Tag: Orange County District Attorney

Man Faces 200 Years in Prison for Thanksgiving Shooting in Costa Mesa

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 42-year-old man was convicted May 9 of opening fire on a pickup full of six men in a road-rage dispute in Costa Mesa on Thanksgiving Day that killed one and wounded four. Lee Queuon Walker was convicted of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. Jurors took about two hours to…


19 Year-Old Who Killed His Mother Charged With Making a Shank in Jail

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 19-year-old Garden Grove man who stabbed his mother to death when he was 13 years old, pleaded not guilty Dec. 22 to making a shank while in jail, according to officials. Ike Souzer was indicted on single felony counts each of possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner and a prisoner manufacturing…


Orange County DA Launches Anti-Street Racing Campaign With Fast & Furious Actors

Gene Hambrecht died in 2020 after the truck he was driving got in the path of two cars illegally racing in Santa Ana, California. His wife, Pat Buchanan, told a throng of reporters April 29 that the last time she saw her husband alive was as she was heading out from their home to pick…


Orange County Holds 14th Annual Crime Victims Rally

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Tucked between the offices of the Orange County District Attorney and Sheriff’s Department, victims and survivors of crime were honored April 25 during the 14th Annual Orange County Crime Victims Rally. “We have victims who passed, and we have victims who are alive today … who have to live with the grief every…


Kelly Ernby, Deputy DA and Former Orange County Assembly Candidate, Dies at 46

Orange County Deputy District Attorney Kelly Ernby, 46, who ran for California State Assembly in 2020, has died, it was reported Jan. 3. The Huntington Beach resident’s passing was met with condolences from her colleagues. “Kelly was an incredibly vibrant and passionate attorney who cared deeply about the work that we do as prosecutors –…


Kelly Ernby, Orange County Deputy DA and Former Assembly Candidate, Dies at 46

Orange County Deputy District Attorney Kelly Ernby, 46, who ran for California State Assembly in 2020, has died, it was reported Jan. 3. The Huntington Beach resident’s passing was met with condolences from her colleagues. “Kelly was an incredibly vibrant and passionate attorney who cared deeply about the work that we do as prosecutors –…


Orange County DA to Charge Drug Dealers With Murder If Fentanyl Kills Victim

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced Nov. 9 that his office will now be charging convicted drug dealers with murder if they manufacture or sell drugs that result in someone dying. The move comes as fatal fentanyl poisonings have skyrocketed across Orange County and the United States over the last few years….


Orange County District Attorney Slams Inmate Firefighting Program

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer on July 8 called for reforms in the firefighting program for state prison inmates in response to one inmate’s joyriding spree in a Cal Fire truck on the Fourth of July. Cameron Zoltan Horvath, 31, is accused of going off-roading in a stolen fire truck after leaving…


Fire Authorities Warn of Illegal Fireworks Dangers

Independence Day celebrations are never complete without colorful nighttime explosions, but authorities in Orange County, Calif. say lighting firework is no job for amateurs. The improper use of fireworks could spark blazes as the state enters into fire season, said Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. “To avoid the risk of fireworks and enjoy…


Former Irvine Officer Pleads Guilty to Overtime Pay Scam

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A former Irvine police officer pleaded guilty June 23 and was immediately sentenced to a year in jail for stealing about $68,000 by putting in for overtime he never worked. Matthew Christian August, 49, of Aliso Viejo, was also placed on three years of formal probation upon pleading guilty to 34 felony counts…