SANTA ANA, Ca. (November 20, 2020): Please see the statement from Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes regarding the Governor’s modified stay-at-home orders.

“The Governor’s latest health orders have created a significant amount of uncertainty in the community regarding the feasibility and constitutionality of enforcing modified stay-at-home orders.

“Let me be clear- this is a matter of personal responsibility and not a matter of law enforcement. Orange County Sheriff’s deputies will not be dispatched to, or respond to, calls for service to enforce compliance with face coverings, social gatherings, or stay-at-home orders only. Deputies will respond to calls for potential criminal behavior and for the protection of life or property.

“Orange County residents have been diligent over the last eight months in striking a balance between protecting ourselves from COVID-19 and doing what is necessary to continue to live our lives. Collectively we must do everything we can to protect our friends, family and community. I continue to wear a face covering and practice social distancing. I encourage others to continue to do so, because it will prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“On behalf of the almost 4,000 men and women of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, we wish you and your family a safe and healthy Thanksgiving holiday.”

-Sheriff Don Barnes

###

OCSD to hold DUI checkpoint in Yorba Linda

Yorba Linda, Ca. (November 18, 2020) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on Friday, November 20,  from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. at an undisclosed location in the city of Yorba Linda.

DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests. Deputies will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with deputies checking drivers for proper licensing.

The Sheriff’s Department reminds drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.

In 2018, 1,235 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes on California roads.

The Sheriff’s Department offers these reminders to ensure you have a safe night of fun that doesn’t involve a DUI:

• Always use a designated sober driver – a friend who is not drinking, ride-share, cab or public transportation – to get home.
• See someone who is clearly impaired try and drive? Take the keys and help them make other arrangements to find a sober way home.
• Report drunk drivers – Call 911.
• Hosting a party? Offer nonalcoholic drinks. Monitor who are drinking and how they are getting home.

Getting home safely is cheap, but getting a DUI is not. Drivers caught driving impaired and charged with DUI can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to be upwards of $13,500. This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses, not to mention possible jail time.

Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Sheriff’s Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

K9 Rex

End Of Watch 11-16-20

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit sadly announces the passing of K9 Rex. K9 Rex passed away early Monday morning with his handler at his side.

K9 Rex began to show signs of an illness last week and was sent for treatment immediately. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pneumonia. K9 Rex showed the true spirit of a warrior and fought until the very end.

K9 Rex had only been with the department for five months but that did not stop him from touching the lives of so many.

The bond formed between a handler and a working dog cannot be matched. Please keep his handler, Deputy Sean Kalmen, and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

We have the line from here.

ORANGE, Ca. (November 13, 2020) –A 35-year old male inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange died yesterday at approximately 2 p.m. of a suspected suicide.

The man was booked into the Orange County Jail by the Anaheim Police Department on Nov. 10, 2020, on multiple charges including lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, sodomy and assault to commit rape.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the in-custody death. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will conduct an in-custody death review. No additional information will be released at this time.

SANTA ANA, Ca. (November 10, 2020): The Orange County Sheriff’s Department – OC Crime Lab has been awarded a $117,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for training and enhanced drug-impaired driving testing. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will use the funding to facilitate the efficient testing of all blood samples collected in DUI investigations for the presence of drugs, regardless of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

“With illicit drug use on the rise, coupled with the introduction of fentanyl onto our streets, this type of efficient testing is a necessary tool to keep Orange County roadways safe,” said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes. “This grant will assist Orange County law enforcement’s efforts to identify those individuals who drive while under the influence and hold them accountable for their actions.”

Assistance from DNA Doe Project Reveals New Info about John Doe

SANTA ANA, Ca. (November 10, 2020) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner Division, in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), have released newly updated images in hope to identify a John Doe found in Trabuco Canyon nearly 24 years ago.

On Dec. 13, 1996 Coroner Division Investigators and OCSD Homicide Investigators responded to reports of human remains found in a wilderness area east of Trabuco Creek Road in the unincorporated area of Trabuco Canyon. At the time, it was estimated the remains had been there up to two years, with environmental factors affecting their condition.  Investigators believe the decedent went missing sometime in 1995 or 1996.

Based on initial anthropological estimates from 1996, it was believed this unknown male subject was around 15 - 19 years old, approximately 5’2” to 5’8” with a medium build. An odontologist’s report, which showed the decedent’s teeth were in poor condition, was taken and submitted to a Department of Justice database.  He was given the name John Doe as investigators worked to learn his identity.

In 2020, the Sheriff’s Department contracted with the DNA Doe Project in an attempt to identify the subject. Initial genealogical DNA examinations confirmed he was Hispanic or Native American in origin, and not primarily Caucasian as had initially been suspected. Additionally, based on further genetic testing, it is believed the subject is likely from a remote/rural area in Latin America due to the very low threshold of genetic matches. In fact, the threshold is so low that at this time, familial DNA analysis cannot be further pursued at this time because the population demographic to date is underrepresented in genealogical databases.

In 2018, the Coroner Division again partnered with NCMEC in an attempt to generate leads that might deliver an identification. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the skull was created and submitted to NCMEC, which used the latest reconstruction techniques to develop renderings of what John Doe may have looked like. With the new information, NCMEC modified their initial sketch from 2019 to produce a new likeness that reflects the suspected Latin American decent of John Doe.

“Over the years, there have been occasional leads, yet he has not gotten his name back,” said Kelly Keyes, Supervising Deputy Coroner. “As with all of our unidentified cases, which date back to the 1950s and includes nearly 100 cases, we continue to review these cases with the hope that John Doe will finally get a name.”

“Sometimes seeing a picture can spark a memory and that could lead to information,” Keyes said. “We’re looking to match that face to a name so we can bring closure to his family.” 

Anyone who has any information about John Doe can contact the Orange County Coroner Division at 714-647-7000 or coroner@ocsd.org, reference case number 96-07901-MU.

###

On November 5 at 1:45am, an alert security officer reported a burglary in progress at a retail store at the 18300 block of Imperial Highway in Yorba Linda. Responding deputies located two suspect vehicles described by the security officer, a gray BMW and white Ford Mustang.  Deputies stopped the BMW and five adult males and one male juvenile were taken into custody and stolen property was recovered. Deputies requested the assistance of the Anaheim Police Department, who responded, located and pursued the Mustang for a short distance. OCSD's helicopter located the Mustang and followed it on Orange County freeways until CHP's helicopter and ground units arrived to assist. OCSD, CHP and Los Angeles County Sheriff helicopters, along with ground units, followed the vehicle as it reached speeds of 150mph, to the termination point in the city of Gardena. Three adult males and one male juvenile fled on foot, but were located and taken into custody. A search of the vehicle revealed stolen merchandise.

OCSD deputies later reviewed the video captured in the helicopter during the pursuit and identified an area where items were thrown from the suspect vehicle.  A subsequent search of the area revealed two handguns that deputies recovered.  Additional investigation revealed that the suspects arrested were likely responsible for burglaries that occurred earlier in the evening from two nearby cities. 

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department would like to thank the Anaheim Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in bringing this incident to a conclusion.  We encourage members of the public to report suspicious or criminal activity as quickly as possible in order to give law enforcement the ability to respond swiftly.     

In this incident, it took the work of an alert security guard, vigilant deputies and officers, and a seamless multi-agency collaboration, to lead to the successful arrest of ten people who were responsible for multiple crimes throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

PURSUIT VIDEO  - At timestamps :11 and :12, the suspects throw two guns out of the right side of the vehicle :  https://youtu.be/WJfyTGx_Mwo 

SANTA ANA, Ca. (October 30, 2020): The safety of everyone traveling is the focus of a grant awarded to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The $450,370.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety will assist in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Orange County Roads.

“These are trying times, and now more than ever, it is important that we are at the forefront of traffic safety,” Sheriff Don Barnes said. “This funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of all residents.”

The one-year grant is for the 2021 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.