Orange County deputy convicted in lobster-poaching case

An Orange County sheriff's deputy was convicted today for falsely claiming a fellow off-duty deputy was a confidential informant to protect him from being cited for lobster poaching.

Deputy Phillip Glenn Romero, 39, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer, prosecutors said.

Romero was sentenced to 100 hours of community service, 18 months of probation and was ordered to pay $1,700 in restitution, fines and donations, including a payment to a preservation fund of the California Department of Fish and Game. He also was ordered to write a letter of apology to the state agency, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

Deputy William Robb, 39, is charged with one misdemeanor count each of possessing an excessive number of spiny lobsters and possessing undersized spiny lobsters, prosecutors said. If convicted, Robb faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Dec. 17 at the Santa Ana courthouse.

Robb, who was off-duty, allegedly had a bucket with 13 undersized lobsters when he was questioned in November 2008 at the Dana Point harbor by a state game warden. At that point, prosecutors said, Romero arrived in uniform and realized that the agent had not identified Robb.

Prosecutors said Romero told the agent that he did not want Robb identified because he was a confidential informant for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

--Robert J. Lopez

Assemblyman changes mind, asks governor to stop O.C. fairgrounds sale

An Orange County assemblyman has joined other local politicians who have changed their minds about selling the Orange County fairgrounds to help balance the state budget.

In a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today, Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) said that while he had voted for the July bill that authorized the state to sell the fairgrounds, a public hearing he held in Costa Mesa with fellow Assemblyman Van Tran (R-Garden Grove) last month raised serious concerns that convinced him it should be halted.

"The process for carrying out this sale has been tainted by misinformation, misrepresentations, conflicts of interests, questionable legal and ethical activities, and a potential constitutional barrier regarding the sale of the property," Solorio wrote.

Solorio also introduced legislation today that would repeal the law that prompted the sale, according to a news release.

Solorio's letter comes a week after the Orange County Board of Supervisors, which had initially backed selling the fairgrounds to a local agency or nonprofit, approved a resolution asking the governor to cancel the sale.

With a bidding deadline of Jan. 8 approaching, the governor-appointed fair board has formed a nonprofit foundation to try to purchase the property, but local activists have mounted a campaign to keep the fair from being sold.

-- Tony Barboza in Orange County

Small quake hits off Laguna Beach coast

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake hit off the coast of Orange County this afternoon.

The small temblor caused no damage or injuries and occurred about 11 miles off the coast of Dana Point and about 12 miles from Laguna Beach, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake occurred about 2:14 p.m., and it remains unclear whether it was felt on land.

-- Shelby Grad

O.C. school bus driver convicted of molesting three girls

An Orange County school bus driver was convicted today of molesting and taking pornographic photos of three girls.

A jury found Terry Shields, 54, of Buena Park guilty of 15 felony child sex and kidnapping charges for assaulting the girls, ages 5, 7, and 11 when the crimes occurred between 2000 and 2004.

Shields met two of the girls while driving a bus for the Los Alamitos School District. The third he kidnapped in 2004, luring the 7-year-old on her way to school into the trunk of his car by promising her a trip to Disneyland.

He was arrested in 2006 after an employee caught him looking at child pornography on a computer at a Bellflower cyber café.

Authorities seized thousands of pornographic images of unidentified children, infants and toddlers from Shields and identified three of the victims from the images. In his car they found sexual paraphernalia, photographic equipment and lures for children, including toys and candy.

Shields faces a maximum of 207 years to life in state prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 24.

--Tony Barboza

Authorities arrest Mexican national for allegedly kidnapping 4-year-old girl

Federal authorities said today they have arrested a Mexican national who is accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old girl he had been paid to smuggle into the United States.

Emanuel De La Costa-Valdiva was arrested Thanksgiving Day after he took the girl into the U.S. and then refused to give her to her mother, according to agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Mother and child were reunited the same day, and the child was unhurt.

De La Costa, 32, has been charged with human trafficking, kidnapping and extortion and is currently at the Orange County Jail awaiting his initial appearance in court, according to a statement by ICE officials.

The mother, also a Mexican national, is expected to stay in the United States to serve as a witness for the prosecution.

Anaheim Hills fire 90% contained [Updated]

A wind-driven fire near Anaheim Hills that has burned 80 acres and had been expected to be fully contained Wednesday night is still burning, but authorities expect to have it out early today.

The fire was 90% contained as of 8 a.m., said Capt. Greg McKeown of the Orange County Fire Authority. No homes have been evacuated and no structures damaged. There was a minor eye injury to one firefighter last night.

There are about 65 firefighters battling the blaze, which was reported at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, McKeown said.

Firefighters are currently in mop-up and are checking for remaining hot spots, McKeown said. There are no helicopters on the scene.

[Updated 4:30 p.m.: The fire was fully contained at 12:47 p.m. today with about 80 acres burned, McKeown said. All units have been released to go home.]

Orange County officials were concerned that dry, hot winds could push the fire toward homes, but McKeown said that fear had subsided as full containment of the fire neared.

-- Baxter Holmes

Former LAPD officer arrested for allegedly burglarizing Orange County church

A former Los Angeles Police Department officer who tried to evade deputies was arrested after allegedly burglarizing Saddleback Church in Orange County, KTLA News is reporting.

Charles Mottern, 45, of Irvine, was Tasered after he allegedly tried to flee from Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies, who were investigating reports of property stolen from the church,  according to authorities quoted by the station.

Mottern had been working at the church since August 2008 as a security guard, sheriff's officials say. Church officials reportedly noticed that items began disappearing, including cameras, computers and radios after Mottern had been hired.

Last Thursday, security guards at the church interrupted a burglary in progress and saw a suspect flee in a black BMW.

Sheriff's investigators, who were alerted by the church, obtained a search warrant for Mottern's home. They saw him driving a black BMW. He was Tasered after he fled in his car, parked the vehicle and then tried to escape on foot, authorities said.

Mottern was booked Tuesday on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property, evading arrest and resisting arrest, authorities said. It was unclear when he worked for the LAPD.

--Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Charles Mottern. Credit: KTLA.

Anaheim Hills fire nearly contained but crews will be on alert over weekend

Firefighters have nearly encircled a wildfire near Anaheim Hills but will be beefing up units during the Thanksgiving weekend because of the warm weather forecast.

The blaze, which broke out Tuesday night near the 241 toll road, was 90% contained this evening, with full containment expected Thursday, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

The fire charred 80 acres on the east side of the tollway near Windy Ridge Road. The cause was under investigation.

The blaze was whipped by gusty winds that blew through the hills. But ground crews, aided by water-dropping helicopters, were able to stop the flames from jumping the highway and burning toward populated areas.

The fire authority will be staffing each 24-hour shift through Monday with 11 additional firefighters, two water tankers and an on-call incident management team.

Gusty northeast winds of up to 45 mph and low relative humidity across much of Southern California were  expected to continue through Thursday, the National Weather Service said.  Temperatures will reach the low 80s in valley areas and 70s along the coast.

Conditions will cool down beginning Friday, but the area could warm up again and experience dry northerly winds Sunday, the weather service said.

--Robert J. Lopez

View Anaheim Hills Fire in a larger map

Newport Beach police seek man in sexual assault of 15-year-old boy

Newport Beach police are searching for a man who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy at knife point in a restroom.

The attacker was sitting at a picnic table at the Dunes RV Resort near Jamboree Road and Black Bay Drive on Friday when he saw the boy enter the restroom, the Newport Beach Police Department said today.

The man followed the boy inside and sexually assaulted him about 5:45 p.m, police said.

The attacker is described as white, 20 to 30 years old, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 180 pounds. He had a beard in the shape of an inverted triangle and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, khaki cargo pants, brown leather belt, silver ring and black gloves, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call (800) 550-NBPD or the detective detail at (949) 644-3790.

--Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Composite of the attacker. Credit: Newport Beach Police Department

Wildfire near Anaheim Hills should be nearly contained tonight

A wind-driven fire near Anaheim Hills has burned 80 acres, and crews expect to have it nearly contained tonight.

The fire was 15% contained this morning, but that number has since risen and officials expect it to reach 90% by 6 p.m., said Polly Bowen, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

No homes have been evacuated, no structures damaged and no injuries have been reported, Bowen said. There are about 110 firefighters battling the fire, which was reported about 10 p.m. Tuesday. Helicopters had been fighting the blaze through the night and for most of today, but they have been called back.

Orange County fire officials were concerned that dry, hot winds could push the fire toward homes. Winds are gusting at 10 to 15 mph, with gusts of 25 mph expected to continue until Thursday morning, Bowen said.

Brea woman saves spare change to buy bikes for Marine families at Christmas

Penny Nelson wanted to do something nice for someone at Christmas.

Last year, she saved her change to buy a bike for a needy child. But when friends, family and her Bible study group heard what she was doing, that one bike turned into 40.

This year, they did it again. Today, the 65-year-old Brea homemaker handed over 76 bikes to the Marine Corps for families at Camp Pendleton.

“It’s really an outreach to say thank you for what they are doing for our country,” Nelson said.

Marine Sgt. Lauren Freudenburg was speechless this morning when she saw all the bikes stacked in boxes in Nelson’s yard.

“I don’t think there’s any words,” Freudenburg said. “We are very thankful for her helping out -- and the community helping her.”

Fire near Anaheim Hills 15% contained, 60 acres burned

A wind-driven fire near Anaheim Hills has consumed 60-plus acres as more than 200 firefighters work to keep it from reaching homes.

The fire was 15% contained as of 8:20 a.m. No structures were burned and there were no evacuations, said Tasha Schilling, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Authority. The 241 Toll Road was closed, but it reopened shortly before 6 a.m., according to the CHP.

The fire was reported at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, prompting Los Angeles County fire officials to dispatch a Firehawk helicopter, similar to the military's Blackhawk, for night water drops. Two water-dropping helicopters, one from L.A. County, the other from Orange County, remain on scene.

Big rig overturns on 91 Freeway in Fullerton [Updated]

An overturned big rig on the 91 Freeway in Fullerton this morning has shut down the transition road to the 57 Freeway.

The big rig overturned about 6:20 a.m. on the transition road from the eastbound 91 Freeway to the northbound 57 Freeway. No one was injured and no fuel was spilled, said CHP Officer Gabe Montoya of the California Highway Patrol.

The transition road is closed until further notice as crews work to upright the truck, Montoya said.

[Updated at 10:19 a.m.: The transition road remains closed. As crews were moving the big rig, its load shifted and now workers are having to unload the trailer, which is carrying pallets of wood flooring, Montoya said.]

-- Baxter Holmes

Anaheim Hills fire burns 60 acres; firefighters try to block march toward homes [Updated]

A wind-driven fire near Anaheim Hills has consumed more than 50 acres as more than 150 firefighters work to prevent it from reaching homes.

As of 3 a.m., the fire was 10% contained and had not burned any structures. But the 241 Toll Road remained closed, and officials at the Orange County Fire Authority were concerned that dry, hot winds could push the fire toward homes.

[Updated at 6:45 a.m.: The 241 Toll Road reopened shortly before 6 a.m., according to the CHP. As of 6:30 a.m., the fire had burned 60 acres and was 10% contained, said Orange County Fire Authority spokeswoman Polly Bowen.]

The fire was moving south, away from developments in Orange and Anaheim Hills.

Authorities asked Los Angeles County officials to dispatch a helicopter for night water drops. The Firehawk helicopter, similar to the military's Blackhawk, holds 1,000 gallons of water and was to begin attacking the blaze overnight, officials said. Firefighters in the engine company will be used to set up a heliport and fill the copter with water between drops, said Capt. Frank Reynoso of the L.A. County Fire Department.

[Updated at 6:45 a.m.: The 241 Toll Road reopened shortly before 6 a.m., according to the CHP. As of 6:30 a.m., the fire had burned 60 acres and was 10% contained, said Orange County Fire Authority spokeswoman Polly Bowen.]

The fire was moving south, away from developments in Orange and Anaheim Hills.

Authorities asked Los Angeles County officials to dispatch a helicopter for night water drops. The Firehawk helicopter, similar to the military's Blackhawk, holds 1,000 gallons of water and was to begin attacking the blaze overnight, officials said. Firefighters in the engine company will be used to set up a heliport and fill the copter with water between drops, said Capt. Frank Reynoso of the L.A. County Fire Department.

Wildfire spreads along 241 toll road just east of Anaheim Hills [Updated]

Firefighters continued to battle a wind-whipped wildfire in the hills just east of Anaheim Hills tonight as the California Highway Patrol shut down the 241 toll road near the Windy Ridge exit, according to authorities.

[Updated 11:43 p.m.: A water-dropping helicopter and fire engine are being dispatched by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, officials said.

The Firehawk helicopter, similar to the military's Blackhawk, holds 1,000 gallons of water and will begin attacking the blaze tonight, officials said. Firefighters in the engine company will be used to set up a heliport and fill the copter with water between drops, said Capt. Frank Reynoso of the county Fire Department.

Wildfire breaks out in Anaheim Hills area [Updated]

Firefighters in Orange County were scrambling to respond to a wind-whipped wildfire that erupted tonight near Anaheim Hills, south of the 91 Freeway. Authorities were beginning to close down the 241 Toll Road as the fire approached.

[Updated 10:22 p.m.: Crews were hoping to keep the blaze confined to the east side of the freeway, fire officials said. Ground crews were trying to lay hose lines to beat back the flames on its flanks.

"It's got some potential to spread," said Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Orange County and other regions of Southern California. Winds were expected to gust as high as 50 mph, with relative humidity in the single digits, the Weather Service said.]

-- Monte Morin and Robert Lopez

L.A. gets $60-million stimulus grant for 'smart grid' electric power system

The federal government today awarded Los Angeles a $60-million grant to help modernize the city’s electrical power system.

The money will be used for “smart grid" demonstration projects at USC and UCLA. The projects will allow the city’s Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal utility in the nation, to use advanced meters and other technology at the universities to chart how power is being consumed, forecast demand and potential outages, and seek ways to reduce energy use.

The projects will include efforts to integrate plug-in hybrid electric vehicles onto the grid.
 
The grant is among $620 million that the U.S. Department of Energy awarded for demonstration projects across the country and is funded by the federal stimulus program.

“We’ve said from the beginning that much of what we’re doing here in Los Angeles can and will be replicated nationally," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said during a morning news conference with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis at Los Angeles Trade and Technical College.

Southern California Edison Co. received a $40-million grant for a smart grid demonstration project in Irvine. Edison also received a $24.9-million grant to test utility-scale lithium-ion batteries to store energy from windmills in Tehachapi.
 
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. received a $25-million grant to test underground “compressed air energy storage" near Bakersfield.

-- Phil Willon at L.A. City Hall

O.C. supervisors, in reversal, ask governor to cancel fairgrounds sale

The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution today asking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to "immediately cancel the proposed sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds."

The 4-0 vote marks a reversal from July, when the board approved a resolution in favor of selling the fairgrounds to a local government agency or nonprofit. Supervisor Chris Norby was absent for today's action.

The governor earlier this year proposed liquidating half a dozen state properties to raise funds to help ease California's budget crisis, and the state put the 150-acre Costa Mesa site on the auction block last month, giving bidders a deadline of Jan. 8.

Supervisor John Moorlach said the board initially supported the sale because they thought the terms would allow it to be sold to a local nonprofit or government.

But since then, state officials have indicated through auction documents and letters that they want to maximize profit, possibly by selling the land as something other than a fairgrounds, and that has fueled speculation that it could be sold into private hands and developed.

"It's creating so much aggravation that the easiest way to keep the fairgrounds a fairgrounds — which was our overarching goal — is just to cancel the sale," Moorlach said.

But that doesn't mean the county doesn't have a Plan B: Like the city of Costa Mesa and a nonprofit formed by the governor-appointed fair board, the county is exploring making a bid of its own for the property.

After all, quipped Moorlach, "The governor doesn't always do what we ask."

--Tony Barboza in Orange County

O.C. man arrested in $4.7-million gold mine scheme

An Orange County man has been arrested and charged with bilking an elderly couple out of nearly $5 million in a phony gold mine scheme, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

John Arthur Walthall, 54, of Laguna Beach was indicted in October on nine counts of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges for allegedly conning a couple in their 80s from Laguna Niguel into investing more than $4.7 million in a partnership to extract gold from old mines in the Imperial Valley, Nevada and Brazil.

He told the couple he had invested more than $3 million of his own money in more than a decade worth of researching the gold extraction process. By investing in Advanced Recycling General Partners, Waltham told the couple they would receive a salary and get to approve expenses.

But prosecutors allege Walthall used the money for personal expenses, including alimony, child support payments, rent and an eHarmony.com account. He also used the money to make a $10,000 payment to a film school for his son and to buy a hyperbaric oxygen chamber worth $60,000.

FBI agents arrested Walthall last week at a friend's home in La Habra, where he was staying.  They found $500,000 in gold coins under his bed and seized three vehicles he allegedly bought with the victims' money: two Ford Excursions and a Ford 450 pickup truck.

If convicted on all charges, Walthall faces a maximum penalty of 150 years in federal prison, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office said.

He is being held without bond until Dec. 7, when he is scheduled to be arraigned.

-- Tony Barboza in Orange County

Photo: Gold seized by federal authorities. Credit: FBI

White supremacist gang member in Orange County sentenced to death

A white supremacist gang member in Orange County was sentenced to death today for his involvement in the murder of a fellow gang member who had divulged gang secrets on television, authorities said.

Billy Joe Johnson, 46, was convicted last month of assisting two other men  in the March 2002 murder of Scott Miller, a founding member of the gang, the Orange County district attorney’s office said in a  statement.  Miller was featured in a Fox News broadcast a year earlier that focused on a criminal case against known leaders of the gang.

Fellow gang members were offended by his actions, prosecutors said. Although Miller’s voice and face were disguised during the television broadcast, other gang members were able to identify him by his tattoos.

Gang members Michael Allen Lamb, 35, and Jacob Anthony Rump, 34, were also convicted for their role in the murder.  Last year, Lamb was sentenced to death in the case, and in 2007 Rump received a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

-- Baxter Holmes

Photo: Billy Joe Johnson. Credit: Daily Pilot

Man found shot to death in his car in Santa Ana

Santa Ana police have launched a homicide investigation after finding a man with a fatal gunshot wound in the driver's seat of his car today.

Raul Pina, 24, was discovered by family members at 5:15 a.m. in his car at 1265 S. Hallady St., Cmdr. Ruben Ibarra of the Santa Ana Police Departments said. Pina was shot in the head.

Ibarra said the car did not appear to be broken into, suggesting the shooting was not related to another crime.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call homicide detectives at (714) 245-8390.

--Baxter Holmes

O.C. transit agency finalizes another round of deep cuts in service

Orange County transit officials today announced another round of major cuts to bus service — including the elimination of several routes — to offset a projected budget shortfall of more than $330 million over the next five years.

The latest cuts, which take effect in March, will eliminate 150,000 bus-service hours. Since September 2008, the Orange County Transportation Authority has reduced bus service by 20% — a total of 383,000 annual bus-service hours — because of the budget shortfall.

Beyond eliminating routes, the cuts will result in shortened routes, fewer stops, longer waits between buses and the elimination of the agency’s popular Night Owl service. In January, the agency raised fares to $1.50 from $1.25 for a single ride.

The eliminated routes are: 62, which runs from Huntington Beach to Santa Ana; 74, Fountain Valley to Irvine; 75, Tustin to Newport Beach; 131, Yorba Linda to Orange; 147, Brea to Santa Ana; and 164, Seal Beach to Westminster.

A complete list of cuts can be found on the agency’s website at www.octa.net/marchchange.

-- Paloma Esquivel in Orange County

Search for lost paraglider in Newport Beach may have been sparked by false claim

A search for a lost paraglider in Newport Beach may be called off this morning because authorities suspect the initial report may have been a false claim.

The search began after a woman contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 5:30 p.m. Sunday and reported a paraglider was missing in the Pacific Ocean one mile west of 36th Street in Newport Beach, said Lt. Tyler Stutin of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The U.S. Coast Guard then dispatched a helicopter, a cutter and a utility boat to begin the search that lasted through the night.

However, when the woman was contacted by the Newport Beach Police Department, she said she heard the story secondhand from a group of surfers. Stutin said they are now considering the search a "suspected false claim."

Nothing has been found so far, Stutin said. The helicopter will be sent out to do a final search early this morning, but if nothing turns up, they will "suspend the entire operation," he said.

-- Baxter Holmes

O.C. man gives $10,000 to South L.A. church destroyed by fallen tree

An Orange County businessman donated $10,000 today to Pilgrim Community Church in South Los Angeles, where gusty winds blew a 90-foot pine tree onto the roof of the small church, destroying the building.

The donation was delivered about 11 a.m. by Pastor Matt Olthoff of the Mariners Church in Newport Beach. A church member made the donation but requested anonymity, Olthoff said.

Pilgrim church member Lorraine Cook-Curry, whose grandfather the Rev. Henry Cook founded the small, white church, accepted the money.

“I was expecting $10 or $100,” Cook-Curry said in a telephone interview. “But then I saw one too many zeros, and I almost went over the rail.”

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Parts of the eastbound 91 Freeway near the Orange and Riverside county border will be closed early next week while some lanes are restriped to accommodate construction. The closures will occur on the express lanes and the regular lanes from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday and Tuesday.

The freeway will remain open during peak hours.

The actual construction project will widen six miles of the eastbound 91 Freeway between the 241 and 71 freeways. The project is expected to be completed near the end of 2010. It is intended to ease congestion on the 91 Freeway near Coal Canyon Road.

-- Baxter Holmes