SAN JUANCAPISTRANO, Ca. (August 20, 2018) – Anin-custody death of a male subject occurred today following an altercation between the subject and deputies. At approximately 4:40 p.m. deputies were called to the 32000 block of Camino Capistrano in the city of San Juan Capistrano regarding a male who was acting erratically and entering and exiting businesses in the area. Deputies contacted the subject, who is a man in his twenties.
MISSION VIEJO, Ca. (August 15, 2018) - The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) released today an operating plan for Air Search and Rescue that outlines how air operations will be coordinated between the two public service agencies.
Air search and rescue responsibilities are, by California government code 26614 and the Cal-OES Model Operating Plan, the primary responsibility of the Sheriff with authority for the Sheriff to request assistance from any public safety organization for search and rescue activity. For the past several months, leaders from OCFA and OCSD have worked cooperatively to develop the operating plan and have been successfully operating under the principles of the agreement.
“Much of the credit for today’s agreement goes to the leadership of OCFA’s Fire Chief Brian Fennessy,” said Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. “The goal of our collaboration is not to duplicate efforts, but to compliment capabilities, fill in gaps, and serve as a force multiplier during catastrophic events. Ultimately, cooperation between our agencies makes Orange County safer.”
“Today marks an important milestone in the relationship between the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County Fire Authority,” said OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy, “it sets a framework and a course forward for both of these elite agencies to work together to serve the people of Orange County and provide the very best public safety services to our communities.”
The vision of Chief Fennessy and Sheriff Hutchens is for the operating plan to focus on patient-centered care and service delivery, and that safety is never compromised. The goals and objectives outlined in the plan include short, medium and long-term plans with delineated responsibilities and increased communication between the two agencies.
The newly adopted operating plan enhances public safety for all Orange County residents and ensures that taxpayer resources are used in a manner that is both efficient and effective. Used as a guideline, the operating plan will allow both agencies to operate seamlessly with maximized collaboration.
The operating plan will be updated annually, or more frequently as needed, to provide operational guidelines to Air Support Operations, Incident Commanders and rescue personnel. A copy of the OCFA/OCSD Air Support Unit and Air Operations Operating Plan is available at ocfa.org and ocsd.org.
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The Orange County Sheriff’s Department on Friday, Aug. 3, arrested a 27-year-old-man suspected of jumping off Newport Beach’s Lido Bridge and landing on a passing vessel, injuring a 66-year-old woman.
OCSD Harbor Patrol responded to the incident at approximately 2:10 p.m. on July 24. A video capturing the incident was posted to YouTube July 25.
The case was assigned to OCSD investigators July 31, and their diligent work led to Friday’s arrest. Costa Mesa resident Cody Green was taken into custody outside his home at approximately 12:15 p.m. He was booked in the Orange County Jail on suspicion of assault and felony vandalism
A quick response Sunday afternoon from the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol led to the rescue of 13 passengers on a quickly sinking vessel about a half-mile off the coast of Newport Beach.
At approximately 2:20 p.m., the Harbor Patrol crew was dispatched to a location about a half-mile south of the entrance to Newport Harbor after a boat owner reported his 30-foot fishing boat, the Bonnie Mac, was smoking and taking on water.
The Bonnie Mac was a new addition to an Irvine family that had purchased the fishing boat just five months earlier.
Having just paid for maintenance on the boat approximately a week earlier, the abrupt alarm signaling the Bonnie Mac was taking on water shocked the 51-year-old boat owner.
He and his 18-year-old son, who had invited friends out for a cruise on the ocean, tried to find the source of the problem but were unable to identify the issue.
The owner turned the Bonnie Mac back toward Newport Harbor and continued to drive the boat in an attempt to use engine power and forward momentum to slow the flooding.
The owner called the United States Coast Guard for aid, but the USCG contacted the OCSD Harbor Patrol as the best option to quickly pull the passengers from the sinking fishing boat to safety.
An OCSD patrol boat was first on scene and a deputy evacuated 12 adults and teens onto his boat.
A short time later, two OCSD fire boats and a Newport Beach City Lifeguard vessel arrived and aided in the rescue. The passengers boarded the lifeguard boat while the Harbor Patrol crews set their focus on attempting to save the Bonnie Mac.
Tying a rescue boat to the vessel, the crew used three pumps in an attempt to dispel water more quickly than the damaged fishing boat was taking it on, but the flooding outpaced the power of the pumps.
The weight of the sinking Bonnie Mac put so much tension on the rescue lines that the Harbor Patrol boat started to tip and the crew eventually had to cut the fishing boat free.
The Bonnie Mac sank in under a minute at about 2:45 p.m.
“Although we never like to lose a boat, we are very grateful that we were able to rescue the 13 passengers and nobody was injured,” said Sgt. Isaac Felter. “The deputies did an outstanding job.”
OCSD Harbor Patrol responds to approximately 4,000 calls for service every year between Orange County’s three harbors, with Newport Harbor fielding more than 2,000 of those calls.
Last year, deputies in Newport Harbor responded to 86 rescues. Sunday’s rescue marked No. 41 so far this year in Newport.
“We respond to a significant number of rescue calls every year, but this one was somewhat unique,” Felter said. “Being out of the harbor and in choppy seas presented an added challenge, but our deputies are well-trained for these kinds of situations.”
Members of OCSD Harbor Patrol assisted in pulling the Bonnie Mac from the ocean to de-water it Monday night.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested two men suspected of robbing one victim and attempting to rob another Sunday night in Lake Forest.
Just after 9 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 23000 block of Orange Avenue after a caller reported a man approached him, pulled a handgun and demanded his cell phone and wallet.
The caller described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his 40s wearing a green shirt, shorts and a black backpack.
Eight minutes later, while on the way to the initial call, deputies at 9:11 p.m. were alerted to a second robbery outside a bar near El Toro Road and Muirlands Boulevard.
The victim reported two suspects approached him outside, pulled a gun and demanded his watch. The victim did not turn over his property, and the suspects ran from the scene.
The description of the weapon and one of the suspects matched the first victim’s report. The second suspect was described by the second victim as a Hispanic male his 30s wearing a white polo shirt.
Deputies responded to the area of the robberies and detained two men who the victims later identified as the suspects.
The first victim’s wallet and cell phone were recovered and returned. In addition, deputies recovered a black pellet gun that matched the victims’ description of the weapon used in the crimes.
Lucio Martinez, 38, of Lake Forest, was arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempted robbery. Osman Cano, 29, of Lake Forest, was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery. Both men were booked into the Orange County Jail.
Martinez is in custody and is being held on $50,000 bail. He is expected to appear in court Tuesday, July 17. Cano, who was on probation at the time of his arrest, is ineligible for bail. Cano also is expected to appear in court Tuesday, July 17.
Thanks to the prompt and thorough reports by each victim, our deputies were able to swiftly and effectively respond to this call. Remember: If you are ever a victim of a crime or a witness to a crime, call 911 and report it immediately.
The Orange County Crime Laboratory recently was recognized by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, Inc., positioning Orange County as operating at above 90 percent peak efficiency among other crime laboratories.
Of the 15 labs bestowed the honor, Orange County was the only California lab to earn the distinction. Crime labs in Texas, Colorado, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Montreal also made the list of high-performing crime labs.
The honor looks to highlight excellence in how crime labs handle their case work from start to finish based on a metrics system called FORESIGHT.
The FORESIGHTprogram is a business-guided evaluation of how labs function by standardizing metrics to effectively assess work tasks and processes. The FORESIGHTmodel allows participating crime labs to implement business practices that create more productive operations, including ways to effectively manage caseloads, staffing and budgets.
This was the first year ASCLD recognized excellence in crime laboratory management based on this model with its FORESIGHTMaxiumus Award, which evaluated 150 crime laboratories, including international labs.
“While we never sacrifice quality for quantity, the OCCL was recognized for operating at 90 percent of peak efficiency for crime laboratories, which is quite an accomplishment,” said Bruce Houlihan, Director of the OC Crime Lab. “Our personnel are extremely committed, and this award is a reflection of their dedication.”
The OC Crime Lab serves every law enforcement agency in Orange County, the District Attorney’s Office, other agencies operating in Orange County, and the legal community in general. Its personnel process more than 55,000 pieces of evidence and work more than 30,000 cases every year.
The lab was established in 1948 following the famous Overell case, which involved a girlfriend and boyfriend accused of killing the girl’s parents by planting a bomb on a boat. When dynamite was found in the couple’s car, the need for forensic work was emphasized.
Today, the Crime Lab has more than 145 employees and is billed as one of the 25 largest labs in the country. OCCL houses a variety of departments to handle crime-related investigations, including: toxicology, forensic alcohol, controlled substances and clandestine labs; DNA; ballistics and firearms; trace analysis, including explosives, paint, ignitable liquids and fibers; CSI; identification, including photography, fingerprint processing and documenting crime scenes; impression evidence; latent fingerprint comparisons; and CAL-ID, the state-funded fingerprint database and biometrics.
For more information on the OC Crime Lab visit: www.occl.ocgov.com.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators believe there may be more victims of a suspect they arrested who exposed himself to female bus riders on at least three occasions in Orange County.
Deputies at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, responded to a report of indecent exposure aboard an Orange County Transportation Authority bus near Highland and Bristol streets in Santa Ana.
A male suspect had positioned himself near a 16-year-old bus passenger and exposed himself to the victim multiple times before proceeding to masturbate in front of her.
As the deputy handling the case investigated, he reviewed bus surveillance footage and recognized the suspect as a man OCSD arrested in February for a similar indecent exposure case aboard an OCTA bus traveling in Anaheim.
The suspect had exposed himself to a 22-year-old woman on Feb. 20 while riding the bus near State College Boulevard and La Palma Avenue.
Carlos Alberto Tirado, 49, of Costa Mesa, was arrested March 17 on suspicion of indecent exposure.
He was released on bail and had been awaiting a court date when the June incident occurred.
While investigating the June 19 case, OCSD personnel recalled a third indecent exposure incident aboard a bus possibly involving the same suspect.
In that incident, the suspect exposed his genitals multiple times and masturbated while making eye contact with a 22-year-old female victim on an OCTA bus in Anaheim. The incident was reported to law enforcement four days later. The investigating deputy went back and reviewed surveillance footage of the Dec. 10, 2017 incident and was able to identify the suspect as Tirado.
Tirado was arrested June 29 on suspicion of indecent exposure and child annoyance. He was booked into the Orange County Jail, where he remains in custody. His bail is set at $25,000, and he is expected to appear in court for a pretrial Aug. 8.
“The victimization of those confronted by the perpetrator is very upsetting and very significant,” said J.D. Hoskins, sergeant for the OCTA Right of Way unit. “We have seen, in some cases, perpetrators like this get progressively more brazen and, if not stopped, graduate to higher-level sex crimes. This was great work by our deputies and investigators to track down and apprehend this suspect.”
Given the nature of Tirado’s activity, OCSD investigators believe there could be more women who were victimized.
Anyone who may have more information or believes they were a victim of such a crime are urged to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 714-265-4340. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.