended her brother’s actions, according to the O.C. Register.

Souzer was found at a McDonald’s restaurant at 9 p.m. on Friday night, near the corner of Euclid St. and Glenoaks Ave., in Anaheim, according to the O.C. Sheriff’s Department. He was arrested without incident.

Souzer was treated for wounds to a leg after he was arrested. The injury possibly happened during his escape from Juvenile Hall.

Souzer escaped from a locked housing unit and then jumped over an exterior barbed-wire fence. Surveillance video showed Souzer tending to his leg after getting over the fence, which is why authorities believe he injured himself with the barbed wire. He went missing at 12:11 in the morning.

Souzer was being held at Juvenile Hall since he allegedly stabbed his mother to death back in 2017.

When Souzer escaped his sister, Berlin, told KCAL 9 news that she thought he was being painted by the media as “someone he is not.”

Berlin wrote that her brother “has gone through a lot. Mental and physical abuse. He’s a troubled teen that needs help. He’s not dangerous whatsoever. What he did was self-defense. She beat on him daily.”

The teenager who escaped from the O.C. Juvenile Hall allegedly killed his mother two years ago

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The teenager who escaped from Orange County’s Juvenile Hall early this morning, just past midnight, has been identified as Ike Souzer, a 15-year old who killed his mother two years ago, when he was only 13 years old, according to the O.C. Register.

The O.C. Juvenile Hall is located at 331 The City Dr S, in Orange, across from the Outlets of Orange (formerly known as The Block of Orange).

Souzer was arrested in May of 2017 after he repeatedly stabbed his mother, Barbara Scheuer-Souzer, 47, then left her to die in front of their home in the 11000 block of Gilbert Street, in Garden Grove.

Ike Souzer

Souzer is described as white, and he is not small- he stands 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. He was wearing a white shirt and red pants when he last seen.

A video from outside the facility captured him tending to some sort of injury on his left leg. The video also shows him heading northbound on The City Drive.

Souzer is said to have connections in Orange and Riverside counties.

Before she died, Scheuer-Souzer told a police officer that her young son was her attacker, according to KTLA.

Souzer was arrested after the stabbing when police found him in a nearby alley. He has been at the O.C. Juvenile Hall ever since.

Souzer, who his mom said was autistic, had run away from home three weeks before the stabbing. He was found in Pomona after missing for four days, and returned home.

Anyone with information about Souzer’s whereabouts is asked to please call the O.C. Sheriff’s dispatch office at 714-647-7000. If anyone sees him they should call 911. Orange County Crime Stoppers will accept anonymous tips at 855-TIP-OCCS.

The OC Sheriff transfered 717 inmates to ICE during the first year of SB 54

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (April 3, 2019) – In the first full year of implementation of California Senate Bill 54 (SB 54), a state law that limits which offenders local law enforcement can notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) transferred 717 inmates to ICE upon completion of their local sentence from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018.

In 2018, a total of 1,823 inmates in Orange County Jail had ICE detainers, meaning ICE requested that OCSD notify them when the inmates were being released. Despite being arrested for criminal violations of law, SB 54 restricted OCSD from notifying ICE of the release of 1,106 inmates who had ICE detainers.

Of the 1,106 inmates with ICE detainers who were released back into the community, 173 have been rearrested in Orange County for 58 different types of crimes committed including attempted murder, assault and battery, child molestation, and robbery. This does not include individuals who may have been arrested in surrounding jurisdictions, or re-arrested after Jan. 1, 2019.

“Open communication among law enforcement partners is a best practice for public safety agencies,” said Sheriff Barnes. “SB 54 hinders this communication and puts the community at risk. I will continue to exercise my full authority as Sheriff and notify ICE when allowed by law.”

While SB 54 prohibits communication on certain offenses, the law does allow information to be shared with federal authorities if it is publicly available. To that end, in March 2018, OCSD began publicly posting all inmate release dates enabling law enforcement authorities to know when individuals will be released from custody. Sheriff Barnes supported this policy as Undersheriff, and will continue this practice as Sheriff.

In addition to being legally prohibited from notifying, transferring and communicating with federal immigration authorities regarding certain offenders, SB 54 also required the elimination of OCSD’s 287(g) program. Under the 287(g) program, OCSD was able to place detainers on undocumented individuals booked into custody. Ending this program eliminated proactive communication that resulted in identifying potential offenders who could have been transferred to federal custody following the conclusion of their local sentence.

Sheriff Barnes strongly opposed SB 54, lobbied against it in Sacramento, and will continue to advocate for its repeal.

“Public policy rooted in short-term political goals makes us less safe,” said Sheriff Barnes. “Lawmakers must repeal laws that limit law enforcements’ ability to collaborate on shared threats. Let’s move beyond politics and let law enforcement operate under the best practices that have proven to provide a more secure community.”

OCSD does not enforce immigration law or ask immigration status as we patrol our community and respond to calls for service. This is not part of our mission and is a federal government responsibility. Cooperating with ICE in a custody setting, however, makes possible the removal of criminals who pose a threat to all members of the community.

“The outcome of SB 54 has resulted in the release of criminals back into the community,” said Sheriff Barnes. “We have an obligation to protect all members of the communities we serve, and that includes preventing those who have committed crimes from returning to the neighborhoods they prey upon.”

The OC Sheriff is dumping ICE to focus on increasing mental health services

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (March 27, 2019) – Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes announced major changes to Orange County’s jail operations to efficiently use Department resources and address the increasing need for inmates requiring mental health services.

“Since 2015, we have seen a 40% increase in open mental health cases in our jails,” said Sheriff Barnes. “The number of mental health cases now reach almost 1,800 on any given day. Consequently, we must focus on enhancing our mental health services and expanding the number of beds available for individuals with mental health needs.”

As seen in the chart below, the number of inmates requiring mental health treatment in jail settings continues to climb, along with the severity of the mental illnesses. At present, approximately thirty percent of the jail population requires various levels of mental health services and that number has been increasing exponentially over the last five years. Mental health services include: counseling, medication management, intensive outpatient care, discharge planning, acute psychiatric inpatient care (hospitalization), and emergency psychiatric medications. OCSD has seen continuous increases in the number of inmates requiring mental health services from Correctional Health Services (CHS).

To address these increasing needs, OCSD will upgrade three existing housing modules at the Intake Release Center to treat inmates with mental health needs. ADA compliant cells and restrooms will be added. When complete, the upgrades will add approximately 500 behavioral health beds allowing for the security, care and treatment of male and female inmates. In order to accommodate the demand for mental health treatment and programming, increased staff will be added in mental health housing units. These upgrades and staffing will be more conducive to providing programs.

In addition to being a primary provider of mental health care, jails across the nation are also quickly becoming front line providers for substance use disorders, particularly in responding to the opioid epidemic. In 2018, approximately 40% of the jail population reported some type of substance use, and more than 100 inmates required frequent monitoring and assessment for drug and/or alcohol detoxification on a daily basis. With the upgrades, we will have designated areas for both males and females to focus on detoxification and treatment, in addition to added services and programing specific to drug use.

The Intake Release Center booking operations triage area where inmates first come when they are brought to jail will be redesigned and remodeled with privacy partitions to provide greater confidentiality when screening inmates for medical and mental health issues.

In order to fund and increase staffing ratios for inmates with mental health and substance use disorders, Sheriff Barnes has developed a jail operations reorganization plan.

“I have made the decision to make two significant changes to our jail operations,” said Sheriff Barnes. “These decisions are intended to mitigate the risk of litigation from the state while, at the same, minimize costs to Orange County taxpayers.

“Jail operations at the James A. Musick Facility will be temporarily suspended and our agreement with the Federal Government to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees will be ended.”

The Sheriff’s Department has leased bed space to ICE since 2010. The current agreement expires in July 2020 and allows for early termination.

In order to address the mental health crisis within Orange County jails, OCSD has notified ICE of the intent to terminate the agreement. Once formally terminated, ICE has 120 days to transfer the detainees to other facilities. Unfortunately, based on statutory language within SB-54, those individuals housed on behalf of ICE will most likely be transferred outside of California, separating them from family members who reside within this state.

The conclusion of the ICE agreement will allow maximized use of jail bed space and focus on the needs of the mentally ill. The loss of revenue will be offset by the savings through the temporary closure of housing operations at the Musick Facility.

The Musick Facility will be reopened when the construction of two new state-funded housing facilities are completed. The 512-bed and 384-bed facilities are specifically designed to meet the growing needs of today’s inmate population. The estimated completion is fall of 2022.

The decision to end the ICE agreement will not impact public safety. OCSD will continue to work with ICE within the confines of SB-54 to ensure they are alerted to the release of serious and violent offenders within our custody who have ICE detainers.

Treating those with mental illness in our jails is only one portion of the larger challenge policy makers must address with regards to the influx of the mentally ill in our community.

“We are obligated to do everything we can to provide care for the inmates in our custody and connect them to services,” said Sheriff Barnes. “We have a shared interest in rehabilitating inmates with mental health challenges and substance use disorders to be stable and sober, with the ultimate goal of having them not return to jail.”

Orange County’s dead homeless tallied in two new reports

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (February 25, 2019) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner Division publicly released two reports today concerning reported deaths of individuals experiencing homelessness in Orange County in 2018.

The OCSD Coroner Division is responsible for investigating deaths that occur within the county of Orange. This includes unnatural deaths such as homicides, suicides, accidents and/or suspicious or unexplained deaths. In Orange County in 2018, there were 5,858 deaths reported to the Coroner Division. Of those, 210 decedents were considered homeless as they had “no fixed abode” at the time of death.

The first report, titled “Coroner Division Homeless Mortality Report,” provides data categorized by the cause of death and the geographic location of where the death occurred. The information is provided for each calendar year 2014 to present, in addition to statistical graphs by mode of death. The Coroner Division has been working to compile this data since January 2019 to study these cases and identify changing patterns important to public health and safety.

The second report was prepared pursuant to a request from the Honorable David O. Carter, Judge in the United States District Court to provide the causes of death of homeless individuals who passed away in 2018 and 2019. The report lists the 210 decedents from 2018, and 25 reported deaths from Jan. 1 to Feb. 19, 2019.

2018 data shows that of the 210 homeless decedents, 75 individuals died of natural causes, with overdose as the second highest cause of death claiming the lives of 44. Thirty-two are still pending an official cause of death awaiting toxicology results.

“Examining this data allows us to observe causal factors that might assist in preventing the deaths of individuals experiencing homelessness,” said Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes. “As a member of the Commission to End Homelessness, I will be presenting this data to the commission for further discussion and action aimed at reducing the number of deaths of homeless individuals.”

Orange County public safety agencies launch Text-to-911

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (February 6, 2019) – Orange County law enforcement and fire dispatch centers are now equipped with Text-to-911 to allow the hearing impaired, speech impaired or those in an emergency situation who are unable to make a phone call reach emergency services dispatchers by text message.

Text-to-911 was jointly launched by every Orange County public safety agency with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) on February 6. In 2018, more than 1,243,092 calls were made to 911 in Orange County. Eighty percent of those calls came from mobile phones.

Remember to always call if you can, and text if you can’t. Calling provides a faster response, allowing information to be relayed to responding public safety personnel as quickly as possible. It also allows dispatchers to hear background noises or conversations and gather additional information.

“It’s important that every member of our community has a safe and effective way to access emergency services in Orange County, and Text-to-911 provides that,” said Sheriff Don Barnes.

When texting, residents should first provide their location and whether they need law enforcement, fire or medical aid services.

“It’s critical that those using Text-to-911 accurately share their location and offer as many clear details as possible,” said Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. “Being precise means we can more quickly reach those who need help most.”

More about Text-to-9-1-1
• Ensure location services on your mobile phone are turned on and be prepared to provide your location in the text.
• To get started, type “911” in the “to” field of the text message and, in addition to your location, provide the type of emergency services you need (police, fire or medical).
• Use plain text and refrain from abbreviations.
• Dispatchers cannot accept pictures, videos or icons.
• Text-to-9-1-1 cannot be used in a group text.
• If your text does not go through, you should receive a message to make a voice call.
• Calling or texting 9-1-1 when it is not an emergency is a crime punishable by up to a year in County jail and a fine of up to $1,000.¬¬¬

#

A teacher from Orange was arrested on suspicion of child molestation

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (January 23, 2019) – Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators arrested a man suspected of committing multiple lewd acts on a 13-year-old boy beginning in 2011.

The man, Brandon Jacob Nease, 25, of Orange, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of felony child molestation. For the past one and a half years, Nease has been a drama teacher at Costa Mesa High School. He previously taught dance at the Boys and Girls Club in Tustin and Fountain Valley beginning in 2013. From 2015 to 2017, Nease was the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Musical Theatre West in Long Beach. From 2012 to 2015, Nease was a dance specialist at Camp James in Newport Beach. From 2008 to 2016, Nease was the Choreographer/Director for the Musical Theater Village in Irvine. Nease worked closely with children in each of his roles as a dance instructor.

Due to Nease having continued access and contact with children over the past seven years, investigators believe there may be additional victims.

Nease posted $100,000 bond this morning and has been released from custody.

Please contact the Special Victims Detail at (714) 647-7419 if you have any information. Anonymous information may be provided through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.