Riverside County

Jesus Gomez Montes, Who Allegedly Sexually Assaulted 3 Girls Under Age 10, is a Fugitive

Authorities put out an alert this morning for fugitive Jesus Gomez Montes, who is accused of sexually assaulting three girls under age 10 in homes he shared with them. A $1 million arrest warrant has been issued for the Lake Forest 34-year-old, who could receive a 130-year prison sentence if capture ... More >>

Drew Colston Stelp Accused of Cross-County Robbery, Police Chase, Double Homicide Spree

Drew Colston Stelp is one bad mofo. The 51-year-old already had a felony strike on his record when he launched into what authorities describe as a drug- and drink-fueled, cross-county crime spree that included a home-invasion robbery of his sister's place in Garden Grove, a police chase in Newport B ... More >>

Ivan Von Staich, Murderer Who Has Menaced Society In and Out of Prison, Loses Parole Bid

Robert Topper received an early Christmas present in 1983: a toolbox for the wrenches, screwdrivers and other instruments he used in his spare time tinkering around in his Santa Ana garage. His pride and joy from his off-hours hobby was a Porsche he restored and would drive around, beaming. But Topp ... More >>

[UPDATED with Hot Gassing Defended:] Christopher Jordan Dorner War Is Over!

See the update at the end of page 5 on the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department defending the use of "hot gas," which could have sparked the cabin fire, on the suspect.ORIGINAL POST, FEB. 7, 9:48 A.M.: The word coming out of the Los Angeles Police Department this morning is meant to apply to t ... More >>

Gabrielle Jane Nestande Trial's Jury Selection Draws Once-Politically Powerful Dad Bruce

For the first time in 16 months, a powerful former Orange County supervisor watched his daughter in court.But Bruce Nestande was not in the Austin, Texas, courtroom to see his 25-year-old daughter try her first case. Gabrielle Jane Nestande is accused of drinking after being honored for her work wit ... More >>

Joe Grumbine, Medical Pot Activist, Still Languishing Behind Bars

It's been almost a month to the day since Joe Grumbine was arrested at the Long Beach downtown courthouse when he showed up for a regularly scheduled trial conference hearing. Along with his partner Joe Byron, Grumbine had run a pair of Long Beach pot dispensaries as well as Garden Grove's Unit ... 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 >>

Josefina Ramirez, Matriarch of the Ramirez Clan of Mendez, et al v. Westminster Fame, Passes Away

Sad news to report out of Riverside County: Josefina Ramirez, the matriarch of the Ramirez clan that was involved in the historic Mendez, et al. vs. Westminster case, passed away Oct. 28 at age 99, just two weeks before her 100th birthday.Ramirez was the wife of Lorenzo Ramirez, the El Modena reside ... More >>

Santa Ana Sucker Wins in Court to Chagrin of Inland Water Agencies

The Santa Ana sucker won in federal court in--where else?--Santa Ana, sucker!Technically, it was the Obama administration's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that Judge James V. Selna ruled for, rejecting the challenge inland water agencies mounted over expansion of the natural habitat for the endanger ... More >>

Hector Campos of Orange Dies After Being Kidnapped and Shot in Long Beach; 3 Held

A 24-year-old man from Orange who was kidnapped Friday in Long Beach, shot and left for dead passed away Monday, according to authorities, who have three suspects in custody. Hector Campos had been seen by witnesses being shoved into a car's trunk in the 1200 block of 10th Street just before noon. O ... More >>

San Diego Union-Tribune Publisher Didn't Snag Register But He May Get North County Times

Shortly before it was announced the Orange County Register was being sold to Boston businessman Aaron Kushner, reports had the Santa Ana daily winding up in the print stable of Doug Manchester, a developer who acquired the San Diego Union-Tribune in November. This made sense because U-T edito ... More >>

Rasaan Raymon Patton Gets 14 Years for Roadside Sexual Attack on Teen Driver

It's the nightmare of every parent with a teen daughter: she's driving the family minivan home in the wee hours of the morning when a registered sex offender follows her, causes a minor crash and, once she's out of the vehicle, sexually assaults her.For this brazen act of scumbaggery, Rasaan Raymon ... More >>

Rasaan Raymon Patton Guilty of Roadside Sex Assault That Began With Car Crash He Caused

A sick fuck who caused a car accident so he could get at the 17-year-old girl behind the wheel and try to rape her roadside was found guilty by an Orange County Superior Court jury today of various criminal charges that could send him to prison for life.Perris 31-year-old Rasson Raymon Patton was do ... More >>

IHHI-owned Western Medical Center Anaheim Receives an "A" in Patient Safety

It's a considerably ironic score given its recently shuttered neonatal intensive care unit, but Western Medical Center Anaheim received an "A" in patient safety according to a recent study conducted by the employer-financed nonprofit Leapfrog Group. The nationwide study scored 264 California hospita ... More >>

More of Santa Ana River Trail is Nationally Recognized

Inland bicyclists passing me on my sometimes Saturday rides to the beach on the Santa Ana River Trail will from now on have covered a National Recreation Trial before reaching me.At a Thursday ceremony at Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim, Orange County Parks unveiled a National Recreation Trail sign t ... More >>

James Lee Crummel, Molester Who Murdered Costa Mesa Boy, Hangs Himself on Death Row

The state budget got a boost--a drop-in-the-bucket boost--when the lifetime incarceration of James Lee Crummel was cut short Sunday.The murderer of a 13-year-old Costa Mesa boy hung himself in his San Quentin prison cell, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations announced yesterd ... More >>

LAPD Sergeant Sues Brass Over Duct-Duck Gaming of 91 Express Lanes Tolls in OC

A lawsuit in the hands of a Los Angeles jury alleges an LAPD sergeant was retaliated against by supervisors because he exposed a police captain avoiding tolls while driving his patrol car on the 91 Express Lanes between the 57 freeway in Orange County and the Riverside County line.James Abbate claim ... More >>

Alexa Antonella Polar, Robin Johzen Pabello: Large Living Wannabes Cop to $285k Theft

Remember the case of Alexa Antonella Polar and Robin Johzen Pabello, the Garden Grove genius roommates who decided to forge checks so they and their friends could take a $285,000 trip to New York City that included private jet travel, multiple hotel rooms and a luxury shopping spree? Back home, wit ... More >>

[UPDATED with Charges:] Michael B. Franks Rides into Jail as Alleged "Snowboarder Bandit"

UPDATE, MAY 9, 11 A.M.: The Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) has announced the charges against Michael Brandon Franks, 29, of Riverside County, the alleged "Snowboarder Bandit." The multiple felony counts could land Franks in state prison for up to 15 years with a conviction, making o ... More >>

[UPDATED with Husband's Statement:] Brittany Dawn Killgore's Murder Provides Camp Pendleton with its Own Twin Peaks Mystery

UPDATE, APRIL 30, 9:31 A.M.: Camp Pendleton Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore says the murder of his estranged wife Brittany Dawn Killgore left him "devastated," that the 22-year-old does not deserve the "salacious gossip and rumor" surrounding her death and that he is going to seek justice for those who too ... More >>

Rodney King Cuts Reckless Driving Plea Deal

​​Rodney King pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor reckless driving in connection with last year's DUI arrest in Moreno Valley that, fortunately, did not involve a videotaped beating by cops followed by intense inner-city rioting.Mr. Can't We All Just Get Along was not present for the plea and ... More >>

Paulien Lombard Was a Spyentologist

A former spy for Scientology came clean on abuses. Now, she says, the church is chasing her

Reps. Gary Miller and Ken Calvert Get Their Assets Handed Back to Them

​The Washington Post compared the annual financial disclosure reports filed by every member of Congress over the past decade to various public records and discovered that nearly 50 senators and House representatives directed millions of dollars in earmarks to projects that could either enhance ... More >>

Anthony Ray Lopez Accused of Deliberately Running Over and Murdering Cycling Grandpa

​Anthony Ray Lopez, 23, of Anaheim, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail for allegedly using his car to deliberately run over and murder a grandfather bicycling a few blocks from his home.The family of Armando Villalobos has no idea who Lopez is, and homicide detectives have not yet released ... More >>

Supreme Court Upholds 5 Punishments For 1 Crime

​Even if you don't watch Perry Mason re-runs, you've probably heard of the legal notion that you shouldn't be repeatedly punished for committing one crime.I'm not sure if Amir A. Ahmed of Riverside County knew of the notion.But this month the California Supreme Court ruled that it doesn't apply to ... More >>

Douglas Nissan Part Owner Frank Ignacio Urbano and 2 Desk Managers Get Jail and Probation in Huge Loan Fraud Case

​Marwan Abdellatif, a former Douglas Nissan desk manager accused of stealing the identities of unsuspecting customers and defrauding banks in the sale of used cars, remains a fugitive from justice. But his whereabouts being unknown did not stop the Orange dealership's part owner and two other de ... More >>

Fred Durst, Now with Sitcom! (Called 'Douchebag,' Cough Cough)

​ According to Rolling Stone, Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst is developing an autobiographical sitcom called "Douchebag," news that prompted dozens of showbiz bloggers to declare it the most accurate sitcom title ever.

New Disneyland Attraction Involves Falling Tree Limbs?

They look beautiful but you can't trust them anymore either.​Margarita Pina hoped May 1 would be an enjoyable day at Disneyland with her two toddlers.But the Riverside County mother got more than she paid for when a six-foot tree branch loaded with fruit and weighing "30 or 40 pounds" fell on her ... More >>

As Ducks Die in OC, Are Gnatcatchers Next?

Small but deadly to land developers.​Readers of the Weekly before there was a Weekly may recall the California gnatcatcher, a cute little bird who managed to stop development in its tracks in Orange County in the early 1990s, cause Donald Bren to forever be saddled with a menacing Mr. Burns squint ... More >>

Ivan Von Staich, Convicted Murderer Who Scored Win in Parole Bid, Has Menaced Courts for Years

​The state parole board Wednesday found suitable for parole a two-time jail escapee convicted of bludgeoning a former girlfriend with a claw hammer and fatally shooting her husband in 1983. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas opposed Ivan Von Staich's parole bid, but if the 55-year-old is ultimately ... More >>

AEG Wants to Build an NFL Stadium in Downtown LA (What Traffic?), OC Supervisors Want City of Industry

AEGA stadium will be built ... somewhere in LA County.​An NFL stadium is coming to the greater Los Angeles area, at some point. The sponsorship deal with Farmers Insurance has been sealed, the promotional propaganda has been spread, the LA city council has voted unanimously in favor of a tentative ... More >>

[UPDATED with Not Guilty Plea:] Constantino Monterrosas Gamez Accused of Setting Girlfriend on Fire as They Sped 65 to 70 mph on I-15

​UPDATE, JULY 29, 12:34 P.M.: 39-year-old Constantino Monterrosas Gamez of Santa Ana pleaded not guilty in Riverside County Superior Court Thursday to setting his girlfriend on fire as he drove his pickup down 1-15 near Carona.The California Highway Patrol had originally indicated the 23-year-old ... More >>

[UPDATED with Charges Dropped:] Russell Elliott Accused of Stabbing Pal at Bachelor Party

​UPDATE, JUNE 29, 1:33 P.M.: Riverside County prosecutors declined to file charges against Russell Elliott, the 28-year-old Santa Anan accused of stabbing his friend and soon-to-be groom at his bachelor party in a Palm Springs hotel room last week. The marrying man, who was not identified, suffere ... More >>

Gregory Coates, Who Raped and Murdered Stepmother and Friend's Mom in 1975, Denied Parole

​Today, the district attorney offices of Orange and Riverside counties tag-teamed to help stop a 54-year-old man from being paroled for the rapes and murders of his stepmother and a friend's mother when he was 17. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Board of Parole Hearings ... More >>

Santa Ana Sucker Habitat Expansion Sucks, Lawsuit-Threatening Water Agencies Tell Feds

Sucker punched​A dozen water agencies serving nearly 3 million Southern California residents have formally warned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that it the federal agency does not want to be sued, it must rescind the recent expansion of critical habitat areas for the Santa Ana Sucker, ... More >>

How Do You Fill the Empty Toll Roads? Raffles!

Rush hour​The country's economic woes have reportedly extended to Orange County's toll roads, where ridership is down as once-paying drivers opt to ply the public lanes and apply the savings to offset rising gasoline prices.The agencies that operate the toll roads have responded with raffles and d ... More >>

Drummer Alex Kirst of the Nymphs/Iggy Pop Band Dead at 47

​Alex Kirst, former member of seminal LA glam rockers The Nymphs and, later, longtime drummer for Iggy Pop's band, died tragically Jan. 13. According to The Desert Sun, Kirst was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Cathedral City, Riverside County. The Nymphs had their heyday in the late '80s and ... More >>

California Hospitals Must Now Report Infection Rates, Thanks To One Mother's Crusade

Carole MossNile Moss, who died in 2006 from a hospital-acquired infection​In 2006, 15-year-old Nile Moss went in for an annual series of tests at the Children's Hospital of Orange County. A few days later, he complained of a headache and fever, and his condition quickly worsened. His parents ... More >>

Citizen of the Week!

​Ian Robert Tedeschi groomed himself as a Southern California bad boy with blond hair, blue eyes and a surgically placed silver ball in the shaft of his penis. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder bragged that he loved "really big boobs" and belonged to the Orange County Skinheads gang. Before he was halfwa ... More >>

In-N-Out Wants 65-foot Billboard; Costa Mesa, Not So Much

According to the Daily Pilot, In-N-Out wants to put up a 65-foot freeway sign at the site of where Kaplan's Deli used to be; right off the Harbor exit from the 405.The Costa Mesa Planning Commission doesn't like that idea so much.  They denied In-N-Out's request.  Next, the burge ... More >>

Ratings Agency Goes 'Negative' on Foothill/Eastern Toll Road Bonds

Due to declines in traffic and toll revenues, crippled further by the weakened economy, a ratings agency has revised its outlook on bonds backing the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency from "stable" to "negative," jeopardizing the TCA's ability to finance construction of the long-debate ... More >>

Tuesday's Headlines & Surprises: Anaheim Subsidizes Private Tennis Club

Slow Road to China: Officials at the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) are puzzled as to why a private construction company is repeatedly missing deadlines to finish the $550-million road-widening project, according to a story by Ellyn Pak at the Register. The delays aren't just costing ... More >>

Something Stinks, 3 for 3

For good measure, we also received this link to a Washington Post article on Orange County congressman Ken Calvert (R-Riverside; his district includes southernmost Orange County) and Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar; his district includes northernmost Orange County), along with House Speaker Dennis Haster ... More >>

A Clockwork Orange

a Clockwork Orange

Pleased to Meat You

You plug it, Brees Quality Meats turns it into chops, steaks and what-have-you

Insert Latest California GOP Racist Comment Here

Diary of a Mad County

Strangers With Cande

How sweet rave promoters B3Cande are

Monster In a Box

New evidence that school really can make you sick