Westminster Police Department

Anthony Nicholas Orban, Cop Who Hung Self After Rape Conviction, May Still Be Sentenced

Perhaps they will sentence war veteran-turned-Westminster cop-turned-brutal rapist Anthony Nicholas Orban over his dead body. Literally. The detective who kidnapped and raped a waitress at gunpoint in April 2010 and was convicted and hung himself in jail in October 2012 could--over the objections of ... More >>

SoCal Police's Blood Money

When the DA declines to prosecute bad cops, the only justice families can get is financial

Norris Phuoc Nguyen, Obsessed with Sandy Hook and OC Schoolchildren, Back in Custody

Police spent 24 tense hours searching for a mental health patient obsessed with the Sandy Hook slayings and harming students of a particular teacher at a Garden Grove elementary school.But Norris Phuoc Nguyen, 23, voluntarily returned Saturday to Royale Health Care Center in Santa Ana.

Gail Davidson-Shepard and Daniel Alma Shepard, Married Teachers Who Boned Underage Student, Get No Jail Time

When a plea deal was proposed Sept. 27 for married Huntington Beach teachers who had sex with a 17-year-old male student, Deputy District Attorney Nicole Varner objected because Daniel Alma Shepard and Gail Davidson-Shepard would get no prison time nor have to register as sex offenders for life. Va ... More >>

[UPDATED with Manner of Death, Court Follow-Up:] Anthony Nicholas Orban, Ex-Westminster Cop Who Kidnapped and Raped Waitress, Found Dead in Jail Cell

See the update at the end of this post about the way Orban died and the court proceeding that was held without him.ORIGINAL POST, OCT. 26, 12:45 P.M.: Anthony Nicholas Orban, the former Westminster police detective convicted earlier this year of kidnapping a waitress in Ontario and raping her in Fon ... More >>

Plea-Deal Objection Delays Sentencing of Horndog HB Teachers The Shepards

The sentencing of Huntington Beach couple and retired teachers Daniel Alma Shepard and Gay Davidson-Shepard, who have been convicted of sexually tag-teaming a then-17-year-old male student, was delayed last week because prosecutors objected to a proposed plea deal.The hearing was postponed from Thur ... More >>

After Wild Gang Attack On OC Family, Gangster Says She Is The One Who Was Wronged

One night in August 2007, Westminster family members were minding their own business in the backyard of their residence, barbequing and drinking beer when two vehicles drove up and at least 15 hoodlums emerged screaming, "This is West Trece [criminal street gang]! This is our neighborhood!" The gang ... More >>

Gail Davidson-Shepard and Daniel Alma Shepard, Husband and Wife Teachers Who Sexed Up Student, Likely Escape Prison Time

Over the objections of prosecutors, Huntington Beach husband and wife teachers Daniel Alma Shepard and Gay Davidson-Shepard are expected to receive no prison time for their unlawful sex together and alone with a 17-year-old male student.The Shepards, who are both in their 60s, copped to felonies to ... More >>

Sobering Times for Pill Poppers: "Generation Rx," National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

Prescription drug abuse by South County teens has been a hot topic lately thanks to the documentary Behind the Orange Curtain making its world premiere May 2 at the Newport Beach Film Festival and, due to a sell out, getting a second showing May 3 in the huge Big Newport theater.That makes a couple ... More >>

Little Saigon Wah Ching Gangster Anh Duoc Nguyen Learns His Fate

​In less than 15 seconds in the middle of the night on June 2, 2007 in Orange County's Little Saigon, gun-happy Vietnamese immigrant Anh Duoc Nguyen, though just 17 years old, forever lost his youth and his freedom.Until Jan. 20, Nguyen--a onetime Garden Grove High School student and member of the ... More >>

[UPDATED with Plea:] Scott Evans Dekraai, Mass Murder Suspect, Indicted by Grand Jury

​UPDATE, JAN. 18, 3:38 P.M.: Accused mass killer Scott Evans Dekraai pleaded not guilty to eight murder counts at today's arraignment hearing in Santa Ana. If a feeling of deja vu just washed over you, fret not; Dekraai also pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing last year. Today's arraignme ... More >>

Smile for the 10 Ugliest Police Mugshots of 2011

​On several Fridays this year, we've presented the Ugliest Police Mugshot of the Week.But what about the Ugliest Police Mugshots of the Year?Glad you asked.After the jump are the 10 ugliest of the ugliest, which were mostly culled from our semi-weekly selection, although we also tossed in some oth ... More >>

Gay Davidson-Shepard, Retired Surf City Teacher and Former Union Chief Accused of Underage Sex, Held for Contacting Victim

​Gay Davidson-Shepard, the retired Huntington Beach teacher and former teacher association president accused of sexually tag-teaming a 17-year-old male student with her retired teacher husband, was arrested today for allegedly contacting the victim.The 59-year-old called and texted the victim, who ... More >>

[UPDATED with 2 Freed:] Steven Rineberg's Taxicab Confession Leads to Bank Robbery Arrest

​UPDATE, SEPT. 30, 2:24 P.M.: Man, Danny Bonaduce has really sunken to . . . er, check that. This is Steven Christopher Rineberg, the 53-year-old Mira Loma resident accused of robbing Saigon National Bank in Westminster, boasting about it to a cabbie who ratted him out and then getting arrested in ... More >>

[UPDATED with 5th Victim:] John Rodriguez Accused of Being Serial Flasher of Penis to Schoolgirls

​UPDATE, SEPT. 8, 10:55 A.M.: Due to media coverage of the indecent exposure charges against John Rodriguez, a fifth female has come forward to accuse the 20-year-old Santa Ana dental assistant of flashing his penis at her as she walked to school, prosecutors say.Rodriguez, who is scheduled to be ... More >>

Joseph Hyungmin Son of Austin Powers Fame and John Rodriguez with the Mole, Mole, Mole Are Toss Ups for Ugly Police Mugshot of the Week

​Our periodical Ugly Police Mugshot of the Week has featured clear winners--if by winners you mean losers--as well as clear winners and a few also-rans. We've also crowned souls who were not that physically unattractive, but their crimes put them over the top with our judges--if by judges you mean ... More >>

[UPDATED with SJC Spooked:] Banning Pervs in Parks Sweeps OC

​UPDATE, AUG. 17, 11:17 A.M.: It's become so routine it's lost its news value: The District Attorney's office announces it's sending a rep before the latest of the 7,000 city councils in Orange County considering a ban on sex offenders in local parks modeled after the county law co-written by DA T ... More >>

[UPDATED with Early RSM Nod:] Banning Pervs in Parks Sweeps OC

​UPDATE, JULY 29, 9:41 A.M.: The Rancho Santa Margarita City Council voted Wednesday night to move ahead with a ban on registered sex offenders in city parks that is similar to the county law enacted in April.The council agreed that banning only those who have preyed on children would leave kids v ... More >>

[UPDATED with Retirement:] Gay Davidson-Shepard, Former Surf City Teacher Union Chief, and Retired Science Teacher Husband Accused of Sex with 17-Year-Old Boy

Gay Davidson-Shepard​UPDATE, JULY 26, 1:15 P.M.: Remember that creepy . . . excuse me, allegedly creepy . . . Huntington Beach teaching couple accused of sexually tag-teaming a 17-year-old student?Well, Gay Davidson-Shepard, 59, joined her 62-year-old husband Daniel Alma Shepard in retirement, acc ... More >>

[UPDATED with Insanity Plea:] Anthony Nicholas Orban, Ex-Westminster PD Detective, Blames Rape of Waitress on Meds for Stress From Iraq War

​UPDATE, JULY 20, 10:36 A.M.: Eight months ago, the Weekly reported that Anthony Nicholas Orban's defense attorneys seemed to be cooking up an insanity plea to charges that the then-Westminster Police detective abducted a waitress in Ontario and raped her with a gun to her head in nearby Fontana.L ... More >>

The Searchers of G.I. Joe Search and Rescue

The OC group goes into the California wilderness to find the missing—and to honor a brother who was swept away

[UPDATED with SJC Law on Agenda:] Banning Pervs in Parks Sweeps OC

​UPDATE, JUNE 22, 10:09 A.M.: While expressing some concern the county pervs-in-parks ban is too broad, the San Juan Capistrano City Council did decide Tuesday night to bring a local ordinance back for a vote July 5.Among the options the city with huge swaths of open space will explore are applyin ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] Christopher Dai-Ichi Yu Murdered Woman Dragged Through Streets

​UPDATE, JUNE 9, 6:45 P.M.: A Fountain Valley teen has been convicted of the gruesome murder of a 48-year-old woman whose arm and purse straps became entangled with a car that dragged her for almost a mile through the streets of Westminster last year.Christopher Dai-Ichi Yu, 18, faces life without ... More >>

[UPDATED with Enactment Cheered:] Westminster Jumps Aboard Bandwagon Banning Pervs in Parks

Erin Runnion​UPDATE, MAY 27, 3:40 P.M.: An Orange County supervisor, the district attorney and perhaps the most famous mother of a local crime victim today applauded Westminster officially enacting a ban on registered sex offenders from city parks.Cheers from Supervisor Shawn Nelson and District A ... More >>

[UPDATED with More Possible Victims:] Gay Davidson-Shepard, Former Surf City Teacher Union Chief, and Science Teacher Husband Accused of Sex with 17-Year-Old Boy

​UPDATE, APRIL 25, 4:47 P.M.: Quoting an unnamed "spokesman for prosecutors," a Los Angeles-based television station reports today that more possible victims of Daniel Alma Shepard and Gay Davidson-Shepard have come forward.Click here for the KABC/Channel 7 Eyewitness News report.

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 >>

Attempted Kidnapping Near La Quinta High School Concerns Cops

​Have you seen the fellow at the right? I mean, picture that face on a real-life face first. (He's not made of charcoal.) For a larger view, continue past the jump. The Westminster Police Department is concerned a fellow matching this description is getting quite brazen in his attempts to pull fem ... More >>

[UPDATED] Lior Bitton, LA Jeweler Who Filed False Report of Diamond Theft, Ordered to Pay $99,000

​UPDATE, FEB. 4, 4:30 P.M.: Do you spell that name "Lior" or "Liar"?Lior Bitton, who owns a Westminster jewelry store, accepted a plea deal today that had him declaring his guilt to falsely reporting a 4.21 carat diamond had been stolen and fraudulently collecting more than $99,000 from his insura ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Lior Bitton, LA Jeweler Allegedly Filed False Report of $99,000 Diamond Theft

​Update, December 2, 9:20 a.m.: Earlier this year, Westminster police arrested 36-year-old Los Angeles jewelry store owner Lior Bitton, who was accused of fraudulently collecting more than $99,000 from his insurance company after falsely reporting a 4.21 carat diamond stolen. Now, the Orange Cou ... More >>

Juan Carlos Villanueva Wins This Week's Ugly Police Mugshot Competition

​It be interesting to know what goes through the head of someone about to have his/her police mug shot snapped. Do you think, "Should I go with the Magnum or the Innocent Until Proven Guilty pose?" Is it best to evoke fear? Sadness? Regret? Bad-assness? Crazy-sombitchness?Here's but a taste of Jua ... More >>

Coyote Sightings, Pet Attacks Prompt Warning

Monday morning, the Westminster Police Department received a report of another in a spate of recent coyote attacks, with a pet cat losing its life in the 6600 block of Bestel Avenue.As a result, the force is warning about increased coyote activity and the need to keep beloved house pets close.

Edgar Antonio Lucha, the Alleged Nude Burglar of Westminster, is Behind Bars (and Clothed)

​An anxious public can breathe a sigh of relief.Westminster Police say the nude burglar is behind bars.

Police Fear Dozens of Vietnamese Were Hit in The3Mien.com Money-Wire Scam

​After receiving complaints from many Vietnamese residents about The3Mien.com, police contacted a representative of the Westminster money-wire company. A computer glitch was blamed for funds failing to be sent to Vietnam and the business having to temporarily close its doors. Patrons were instruct ... More >>

Man Suspected of Following and Firing at Car Caught

Westminster Police DepartmentRobert Daniel Ojeda's booking photo.​On Wednesday, a SWAT team surrounded a home in Westminster and then entered it. The man they had expected to find barricaded inside, though, wasn't there.Yesterday, they found him.

Tanya Nelson Irks Judge Frank F. Fasel, Who Sends Double-Killer to Death Row

Death row bound Nelson: I'm innocent!​Retiring Frank F. Fasel is the type of no-nonsense Orange County judge who appreciates people who make their points quickly. But Fasel wasn't impressed by Tanya Jaime Nelson's pithy pre-sentencing message designed to keep herself off California's notorious dea ... More >>

Police Report Details Rape Allegations Against Westminster Police Detective

Westminster police detective and rape suspect Anthony Nicholas Orban​Anthony Nicholas Orban--a 30-year-old Irvine resident who served in the Marines, fought in the Iraq War and was recently promoted to detective in the Westminster Police Department--is one sick fuck, if the allegations contained i ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Tuyet Thi Huynh, OC Homicide No. 8: Dragged to Death

UPDATE: 9-1-1 emergency audio (scroll to bottom of post) . . . Courtesy of Westminster Police DepartmentChristopher Yu is one of two people accused of murdering a 38-year-old Garden Grove woman.​Tuyet Thi Huynh was standing next to a car at Russell Paris Park, talking with the young couple inside ... More >>

Con Man Targets Vietnamese Seniors

Vietnamese Gardener II by Myra Evans​A conman is scamming Vietnamese seniors in Westminster.

Helena Nguyen of Westminster Dairy Wasn't Selling Milk to Minors, Police Say

Courtesy of Westminster Police DepartmentHelena Nguyen is accused of selling alcohol to minors.​Westminster Police say "numerous tips" from parents, children and school officials throughout Orange County led to a sting operation that netted Westminster Dairy owner Helena Nguyen for allegedly selli ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Julie Palasco, OC Homicide No. 5: Found in Ransacked Home

UPDATE: Orange County District Attorney levels charges; suspect's telling MySpace page . . . MySpace.comPasqual Loera's user photo.​The Orange County District Attorney today charged the man arrested in Las Vegas in the shooting and killing Sunday of a Westminster woman and critical injuring of her ... More >>

Westminster Tabs New Police Chief

Mitch Waller goes from captain to chief at Westminster Police Department.​Westminster Police Captain Mitch Waller will be promoted to police chief with the retirement of Andrew Hall, City Manager Don Lamm and the Westminster City Council announced.

Crime Time: Rapers! Robbers! Wife Killer! Bad Cops! And a Real Bozo!

It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls--a day late and many dollars short of paying off the creditors who won't stop calling! Top photos courtesy of Huntington Beach Police Department A BOZO NO-NO: Here's the original suspect description Crime Time received for the Oct. ... More >>

Hold Your Mother of the Year Ballots: Here's the Woman Who Allegedly Stabbed Her Little Girls

Courtesy of Westminster Police DepartmentThuy Le's booking photo.​This photo was taken today of Thuy Le, 38, of Garden Grove, after she was booked for allegedly trying to stab to death her 3- and 5-year-old daughters before turning the knife on herself in Westminster Wednesday morning.

Anti-Commie Agitator Arrested for Assault

Bolsavik, the witty all-Viet-all-the-time blog, is reporting that Trong Doan (pictured), an anti-communist protester recently profiled by OC Weekly, has just been arrested for assault. Bolsavik is the latest endeavor by Hao-Nhien Vu, who lost his job at Nguoi Viet Daily News when anti-communists bo ... More >>

The Thin Boo Line!

Orange Countys 31 scariest cops!

Internal Affair

The ex-cop, the ex-fiance and the X-rated video

Anthrax Schmanthrax

Tran Wreck

In a miscarriage of justice the only Little Saigon video pirate in jail is the one who praised Ho Chi Minh

Fit to Be Hog-Tied

Westminster cops still use controversial technique on combative drug users despite a 1998 death while in custody