Robbery

Leticia and Noel Carrasco, Mother and Son Robber-Murderers, Draw Life Sentences

Mother and son tag-teamers Leticia and Noel Carrasco received life sentences today for robbing and murdering a man in a Buena Park motel room after momma picked the fellow up in a Stanton bar with promises of sex.Leticia Carrasco, the stunner at right, can apply for parole from prison in 25 years wh ... More >>

Santa Ana Police Seek Radio Shack and Home Depot Gunman Who Claims Wife is Sick

Earlier we had the Santa Ana Police Department releasing images from surveillance video of three men stealing a church safe. Someone's got the photo bug over at the PD because they have also publicized shots of a reluctant robber of a Home Depot and Radio Shack in town.

Noel Carrasco Guilty of Murdering and Robbing Man Promised Sex by His Butt Fugly Mother

The son of one of the Weekly's all-time ugliest police mugshot winners (Ladies Division) has, just like dear ol' mom, been convicted of murder and robbery.A jury today found Noel Carrasco, 26, of Buena Park, guilty of killing a man his mother somehow, miraculously lured from a nightclub to a motel r ... More >>

San Juan Capistrano Home Invasion Robber Wants Easier Punishment

In California criminal cases, judges have three basic sentencing options: midterm, lowterm and upper term.Judges most commonly hand guilty defendants the midterm unless there are valid factors in mitigation or aggravation that deserve the raising or lowering of the punishment.Robert Cande Rodriguez, ... More >>

Orange County Home Invasion Robber: Judge Screwed Up So I Win, Right?

Orange County Superior Court Judge Gary S. Paer read an outdated jury instruction at the conclusion of Anthony Michael Vega's trial for a 2008 kidnapping and home invasion robbery in La Habra and the Commerce man got sent away to prison.Vega appealed the 2011 convictions and this week learned that j ... More >>

Meet Today's Stupid Bank Robber: Kenneth Lyle Spangle

Poor, dumb Kenneth Lyle Spangle.Spangle dreamed of being a successful bank robber.But he's terrible at the crime and should have found another line of work to screw up.Nabbed within minutes of his August 12, BB-gun robbery by on-the-ball Placentia cop Jason Reger, Spangle planned the Bank of America ... More >>

OC's Triple Threat Bank Bandit Pleads Guilty

Serial bandit Joe Pettis III got into an August 19, 2011, dispute with his daughter and decided that the answer to his frustration was a bank robbery spree that ended after a televised car chase and him lying on the highway with a couple dozen CHP weapons pointed at his head.Armed only with a handwr ... More >>

2 Teens Held in 2010 Murder of Artists Village Bar Patron Jeffrey Lee Chung

​Police have made arrests in October 2010's murder of Jeffrey Lee Chung, an Irvine 23-year-old who was shot to death outside a bar in the Artists Village area of Santa Ana that civic leaders have tried for years to turn into a safe and popular mecca for nightlife.Two teenagers who were 14 and 15 a ... More >>

[UPDATE: With Suspect Details] Multiple Law Enforcement Agencies Converge on La Habra

​UPDATED, FEB. 13, 6:35 A.M.: It appears 20 police officers from at least four agencies, with two canines and a helicopter didn't get their man Friday night. That's according to the Orange County Register. At 10 p.m., officers from La Habra, Placentia, Brea and Fullerton had surrounded a neig ... More >>

"Dying Son Bandit" Spins Sad Tale to Bank Tellers He Robs

​I hope the man dubbed by the FBI the "Dying Son Bandit" really does have a son who is dying.Wait, that didn't come out right. I don't hope anyone is dying. Actually, that applies to most people. But I hope the bank robber who tells tellers he is only taking cash from them because of his son's med ... More >>

James Robert Anderson Accused of Posing as DEA Agent to Rip Off Man and His Family

​A South Dakota man who allegedly posed as a DEA agent, robbed a Tustin man and then stole from the victim's family earlier this month was traced by police to an Anaheim Motel 6, where he was busted.James Robert Anderson, 35, was held on suspicion of robbery, kidnapping and burglary, according to ... More >>

James Christopher Corr, 1st Ballot Ugly Police Mugshot Hall of Fame Entry, Proudly Wears Hatred for Cops

​James Christopher Corr is bypassing the Weekly's piddly Ugly Police Mugshot of the Week "honors" and rocketing straight to the Weekly's Ugly Police Mugshot Hall of Fame. First ballot. Case closed. It's not the empty eyes, hard-living face and piss-off smirk that propels the Mission Viejo 34-year- ... More >>

Curtis James Hill Convicted of Murdering World War II Vet Cecil "Lucky" Warren on Veterans Day

Courtesy of OCDACurstis James Hill​Curtis James Hill was convicted today for the beating-murder of a World War II veteran on Veterans Day 2003.The 81-year-old victim did not actually die until three years later.And Hill had been scheduled to be released from prison in August for the robbery and as ... More >>

Curtis James Hill, in Prison for Veterans Day Robbery and Attack of WWII Vet, Faces Life for Victim's Death

​Trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday afternoon in Santa Ana for one of two men who have already spent years in prison for robbing and assaulting a World War II veteran on Veterans Day 2003 but were later slapped with murder charges when the man died after three years in a coma brought on by the ... More >>

James Christopher Corr Could Get Life for Wild Carjacking with Toddler and Saint Bernard Aboard

​A Mission Viejo man who allegedly stole a SUV with a toddler strapped in a car seat out of an Aliso Viejo family's garage could get life in state prison based on the laundry list of charges against him. The Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) was asking for $1 million bail today at th ... More >>

[UPDATED with Choice Chatter:] 3 Old Folks Hospitalized for Unwittingly Eating Pot Brownies at Surf City Funeral

​UPDATE, OCT. 11, 12:32 P.M.: Someone leaving a comment on the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) Facebook page, which broke the news about three elderly folks being rushed to the emergency room after unknowingly eating brownies laced with marijuana at a funeral, claims a woman was arrested ... 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 >>

[UPDATED with All I.D.'s, Pleas to Revised Charges:] No Murder Counts in Shooting Death of Minh Kinh Dang in Medical Pot Delivery Robbery-Gone-Bad

​UPDATE, JUNE 28, 10:55 A.M.: Authorities have identified the third man who allegedly tried to rob a medical marijuana deliveryman--only to watch his partner get shot and killed by a security guard--as 20-year-old Hwa Sung Sim.Because Minh Kinh Dang of Santa Ana was killed in the apparent commissi ... More >>

Was James "Whitey" Bulger an Active Senior in Orange County Before His Capture?

​Before James "Whitey" Bulger was captured in Santa Monica Wednesday night, the 81-year-old South Boston mobster may have spent some of his 16 years on the run in Orange County.Before last night, the only FBI-acknowledged, California sightings of Bulger and his companion Catherine Greig, 60, were ... More >>

Juan Pablo Garcia and Brother Jorge Armando Garcia Convicted of Gang Murder of 17-Year-Old

Juan Pablo Garcia​Juan Pablo Garcia was convicted of possession of a deadly weapon on Nov. 9, 2007, but a street terrorism count and sentencing enhancements tied to gang activities were rejected, sparing the then 26-year-old Santa Anan from more time behind bars. Despite a 1997 conviction for kidn ... More >>

Racist OC Register Reader Fustercluck of the Day

​Headline: Man Shot During Confrontation With Robbers Comment by KSLIMINOC4: At least it wasn't another stabbing. Comment by RALLYMONKEYROCKS: Nuke SANTA ANA! Turn it into a sandpit.

Arsenio Lamonte Collins Gets 54 Years to Life for Peeling Off 2 Shots in Failed Bid to Rob Pot Shop

​A would-be bandit who was foiled in his attempt to rob a medical marijuana dispensary in Laguna Niguel but managed to get off two shots from his handgun that missed the owner was sentenced Friday to 54 years to life in state prison.Arsenio Lamonte Collins, 21, of Los Angeles, had been convicted b ... More >>

[UPDATED: Shooting Victim Was 16] Garden Grove Cop Stabbed, Suspect Shot & Killed

​UPDATED, JAN. 28, 10 A.M.: A second Garden Grove police press release (which amazingly also got the date of the incident wrong)  states that the three suspects involved in the shootout were "16-year-old juveniles" with criminal records. The updated press release confirms that the suspects we ... More >>

Hilbert Pineil Thomas Faces Death Penalty in Double Murder at Stanton Sales Office

​Hilbert Pineil Thomas, a 39-year-old Garden Grove resident accused of killing a mobile home salesman and his secretary in Stanton in 2009, will face the death penalty, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced today.Thomas, who is being held without bail on two felony counts of ... More >>

Megan Miko Wachi Due in Court Today for Sex-Trick Scam Gone Very Bad

​A Huntington Beach woman is due in court this morning for a pre-trial hearing tied to charges leveled against her in alleged sex-trick scam gone bad.Very, very bad.Megan Miko Wachi, 22, allegedly planned to rob a man who'd hired her for sex the night of Dec. 8 via text messaging. She left her enc ... More >>

Herlin Mendez Held in Robbery by Tree Limb

​Desperate times apparently call for desperate robbery weapons.A guy walked into a gas station/mini-market in the 6100 block of Trabuco Road in Irvine about 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 and asked about buying some tires. He was followed by a second man who was carrying a tree trunk, about three feet long. ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week: Getaway Car Smashes into Restaurant!

​Geez, not only do you have to worry about Taco Bell's food rampaging its way through your digestive tract, but imagine having to worry about a car crashing into a Taco Bell at the same time. It happens, you know. 

Racist OC Register Reader Fustercluck of the Day

​Headline: Banks Robbed in Buena Park and FullertonComment by C5INLA: What you are seeing lately is a bunch of hit & run robberies being committed by our gang banging neighbors from Compton and Long Beach.Comment by GWESTLIE: Illegal Aliens and Watts gang members. nuff said.

"Pop the Lock Crew" Strikes Again!

​The Pop the Lock Crew has struck again!The three masked men tied to recent bank heists in Dana Point, Mission Viejo and Ladera Ranch are believed to be behind Tuesday's 5:40 p.m. robbery of the Wells Fargo at 28211 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel.

[UPDATED:] Chi Ngoc Bui, OC Homicide No. 40: Run Over for His Casino Winnings

​UPDATE: The third murder suspect is arrested south of Bullhead City, Arizona (see end of post) . . .Chi Ngoc Bui won big the night of Sept. 2 at the Hawaiian Gardens Casino next to the 605 freeway. Little did the 55-year-old Westminster resident know that he was being watched, later followed or t ... More >>

Los Ladrones Viejos

Museum of Latin American Art

Vo Duong Tran, Ex-FBI Agent Who Staged Home-Invasion Robbery, Gets 30 Years

​United States District Judge Andrew J. Guilford in Santa Ana sentenced 42-year-old former FBI special agent Vo Duong Tran to 30 years in federal prison for scheming to commit a home-invasion robbery at a Fountain Valley residence he mistakenly thought was a drug "stash house."

Santa Ana Medical Marijuana Grower is Victim and Suspect

​After responding to an armed robbery Friday, Irvine Police indicated the city may shut down the victimized business: a medical marijuana dispensary.After responding to a robbery in Santa Ana Monday in which the homeowner was beaten by two men, Orange County sheriff's deputies seized items from th ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week!

​I think my column comes out in Greenville, North Carolina. Can't say much about the place other that either the reporter who wrote this is lazy, the police not forthcoming with info, or something else is up. I choose the middle option. How can you take a report on a robbery and not reveal how man ... More >>

What If the Blue Note Bandit and Red Sharpie Bandit Had Joined Forces?

Top left: FBI; bottom left: LABankRobbers.org"Red Sharpie Bandit" (above) and "Blue Note Bandit" terrorize local banks.​It's a good thing the FBI believes it has captured the so-called "Red Sharpie Bandit."Who knows what kind of evil would have been wrought had he joined forces with a fellow bank ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week!

​Criminologists note that criminals usually return to the scene of the crime, but what recently happened in Dayton, Ohio borders on the pathological. Also, Irvine corporate headquarters of Taco Bell? Pay for some security in your stores that get robbed THRICE in the same week!Police are looking fo ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week!

Okay, there's no logic among people who want to rob Taco Bells. But, come on: if you were to do that, why leave with nothing? And if you do leave with nothing, why return home--especially if you live in a no-name town like Neosho. Neosho? Wasn't that a Japanese game console from the early 1990s? App ... More >>

Crime Time: Creepy Toys, Slick Bank Robbers, Egged On Victims, Dog-Beating Dipshits and At Least [Alleged] Criminals Still Read Newspapers

It's the Weekly's weekly roundup of local police calls and assorted mayhem.MONDAY, NOV. 2". . . and I don't like you!" ​"I'm Talking Tina . . . and Things Are Going to Be Different Around Here" A woman called 9-1-1 around 3:45 in the morning to say she heard a baby toy go off downstairs in her hom ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week!

​What's really the bigger crime here: the robbery, the Taco Bell in West Virginia, or a man named Brenya? From West Virginia: A Charleston man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for robbing a Taco Bell manager of more than $4,000 as he was on his way to make a bank deposit. Brenya Bever ... More >>

Crime Time: Fight Clubs, Stray Bullets, Car Bashings, Cop Gun Theft, 4 Jewelry Heists

  Jewelry heist fever spreads across Orange CountyIt's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls--now with more street fights, bullets flying, dudes getting jumped, cops losing service revolvers and jewelry heists in towns with "Laguna" in the name across the county.   ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week!

​What deranged criminal would call in a fake 911 call claiming a fake shooting at a Taco Bell so their pal could rob a Wendy's? It happened in Florida: Altamonte Springs authorities say a woman called 911 early Sunday about a fictional shooting at a Taco Bell to distract officials as a male accomp ... More >>

[CD Review] Roman Alexander and the Robbery (Self-released)

Crime Time: Small Fries, Bad Tenants and the Church Lady

It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls--small fry edition . . . MONDAY, JULY 20Artist's rendering of Bank of America robber. He may belong to that notorious street gang, the Lollipop Kids.​Watch Those Kids at the Playground A 3-year-old boy was at the playground in Ponderosa Park ... More >>

Crime Time: Move Over, Trendzilla!

The must-have fashion accessory of the season for robbers in Irvine and San Juan Capistrano.It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of Orange County police calls . . . TUESDAY, JUNE 16Forest Firebug is a Pot Farm Exposer to Boot: Seven fires were ignited within a short distance of each other in Trabuco Ca ... More >>

Anaheim PD Says It Has "Clean-Cut/Clean-Freak Bandit"

For Navel Gazing's inaugural Crime Time collection of weekly police calls (don't miss the thrilling follow-up and more in weeks to come), we gave prominent placement to the photo you see here. It's a man robbing a Chase Bank branch in Fullerton on June 4 and, according to Johnny Law, the "Clean-cut ... More >>

17th Time ain't a charm

This morning, we noted that the man known as the "Irreconcilable Differences" bandit robbed his 16th bank out in Newport Beach. Now, CBS reports that a guy who matched his description was arrested in Glendale shortly after robbing a Wells Fargo. They got him in the parking lot of the local McDonald ... More >>

Far ahead of the Times (Miscarriage of Justice edition)

Only one year after R. Scott Moxley broke the story of the railroading of an innocent man, James Ochoa, by the Orange County DA's office, eleven months after the conviction of Ochoa on the basis of evidence that didn't point to him and a confession coerced by the unprofessional behavior of an OC ju ... More >>

The Homecoming

One terrifying night in Nairobi, UCI professor Ngugi wa Thiongo proved that changing the world means you might have to scream

Thowing Rocks at Cars

A sample of recent crime reports in Orange County

Bad Rap, Vol. II

Big J-Mos best friend says hes ready to testify for the defense