SANTA ANA, Ca. (May 2, 2022): During May’s Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department reminds drivers to always look twice for motorcycles.

“Motorcycles may be difficult to spot, so being extra careful before changing lanes is always good practice,” Sergeant Shane Stewart said. “Motorcycle riders are out in the elements and do not have the same protections drivers and passengers do. Please share the road with motorcycles and drive safe.”

To help protect you and your family, keep the following tips in mind while driving or riding:

Drivers

• Always check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes.
• Do not follow a motorcycle too closely. Always keep a safe distance.
• If you see a motorcycle with a signal on, be careful. Be sure that the rider is turning before moving ahead.

Motorcyclists

• Always wear a U.S. DOT-compliant helmet with eye protection.
• Wear leather or other sturdy clothing such as a jacket, pants, boots with nonskid soles and gloves. Add reflective strips or decals to your clothing and motorcycle to make it easier for other drivers to see you.
• Ride defensively. Don’t assume a driver can see you. Avoid riding in a driver’s blind spot.
• Always keep your lights on, even during the day.

Lastly, both drivers and riders should never drive/ride distracted under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (April 21, 2022) – On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, an inmate housed at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana died at the jail.

The inmate, Nicholas Brown, 28, a transient, was booked into jail on April 9, 2022 by the Anaheim Police Department for elder or dependent adult endangerment along with assault and battery.

The man was pronounced deceased at the jail shortly after he was found unresponsive in his cell on Wednesday morning. He was housed alone at the time, and his death does not appear to be suspicious. A final cause of death will be determined following toxicology and an independent autopsy.

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.

ORANGE, Ca. (April 19, 2022) – On Sunday, April 17, 2022, an inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange died at the hospital. The inmate was booked into jail on April 6, 2022, by the Westminster Police Department for criminal threats and vandalism. His name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin by the Orange County Coroner’s Division.

The man was pronounced deceased at the hospital after being transferred to the hospital for a medical issue shortly after midnight on Sunday. His death does not appear to be suspicious. A final cause of death will be determined following toxicology and an independent autopsy. 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.

ORANGE, Ca. (April 19, 2022) – On Saturday, April 16, 2022, an inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange died at the hospital.

The inmate, Larry Esquivel, 61, of Irvine, was booked into jail on September 21, 2020, by the Irvine Police Department for child molestation charges.

The man was pronounced deceased at the hospital after being transferred to the hospital for a medical procedure. His death does not appear to be suspicious. A final cause of death will be determined following toxicology and an independent autopsy.

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. (April 15, 2022): Orange County Sheriff’s investigators have arrested a 58-year-old man wanted for committing multiple burglaries, thefts and identity theft across four counties in Southern California. 

Douglas Allen Schlichting, 58, was arrested on April 13, 2022 outside his home in the 300 block of Plaza Serena in the city of Ontario. 

Schlichting was identified as the suspect in multiple crimes committed between January 2022 and March 2022 in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and Yorba Linda. In these cases, he is suspected of stealing victims’ personal items, including credit cards that were fraudulently used to purchase items such as jewelry, home goods and gift cards.  

Schlichting also is suspected of committing similar crimes in other cities in Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. 

Cases in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department jurisdiction are as follows: 

Lake Forest

• At approximately 2:30 p.m. on March 26, 2022, a 55-year-old man living in the 26000 block of Vista Terrace in Lake Forest reported his wallet was stolen from his vehicle and his credit card was later charged multiple times. The reported loss was $4,000, which included cash and $848 in fraudulent credit card purchases. 

Mission Viejo 

• At 10:50 a.m. on March 20, 2022, employees at Presbyterian Church of the Master located at Oso and Marguerite parkways reported personal items of four employees had been stolen. The victims lost $540 in cash and there was another $1,725 in fraudulent purchases charged to the victims’ credit cards. 
• At approximately 10:45 a.m. on March 27, 2022, a 55-year-old woman reported fraudulent activity on her credit card totaling $517.77. She reported the crime at Mission Viejo Police Services and told investigators she did not know where or when her credit card was stolen. 

Rancho Santa Margarita 

• At approximately 10:30 a.m. on January 20, 2022, a manager at Pet Supply in the 22000 block of El Paseo reported a man entered the employee locker area and stole cash and personal items valued at $1,000. 

Yorba Linda 

• At 11:50 a.m. on January 11, 2022, a 71-year-old woman reported that on January 10, 2022 her credit card and $1,000 in cash had been stolen from her purse at St. Martin de Porres Church in the 19000 block of Yorba Linda Boulevard. Her credit card had been fraudulently charged $808.  
• At nearly 3 p.m. on February 1, 2022, a 57-year-old woman reported that on January 22, 2022 at the Pope John Paul II Polish Center in the 3900 block of Rose Drive a man stole $1,100 in cash and two credit cards from her purse. Her credit cards were later charged $3,128 in fraudulent purchases. 

The investigation is ongoing and investigators believe there may be additional cases involving Schlichting. Anyone who can provide additional information can call OC Sheriff Dispatch at 714-647-7000 or anonymous tips can be sent to OC Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.

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San Clemente, Ca. (April 27, 2022): Distracted driving is a dangerous and illegal behavior the Sheriff’s Department is working to deter drivers from doing.

On Friday, April 29, deputies will focus their efforts on drivers that are talking, texting, using an app or any other action on their phone that is not hands-free and violates California’s cell phone law. A violation is subject to a $162 fine for the first offense, and at least $285 for a second offense.

Distracted driving comes in many forms, but cell phones remain the top distraction. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,450 people were killed in 2016 due to distracted drivers. A 2018 observational survey by Fresno State and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) found nearly 5 percent of California drivers were using their phone illegally behind the wheel, either by talking on or using their phone without a hands-free device.

In this day and age, it is natural instinct to answer the phone or read a text, but the focus for drivers should be on the road. Other distractions include eating, grooming, talking to passengers, using GPS, adjusting the radio, taking off a jacket, or reaching for an object on the floor.

If you have an important phone call or need to reprogram your navigation system, pull over to a safe parking place. To resist the urge of using your phone, either silence it or put it somewhere you can’t reach.

Funding for this distracted driving enforcement operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Dana Point, Ca. (April 20, 2022): Distracted driving is a dangerous and illegal behavior the Sheriff’s Department is working to deter drivers from doing.

On Friday, April 22, deputies will focus their efforts on drivers that are talking, texting, using an app or any other action on their phone that is not hands-free and violates California’s cell phone law. A violation is subject to a $162 fine for the first offense, and at least $285 for a second offense.

Distracted driving comes in many forms, but cell phones remain the top distraction. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,450 people were killed in 2016 due to distracted drivers. A 2018 observational survey by Fresno State and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) found nearly 5 percent of California drivers were using their phone illegally behind the wheel, either by talking on or using their phone without a hands-free device.

In this day and age, it is natural instinct to answer the phone or read a text, but the focus for drivers should be on the road. Other distractions include eating, grooming, talking to passengers, using GPS, adjusting the radio, taking off a jacket, or reaching for an object on the floor.

If you have an important phone call or need to reprogram your navigation system, pull over to a safe parking place. To resist the urge of using your phone, either silence it or put it somewhere you can’t reach.

Funding for this distracted driving enforcement operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

SAN CLEMENTE, Ca. (April 19, 2022): Distracted driving is a dangerous and illegal behavior the Sheriff’s Department is working to deter drivers from doing.

On Thursday, April 21, deputies will focus their efforts on drivers that are talking, texting, using an app or any other action on their phone that is not hands-free and violates California’s cell phone law. A violation is subject to a $162 fine for the first offense, and at least $285 for a second offense.

Distracted driving comes in many forms, but cell phones remain the top distraction. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,450 people were killed in 2016 due to distracted drivers. A 2018 observational survey by Fresno State and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) found nearly 5 percent of California drivers were using their phone illegally behind the wheel, either by talking on or using their phone without a hands-free device.

In this day and age, it is natural instinct to answer the phone or read a text, but the focus for drivers should be on the road. Other distractions include eating, grooming, talking to passengers, using GPS, adjusting the radio, taking off a jacket, or reaching for an object on the floor.

If you have an important phone call or need to reprogram your navigation system, pull over to a safe parking place. To resist the urge of using your phone, either silence it or put it somewhere you can’t reach.

Funding for this distracted driving enforcement operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

SAN CLEMENTE, Ca. (April 18, 2022): Distracted driving is a dangerous and illegal behavior the Sheriff’s Department is working to deter drivers from doing.

On Wednesday, April 20, deputies will focus their efforts on drivers that are talking, texting, using an app or any other action on their phone that is not hands-free and violates California’s cell phone law. A violation is subject to a $162 fine for the first offense, and at least $285 for a second offense.

Distracted driving comes in many forms, but cell phones remain the top distraction. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,450 people were killed in 2016 due to distracted drivers. A 2018 observational survey by Fresno State and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) found nearly 5 percent of California drivers were using their phone illegally behind the wheel, either by talking on or using their phone without a hands-free device.

In this day and age, it is natural instinct to answer the phone or read a text, but the focus for drivers should be on the road. Other distractions include eating, grooming, talking to passengers, using GPS, adjusting the radio, taking off a jacket, or reaching for an object on the floor.

If you have an important phone call or need to reprogram your navigation system, pull over to a safe parking place. To resist the urge of using your phone, either silence it or put it somewhere you can’t reach.

Funding for this distracted driving enforcement operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

SAN CLEMENTE, Ca. (April 13, 2022): Distracted driving is a dangerous and illegal behavior the Sheriff’s Department is working to deter drivers from doing.

On Friday, April 15, deputies will focus their efforts on drivers that are talking, texting, using an app or any other action on their phone that is not hands-free and violates California’s cell phone law. A violation is subject to a $162 fine for the first offense, and at least $285 for a second offense.

Distracted driving comes in many forms, but cell phones remain the top distraction. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,450 people were killed in 2016 due to distracted drivers. A 2018 observational survey by Fresno State and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) found nearly 5 percent of California drivers were using their phone illegally behind the wheel, either by talking on or using their phone without a hands-free device.
In this day and age, it is natural instinct to answer the phone or read a text, but the focus for drivers should be on the road. Other distractions include eating, grooming, talking to passengers, using GPS, adjusting the radio, taking off a jacket, or reaching for an object on the floor.

If you have an important phone call or need to reprogram your navigation system, pull over to a safe parking place. To resist the urge of using your phone, either silence it or put it somewhere you can’t reach.

Funding for this distracted driving enforcement operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.