Brea Police Department

James Gregory Price to be Arraigned for Murder of Friend Accused of Burglary, Justin Soto

A man is scheduled to be arraigned this morning on charges he fatally shot a friend he'd believed had burglarized his Brea home.James Gregory Price, 56, faces a murder count and sentencing enhancements that could send him to state prison for 50 years to life in the slaying of 24-year-old Justin Soto ... More >>

Black Family's Plight Prompts Church and OC Human Relations to Host "Listening Session"

Had an interesting email exchange this morning with Rusty Kennedy, executive director of OC Human Relations. He'd shared an email about a "Listening Session" being held at an African American church in Yorba Linda Sunday in light of November's revelation about racism a black family says drove them o ... More >>

David Moreno, Nursing Home Worker, Allegedly Assaulted 69 y.o. Woman Sexually

Talk about your sick fucks--excuse me--alleged sick fucks: assisted living and nursing home employee David Moreno is accused of sexually assaulting a 69-year-old disabled woman.And, according to a release from the Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA), law enforcement is reaching out to th ... More >>

Brea and San Juan Capistrano DUI Checkpoints Tonight, Buena Park's is Saturday Night

Labor Day weekend has creeped up, and so has the countywide Labor Day weekend enforcement against boozing drivers on the road.Besides saturation patrols in Orange County's four corners--are there four?--Brea and San Juan Capistrano have DUI checkpoints tonight and Buena Park conducts another Saturda ... More >>

Ligia Baciu, Who Stole $236k for Luxury Goods and Domestic Partner's Fertility Treatments, Gets 3 Years and Hefty Fine, Restitution Order

Don't hate Ligia Baciu because she's beautiful--nor because she stole more than $236,000 from her employer to pay for airfare, hotels, an engagement ring and fertility treatments for her domestic partner. After pleading guilty to 24 felony counts, the Fullerton 35-year-old today was sentenced to t ... More >>

Ligia Baciu, Company Accountant, Accused of Stealing $236k to Pay for Luxuries, Engagement Ring, Fertility Treatment for Domestic Partner

A Fullerton woman was arrested and charged today with stealing more than $236,000 from her employer by allegedly loading up company credit cards with personal charges for airfare, hotels, an engagement ring and fertility treatments for her domestic partner. Prosecutors announced that 35-year-old ... More >>

Kirk Robert Lotzgesell: Ex-Cop Accused of Stealing $60K from Police Football Charity

​A former La Habra police officer misrepresented himself as an active duty cop on medical leave when he was given a volunteer treasurer position with the Orange County Cop Bowl Association, a football charity from which Kirk Robert Lotzgesell allegedly stole $60,000, according to prosecutors.The W ... More >>

[UPDATED with New Not Guilty Plea:] Itzcoatl Ocampo, Serial Killer Suspect, Accused of 6 Fatal Stabbings

​UPDATE, FEB. 21, 11:40 A.M.: To give you the proper visual for this post, picture Itzcoatl "Izzy" Ocampo at right with an al Qaeda beard. That's how he appeared in a Santa Ana courtroom this morning when he pleaded not guilty to the stabbing-murders of a mother, her son and four homeless men sinc ... More >>

Do Brea's Drivers Hate Pedestrians?

​Road hogs are running rampant in Brea.That's according to one walker who says the streets are not safe for those out for a stroll. Sandy Toth, a 20-year resident of the unofficial "city of oil, oranges and opportunity", appeared at a Jan. 17  City Council meeting to decry Brea's dr ... More >>

Brea Police Pursuit Ends in Wrecked Cruiser

​A Brea Police cruiser was in need of a little body work last night after colliding with another car at the intersection of Lambert and the 57 freeway. The accident was the result of a pursuit which began in Corona around 6 p.m. Cops there were hot on the trail of a suspected motorcycle thief, 35- ... More >>

Paulus Cornelius Smit, OC 2011 Homicide No. 70: Third Homeless Man Slain in 2 Weeks

​The body of a homeless man was found near a puddle of blood at the base of a Yorba Linda Public Library stairwell Friday evening, and Brea Police homicide investigators believe 57-year-old Paulus Cornelius Smit was murdered.Cops were called out to a 5 p.m. report of a man down in an area behind t ... More >>

11 Ucked Fup OC Murder Incidents from 2011

​The body count is piling up in Orange County this last month of 2011, with some slayings so awful they made the following compilation of the 11 most ucked fup murder scenes of the year.Please note that this will also be my last list of 2011 that includes the Salon Meritage massacre. As much as I ... More >>

[UPDATED with Yorba Linda and Lake Forest Votes:] Hugo Godinez, Sex Offender Busted in County Park, is Ammo for Two More Cities Considering Bans

​UPDATE, NOV. 16, 4:05 P.M.: The Yorba Linda City Council voted unanimously Tuesday for an ordinance on first reading to keep registered sex offenders out of city parks unless they first get permission from the Brea Police Department, which also patrols Yorba Linda.The ordinance would be enacted 3 ... More >>

Bicyclist Discovers Pot Patch, Calls Cops, Ends Dream

​Have you heard tale of feral cannabis plants growing in the Midwest?A bicyclist (let's just call him Señor Buzzkill) rolled up on a patch of 40 to 50 5-foot-tall marijuana plants off Brea Canyon Road between Tonner Canyon and Canyon Country roads Wednesday morning.Instead of beholding the beauti ... More >>

Julian "Jules" Collender's Family Files Federal Suit Against Brea Police Over His "Unjustified" Killing

Jules Collender​The parents of Julian "Jules" Collender, who was unarmed when he was shot to death outside his Yorba Linda home on June 30, 2010, by Brea Police Detective Shawn Neel, have filed a federal lawsuit that accuses the department of bungling the case from the start.The suit names as defe ... More >>

[UPDATED with Final Tallies:] Fourth of July Surprise! Stepped Up DUI Checkpoints and Patrols

​UPDATE, JULY 6, 10:38 A.M.: The Avoid the 38 DUI Task Force just released the final numbers from the holiday weekend past's three sobriety checkpoints and multiple DUI saturation patrols countywide.From 12:01 a.m. Friday through midnight Monday, officers representing 38 county law enforcement age ... More >>

[UPDATED with DA Report:] Brea Cop Cleared in Fatal Shooting of Julian "Jules" Collender

​UPDATE, JUNE 29, 4:56 P.M.: The Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) today released an 11-page letter based on its investigation of last year's police shooting of the late Julian "Jules" Collender, but it is the final two paragraphs that say it all: "Based on all the evidence presented ... More >>

Add Another Lawsuit to the List for Oil Company Operating in Brea

Ted SoquiPalm trees burst into flames in nearby Yorba Linda. To see more images from the 2008 devastation, click here.​The flames of Brea's 2008 landfill fire (which you may remember eventually contributed to the Freeway Complex Fire) may have been long extinguished but the problems of BreitBurn M ... More >>

Justice for Julian Collender Push Goes to OCDA

​Family, friends and supporters of the late Julian "Jules" Collender, who was gunned down by Brea Police in front of his Yorba Linda home on June 30, plan to hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Orange County District Attorney's Office in Santa Ana this afternoon."We have asked District Attorn ... More >>

Julian "Jules" Stanley Collender's Family and Friends Loudly Protest His Slaying by Police

​As advertised, family, friends and supporters filled the Yorba Linda City Council chambers Tuesday night to loudly demand answers about June's police slaying of 25-year-old resident Julian "Jules" Stanley Collender. "Shame on you for hiding behind a veil of silence," Michele Collender, the victim ... More >>

"Justice For Julian" Collender Takes Brea PD War to Streets, Facebook, Yorba Linda City Hall

​UPDATE: Julian "Jules" Stanley Collender's Family and Friends Loudly Protest His Slaying by PoliceIt's been 2 1/2 months since the life of Julian "Jules" Stanley Collender was cut short by a single police gunshot, but the Yorba Linda 25-year-old's family and friends have maintained their pressure ... More >>

Julian "Jules" Stanley Collender, Killed by a Cop, Remembered at Tribute Show Tonight

​A tribute show will be held in Fullerton tonight for Julian "Jules" Stanley Collender, the skater and former record label owner who was gunned down by Brea Police in front of his parents' Yorba Linda home in June.The Big's Grill show begins at 9 p.m.After the jump, see the flier and find out why ... More >>

Hooshang Kharabaf Found Unadvertised Use for Video Camera Pen, According to Brea Police

​The makers of video cameras that look like writing pens boast how the pocket-sized wonders record important conversations, PowerPoint presentations and even the thief who keeps taking your sack lunch from the break-room fridge.A use these companies do not tout was the one police say Hooshang Khar ... More >>

Julian "Jules" Stanley Collender's Family Demands Police Explain Why They Killed Him

​Funeral services and memorial celebrations for a Yorba Linda skater nicknamed "Jules" have been held or planned, but a different kind of gathering of family and friends is scheduled this evening in Brea.They are meeting in front of the police station there to demand answers as to why an officer k ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Donald Keith Taylor, OC Homicide No. 18: Girlfriend Shot Him, Then Herself

UPDATED: The 63-year-old victim has been identified (details below) . . . View Larger MapUPDATES THROUGHOUT:A female friend went to visit 63-year-old Donald Keith Taylor, who lived in the 1000 block of Grand Canyon Road in Brea on Friday. She found him dead. He'd been shot multiple times.

Thanks for the Work!

An open letter to District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, Sheriff Mike Carona, and the police chiefs and mayors of every Orange County city except Laguna Niguel

Letters