Suspicious subject call yields ID theft arrest and recovery of stolen items
An investigation into a suspicious persons call resulted in the recovery of thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise and the arrest of three suspects.
Deputies at about 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1, responded to reports of suspicious subjects at Kohl’s in the 22000 block of El Paseo in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Upon arrival, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with three people matching the description of the persons from the suspicious subjects call.
A search of the suspects’ vehicle led to the recovery of numerous credit cards and thousands of dollars in merchandise from local businesses, including clothing and power tools.
Investigators with the Sheriff’s Department’s Economic Crimes Unit responded to the scene and determined the credits cards all had been either altered or stolen.
Savina Hernandez, 37; John Lopez , 31; and Angelina Venagas, 28, all were arrested on suspicion of identity theft and burglary.
NEWS RELEASE: OCSD traffic investigators arrest felony hit and run suspect
NEWS RELEASE: Don’t Fumble: Tackle Drunk Driving Before the Clock Starts
OCSD joins OC Humans Relations Commission to promote #HateFreeOC
It’s the last day of January: How are those New Year’s resolutions holding up for everyone?
The start of the year brings commitments to live healthier lives, so we decided to keep with the theme and commit to creating healthier communities.
We are partnering with the Orange County Human Relations Commission to promote kindness, acceptance and tolerance for a #HateFreeOC.
Although these ideals seem easy to practice every day, for teens and young adults a need to fit in or the stress of peer pressure can sometimes make it easy to stay quiet or look the other way when injustice occurs.
Join the OCSD Explorer Post #449, along with the entire Sheriff's Department, in standing up to hate this year and always.
NEWS RELEASE: Orange County Sheriff’s Department Awarded DUID Testing and Research Grant
SANTA ANA,Ca. (Jan. 23, 2018) -The Orange County Sheriff’s Department – OC Crime Lab has been awarded a $270,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for cannabinoid research 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) and conduct cannabinoid research.
Orange County’s shelter dogs benefit from second-hand inmate clothing
Dozens of shelter dogs will wait for their forever homes a little more comfortably thanks to a recycling program that repurposes inmate clothing and blankets to make dog beds and chew toys.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department in December donated more than 100 beds and toys to OC Animal Care as part of Jails to Tails – a sustainability program run by personnel at the Theo Lacy facility.
In 2013, Theo Lacy evaluated its practices and looked for innovative ways to divert waste from local landfills, with the Jails to Tails program being among the ideas.
The facility goes through 15 tons of clothing and bedding every year. When inmate clothing cannot be repaired or recycled into machine shop rags, it gets shredded and stuffed into large pillowcase-like pockets made out of old jail bed sheets.
Since the program’s inception, Jails to Tails has donated more than 700 items to OC Animal Care.
NEWS RELEASE: OCSD arrests woman for murder after 2016 vehicle collision
OCSD to deploy resources to Santa Barbara County in wake of mudslides
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is sending a 39-member Sheriff’s Response Team to Santa Barbara County to aid the community devastated by recent mudslides.
Thirty-three deputies, five sergeants and a lieutenant will provid eemergency mutual-aid to law enforcement in central California. They will learn their specific assignment when they arrive on scene.
The Sheriff’s Department’s deployment, which will later be reimbursed by federal emergency relief funds, will include providing security to areas damaged by heavy mud flow and providing deputies for traffic control and enforcement.
Laguna Niguel DUI checkpoint sees more than 700 cars screened and 11 arrests
A DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoint held Friday night in Laguna Niguel turned out two arrests for drunken driving and another nine for driver’s license violations.
More than 950 cars passed through the checkpoint on Crown Valley Parkway, west of Greenfield Drive, where deputies screened more than 700 vehicles.
Five field sobriety tests were administered, resulting in two DUI arrests. Seven unlicensed drivers were arrested, along with two drivers with suspended licenses. In addition, three vehicles were towed.
A grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety allows the Sheriff’s Department to host various checkpoints throughout the year.
While pulling impaired and unlicensed drivers off the road to keep the community safe remains one goal of these checkpoints, they also serve to educate the public on the dangers of drunken or drugged driving.
High-visibility enforcement using both checkpoints and saturation patrols have proven to lower the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug-related crashes. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized, proactive DUI checkpoints are routinely conducted.
