News Archive

The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) in partnership with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) along with Orange County Parks will announce their joint efforts in preventing man-made, arson, or wildfires within Orange County and placing an emphasis on OCFA’s Ready, Set, Go! program.

SANTA ANA, California (April 15, 2013)- “Although the tragic incident in Boston, Massachusetts this afternoon appears to be isolated, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is on heightened alert,” said Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. “Our deputies will have an increased presence at local sporting/entertainment venues and other large gathering places.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has a sophisticated integrated response plan to act quickly and protect citizens in the event of a local emergency. “We are actively reaching out to local event organizers to review their safety protocol, as well as ensuring our first responders are properly equipped with necessary resources should a similar incident occur,” Hutchens said.

SANTA ANA, California (April 2, 2013) – As part of April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be actively ticketing drivers who are texting or operating hand-held cell phones during the month of April. Drivers who break the law and place themselves and others in danger will be cited with no warnings. The current minimum ticket cost is $159, with subsequent tickets costing at least $279. Last April, over 57,000 tickets were written statewide for texting and hand-held cell use. There were nearly 450,000 convictions in 2012. Whether it’s a ticket or a crash, as the campaign theme states, “It’s Not Worth It!”

TRABUCO CANYON, California (April 2, 2013) – There has been a tremendous outpouring of support from community members as the search continues in the Cleveland National Forest for two hikers missing since Sunday evening, March 31^st. Many individuals concerned for the well-being of the missing hikers have taken it upon themselves to assist with the search efforts.

TRABUCO CANYON, California (April 1, 2013) – On Sunday, March 31 at approximately 8:25 p.m., Orange County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call regarding lost hikers in Trabuco Canyon in unincorporated south Orange County.

SANTA ANA, California (March 13, 2013) – A lengthy Orange County Sheriff’s Department homicide investigation has led to the arrest of Louis Richard Wood, a 35 year old resident of Mission Viejo. Wood is accused of being present and supplying drugs that contributed to the overdose death of an Orange County resident. On November 16, 2011 Emma Wihlborg (21 years old) died of an overdose of drugs while staying at a hotel in Lake Forest.

ORANGE, California (March 2, 2013) – At approximately 5:30 a.m., Saith Na, the inmate that escaped from Theo Lacy Jail on Friday, March 1, 2013 was captured.

LADERA RANCH, California (March 1, 2013) - This press release is related to the incident that occurred on February 19, 2013 when Ali Syed murdered three Orange County residents and then killed himself.

ORANGE, California (March 1, 2013) – Earlier today inmate Saith Na, 26, was discovered missing during a routine body count at the Theo Lacy facility. The facility was immediately placed on lock down. The perimeter was searched for any signs of escape. An interior search of the entire facility is ongoing and an investigation is underway.

ATTORNEY ARRESTED FOR MURDER FOR FINANCIAL GAIN OF EX-WIFE BY STRANGLING AND THROWING HER OVERBOARD ON ITALIAN CRUISE

SANTA ANA – A former Orange County attorney has been arrested on charges of murdering his ex-wife for financial gain by strangling her to death and throwing her overboard while on a cruise in Italy. Lonnie Loren Kocontes, 55, Safety Harbor, FL, is charged with one felony count of special circumstances murder for financial gain. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole and is eligible for the death penalty. The defendant was arrested yesterday, Feb. 15, 2013, in Florida and will face extradition proceedings at a date to be determined. He is being held without bail.

LAKE FOREST, California (February 14, 2013) - The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s “Avoid the 12” DUI Task Force will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on February 15, 2013 in the City of Lake Forest from 6:00 pm to 2:00am.

The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes. Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.

From February 4 to February 7, 2013 a written notification will be posted at www.OCgov.com.

Starting on February 8, 2013, the Sheriff’s Department will be accepting applications and required supplemental information on a continuous basis until the needs of the department are met. Please be advised that this recruitment may close at any time without notice.

Deputy Brian Gunsolley, a 13-year veteran of OCSD, was named Laguna Hills Deputy of the Year by his colleagues and recognized by the Laguna Hills City Council.

OCSD has a sophisticated, integrated response plan to act quickly and protect citizens in the event of a local emergency such as an active shooter scenario. The Sheriff's Department offers rapid deployment training on a monthly basis to patrol deputies.

Six weeks after announcing she has breast cancer, OCSD Sheriff Sandra Hutchens is doing very well and remains committed to continuing to work while she undergoes treatment.

Local OCSD School Resource Officers (SROs) are offering parents a 10-week program designed to help them communicate effectively with their teens. While the program targets parents with difficult teens, it is program that would be helpful for any parent. Topics covered by The Parent Project will include argumentative children, improving school attendance and performance issues, and preventing alcohol and drug abuse.

The Parent Project is being offered at the following locations in January and February.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is recruiting for Deputy Sheriff Trainees A written notification of this recruitment is currently posted at http://www.ocgov.com/.

Starting on Friday, January 11, 2013, the Sheriff’s Department will be accepting applications and required supplemental information on a continuous basis until the needs of the department are met. Please be advised that this recruitment may close at any time without notice.

YORBA LINDA, California (January 4, 2013) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will begin providing law enforcement services for the city of Yorba Linda on Saturday, January 5 at 12:00 a.m. (0000 hours).

The new Yorba Linda Police Services will be responsible for the protection of citizens, the enforcement of laws, and crime prevention. Yorba Linda is the thirteenth city to contract police services with the Sheriff’s Department.

SANTA ANA, California (January 3, 2013) - The Winter Holiday Anti-DUI crackdown has ended and resulted in a significant number of DUI arrests from the sobriety checkpoints, special saturation patrols and routine patrols in Orange County’s “Avoid the 38 ” DUI Campaign.

From 12:01 a.m. on Friday, December 14 through midnight on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 officers representing 38 county law enforcement agencies arrested 971 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Last year, 836 DUI arrests occurred during the same time period. For the second year in a row, no DUI related deaths were reported in Orange County during the 19-day period. (NOTE: These numbers are only provisional with some agencies yet to report.)

• Bring only what you need in your handbag or wallet, such as your driver’s license, money and one credit card. Don’t take other valuables you might normally carry.
• While its fun to share where you are on social media sites, be aware you are publicly alerting others that you are not at home.

Darryn L. Robins was a seven-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Darryn graduated from Sheriffs Academy Class 73 on May 27, 1986, and was assigned to the Central Jail where he worked for the next four years. Supervisors in the jail saw him as extremely competent and able to interact equally well with both inmates and peers.

1. Please remember to always lock your vehicle and remove all of your valuable property, especially your holiday gifts. Vehicle burglaries occur during this season because many people drop off their purchased gifts to their vehicle and go back into the store for more shopping, leaving their vehicles and gifts unattended.

Click Here to view the top 5 reasons to “Like” our page.

Kid Entrepreneurs Come to the Aid of Hurricane Sandy Victims with Team Kids LemonAIDTM Restore America!