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55 street racing citations were issued during a recent O.C. enforcement operation

Posted on by Posted in Crime, SAPD, Street Racing Leave a comment

In response to the continuous problem of street racing, the SAPD along with Garden Grove Police Department, Irvine Police Department, CHP and Costa Mesa Police Department (members of STEARRD – Strategic Traffic Enforcement Against Racing & Reckless Driving) conducted a street racing enforcement operation on 11/19-11/20 that resulted in:

  • (55) Citations
  • (2) Impounds
  • (1) Felony Warrant Arrest
  • (1) Felony Evading Arrest

These activities have proven to be deadly and they pose a clear and present threat to public safety. The SAPD has a zero tolerance policy for reckless driving / street racing and have made this issue a top priority.

The SAPD seized a gun and ammo after a shooting at an apartment complex

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

SAPD police officers responded over the weekend to a call regarding a person who had been shot. The victim was retrieving mail from his previous apartment complex when he was confronted by a known suspect.

The victim and suspect became involved in a verbal argument and the victim decided to drive away. As the victim drove away, the suspect fired two rounds striking the vehicle twice.

The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived.

A search of the suspects residence resulted in the recovery of a loaded ghost gun, ammunition and high capacity magazines.

Santa Ana man arrested for the fatal shooting of a man in Anaheim

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Orange, Santa Ana 3 Comments
Michael Tovar

On November 28, 2021, just after midnight, Orange Police Department officers responded to the 2000 block of East Fairway Drive after receiving calls about a disturbance.

Upon their arrival they located a male adult lying on the sidewalk suffering from a single gunshot wound. The victim, later identified as 39-year-old Michael Tovar from Anaheim, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

On November 28, at 4:00 p.m., detectives from the Orange Police Department arrested 21-year-old Joseph Andrew Ruelas from Santa Ana for the murder.

Ruelas was booked at Orange County Jail. This investigation is on going and anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Matt Moss at 714-744-7455.

Last week’s Santa Ana windstorm generated over 200 service calls to Public Works

Posted on by Posted in Public Works, Santa Ana, Weather Leave a comment

During Thanksgiving week, Santa Ana experienced Santa Ana Winds with speeds in the range of 25 to 35 mph and with gusts exceeding 60 mph.

The City’s Public Works Maintenance Services Division Team received over 200 calls for tree services, including 12 fallen trees, over 60 tree limbs down, and tree brush citywide. The Public Works Agency staff is working quickly and through the evenings to respond to the large number of service calls to ensure the streets and sidewalks are safe, accessible and clean. The core areas of the wind impacts were located in the central and eastern part of the city.

Tree limbs and debris are being cut and stacked on parkways to service priority calls such as cars or structural damages and street blockage more rapidly. City staff will follow up with removal once all major hazards are addressed. Even with the quick service response, it is estimated that it will take up to two weeks to remove all debris throughout the City. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for patience.

To report downed trees and debris:

Llamadas de Servicio para la Tormenta de Viento | Hỗ Trợ Khi Có Gió

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South Main Street Corridor Project Construction virtual update set for Dec. 2

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Development, Public Works, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana neighbors are invited to an interactive virtual community meeting with the City of Santa Ana Public Works Agency on Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. for an update on the construction activity for South Main Street Corridor project.
 
Please use the link below to join the virtual meeting via Zoom
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86040115965 or Dial-in at 1 (253) 215-8782 and Enter Webinar ID: 860 4011 5965#
Spanish translation will be available.
 
We value your attendance at the meeting for an update on the construction activity for the South Main Street Corridor. The project is 2.5 miles along South Main Street between First Street and Dyer Road.  For additional information on the project, visit https://www.santa-ana.org/SouthMainVision.
 
Should you have questions, please contact Public Works Agency Community Liaison Michelle Micallef at (714) 647-5091 or mmicallef@santa-ana.org.

Reunión de la comunidad virtual: Actualización del proyecto de construcción del corredor de South Main Street

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The First Point affordable apartments in Santa Ana are now accepting applications

Posted on by Posted in Affordable Housing, Housing, Real Estate, Santa Ana Leave a comment

First Point I & II Apartments are new, affordable, multifamily apartment communities currently under construction at 2114 E. First St. in Santa Ana. First Point I & II apartments includes 522 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartment homes.
 
Preference is given to applicants who are residents of Santa Ana and/or worked at least 32 hours per week for at least the last 6 months in Santa Ana.
 
First Point I & II Apartments is now accepting online interest list applications. Apply at https://www.conamwaitlist.com/first-pointe.

For more information, call (714) 248-7444.
 
Rent

  • 1 Bedroom/1 Bath           $1,569
  • 2 Bedrooms/1 Bath         $1,453 – $1,756
  • 3 Bedrooms/2 Bath         $1,672 – $1,941
  • 4 Bedrooms/2 Bath         $1,856 – $2,084

Amenities
Elevators, ADA Access, Resident Computer Center, Parking Garage, Courtyard Terrace, Multiple On-Site Laundry Facilities, Fully Equipped Kitchens, Central Heat and Air Conditioning, Wood Style Flooring

Please note that the leasing team is following all CDC guidelines while conducting applicant interviews to ensure healthy business operations and work environments.

Contact:
Gus Silva, ConAm
Management Phone:
(714) 248-7444
Email: gsilva@conam.com

Apartamentos Asequibles de First Point Están Aceptando Solicitudes

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The Santa Ana Poem of the Week is “Listen” by Kathryn Brockman

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Literature, Poetry, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The Santa Ana Literary Association will be presenting a new poem by a local poet every week this year. This week’s poem is “Listen” by Kathryn Brockman.

LISTEN

By: Kathryn Brockman

Inherit the Wind
Inherit the Breeze
Inherit the Trees
Inherit the Leaves

It is these
That will always please
In moments of fear
Remember to hear

Listen to the Wind
Listen to the Breeze
Listen to the Trees
Listen to the Leaves

Feel the sun, soft and warm
Every day you are new born
When you feel you’ve lost your way
Stop a moment
And remember to say

A healthy body
A happy heart
I am brain-smart
Now is a good time to restart

And try again to find your way
Today is like no other day
Rest now, on my green grass lay
Close your eyes, send doubtful thoughts away

Listen to the Wind
Feel the Breeze
Caress the Trees
And tickle the Leaves

Kathryn Brockman is an OC-based writer who works as an independent contract editor/writer in numerous industries, including advertising, biomed, healthcare, and aerospace. She is the second daughter of a military family whose father was a three-war battlefield veteran. Kathryn dreams her poems, which she writes down as soon as she awakens. She has kept dream journals for over 45 years.

A Garden Grove carjacking suspect was caught in Newport Beach after a police pursuit

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Garden Grove, Newport Beach 1 Comment

William McNair, a 45-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of carjacking and felony evading for allegedly snatching a vehicle from a man at an ATM machine in Garden Grove and then leading police on a chase that ended all the way in Newport Beach, according to the Garden Grove Police Department.

The victims were a man and a woman in their 50s drove the vehicle to an ATM at 11:35 p.m. on Saturday night, in the area of Harbor and Garden Grove boulevards. They were spotted by McNair, who allegedly approached the male driver and dragged him from the driver’s seat after the woman had exited from the vehicle.

McNair took the vehicle and fled from the scene, nearly striking the male victim as he drove out of the parking lot.

Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) Police Officers were in the area and saw the vehicle speed past them as the call was being broadcasted on the radio. GSU caught up to McNair and attempted to initiate a high-risk vehicle stop, but he continued to flee from officers.

The pursuit continued through two cities and finally terminated at Channel Rd and Ocean Blvd, in Newport Beach. To prevent further escape, the suspect was boxed in, with the help of the Newport Beach Police Department Bearcat.

Garden Grove Police K9 Officer Kody

Officers gave several commands and utilized non-lethal means, but the suspect remained uncooperative and refused to exit the vehicle. K9 Officer Kody was then deployed and assisted in apprehending McNair. He was later positively identified by witnesses as the carjacking suspect.

McNair, a resident of Los Angeles, was arrested on suspicion of carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon and felony evading.

It is not known yet if McNair will plead that he was just having a bad mental health day.

A man was fatally shot in Orange on Sunday morning

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Orange Leave a comment

The Orange Police Department is investigating the fatal shooting of an unidentified man outside a home in Orange that occurred early on Sunday morning, Nov. 28.

Police officers responded to the home, at the 2000 block of East Fairway Drive, at about 12 midnight. They found an injured man outside the residence. He had one gunshot wound.

The man died at the scene. The Orange police do not believe he lived at that address.

The shooting occurred near the Rehabilitation Institute of Southern California, which offers comprehensive therapeutic services and programs for physically disabled persons of all ages to include childcare, early intervention, adult day care (and health daycare), aquatics, independent living skills training, social services, PT, OT, speech and vocational services.

The victim’s identity has not been released yet.

The Orange Police do not yet know of a potential motive for the fatal shooting. Nor do they have any idea as to the suspect in the shooing.

A man was shot and killed in Anaheim on Nov. 26

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Crime Leave a comment

ANAHEIM, Calif. (November 29, 2021) – Anaheim Police Department homicide detectives are asking for the public’s assistance regarding the recent shooting death of 23-year-old Anaheim resident Jonathan Romero.

On Friday, November 26, 2021, at about 5:33 p.m., Anaheim police officers responded to the area of 1200 N. Placentia Avenue regarding a shooting.

Officers located Romero in an alley way suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Romero was transported to a local area hospital where he was taken into surgery. At about 10:30 p.m., Romero died as a result of his injuries.

Anaheim PD homicide detectives are asking anyone with information on the shooting to call APD Homicide at 714-321-3669 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.

This week’s Cochino List includes Carlos Market and Taqueria Los 3 Reyes

Posted on by Posted in Business, Disease, Food, Food & Health, Health, Health and Medical, Insects, OC Health Care, Public Safety, Restaurants Leave a comment

The O.C. Health Care Agency has released a list of the eateries (including restaurants, caterers and even school kitchens) that they inspected and shut down for the week of Nov. 18 to Nov. 26. Most of these eateries reopen pretty quickly after the health inspectors determine their issues have been resolved.

  • Carlos Market, 1532 S. Flower St., Santa Ana, Closed: Nov. 23, Reason: Cockroach infestation, Reopened: Nov. 24
  • Carniceria La Costenita, 1532 S. Flower St., Santa Ana, Closed: Nov. 23, Reason: Cockroach infestation, Reopened: Nov. 24
  • Taqueria Los 3 Reyes, 2610 W. Westminster Ave., Suite B, Santa Ana, Closed: Nov. 23, Reason: Insufficient hot water, Reopened: Nov. 24
  • Mr. Pollo Fresco, 12021 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, Closed: Nov. 19, Reason: Rodent infestation,
  • Sunmerry Bakery, 13908 Brookhurst St., Suite A, Garden Grove, Closed: Nov. 18, Reason: Insufficient hot water, Reopened: Nov. 19
  • Dragon Palace, 9848 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, Closed: Nov. 18, Reason: Insufficient hot water, Reopened: Nov. 18
  • Punjabi Tandoor, 327 S. Anaheim Blvd., Suite A, Anaheim, Closed: Nov. 22, Reason: Insufficient hot water, Reopened: Nov. 23
  • Food sales at CVS Pharmacy, 24372 Rockfield Blvd., Lake Forest, Closed: Nov. 18, Reason: Rodent infestation

A pedestrian was fatally struck by a vehicle in Costa Mesa this morning

Posted on by Posted in Accidents, Costa Mesa Leave a comment

Today, Nov. 25, 2021, at approximately 2:33 a.m., officers responded to a fatal traffic collision involving a pedestrian, who was walking in lanes of traffic on Newport Boulevard south of 17th Street, when he was hit by a vehicle travelling northbound on Newport. Upon arrival, officers found the 24-year-old male victim unresponsive and performed CPR to no avail. The victim was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.

The Costa Mesa Major Accident Investigation Team and CSI responded to scene. A Sig Alert was issued for street closures, which the Newport Beach Police Department assisted with. The Orange County Sheriff Coroner’s Office responded and took custody of the body. The identification of the victim will not be released due to next of kin notification. At approximately 7:15 a.m., the streets were cleared and closures were lifted.

The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with officers during the investigation. The driver was sober, no alcohol or drugs are suspected, and no arrests were made.

Tennessee man caught in Orange County facing charges of molesting his niece and kidnapping his toddler

Posted on by Posted in Cochino Alert, Crime, OCDA, Orange County Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with kidnapping his three-year-old son from Tennessee and sexually assaulting his 16-year-old niece after bringing the children to California. The missing children, who were the subject of a Tennessee Amber Alert that launched a multi-state manhunt, were found at Doheny State Beach last week after a Good Samaritan recognized them from coverage about their disappearance.

Jacob Francis Allen Clare, 35, has been charged with one felony count of kidnapping from outside California, two felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, two felony counts of oral copulation with a minor, one felony count of sexual penetration by a foreign object of a minor, and two felony counts of incest.

He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years and 4 months in state prison if convicted on all charges. Clare is currently being held on no bail at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. He is scheduled to be arraigned today in CJ1.

Clare is facing additional charges in Tennessee.

Clare and his 3-year-old son were reported missing by the boy’s mother on Nov. 7, 2021 after the boy failed to return from a scheduled visit. Clare’s 16-year-old niece was reported missing from her Kentucky home several days later. Authorities believe the teenager went willingly with Clare.

Clare is accused of kidnapping his 3-year-old son from Tennessee and taking him out-of-state failing to return him to his mother, prompting the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to issue an Amber Alert for the missing child and his father. Clare is accused of taking his 16-year-old niece along on a cross-country trip that ended in California.

Authorities found Clare’s abandoned vehicle in San Clemente and urged residents to be on the lookout for Clare and the missing children.

Between November 11 and November 18, 2021, Clare is accused of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with his 16-year-old niece.

Clare was arrested on November 18, 2021 after a Good Samaritan noticed the man and two children walking on Pacific Coast Highway near Doheny State Beach in Dana Point and called authorities. Both children have been reunited with their mothers.

“No parent should have to suffer the trauma of not knowing where their child is and when or if they are ever coming home,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The blatant exploitation of these children and the pain and misery the actions of a single individual has caused is unconscionable. These are innocent children and the selfish and depraved acts of this individual ripped a little boy out of the arms of his mother and stole the innocence of a little girl. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will do everything it can to prevent this monster from hurting any more children.”

Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.

The Garden Grove police are targeting alleged Gypsy robbery crews

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Garden Grove Leave a comment

In the last six months, the Garden Grove Police Department has received numerous reports of robberies involving Gypsy crews. The suspects tend to target elderly Asians and use various distraction methods to remove the victim’s jewelry and replace it with counterfeit pieces. On some occasions, they would aggressively and forcefully removed the victim’s property, causing injuries.

GGPD Detectives are extensively investigating these cases. And this week, Detectives and Community Impact Unit (CIU) Officers collaborated with Westminster Police Department, CA and Orange County Auto Theft TaskForce (OCATT) Detectives in a multi-agency operation to address the problem.

During the operation, detectives were able to catch a two-man crew in the act of robbing a victim and attempting to flee the area. Both the male driver and female thief were arrested for robbery, conspiracy, and possession of stolen property. We are also seeking charges of child endangerment due to the two young children in the vehicle with them, at the time of the crime.

This investigation is ongoing.

Editor’s Note: The term Gypsy is not widely used today. They are now referred to as the Romani people. They are originally from Northern India. In Europe, Romani people are associated with poverty, and are accused of high rates of crime and behaviors that are perceived by the rest of the population as being antisocial or inappropriate, according to Wikipedia. The Romani people have faced persecution and genocide in Europe and the Nazis are thought to have killed perhaps as many as 220,000 and 1,500,000 of them during WWII.

Parolee whose credit card was declined shot at a Garden Grove store clerk repeatedly

Posted on by Posted in buena park, Crime, Garden Grove, OCDA Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A parolee-at-large has been charged with attempted murder for shooting multiple times at a convenience store clerk in Garden Grove after his credit card was declined and then shooting into the business again as he drove away. The clerk was not injured.

Odis Richard Cox, 33, of Buena Park, has been charged with one felony count of attempted murder, one felony count of shooting from a motor vehicle, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon, one felony count of a prohibited person owning ammunition, and one felony count of discharging a firearm at an occupied building. He is also facing felony enhancements for being armed with a firearm in the commission of a felony and the personal use of a firearm.

Cox faces a maximum sentence of 63 years to life if convicted on all counts. He has two prior strikes.

On November 15, 2021 at approximately 1:56 AM, officers from the Garden Grove Police Department responded to a convenience store located at 8900 block of Chapman Avenue in reference to a report of gunshots being fired.

The store’s clerk told officers a man, later identified as Cox, was upset over his card being declined. Cox is accused of firing seven rounds at the clerk standing behind the counter. The clerk managed to avoid being shot.

Cox left the business and shot into the store’s front window as he was being driven away, shattering the window.

Detectives from the Garden Grove Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Bureau were able to identify Cox as the suspect in the shooting and arrested him on November 18, 2021. At the time of his arrest, Cox was on formal Orange County Probation, Post-Release Community Supervision and was parolee-at-large.

This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Garden Grove Police Detective Camara at 714-741-5824.

“The apprehension of Odis Cox has made the residents of Garden Grove and our neighboring communities safer,” said Garden Grove Police Chief Tom DaRé. “The victim in this case must now endure a lifetime of mental scars inflicted by this career criminal. It is time we focus on the victims of these violent crimes rather than allowing these aggressive, violent offenders to prey upon our communities.”

“This clerk was just trying to earn a living and he was almost murdered for it,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “I refuse to allow violent criminals to terrorize the hardworking people of Orange County. When someone has repeatedly shown they have no respect for the law and a complete disregard for human life, I am going to do everything in my power to hold them accountable and keep Orange County safe. That is why I have directed my prosecutors to file all legal strikes in Orange County in order to hold these repeat offenders accountable. California’s Three Strikes Law was designed to ensure violent criminals receive sentences that will prevent them from being able to harm anyone else. Every District Attorney in California should be enforcing the Three Strikes law as a way of protecting our communities.”