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What kind of man steals a computer? Apparently, one who can’t squeeze under a fence. Looks like Garnica Gutierrez is. He couldn’t get his booty under a chain-link fence and was nabbed by the cops.

Seems ol’ Garnica tripped the alarm and the campus cops snuck up on him and slapped the cuffs on the miscreant.

Santa Ana is a self-insured district. This means that they can choose to replace the computer or not, maybe reducing the stock of computers on which the kids can learn.

Computers are often stolen to sell to others to get drugs. In these tough times, people will do anything to get drugs. Garnica will likely be charged with grand theft and burglary and may face prison time and have to pay restitution.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Irvine or Yorba Linda, if you have been charged with theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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What began as a plot to uncover stashes of money ended with the death of a man over nothing: no money at all. Instead, Debbie Perna is rotting in prison on a life term after engineering the gang murder of her brother, David Montemayor, a man brave enough to run away from his captors so they couldn’t take him home and threaten his wife and children.

Perna told the gangsters that if they killed her brother, they’d get paid with cash stuffed in coffee cans. Turns out that was a rumor. No cash. Just orphans and a widow. Murder of a sibling dates back to the old testament. It’s either jealousy, greed or a combination of both. In either event, the person charged with arranging the murder has a right to due process, no matter what the freaks and weirdos who post their comments say about it. Perna could have, theoretically, had mental problems that affected her judgment. A good lawyer would explore mental defenses, particularly in a capital murder case.

To qualify for the death penalty instead of just life in prison without the possibility of parole, special circumstances need to be present. Some special circumstances include felony murder, murdering a peace officer, prosecutor or judge or multiple murders, among others. If you are convicted of murder with special circumstances, you will be on Death Row for years before being executed. If you are sentenced to murder without special circumstances, you will have to spend your life in prison. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Irvine or Anaheim, if you are charged with murder, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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While this isn’t widely reported, animal neglect and abuse is not uncommon. It’s very hard to police, though. In this case, the animal was brought to a shelter after a witness to its condition rescued it. What makes this story unique is that the defendant was an employee of…wait for it…. an animal shelter.

The owner of the shelter is going to keep paying her, saying he doesn’t want to abandon her family like she did the dog. Nice guy. Orange County prosecutors usually charge these cases as misdemeanors and try to get the defendants to clean up the house. Many of the defendants are hoarders, people who cannot get rid of things and keep a very dirty home. The filth extends to the companion animals kept in the home.

Animal cruelty is the infliction of injury or harm on an animal or the neglect of an animal. Animals are helpless creatures that often cannot fight off their attackers. If you are convicted of animal cruelty, you will likely go to jail, have to take anger management classes, pay restitution and be put on probation. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Laguna Niguel or Newport Beach, if you are charged with animal cruelty, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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There can be little doubt that the defendant in this case is a confused and befuddled person. There is also little doubt that the act of killing your own child is one of the most hated and troubling acts by society. Child abuse is repugnant in our society and we find ourselves wondering what it takes to commit such a heinous act. Mental illness?Poor upbringing? Drugs and alcohol? Fatigue over time? Anyone who is a parent knows about frustration. But what if you don’t expect to have a child? What if you are scared and worried about the consequences? What if you think you’ll be cast aside by your family should they find out you had a child out of wedlock? These are the issues one considers in this case.

Yanira Valderrama is 20 years old. She may have drowned her child in the bathroom on purpose. She may assert a claim of insanity or intoxication. In any event, she’ll never be the same and the child will never grow up.

The District Attorney may seek death on this case. To qualify for the death penalty instead of just life in prison without the possibility of parole, special circumstances need to be present. Some special circumstances include felony murder, murdering a peace officer, prosecutor or judge or multiple murders, among others.

If you are convicted of murder with special circumstances, you will be on Death Row for years before being executed. If you are sentenced to murder without special circumstances, you will have to spend your life in prison. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Fullerton or Newport Beach, if you are charged with murder, call an experienced murder defense attorney right away to assist you.

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You can’t steal this much money and be stupid, can you? Apparently, Kathy Chen thought so. Now, not so much. Chen was arrested recently for buying 35 properties using stolen names or likely paying people to use their identity to get loans.

The total amount of fraud? 17.5 million dollars. She had help. Two others, believed to be in Mexico, helped her steal the money. This kind of fraud has become rampant, especially during the credit boom earlier in the decade. Lenders didn’t look too hard at borrowers, instead relying on rising home values to protect them in case of default.

Chen, 49, of Westminster, California, is facing over 100 years in prison on these charges. Most thieves don’t save their money. White collar fraud cases can resolve well if the defendants can pay back the money, but if not, the state prison system awaits.

White Collar fraud takes many forms. Mortgage fraud is one version, and requires a lot of effort to accomplish. Whether or not Chen intended to service these loans will be an issue, in terms of degree of culpability. In any event, she will need an experienced White Collar defense attorney to assist her.

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Can the tissue-thin fabric of Homeland Security withstand another tear in it? The Orange County Register reported today that federal authorities arrested Eamon Higgins on charges that he was illegally helping some Arabs take college exams in order to extend their visas in the United States.

Seems Mr. ‘iggins would earn about eleven hundred dollars per test, sometimes even more when he attended class for his “students”. Wow. Can I option this story for my Movie of the Week, entitled, “How to Succeed in Education Without Even Showing Up”?

This reeks of a terrorist plot to me. Bet that the Feds are kicking over all the rocks on this one. Fraud of this nature is apparently rarely discovered. What’s funny is that the kind of fraud discovered here happens every day at the DMV, the heartland of immigrant fraud in California. Fraud can be prosecuted as a felony or a misdemeanor. In simple cases of ID fraud, there is probation and fines. In the more sophisticated cases like this one, jail or prison time is assured.

Fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or damage to another and comes in many different forms. Since these are serious crimes that Higgins has been charged with, he will need an experienced fraud defense attorney to assist him. Whether you live in Irvine, Brea or Santa Ana, if you have been charged with fraud, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Javier Colon, convicted of first-degree murder in the throat-slashing death of his girlfriend, was sentenced to 25 to life last week.

Janelle Peralta was forced into their Irvine, California bathroom after an argument escalated into violence between the two. Colon had dropped their one-year old baby and the victim tried to save their child by running out of the apartment. She was ultimately forced into the bathroom and slashed and choked by Colon, who had slashed his own wrists and body dozens of times. Colon survived his own wounds but Peralta died. He was arrested and charged with Murder.

It is difficult to imagine the powerful grip of mental illness that could cause a person to perform these deeds on another person. I would guess that his lawyer tried to assert a mental defense, such as insanity, though it apparently didn’t sway a jury in his favor.

Colon will likely spend the rest of his life in prison, since only a fraction of people serving 25 to-life ever are actually paroled.

To qualify for the death penalty instead of just life in prison without the possibility of parole, special circumstances need to be present. Some special circumstances include felony murder, murdering a peace officer, prosecutor or judge or multiple murders, among others. If you are convicted of murder with special circumstances, you will be on Death Row for years before being executed. If you are sentenced to murder without special circumstances, you will have to spend your life in prison. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Irvine or Newport Beach, if you are charged with murder, call an experienced murder defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Guaranteed you’re going to hear more about a synthetic spray which imitates the effect of cannabis when smoked.

Apparently, some Asian chemists stumbled upon this some years ago. It was commented on by a Clemson chemistry professor, Dr. John Huffman. He was doing a study on the effects of cannabinoids on humans. His comment on anyone smoking this stuff? “They’re idiots”.

The stuff is called K-2. It has a shorter high, has totally unknown short and long-term side effects and it is totally legal in the United States. Europe, however, has banned it. Don’t worry, we’ll ban it soon enough.

Marijuana, for better or worse, can cause cancer, if you smoke it long enough. If you drive with it in your system, you could be arrested and charged with DUI. If you are high on it and are driving with your child in your car, you could be arrested for child endangerment, since it impairs your judgment and reflexes.

if you are charged with marijuana possession or a related offense, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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An Orange County woman is waging a one-woman campaign to identify the man she says groped her while riding the Tower of Terror ride at Disneyland’s California Adventure.

It seems the Anaheim Police aren’t working quickly enough for this person. She bought a keepsake photo of herself on the ride and has tried to implicate a man seated next to her on the ride. The police don’t say whether they have identified this person or whether he’s given a statement. The alleged groping took place in the dark.

Groping is defined under the law as a form of sexual battery. Sexual battery can be punished as a misdemeanor or a felony under California law, section 243.4. In the event the person is caught and convicted, he would be looking at a probation sentence and counseling. The accused may want to assert mistake as a defense, or consent, as I discussed in a January 13 post to my blog concerning a rape case here in Orange County, or that the woman falsely accused him, in order to gain financial benefit by suing Disneyland for failing to protect her from harm. He may even use her photograph to show that he was not assaulting her in any way.

if you are charged with sexual battery, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you in preparing a defense.

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I am always impressed when the laws of physics are turned on their ear. But when it’s combined with a lot of verbal hoohah, I am doubly so.

Consider this story out of Santa Ana, California. A “special officer” with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department got into an altercationwith another motorist. As the other car was driving away, the “special officer” pulled out his gun and fired at the fleeing vehicle. Where are we? Pecos, Texas? Come on!

So……the Sheriff’s department mouthpiece had the cojones to say that the FLEEING car was firing at the “special officer”. That is special. I look forward to seeing all the casings from the bullets fired at the Sheriff’s deputy. As if Orange County needs another story like this about law enforcement.

The law is clear here (except if you’re a “special officer”. If you shoot a gun at someone after they anger you because you didn’t like their driving style? That’s a felony, folks. Ain’t no doubt about it. Recklessly discharging a firearm is a felony and carries the possibility of state prison time. The District Attorney better investigate this. They’ve filed Attempt Murder charges against people for conduct like this. A possible defense is self defense. If the other person threatened this officer and had displayed weapons, he may argue that he was just defending himself. Gun charges are serious, especially when paired with attempt murder charges.

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