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Last week, the FBI released a survey that proved that in 2008, crimes in Orange County went down, especially violent crimes and property crimes. This dip in crimes is a nationwide trend with violent crimes down 1.9% and property crimes down 1%. Property and violent crime dipped in both Santa Ana, Anaheim and Irvine. In Santa Ana, however, murders and non-negligent manslaughters increased. The only crime that increased throughout Orange County was theft, which likely went up because of the tough economic times.

I think it is great that crime is down right now. This shows that people are being more educated on effects of crime and alternatives to crime. Normally, in tough economic times, people get desperate and commit crimes to get what they want. Unfortunately, homicides went up in Santa Ana, likely due to the heavy gang activity in Santa Ana. Now that these statistics are out, the county will know where to focus their attention in providing resources to those that may commit crimes.

Whether you live in Laguna Woods, Tustin or Orange, if you are charged with a crime, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Chidi Benjamin Uzomah, Jr. pled guilty to misdemeanor assault, battery and possession of a switchblade knife. Uzomah was at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) on Tuesday because Ryan Seacrest and other KIISfm radio hosts were there for a fundraiser. Seacrest was about to get in his car to leave when Uzomah tried to get in with him. Seacrest’s body guard stopped Uzomah from entering the car and Uzomah was so mad that he put his arm around the body guard’s neck and started choking him. He was immediately arrested. In court, Uzomah pled guilty to the assault, battery and weapon charges and was sentenced to 15 days in jail, three years of probation and an order to stay away from Ryan Seacrest and CHOC hospital.

Assault is the unlawful attempt, coupled with present ability, to commit a violent injury upon another. Battery is the willful and unlawful use of force against a person. These are both criminal charges that can also be brought against you in a civil suit. Whether you live in Laguna Niguel, Orange or Fullerton, if you are charged with assault or battery, you will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to help you fight these charges.

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Cheryle Ann Ross of Garden Grove was charged with elder abuse this week. Ross lived with her mother Doris Ross in a mobile home park in Garden Grove. Ross was supposed to care for her mother, but Doris got so sick she was rushed to the hospital. Once there, doctors claimed that Doris had not been turned in her bed in quite some time and had such bad bed sores that she went into septic shock. Doris also was malnourished, dehydrated and had kidney failure. Cheryle said that she couldn’t help her mom because her mother refused the help.


Elder abuse is the mistreatment of people over the age of 65. The mistreatment could be physical, psychological or sexual. Penalties for committing elder abuse include jail time and monetary penalties. Elder abuse also can be brought as a civil suit. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Yorba Linda or Tustin, if you are charged with elder abuse, you will need an experienced defense attorney to assist you in fighting your charges.

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Juan Armando Candela was charged with two felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation of a minor. Candela was the security guard at Beckman Hight School in Irvine, which is where he met a 16-year-old student. Candela and the girl started dating and they eventually had sexual intercourse. Newport Beach police saw the couple having sex in the car in August and he was arrested. If convicted, Candela will receive about 3 years and 8 months in state prison and may have to register as a sex offender.

Unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor is a serious charge because there is an implied issue of consent. Even if the minor consented to the sex, which in this case she did, the assumption is that she is not yet of the age to consent and does not really know what she is doing. Besides being held criminally liable, Candela may be sued by the victim or the victim’s parents. If found guilty during a civil trial, Candela could have to pay around $25,000.

Whether you live in Buena Park, Laguna Niguel or Anaheim Hills, if you are charged with any sex crimes, call an experienced attorney to assist you right away.

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Nicolas Alex Duran, Alejandro Justin Duran and a 16-year-old boy were all arrested this week for allegedly stabbing a man twice in the stomach after the man tried to stop the 3 gang members from tagging a wall. After the victim yelled for them to stop tagging, the three suspects kicked, punched and stabbed him, likely because they thought he was going to report them to authorities. They will all be charged with assault with a deadly weapon and if convicted, will face between 3 and 12 years in prison.

A violent felony will count as a strike on your record. If you get three strikes, you are sentenced to life in prison. Since these suspects were in a gang, they may get a sentencing enhancement if they were assaulting the victim in furtherance of the gang. Additionally, if they were actually tagging the wall, they will face more time in prison.

Whether you live in Irvine, Fullerton or Huntington Beach, if you are charged with assault with a deadly weapon, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to help you fight your charges and help lower your sentence.

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Thuy Le called 911 on Wednesday morning, claiming that she stabbed her 5-year-old and 3-year-old daughter and herself. She was staying at her cousin’s house in Westminster that night. Le’s cousin’s children noticed the living room covered in blood when they woke up and told their parents. Le was seen cradling one of her daughters after the 911 call had been made. Pham, Le’s cousin, said she had not been herself lately. She was stressed with her failed marriage and her failing business and suddenly became very religious. After police arrived, they arrested Le on suspicion of two attempted murders. The children are still in the hospital but are expected to survive.

The children must have been so scared to see their mother stabbing them. Clearly, Le was not mentally stable at the time she committed these heinous acts. Attempted murder is a serious charge and Le will need an experienced attorney to assist her in court. If Le claims she is guilty by reason of insanity, she will have to spend the rest of her life in a mental facility. Whether you live in Tustin, Fullerton or Laguna Beach, if you are charged with murder or attempted murder, you will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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On Thursday of last week, an Orange County judge ordered Brian Benedict to pay more in child support for his son. He was very angered by the $500 increase in child support he had to pay. On Sunday, Rebecca Benedict, Brian’s ex-wife, went to go pick up her 4-year-old son from Brian’s on-campus apartment at University of California, Irvine as Brian’s weekend custody had terminated. The couple argued before he gave her the child. As Rebecca was leaving, Brian Benedict walked up behind Rebecca and shot her in the head, near their son. She fell to the ground and after being taken to the hospital, was pronounced dead. Police and campus security immediately detained Brian on suspicion of murder.

In his past, Brian studied at the U.S. Naval Academy and when he graduated, he was assigned to U.S. Air Force Space Command. After the Air Force he went to UCI to earn his graduate degree in physics. There, he met Rebecca and they were married soon after. In October of 2004, the couple had a soon together but in 2006, the couple split.

It was assumed that the bitter divorce and custody dispute along with the child support issues affected Brian so much that he acted on rage and anger when he committed this heinous crime. He will now be charged with the murder of his ex-wife. If convicted, he will likely face years in prison.

Whether you live in Tustin, Laguna Hills or Brea, if you are charged with murder, call an experienced attorney to assist you.

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Zachory Loring, 24, is prohibited from going within 100 yards of Audrina Patridge. Patridge is best known for her role on the reality show “The Hills” as well as being on magazines and in commercials. Last month, Loring went to Patridge’s house and declared that he was a fan. He gave her poems and notes that he wrote for her and handed her a drawing that had a woman being strangled. On two other occasions, Loring was found loitering on her property. Eventually, Patridge got scared and called police to escort him away from the property. This week, she received a temporary restraining order against him and will go back to court for a permanent order, because she believes she is being stalked by Loring.

Stalking is the act of repeatedly following someone and making threats against that person. In this case, Loring waited by Patridge’s house for her several times and once gave her a drawing that she felt was a threat against her. If Loring is charged with stalking, he may face prison time. Whether you live in Orange, Brea or Laguna Niguel, if you are charged with stalking, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Guy William Savage, or the Buddy Holly Bandit, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after an Anaheim bank robbery. Savage was shot and wounded by Anaheim police after waking into a Washington Mutual bank with a fake bomb taped to himself in 2005. He claims that police did not let him get medical help right away, which caused flesh eating bacteria to invade his body and nearly kill him. He was convicted of bank robbery charges and has to spend 10 years in prison and pay the bank back about $12,000. Once he is released from prison, he will have to go to drug counseling since he claims that he robbed the banks because of his drug addiction.

Savage had such a severe addiction to drugs that he would do anything to pay for his addiction. Robbing a bank to get money is not a good idea. Banks have lots of security and video cameras and people rarely get away with bank robberies. You will receive a larger sentence if you use a weapon to commit your robbery. A fake bomb would be considered a weapon since it instills fear in people. Whether you live in Westminster, Aliso Viejo or Tustin, if you are charged with robbery, you will need an experienced criminal defense attorney on your side.

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Dennis James Ward was found guilty yesterday of nine counts of lewd conduct on a child who was a young male relative of his, that occurred 15 years ago. For this crime, he now may face 30 years in state prison.

In 1985, two Costa Mesa boys claimed they were molested by Ward. Ward was convicted and was sentenced to six years, although he served just three years. He was released on parole in 1988 and the molestation on the victim/relative occurred between 1990 and 1992. The victim was between 4 and 7 at the time and did not tell anyone what occurred. Ward was then arrested in 1995 for molesting two young Huntington Beach boys and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Ward was going to be released in 2007, but once the victim of the current case found out, he reported the molestation that occured 15 years prior.

Child molestation is a very serious offense that will stay on your record and will require you to register as a sex offender. Whether you live in Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel or Fullerton, if you are charged with child molestation, you will need a good Orange County defense attorney to investigate the claim and prepare defenses.

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