Harbor Justice Center

Surprise! Punk Rock Picnic Promoter Steve Smith is a No-Show in Small Claims Court

So here's a great snapshot of our less-than-perfect legal system... Yesterday afternoon marked what should've been the first step in a small claims lawsuit filed against failed local promoter Steve Smith, the guy behind the doomed Punk Rock Picnic Music Festival, which we detailed in last week's co ... More >>

All Rise . . . Now Scatter as Cash-Stapped Orange County Plays Musical Courthouses

Big changes are afoot in the Orange County court system thanks to a lack of state funding.The Harbor Justice Center in Laguna Hills will close July 1, and family-law cases handled in Santa Ana Superior Court will be moved to the Lamoureaux Justice Center in Orange.

Declan Paul Nieblas of Prominent San Juan Capistrano Family Accused of Elder Abuse

A member of one of San Juan Capistrano's founding families--founding as in the city, not the land itself, kemosabi--is fighting allegations in court of elder abuse. Declan Paul Nieblas reportedly pleaded not guilty Monday Harbor Justice Center to felony inflicting injury on an elderly adult, false ... More >>

Lindsey Knickerbocker, Daughter from Early Real Housewives of OC, Popped for Being Really Drunk, Ramming Cars and Punching Cop

Lindsey Knickerbocker, who appeared in an early episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County that famously featured her mother encouraging her to go topless for a fashion shoot, allegedly drove drunk, rammed two parked cars on Balboa Island and punched a cop late last year, a gossip site has repo ... More >>

10 Past and Current Orange County Pro Athletes Disgraced in 2012

The Rams are, of course, long gone and the Honda Center remains in need of an NBA team, but Orange County still has the Angels, Ducks, a whole bunch of mixed-martial arts fighters and assorted pro sports retirees who reside and/or hailed from here.Current and former pro athletes get into trouble som ... More >>

[UPDATED with New Arrest Totals:] Tis the Season to be Boozy and Patrolled and Stopped

ORIGINAL POST, DEC. 21, 8:56 A.M.: The Costa Mesa and Garden Grove police departments are conducting DUI checkpoints tonight, while one goes up in Huntington Beach Saturday night. None of the agencies is revealing the location of the mandatory motorist stops aimed at removing impaired and unlicensed ... More >>

Kirk Robert Lotzgesell, Ex-Cop Who Stole $60k from Cop Charity, Cops to Being a Stinkin' Thief

​A former La Habra police officer, who misrepresented himself as an active duty cop on medical leave when he was given a volunteer treasurer position with a nonprofit police football charity he would go on to steal $60,000 from, cut a plea deal that should have him spending a year in jail and m ... More >>

Tomoo Kawai, Accused Dirty Diaper Dumper, Arraigned

Police and prosecutors believe a wealthy Newport Coast resident being arraigned this morning is the dirty diaper dumper of North Coast Highway.Tomoo Kawai, 68, faces a misdemeanor count of disposing of prohibited material--which in this case would be soiled adult diapers that have polluted the thoro ... More >>

Ciprian Patrulescu and Paul G. Patrulescu in Court for Allegedly Beating 83 y.o. Woman

Two brothers who apparently followed a night of drinking with an early morning of beating--an 83-year-old woman!--are scheduled to be arraigned on elder abuse charges this morning.Paul Grigore Patrulescu, 30, and Ciprian Patrulescu, 31, both of Costa Mesa, face a felony count each of inflicting in ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] Flordeliza Aguillo Escano and Son James Francis Alambra Guilty of Abandoning 30 Dogs

See the update at the end of this post on the defendants' guilty pleas and sentences.ORIGINAL POST, SEPT. 25, 8:02 A.M.: A mother and son are scheduled to be arraigned in Newport Beach this morning on charges of abusing and abandoning 30 dogs in a South County park. Rancho Santa Margarita's Flordel ... More >>

Talan Torriero of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County Popped for Real DUI

It turns out that big, countywide Labor Day weekend anti-DUI crackdown netted a celebrity.If by celebrity you mean former Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County "reality" show "star" Talan Torriero.

[UPDATED with Adenhart Crash Victim's Two Cents:] Fullerton Poised to End Sobriety Checkpoints as Labor Day Ops Continue

See the update at the end of this post about the Mother's Against Drunk Driving push back and a victim of the Fullerton crash that killed Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart addressing the council. ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 27, 3:29 P.M.: From 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 17 through midnight Friday, Aug. 24, ... More >>

Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall's Arrest Extends Orange County's MMA Crime Wave

Are octagon-shaped jail cells in Orange County's future?It's worth asking as the local crime wave tied to mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters continues with Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall's recent arrest in Irvine for outstanding warrants.

Fernando Sanchez and Jessica Gascon Allegedly Posted Facebook Threats, Conspired to Murder

As if Facebook isn't having enough problems this week, the social networking site is being dragged into a teen murder conspiracy case in Costa Mesa.Fernando Sanchez, 17, of Santa Ana, is facing charges as an adult of posting criminal threats against a Costa Mesa 20-year-old on Facebook before conspi ... More >>

Todd Marinovich Goes Deep

The ex-NFL superstar on life, death and everything in between

[UPDATED with District Reaction:] Alex Bassinne, Ex-Santa Ana Teacher, Accused of Molesting Teen Girls, Possessing Child Porn

UPDATE, MAY 4, 12:39 P.M.: The Santa Ana Unified School District has released a statement regarding the charges pending against former district math teacher Alex Bassinne for alleged child pornography possession and, while working at Santa Ana High School and Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediat ... More >>

[UPDATED with Charges, Lewd Details:] Nicole Ethel McMillen, 41, Accused of Sex with 14-Year-Old Boy in Her Irvine Home

​UPDATE, FEB. 29, 5:39 P.M.: In announcing the charges filed today against school aide Nicole Ethel McMillen, the Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) alleged the 41-year-old mother kept a "fun" home in Irvine's Northpark community that drew many children, and that she blew and committe ... More >>

Handicapped Policy: Disabled Driver Fighting Newport Beach Over Parking Ticket

​A disabled man has been fighting the city of Newport Beach for more than a year over a ticket he received for parking in a handicapped spot without displaying the proper placard.Christopher Torri, a 44-year-old file clerk from Orange who has multiple sclerosis, said he was hit with the $427 ticke ... More >>

[UPDATED with Suspect's Family Blackmailed?] Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan, Husband, Father, Rug Store Manager and Sex Offender, Now Has 11 Females Claiming He Flashed and/or Sexually Assaulted Them

​UPDATE, OCT. 28, 12:03 P.M.: The publisher of an Irvine-based Persian magazine threatened to blackmail the family of Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan, the Laguna Beach rug store by manager and registered sex offender facing up to 60 years to life in state prison for allegedly sexually assaulting and/or ... More >>

Michael Theodore Pines' Psychiatric Evaluation Gets in Way of Criminal Sentencing for Attorney Who Claims Home Foreclosures are Illegal

​San Diego attorney Michael Theodore Pines was supposed to be sentenced Friday for the conviction based on the bad advice he gave to an elderly man who broke into his foreclosed Newport Coast home--in front of the media and arresting police officers. But Pines now has to wait until Dec. 16 to lear ... More >>

Michael William Snyder, Children's Book Author "Mr. Mike," Faces Charges of Molesting 2nd Little Girl

​Already facing four felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 and a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison if convicted, children's book author Michael William Snyder now has to deal with new accusations that he molested a second little girl that could put him away for 30 years to li ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] Michael Theodore Pines, Attorney Who Advised Rene Hector Zepeda to Break Into Foreclosured Newport Coast Home, Guilty

​UPDATE, SEPT. 1, 6:03 P.M.: San Diego attorney Michael Theodore Pines was found guilty by a jury in Newport Beach today of attempting to illegally break into a foreclosed Newport Coast home. Convicted of one misdemeanor count each of vandalism, attempted second degree burglary, the attempted una ... More >>

[UPDATED with More Victims Sought:] Travis Dewayne Batten Jr. Popped for Rapes Dating Back to 2005

​UPDATE, JULY 25, 7:56 A.M.: The Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) is seeking other possible victims of suspected serial rapist Travis Dewayne Batten, Jr. of Irvine.The 29-year-old is facing felony counts that could put him behind bars from 157 to 204 years with a conviction.The OCDA ... More >>

[UPDATED with Jail Sentence:] Michael Stuart Patterson, Upset Over Barking, Attacks and Blinds German Shepherd

​UPDATE, JULY 25, 8:56 A.M.: 51-year-old Michael Stuart Patterson just couldn't take the barking anymore, so after kicking open the front door of his Mission Viejo neighbor's home while yelling, "I'm going to kill you, and I'm going to kill your dog," he confronted Honey on the back patio and, arm ... More >>

[UPDATED with Unusual Defense:] Emily and Father Russell Ford, OC Homicides Nos. 12 and 13: Her Ex-Husband Held

​UPDATED, JULY 15, 12:30 P.M.: 36-year-old Robert Allan Lehmann is due at Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach today for a preliminary hearing tied to the murder counts he faces for allegedly executing his former wife and father-in-law in May.It will be lonely at the defense table as a judge las ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] Michael Jason Wilson Tried as Adult for Facebook War That Ended Bloody

​It is officially knife day here at Navel Gazing HQ.Earlier we brought you the wifey-pooh who allegedly sliced off her estranged husband's dick with a knife before tossing it into the garbage disposal and flipping the on switch.Now comes word from the DA's office of a Laguna Beach teen's convictio ... More >>

[UPDATED with Suspect Speaking, Service Parking:] Austin Jeffrey Farley Charged with Murder in DUI Death of Ashton Sweet

​UPDATE, JUNE 6, 12:33 P.M.: The Irvine Police Department has released parking details for the throng of media and mourners expected at this evening's memorial service for Ashton Sweet, who was killed in a Memorial Day weekend DUI crash.Meanwhile, the accused murderer of the 14-year-old Irvine fre ... More >>

Robert Bruce Engel, Sex Offender, Booked After Returning to the Scene of the Splooge

​Three teenage girls at Rancho Santa Margarita Library noticed a man sitting on a bench across from them around 7 p.m. on May 9. He had a newspaper on his lap, his hands under the newspaper and--yikes!--is the book marker in your pocket or are you just happy to see us?Turns out it was the latter. ... More >>

[UPDATED with Not Guilty Pleas:] Gabino Valdivia-Guzman and Zenaido Valdivia-Guzman, Brothers Accused of Murdering Unidentified Woman and Setting Her on Fire, Claim They Are Not Guilty

​UPDATE, MARCH 28, 5:11 P.M.: Brothers Gabino Baldivia-Guzman, 32, of Costa Mesa, and Zenaido Baldivia-Guzman, 25, of Santa Ana, pleaded not guilty Friday to murdering a woman in September 2009 and setting her body on fire in an Irvine business park lot. The pleas were made in Harbor Justice Ce ... More >>

[UPDATED: Todd Sousa Charged] Swim Coach Accused of Being 'Involved' With Underage Student

Todd Sousa​​UPDATE, MARCH 26, 3:40 P.M.: On Friday morning, Todd Sousa was arraigned and pled not guilty to 18 charges, including sexual relations with a 15-year-old student who he met through his swim lessons business. Prosecutors tried to push the OC District Court judge, Stephanie George, to ... More >>

Saga of the Giant Black Sea Bass and the Fisherman Sees Its Day in Court: Plea Bargain Reached [VIDEOS]

lauadibaby/FlickrA giant black sea bass at home in the wild.On Jan. 3, 2010, a Sunday, Jon Apothaker was fishing off the end of the Balboa Pier when he caught something big. He could tell by the tension in the line and the difficulty he had in trying to reel it in. The struggle went on for an hour. ... More >>

[UPDATED] Travis Christopher Unholz, OC Sheriff's Deputy Convicted of Roughing Up Wife and Trying to Contact Her and Get Gun in Violation of Order

​UPDATED, FEB. 28, 4:57 P.M.: Because federal law prohibits firearm possession for those convicted of domestic violence, veteran Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Travis Christopher Unholz's law enforcement career is effectively over."We consider all the ramifications, and in this case, it is going t ... More >>

[UPDATED] Jason Davis Busted for Druggin' In Zooport 2 Nights After Saying He Was Clean on Celebrity Rehab

​UPDATE, FEB. 24, 8:04 A.M.: Oil heir Jason Davis, who was busted for alleged heroin use and pipe possession in Newport Beach last month, could get up to three years behind bars if convicted of the charges prosecutors have filed against him.The grandson of billionaire Marvin Davis faces three felo ... More >>

[UPDATED] Robert Ellsworth Shorter Jr., Ex-Guard Accused of String of Burglaries at TBN Headquarters

​A fired security guard is being arraigned in Newport Beach this morning for allegedly stealing from what we assume must be a bejeweled donation box given the Caligula set holding it: The sparkly Trinity Broadcasting Network headquarters across the 405 from South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.Robert E ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Mark Gerard Petrash, Music Teacher Who Twice Exposed Skin Flute, Gets 90 Days in Jail

​Update, December 9, 4:04 p.m.: Junior high school music teacher Mark Gerard Petrash, who was convicted in September of two misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and one misdemeanor count of false imprisonment for exposing his penis to women in May and August '09, was sentenced today to 9 ... More >>

Brian Hughes Benedict, Grad Student Accused of Killing Ex- on UCI Campus, to Face Trial

​Brian Hughes Benedict, the 36-year-old grad student accused of killing his ex-wife outside his UC Irvine apartment last year, will stand trial for what is so far the only shooting death on campus.A judge ruled during a preliminary hearing at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach Wednesday ... More >>

Former TBN Pastor Steve Galiher Gets Wrist Slap for DWI that Led to Man's Death

Galiher: Betcha he's still smirking today...​Nearly a year to the day after Stephen Eugene Galiher crashed into a car on the 73 Freeway while driving over 85 miles per hour three times over the legal drinking limit on his way to the Costa Mesa headquarters of the Trinity Broadcasting Company that ... More >>

Michael Jason Wilson Tried as Adult for Facebook War That Ended in Bloodshed

​Casualties from a Facebook war between high school students could land a Laguna Beach 16-year-old in an adult state prison for 15 years.Michael Jason Wilson is being charged as an adult for allegedly stabbing a former classmate in the stomach and assaulting two of the victim's friends with a ca ... More >>

Dawn Marie Baloun, Teacher at Juvie, Charged With Kissing and Fondling Boy

CORRECTION: The victim's age was incorrect in an earlier version of this post. ​A female teacher at a juvenile correctional facility in Trabuco Canyon was charged today with having an unlawful relationship with a 15 16-year-old housed at the facility by kissing and fondling him after meeting in ... More >>

Crystina Renee Bock Pleads Guilty to Stealing $200,000 From Church

Courtesy of OCDACrystina Renee Bock​Clockwork in September brought you the case against Crystina Renee Bock, the former financial secretary at Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo then facing trial for stealing more than $200,000 from the weekly offerings made by CBC congregants.The 34-year-ol ... More >>

Sting Nets Those Not Allowed to Drive Driving Away From Court

​Three vehicles were impounded, three people were cited for driving with suspended or revoked licenses and one unlicensed driver was cited in a police sting outside Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach Monday.Between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., undercover Costa Mesa police officers followed 16 offenders ... More >>

Sentencing Postponed for Longtime TBN Pastor Steve Galiher, Who Pleaded Guilty to Two Felony DUIs

Drunken TBN Personality Steve Galiher's Mug Shot!

Galiher: TBN miracle worker who turned wine into a double DUI...dig those frosted, rumpled locks!​When those poor, desperate souls that make up Trinity Broadcasting Corporation's primary audience dial up Paul and Jan Crouch during the Praise-a-Thon and pledge thousands of dollars, I'm sure they ne ... More >>

CFO Charged With Embezzling $365,000 From Ryan Sheckler

Photo from Ryan Sheckler's MySpace pageRyan Sheckler with one of the spoils of his success.​Matthew Mercuro, the 36-year-old chief financial officer for fellow San Clemente resident Ryan Sheckler's businesses, was arrested and charged today with embezzling more than $365,000 from the 19-year-old p ... More >>

Want to Find Crime? Go to Church

Here's lookin' at ya!Forget the barrios, Harbor Boulevard and potential marijuana fields of Cleveland National Forest. If Orange County law enforcement wants to find illegal activity, they should go to church. Insert your favorite Catholic Diocese of Orange reference here. Then, take a l ... More >>

Speaking of Shooting Your Longtime Wife . . .

​The Orange County District Attorney's office announced the charges in a second case involving an elderly man who shot his longtime wife.Kenneth Joseph Leake, 75, Costa Mesa, is charged with one felony count of attempted murder and one felony count of elder abuse for allegedly shooting his 72- ... More >>

A Medical-Pot Activist Spends a Night in Jail for Talking Back to Deputies at the OC Fair

The Eyes Have It in Unlawful Sex With Minor Case

As much as it pains me to drive traffic to the Orange County Register site, click here, get a load of the accompanying photo and see if you can figure out why authorities suspect Capo Beach Calvary Church's former youth pastor had unlawful sex with an underage girl. By ... More >>

Diary of a Mad County

Vegas Vacation

Sid Soffer says hes coming homewith goods on an OC judge