DANA POINT, Calif. (Feb. 1, 2025) On Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at about 6:15 p.m., Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the report of a traffic collision involving two vehicles at the intersection of Golden Lantern and Stonehill Drive in Dana Point. Deputies arrived and discovered a Land Rover SUV and a Ford Transit van had been involved in a head-on collision.

Based on preliminary investigation, the Land Rover was traveling westbound on Stonehill Drive and turned left against a red arrow signal in front of the Ford Transit van traveling eastbound on Stonehill Drive.

The driver of the Transit van was transported to a local area hospital where he was treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. A passenger of the Transit van, Melvin Joseph Weibel, 88, of Dana Point, succumbed to his injuries sustained in the collision and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The driver of the Land Rover, Serene Francie Rosenberg, 48, of Dana Point, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence with three prior convictions and booked into the Orange County Jail for CPC 187(a) – Murder, and CVC 23153(a) – DUI Causing Injury.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is investigating the collision. If anyone has additional details that may assist investigators, or witnessed this traffic collision, they are asked to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic Bureau at 949-425-1860. Anonymous information may be provided through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

SANTA ANA, Ca. (Jan. 27, 2025): Please see the statement below from Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes regarding federal immigration enforcement.

“As the debate about immigration and local law enforcement’s role has increased with the new presidential administration, I have been asked by members of the media and the community to clarify the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s role in immigration enforcement and whether our current practices will change. 

“Securing the border and enforcing immigration law are important responsibilities of the federal government. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department does not enforce federal immigration law. It is not part of our primary mission, and we remain focused on violations of state and local laws. 

“The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will provide for your safety and respond to your calls for service regardless of your immigration status. We do not, and never will, ask the immigration status of victims, witnesses, suspects or those who call to report crimes. We enforce state and local laws equally, without bias, and without concern for your citizenship. That has not and will not change.

“The crisis at our southern border has put our nation at risk. I have been a strong advocate for changes in policy and increased federal resources to address this threat. As the federal government fulfills this responsibility, it is important that local peace officers remain focused on the enforcement of state and local law.

“California state law hinders our ability to fully communicate with federal law enforcement partners on shared threats posed by criminal offenders who are in violation of immigration law. Sheriffs are limited under California Senate Bill 54 to only communicate with ICE regarding the release of criminal offenders from our custody facilities under very limited circumstances. I have chosen to cooperate with ICE to the fullest extent provided by the law in order to prevent serious offenders from returning to the communities they have preyed upon. 

“You are safe to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department when you need help. We will remain vigilant in protecting our communities and providing public safety services for all residents of Orange County.”

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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Ca. (January 26, 2025): On Saturday, January 25, 2025, at around 6:30 p.m., deputies were called to the 32000 block of Valle Rd. in the city of San Juan Capistrano regarding an assault. Deputies arrived and discovered the victim, a woman in her 50s, who appeared to have multiple stab wounds. Shortly after their arrival, deputies pronounced the victim, a relative of the suspect, deceased.

OC Sheriff’s Homicide investigators responded and began their investigation. Based on the interviews conducted by investigators and the evidence at the scene, Josephe Jimenez Hernandez, 25, of San Juan Capistrano, was arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of murder. 

Official identification of the victim is pending notification to next of kin. 

On Friday, January 17, 2025, an Orange County Jail inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in G-Barracks died at UCI Medical Center, Orange. The decedent, Scott Theodore Remick, was a 51-year-old white male from Anaheim who was awaiting trial. The decedent's manner and means of death are awaiting final determination by the Orange County Coroner.

On Sunday, January 12, 2025, an Orange County Jail inmate housed in the Correctional Medical Services wing of a local hospital died while inside custody. The decedent, 42-year-old James Rudolph Jones of Cerritos, was a White male in-custody for a probation violation.  The decedent's manner and means of death are awaiting final determination by the Orange County Coroner.

On Sunday, December 29, 2024, an Orange County Jail inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Module N died while inside custody. The decedent, 34-year-old Anthony Creston Brown of Cerritos, was a Black male who was awaiting trial.  The decedent's manner and means of death are awaiting final determination by the Orange County Coroner.

On Sunday, December 29, 2024, an Orange County Jail inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Module N died while inside custody. The decedent, 34-year-old Anthony Creston Brown of Cerritos, was a Black male who was awaiting trial.  The decedent's manner and means of death are awaiting final determination by the Orange County Coroner.

ORANGE, Ca. (Jan. 17, 2025) – On Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, an inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange died at a local area hospital.

The 51-year-old inmate was booked into the Orange County Jail on Jan. 6, 2025, by the Anaheim Police Department for the charges CPC 422(a) – Criminal Threats, CPC 417 – Brandishing a Weapon, and CPC 148(a)(1) – Resist, Delay, or Obstruct an Officer. The inmate’s name is being withheld pending notification to next of kin.

On Jan. 17, while housed at the Theo Lacy Facility, it was determined the inmate needed to be transported to the hospital for a medical issue. At approximately 10:02 a.m. the same day, the inmate was pronounced deceased at the hospital. Preliminarily, there are no suspicious circumstances. A final cause of death will be determined following an independent autopsy and toxicology.

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, Calif. (Jan. 17, 2025): The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is pleased to announce the closure of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the use of custodial informants, which began in December of 2016. The Sheriff’s Department also entered into an “Agreement for the Sustainability of Custodial Informant Reforms” with the DOJ.

In October of 2022, the DOJ released its report documenting findings from their investigation into the use of custodial informants by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office from 2007-2016. After the release of the DOJ report, the Sheriff’s Department voluntarily provided the DOJ with materials reflecting the changes and safeguards the Department implemented. The DOJ reviewed the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s current policies and procedures and confirmed them to be constitutional. These proactive reforms have cemented constitutional protections for the use of custodial informants inside Orange County jail facilities.

“Since 2016, we have worked diligently to implement comprehensive reforms regarding custodial informants. This Agreement provides a framework for the DOJ to validate those efforts and establish our policies and practices to be among the best in the nation,” said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes. Under the Agreement, the matter will close after the DOJ validates the Department’s practices have been sustained for six months.

By addressing past issues and implementing reforms, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the DOJ have collaborated to assure public confidence in the use of informants in the Orange County criminal justice system. This Agreement is an opportunity for the DOJ to publicly validate that the Sheriff’s Department is sustaining its constitutional policies and procedures. “We took the initiative to immediately begin setting up systems to uphold inmates’ constitutional rights while ensuring effective investigations inside a correctional facility. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s steadfast dedication to address constitutional issues in the jails before an Agreement with the DOJ fosters trust, accountability, and integrity in our criminal justice system,” said Sheriff Barnes.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department provided the DOJ full access to all documents, facilities and personnel during the DOJ’s investigation. The joint effort by the Sheriff’s Department and the DOJ in reaching the Agreement, highlights the culmination of years of hard work and dedication by the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

“It is encouraging to receive unprecedented DOJ recognition for the landmark improvements and reforms OC Sheriff has established,” said Mary Izadi, Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Constitutional Policing Advisor. “The Agreement does not require any changes or enhancements to our existing internal processes. We anticipate the validation by DOJ to conclude by midyear,” said Izadi, who has also been identified as the Validation Coordinator.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department demonstrates its dedication to continuously protecting the constitutional rights of those within the Orange County criminal justice system by committing to ongoing training, auditing, and transparency measures.

“We are proud to set a standard for law enforcement agencies nationwide regarding the use of custodial informants. Our extensive safeguards go above and beyond constitutional requirements and even exceed those found in the Federal Bureau of Prisons,” said Sheriff Barnes.

For more information on the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s custodial informant reforms, please visit our website at www.ocsheriff.gov.

ORANGE, Ca. (Jan. 13, 2025) – On Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, an inmate housed in the Correctional Medical Services wing of a local hospital died. 

42-year-old James Rudolph Jones III was booked into jail on Jan. 11, 2025, by the Buena Park Police Department for a probation violation. 

During the booking process, it was determined Jones needed to be transported to the hospital for further medical treatment. On Jan. 12, at approximately 11:57 a.m., Jones was pronounced deceased.  Preliminarily, there are no suspicious circumstances.  A final cause of death will be determined following an independent autopsy and toxicology. 

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.  

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