Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Trabuco Canyon Rescue Cost County $160,000

You asked and the County of Orange answered: this cost to search for and pluck two young adults out of rugged Trabuco Canyon terrain last month was more than $160,000."Why do I have to pay for someone's negligence?" reacted county Supervisor Todd Spitzer of the figures released Tuesday by the Orange ... More >>

Kyndall Jack and Nicholas Cendoya Will Not Be Billed for Trabuco Canyon Search and Rescue

Kyndall Jack and Nicholas Cendoya, the teens who went missing in Trabuco Canyon on Easter Sunday before being found in different spots in the middle of the week, will not be billed for the massive search, which utilized various nonprofit, private and governmental resources (as well as scores of volu ... More >>

Mission Viejo Hiker Costs Taxpayers, Discovers True Meaning of Fiscal Cliff

New Year's weekend is a magical time when human intelligence is diminished by excessive revelry, a time when normally sensible people find themselves in handcuffs following encounters lawmen on highways or inside barrooms and clubs. (It must be something in the Champagne.) Though plenty of thes ... More >>

[UPDATED: GRUMBINE STILL BEHIND BARS] Joe Grumbine, Medical Marijuana Activist, Arrested in Long Beach

*See the end of the post for an update on today's court hearing and photos of today's protest.Original Post, Nov. 13, 12:52 p.m.: Joe Grumbine, the medical marijuana activist (and OC Weekly cover story subject) who was charged and convicted of selling pot in Long Beach last year only to have hi ... More >>

$6 Million Worth of Marijuana Seized in Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights?

On Wed., Oct 3, Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies arrested two men in connection with three different houses where some 2,000 pot plants and 20 pounds of marijuana was discovered. The men arrested were Binh Ly, 43, from Rosemead and Thank Chiem, 45, of San Jose. Because of the fac ... More >>

[UPDATED with Driver's I.D.:] Fullerton Police Kill Christopher Shull After Chase

See the update at the end of this post identifying the driver.ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 28, 10:21 A.M.: A police chase that began early today on the 5 freeway near the 91 freeway interchange ended at a (literal) dead end near Palo Verde Avenue and Artesia Boulevard in Bellflower around 3 a.m., when an off ... More >>

Anaheim PD's Confidential Action Plan for July 29 Protests: Have Undercover Cops, Feed Tired Officers with Fancy Food, and Let the City Burn

Click here for our Anaheim police shooting and subsequent desmadre archivesLike the good Boy Scouts they are, Anaheim cops were über-prepared two weeks ago when protesters, angered by the officer-involved shooting deaths of Manuel Diaz and Joel Acevedo, announced they would demand justice on July 2 ... More >>

Transit Deputies Who Severely Beat Unarmed Homeless Man Get Hung Jury

An Orange County federal jury could not reach a unanimous decision today in the civil case of a unarmed homeless man severely beaten in Santa Ana by two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department transit deputies in November 2009.U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter accepted the jury foreman's rep ... More >>

What Explains Odd Conduct of LA Sheriffs in the Death of Cal State Fullerton Student?

​We'll probably never know why homicide investigators with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department acted oddly in the recovery of the skeletal remains of 24-year-old Cal State Fullerton student Mitrice Richardson in Malibu Canyon.The August 2010 decision by sheriff's investigators to move Richardson' ... More >>

Ted Nishihara, Tutor and Substitute Teacher, Makes Grade for Week's Ugliest Police Mugshot

​As one who took many bad yearbook photos, I feel for Ted Nishihara having to look back at this booking photo that has been splashed all over the teevees, interwebs and fish wraps. However, there is no room for sympathy when choosing the Ugliest Police Mugshot of the Week, so the substitute teache ... More >>

Richard Patterson, Off-Duty LA County Sheriff's Deputy, Faces DUI Charges After Motorcycle Collision on The 405

​An off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who allegedly rammed his motorcycle into a vehicle while drunk, faces up to three years in state prison.Richard J. Patterson, 38, faces multiple charges: a felony count of driving under the influence causing injury (his wife, who was on the back of ... More >>

Kids with Toy Rifle Spook Frazzled Drivers

​An assault rifle pointed from a minivan on Highway 60 in Walnut Friday afternoon prompted another driver to follow the vehicle onto Highway 71, into Chino Hills north of Orange County and finally a parking lot where seven summoned police and sheriff's units soon arrived as well.Shortly thereafter ... More >>

Court Okays George Jaramillo's $529,000 Pay Day; Cites Peace Officer's Bill of Rights

George and Mike: Before the storm​A California Court of Appeal has affirmed a lower court's decision to award George Jaramillo nearly $529,000 in backpay and lawyer fees because the former Orange County assistant sheriff's 2004 firing blatantly violated the state's peace officer's bill of rights ( ... More >>

[UPDATED with Jason Bitz was Unarmed, May Have Not Been Stealing Car:] Santa Ana Off-Duty Cop Shoots and Kills a Guy

​UPDATE, NOV. 3, 3:09 A.M.: Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators say Jason Richard Bitz was not armed when a Santa Ana police officer fired four times and killed the Long Beach 23-year-old in Lakewood Monday morning. The unidentified officer, who has been placed on administrative leave, had ... More >>

Santa Ana Off-Duty Cop Shoots and Kills a Guy

​The off-duty officer from the Santa Ana Police Department has not been identified, but the circumstances that led him to shoot and kill a man in Lakewood this morning have been released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.The cop heard noises outside his Longworth Avenue home, went out ... More >>

[UPDATED with Long Beach Journo's Take:] ACLU Sues Sheriff's Deputies for Hassling LA and Long Beach Photographers Under Anti-Terror Policy

ACLU/SCGreggory Moore shares with the media his brushes with sheriff's deputies.​UPDATE, OCT. 28, 9:54 P.M.: The Long Beach Post's Greggory Moore has graciously agreed to share with Weekly readers his real-time coverage of moves officers from two separate police agencies made against him and colle ... More >>

[UPDATED W/Official Rand Corp. Retraction] Closing Marijuana Dispensaries Actually Increases Crime, Rand Study Finds

​UPDATED Oct. 25, 11:30 A.M: Two weeks after lifting the report from its website, Rand Corporation, the research organization that helped crunch body count numbers during the Vietnam War has officially retracted its study from last month that claimed crime increased near medical marijuana dispensa ... More >>

[UPDATED with Sentence:] Sean Paul Delacerda, LA County Sheriff's Deputy, Gets 13 Years for Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend

​UPDATE, JULY 25, 8:26 A.M: Sitting on top of his ex-girlfriend so she could not escape and holding his hand over her mouth so she could not scream, Sean Paul Delacerda put the barrel of a gun he'd just placed a bullet in into his mouth and pulled the trigger.Click.The gun did not fire, but th ... More >>

LA County Settles Suit for $4.75 Million With Victims of '08 Crash Caused by Drunk Deputy Who OC Deputies Tried to Protect From DUI Test

​UPDATE, MAY 18, 4:29 P.M.: LA County supervisors have approved a $4.75 million settlement for two Anaheim residents, one of whom was critically injured, whose car was plowed into by a veteran Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy driving a department SUV under the influence in 2008.Robert Andrew M ... More >>

Joe Le's Body Was Found by Volunteers; Family and Friends Frustrated with LA County Sheriff's Efforts to Find Lost Hiker

Vang AnhJoe Le recovered​A three-day search in the Angeles National Forest by Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials for the 20-year-old Anaheim hiker, Joe Le, ended last Sunday when his body was pulled from the icy waters of the San Gabriel River by a handful of volunteers, approximately 500 feet ... More >>

Jan Morton Heger Allegedly Pulled $898K Scam With Baja Resort, Ghana Oil Funds and African Gold Mines

​An attorney is scheduled to be arraigned in Santa Ana this morning on charges of stealing $898,000 from 11 victims in an elaborate investment scheme that involved a luxury resort in Baja California, oil fund loans from Ghana and African gold mine revenues in Ghanan and Nigerian banks. Jan Morton ... More >>

Costa Mesa Kills "Luxury" Police Helicopter Program

"Eagle" clips a political wire​Led by freshman Republican city councilman Jim Righeimer, the Costa Mesa City Council late tonight voted to kill an expensive police helicopter program to help resolve a massive budget shortfall."We need to do this," Righeimer said before the 4-1 vote. "This program ... More >>

Chris McAmis' Arraignment on Murder Charge Delayed

​Accused murderer Chris McAmis requested a new arraignment date today via his public defender, Leslie Gordon, at the Los Angeles Superior Court in Whittier. Commissioner Armando Moreno granted the request and set a new date for March 22, though he warned there would be no further continuances.

James Ellroy, the "Demon Dog of Crime Fiction," Brings LA Noir to Orange County

​Los Angeles-based crime novelist and essayist James Ellroy makes the trip south Saturday as the Orange County Screenwriters Association's latest speaker.The author of The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, White Jazz, The Cold Six Thousand and his autobiographical My Dark Places, speaks at 10 a.m. ... More >>

Missing Anaheim Hiker Found

​Active hiker Scott Gossard left his Anaheim home in his silver Toyota Tacoma truck on Friday evening to go hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains.The 44-year-old who had been reported missing over the weekend was found this afternoon.

Feds See a Red Door, Want to Paint It Black

​When Mick Jagger saw a red door, he wanted to paint it black, as is widely acknowledged (by me) in the greatest Rolling Stones song of all time (any girl who claims otherwise gets cut!).So, the federal investigation of the San Gabriel Valley-based Red Door gang--which just ... More >>

Sheriff's Poll: Sandra Hutchens In Big Lead

John GilhooleySmile Sandy Smile​The first public poll of voter support in the Orange County sheriff's race found that Sandra Hutchens is far in the lead but significantly short of winning the necessary 50 percent plus vote to avoid a November runoff, according to the Voice of OC.

Which OC Sheriff's Candidate Has The Best Campaign Website?

​In just 133 days, Orange County residents will have their first opportunity to vote for sheriff after the FBI and IRS arrest and corruption conviction of Sheriff Mike Carona. There are three candidates at this point: Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, a former Los Angeles County Sheriff's official who was ... More >>

UPDATED: LA Deputy Who OC Deputies Tried to Protect From DUI Test Gets 6 Months for '08 Crash

UPDATED WITH SENTENCING CLARIFICATION . . . A deputy driving a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Chevrolet sports utility vehicle (but not necessarily this one) was convicted of DUI today.​The Orange County District Attorney's Office originally announced the sentence for Robert Andre ... More >>

FBI Boasts More Arrests in Largest Gang Case Ever

The FBI announced it made 11 additional arrests this morning tied to a Hawaiian Gardens gang, upping the number of defendants to 24 in the final phase of the nation's largest-ever gang investigation and prosecution that included the participation of Orange County law enforcement agencies and is cred ... More >>

Possible Schwarzenegger Cameo in OC Fire Reality Show Finale

Courtesy Orange County Fire AuthorityUPDATED WITH CORRECT GRADUATION DATE . . . Fox Reality Channel's series The Academy: Orange County Fire does not debut with 10 original episodes until Oct. 24, but details about the season finale are spreading like a grass fire. Cameras capture a ... More >>

[Moxley Confidential] Sandra Hutchens' Party Poop

Acclaimed OC Sheriff Finalist Retires

South Orange County resident Ralph Martin, a well-respected longtime Los Angeles Sheriff's Department commander who finished third to replace the disgraced Mike Carona as Orange County's sheriff last year, officially retired today after nearly 36 years of public service."I've got mixed emotions," sa ... More >>

Reality TV Turns Its Steamy Cameras on OC Fire Hunks

Reality television has exploited our hot teens, our hot MILFs and . . . um . . . well, it has exploited a whole bunch of our hot teens and hot MILFs. Now their steamy cameras are set to record our hot fire hunks. Fox Reality Channel announced it has begun production on the third season of its origin ... More >>

Man Claiming to be FBI Informant Spins Quite a Tale

A location scout for a spy movie could not have picked a better location for my late December meeting with Craig Monteilh: a table outside a restaurant in a bustling Irvine shopping center. A lensman would appreciate the shadow-erasing clouds hovering overhead on the warm winter morning. And cen ... More >>

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens' Green Dream Team

The last time Orange County's sheriff announced the department's new management team, Bill Clinton was president, gasoline cost less than a buck fifty, people could afford their mortgages, and you didn't have to remove your shoes to enter buildings or airport terminals. Everything was better then--e ... More >>

Meet the New Sheriff . . .

Taking a wait-and-see stance toward OC’s new top cop

And The Sheriff is. . .

Sandra Hutchens! The Orange County Board of Supervisors earlier this morning appointed the retired LA County Sheriff's Department division chief to replace Mike Carona as Orange County Sheriff. The vote was 3-2 in favor of Hutchens. Supervisors Chris Norby and Bill Campbell supported Santa Ana P ... More >>

[Moxley Confidential] Don Bren Plays Rough With Businesswoman, His Kids-But Courts Play Rough, Too

And Now There Are Two

Five months after indicted Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona resigned to prepare for his corruption trial, the county's board of supervisors (BOS) today narrowed the prospective replacement list from nine candidates to just two: Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters and ex-Los Angeles County Sheriff's ... More >>

OC Register Loses Sheriff Candidate

Notice anything odd about this online Orange County Register story teaser from last night and this morning? Check our Total Buzz blog to find out what candidates Bill Hunt, Craig Hunter, Sharon Hutchens, Randy Adams, Jack Anderson, Salt Lake City undersheriff Beau Babka, San Bernardino undersherif ... More >>

Sheriff Loses Battle To End Federal Case

A U.S. District Court in Los Angeles has refused Sheriff Michael S. Carona’s demand to dismiss a First Amendment complaint filed by former Carona challenger, ex-sheriff’s Lt. William Hunt, according to a press release issued this morning by Silver, Hadden, Silver, Wexler & Levine. Hunt attorne ... More >>

Tuesday's Headlines & Surprises: Poor Mike Carona

OC's Embarrassing Buford T. Justice: Law-enforcement helicopters and ground crews normally — blatantly — tail me. You should have seen them after I revealed that local cops had planted a handgun on a DUI suspect, after I wrote about a cop who ejaculated on a female motorist in Laguna Beach, and ... More >>

Anti-Carona Commercial to Air

Los Angeles County Sheriff's commander Ralph Martin, who is trying to unseat third-term-seeking Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona, has apparently made a huge cable television advertising buy so he can broadcast the following campaign commerical (Windows Media) into local homes. The beauty of the ad ... More >>

Following the Bouncing OCSD Gun Story

Did anyone catch the Malibu Ferrari Crash story in today's Times. Now, while there's no way the Orange County Sheriff's Department angle can possibly overshadow the meat of this story (rare Ferrari Enzo totaled on PCH, alleged lies to responding cops, a supposed Swedish con man, fake Homeland Securi ... More >>

This Newsrack Will Self- Destruct in Five Seconds...

Color us crazy, but we'd have thought someone would have raised an ethical concern or three after the Los Angeles County Sheriff's arson squad blew up an LA Times newsrack in Santa Clarita on Friday. The concern we refer to is not whether deputies were under orders from the Sheriff Lee Baca to get b ... More >>

The Reg's Exciting Internet Strategy

The internet (or internets, if you're George Bush) has helped change the way news gets reported. Take for example, R. Scott Moxley's story on Los Angeles County Sheriff's Commander and candidate for Orange County Sheriff Ralph Martin's call for Mike Carona's immediate resignation. On Thursday at a p ... More >>

"This Is Unacceptable Behavior"

Web Exclusive! Veteran cop Ralph Martin calls on sheriff to resign after mob ties documented

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