A man suspected of sparking the destructive Holy Fire has pleaded not guilty to arson charges at his arraignment Wednesday.

Forrest Gordon Clark spoke little during his third court appearance in Orange County, in which a public defender entered the plea on his behalf.

The attorney, Nicole Parness, asked that Clark be released on his own recognizance, saying in court that she had received a police report from the government indicating a possible second "viable" suspect in the case.

Her assertion was disputed by the prosecutor, who said there’s no credible evidence to show that another individual started the wildfire, which burned nearly 23,000 acres – roughly 35 square miles – in Orange and Riverside counties last August.

A judge ruled that Clark’s bail would remain at $1 million.

The arraignment took place after a third psychiatric evaluation showed the defendant to be competent.

Clark was first ordered to undergo a mental exam back in August, when he acted erratically and made rambling statements in court, telling the judge at one point that he "comprehended" the charges against him but "did not understand" them.

A third exam -- the deciding tie-breaker -- demonstrated he was competent to face arson charges stemming from the Holy Fire, the Desert Sun reported.

The suspect was arrested on Aug. 7, the day after the blaze ignited and burned through the Holy Jim area, where Clark lived. His cabin was the only one of 14 still standing in the aftermath, the Orange County Register reported.

Clark had apparently been involved in a long-running dispute with a neighbor, as well as other cabin owners in the Trabuco Canyon area. Weeks before the fire erupted, he sent a text message to the chief of the Holy Jim Volunteer Fire Department predicting the area would burn, the Times reported.

Speaking to reporters after the arraignment, Parness cast doubt on the text in question, saying records are being looked at to see if such a text was ever sent. She noted it hasn’t been located yet in cellphone record.

Orange County District Attorney Jake Jondle, however, dismissed the notion that the wrong suspect is being prosecuted, citing a combination of text messages, audio recording of threats that were made, and the proximity to the events.

“It was brought up as a thought or an alternative theory on the case,” he told reporters. “As far as possible additional suspect, there’s no credible evidence to suggest that is the case. We’re confident that Forrest Clark is the correct suspect.”

He confirmed that investigators are still processing incoming evidence, including cellphone downloads and evidence that were obtained through search warrants.

Clark has been charged with multiple counts of felony arson, criminal threats, and resisting and deterring an executive officer.

Parness maintained her client’s innocence, saying the report deserves a closer look.

“It should be paid attention to, it should be listened to and it should be taken very seriously,” she said.

Clark faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on all charges, though he would be eligible for parole, according to Jondle.

Wednesday's court appearance marked the fourth time an arraignment was scheduled for Clark.

The first two tries were postponed, once because he refused to leave his jail cell, and the second after he made somewhat contradictory statements and appeared to exhibit bizarre behavior.

And it was during the third that the judge ordered Clark to go undergo the evaluation.

The defendant's next scheduled court appearance is on Dec. 20.

Accused of gunning down two fast food restaurant employees in 1991, a 45-year-old man was arraigned Tuesday in connection with the cold case killings in Santa Ana.

Alejandro Galindo Dominguez faces murder charges that were filed last week — 27 years after he allegedly robbed a Der Wienerschnitzel and fatally shot two employees, 28-year-old Andres Bello and 18-year-old Juan Cabral, according to prosecutors.

The July 23, 1991 shooting went unsolved for decades until Dominguez turned himself in to Border Patrol Agents. Prosecutors described him as a resident of Mexico at the time of his arrest.

Dominguez will appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 24 at Santa Ana’s Central Justice Center.

If convicted of the two murder charges and sentencing enhancement for committing a murder during a robbery, multiple murders and personal use of a firearm, Dominguez could receive a maximum sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole.

A woman was charged on Friday with multiple felony counts after she allegedly masqueraded as the wife of a firefighter on the front lines of the Holy Fire to scam people into giving her donations, officials said.

San Juan Capistrano resident Ashley Bemis, 28, appeared wide-eyed with her blonde hair half up as she entered a not guilty plea during her Friday morning court appearance in Santa Ana.

Bemis was arrested Tuesday following a three-month investigation into allegations that the photos she shared to social media alongside her firefighter husband with captions soliciting donations were faked and actually just a ploy to collect money meant for recovery efforts and keep it for herself.

The suspected arson blaze took more than a month to fully contain after it broke out Aug. 6. It ultimately consumed more than 23,000 acres across Orange and Riverside counties, largely in the Cleveland National Forest, and destroyed 18 buildings.

In addition to discovering that Bemis took in more than $2,000 and items like water and camping equipment that she kept for herself, investigators uncovered evidence that she had previously faked pregnancies in an effort to get money, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.

Her fictitious husband allegedly helped her garner donations from stores and companies as well as individuals.

She had been arrested on suspicion of felony grand theft, second-degree burglary, witness intimidation and making false financial statements.

Bemis is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 8

Inmate records showed the defendant was being held at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. Officials had previously said her bail was set at $50,000.

A part-time birthday party clown was sentenced to 38 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in Huntington Beach, Orange County Superior Court records show.

Gualberto Torres-Vargas, 40, pleaded guilty to one count each of continuous sexual abuse, sodomy by force of a child under 14 years old, performing a lewd act on a child under 14 and forcible rape.

Torres-Vargas was arrested Nov. 19, 2015, by Huntington Beach police officers responding to a child molestation call at a residence.

Prosecutors charged Torres-Vargas with sexually assaulting the girl between Nov. 1, 2014, and Nov. 9, 2015. The 9-year-old told her mother, who notified Huntington Beach police.

Read the full story on LATimes.com. 

Investigators on Wednesday were seeking possible additional victims of a La Habra man accused of assault, kidnapping and possessing a fake law enforcement badge.

Authorities said Camran Abbas Mohammed, 31, approached a woman in her mid-20s sitting alone in a courtyard at Fullerton High School around 2 a.m. on Sept. 29.

He allegedly grabbed her and pulled her to the ground before forcing her toward his vehicle.

The victim managed to escape and alert Fullerton police, who then collected DNA samples from her skin.

In November, officials determined the perpetrator to be Mohammed.

According to officials, La Habra police previously arrested Mohammed in February on suspicion of possessing a forged official seal after conducting a search warrant of his home.

Five days earlier, on Feb. 3, somebody turned in a backpack to La Habra police after finding  it at Imperial Middle School. It contained what appeared to be a law enforcement agent badge that had Mohammed’s photo along with a false name, La Habra police said.

The bag additionally contained Mohammed’s license, credit cards, handcuffs and a stun gun, the agency added.

Mohammed also allegedly possessed at his residence replica handguns, pepper spray, stun guns, rope, zip ties and other binding materials, as well as multiple articles of tactical gear.

It was unclear when authorities released Mohammed after the February arrest.

Authorities said they detained him again on Dec. 7, a day after the Orange County District Attorney’s Office charged him with two felony counts of possession of a forged official seal and one felony count each of kidnapping to commit a sex offense and assault with intent to commit a sex offense.

He remained in jail on $1 million bail. His next court appearance was scheduled for Friday.

Anyone who believes he or she may have been victimized by Mohammed can call Supervising Investigator Brad Tanner with the District Attorney’s Office at 714-834-3424.

A 19-year-old woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter in a crash in Tustin that killed two teenagers, one of them her brother.

Josselyn Jazmine Anguiano also was charged with child endangerment by a caretaker. The minors in the car weren’t wearing seat belts, authorities said.

Anguiano was behind the wheel of a small sedan with six passengers crammed inside when she lost control on Legacy Road in March, prosecutors said. She had been speeding up to 75 mph near the District at Tustin Legacy shopping center before her car struck a curb, careened onto its side and crashed into several concrete and steel poles, they said.

One teen was declared dead at the crash site and another — identified as Jason Anguiano, the driver’s brother — died days later in a hospital, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. A third passenger sustained a broken jaw, and another had a fractured pelvis.

Read the full story at LATimes.com.

The owner of a dove release business in Orange County has been charged with making criminal threats against a funeral client, prosecutors said Thursday, after authorities say an arsenal of weapons and Nazi and Confederate paraphernalia were discovered at his home.

Along with some 57 firearms, more than 200 doves were found at the Huntington Beach home of Mitchell Todd on Nov. 27 after he was accused of threatening a man who had hired him for his son’s funeral services, according to police.

The owner of OC Doves, Todd was supposed to release doves at the funeral but never did and then still demanded to be paid, the former customer told police. He allegedly sent threatening texts and voicemails to the victim.

Todd, 52, was charged with a felony count of making criminal threats on Dec. 6 and was arrested on a warrant a week later on Dec. 13, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. He will be arraigned Friday morning.

He faces a maximum possible sentence of three years in state prison if convicted.

According to prosecutors, Todd got into an argument with the funeral client on Nov. 10. A day later, he allegedly left a series of voicemails still demanding to be paid.

On the last voicemail, the sound of “a handgun slide being pulled back and released as if chambering a round” can be heard, the DA’s office said in a news release.

He also sent the funeral client threatening texts, Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jim Cota previously told KTLA.

“One of the messages was, ‘Maybe you need to be where your son’s at,'” Cota said.

When police officers investigated Todd’s home last month, they came across a Confederate flag, Nazi memorabilia and dozens of guns, including rifles and handguns, authorities said.

Nearly 30,000 rounds of ammunition, over 100 magazines, swords, a practice bomb and several body armors were also found, prosecutors said. Only 12 of the guns were registered to him, according to police.

The discovery led to police investigating whether Todd was involved with any hate groups, police said.

“If so, this is somebody that should not be in possession of weapons,” Cota said.

Authorities also investigated the weapons not registered to him.

Meanwhile, hundreds of doves found at the home appeared to be well cared for.

Citing a lack of evidence, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday that it would not file charges against a man who was arrested following a chain-reaction crash in Garden Grove that left a mother and her young daughter dead early New Year's Day.

Melvin Branch, 30, was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI and gross vehicular while intoxicated following the four-car wreck, which occurred on the westbound 22 Freeway near the Valley View Street exit just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

The Orange resident was accused of driving a BMW sedan at "an extremely high rate of speed" when his car rear-ended a Lexus, sending it into a barrier along the right shoulder, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The BMW continued on and then slammed into a 2010 Ford F-150 pickup truck, which overturned and skidded across all lanes of traffic, said CHP Sgt. April Carter.

Both vehicles came to a halt after hitting the guardrail.

A fourth car -- a Mazda sedan -- struck the pickup and crashed into the center divider.

Jolene Gardner and Payton Castillo are seen in an undated photo posted to a GoFundMe page.

The chain-reaction crash killed the two occupants of the pickup truck, 33-year-old Jolene Gardner and her 9-year-old daughter Payton Castillo, according to the Orange County coroner's office.

They were headed home to Hawthorne after attending a New Year's Eve party, according to a GoFundMe account set up to pay for their funerals.

The young girl died at the scene; the mother succumbed to her injuries after being transported to the hospital.

Branch, who sustained minor injuries in the collision, was detained at the scene. While seated in the back of a CHP patrol vehicle, he managed to kick out the window and jump out, according to Carter.

He was recaptured and ultimately placed under arrest after allegedly being found under the influence of alcohol, the sergeant said.

Prosecutors declined to file charges against Branch due to a lack of evidence, but have asked for the incident to be investigated further.

KTLA's Dianne Sanchez contributed to this story. 

A 20-year-old former day care worker in Anaheim convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls, ages 6 and 7, was sentenced 25 years to life on Friday, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Daniel Antonio Martinez of Buena Park pleaded guilty to three counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 and three counts of sexual penetration with a child under 10 years old on Aug. 28, 2018, the DA’s office said in a news release.

Daniel Martinez is seen in a booking photo provided by Anaheim Police officials on Nov. 17, 2016.

Martinez’s sentencing comes more than two years after he was first arrested on Nov. 16, 2016, prosecutors said.

He was employed at a daycare center “in a position of trust with access to children” at the time of the crimes, the DA news release states. Authorities have said the licensed facility was located in the 700 block of South Dale Avenue in Anaheim.

At the time of Martinez’s arrest, police identified the facility as Magusa’s Family Childcare and Preschool. A facility called Magusa’s Family Daycare still holds a website online and is located in Buena Park.

Law enforcement officials first began investigating Martinez after a 6-year-old girl told a family member she was experiencing pain on Nov. 9, 2016, according to prosecutors.

Earlier that day, Martinez had “digitally penetrated the victim,” the news release states.

After the family member reported the assault to Anaheim police, an investigation revealed a 7-year-old girl had also been abused by Martinez, prosecutors said.

One of the mothers of the victims, Lauren Johnson, told KTLA her daughter was examined and there was evidence she had been assaulted.

“There’s no 6-year-old that’s going to make that up,” Johnson said on the day of Martinez’s arrest.

She also said she had been assured her child would be safe, with the daycare center having cameras and holding the legal credentials to be in business.

“But unfortunately she hired someone who was a child predator, who not only assaulted my baby, but other children,” Johnson said.

The grandmother of the other victim, who spoke to KTLA anonymously, said Martinez took the little girl to the bathroom before abusing her.

“I guess that’s when he touched her,” the woman said.

In addition to the charges, Martinez also faced special sentencing enhancements of multiple victims being involved and substantial sexual contact with a child.

No other details were released by the DA’s office.

A man has been rearrested and charged in connection with a suspected DUI crash in Garden Grove that killed a mother and her 9-year-old daughter on New Year’s Day, officials announced Sunday.

Melvin Branch is seen after he was released from custody at the Orange County Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana on Jan. 3, 2019. (Credit: ANG News)

On Thursday, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office cited lack of evidence in declining to file charges against 30-year-old Melvin Cleveland Branch. But a further investigation that prosecutors requested from the California Highway Patrol prompted them to reevaluate the case, the District Attorney’s Office said.

Branch was charged Friday with two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, and one felony count of driving with blood alcohol .08 percent or more causing bodily injury.

The Orange resident was also charged with one misdemeanor count each of resisting or obstructing an officer and assault on a peace officer, with sentencing enhancement allegations for causing bodily injury and death to multiple victims and fleeing the scene of a crime.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Branch surrendered to the CHP in Santa Ana on Sunday morning after officials issued a warrant. He remained in custody on $300,000 bail, inmate county records show.

Officers detained Branch shortly after the crash, which occurred before 1 a.m. on Jan. 1 on the westbound 22 Freeway near the Valley View Street exit, according to CHP.

Branch was allegedly driving a BMW sedan at high speeds when he rear-ended a Lexus, sending it into a barrier on the right shoulder.

The BMW then slammed into a Ford F-150 pickup truck, causing it to overturn and skid across the freeway, CHP Sgt. April Carter previously said.

Jolene Gardner and Payton Castillo are seen in an undated photo posted to a GoFundMe page.

Both vehicles hit the guardrail before coming to a halt. That’s when a fourth car, a Mazda sedan, hit the pickup truck carrying two occupants later identified by the Orange County coroner’s office as 33-year-old Jolene Gardner and her 9-year-old daughter Payton Castillo.

The girl died at the scene, while her mother succumbed to her injuries at a hospital, officials said.

According to a GoFundMe page set up for their family, the mother and daughter were heading home to Hawthorne from a New Year’s Eve party.

Branch suffered minor injuries in the crash. CHP said while he was being detained in the back of a patrol vehicle, Branch kicked the window and jumped out.

Officers ultimately managed to detain him and determine that he was under the influence of alcohol, CHP said. He was released from jail two days later, records show.

Prosecutors said if Branch is convicted as charged, he could face up to 20 years and eight months in state prison. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday morning.

A Santa Ana man is facing four felony charges, including attempted forcible rape, after he was caught on video sexually assaulting a 52-year-old woman at a bus stop, prosecutors said Monday.

Erick Alvarez Hernandez, a 27-year-old Santa Ana resident, was also charged with kidnapping to commit a sex offense, forcible oral copulation and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, Orange County district attorney’s officials said in a news release.

Hernandez was arrested last Thursday in connection with the violent attack that occurred Jan. 5 at a bus station outside the MacArthur Village condo complex at 1000 W. MacArthur Blvd.

The bus stop, near the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Bristol Street, is in a heavily trafficked area with many commercial businesses, and investigators noted numerous motorists drove by during the incident.

The victim was sitting on a bench when Hernandez approached her from behind, wrapped his arms around her neck and pulled her to a secluded area, the DA’s office said.

He then allegedly began punching and sexually assaulting her. Detectives have said there was no exchange of words before the attack was launched.

The suspect in a violent and brazen sexual assault in Santa Ana is seen in a composite sketch a still of surveillance video released by police on Jan. 8, 2019.

Video evidence of the assault was captured by an Orange County transit bus that pulled up as the man identified as Hernandez was still on top of the victim.

The perpetrator can be seen wearing a blue Dallas Cowboys jersey with the number 82. Police said they found a jersey that appears to be identical after searching Hernandez’s home.

Detectives said they were able to identify the 27-year-old as a suspect in part because of his “belligerent behavior” at a nearby Buffalo Wild Wings the night of the assault.

Officials then began surveilling the suspect and arrested him outside his workplace in Irvine.

In addition to the four felony charges, prosecutors are seeking a sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury to a sexual assault victim, as well as sentencing enhancement allegations for kidnapping and inflicting great bodily injury, the DA’s office said.

The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 8.

If convicted as charged, Hernandez could face up to 41 years to life in state prison.

He was being held on $1 million bail at the Central Men’s Jail, inmate records show.

Kevin Konther is seen in an undated booking photo released Jan. 11, 2019, by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

A man accused of raping a 9-year-old girl and 31-year-old woman in Lake Forest in the ’90s was charged in both assaults Monday, along with the sexual abuse of a third victim uncovered during the investigation, prosecutors said.

Kevin Konther, a 53-year-old Highland resident, was arrested last week in the initial two cold-case rapes after being identified through DNA evidence, according to Orange County sheriff’s investigators.

District attorney’s officials did not say that DNA evidence also linked Konther to the third victim, a 12-year-old girl he’s accused of committing lewd acts against on multiple occasions between January 2002 and December 2003. However, Konther was in a position of trust with access to the victim, the agency said in a news release.

The defendant isn’t known to have a prior relationship with the other two victims, who were both attacked in public recreation areas in Lake Forest.

The first incident he’s accused in occurred Oct. 21, 1995, when the 9-year-old girl was walking home at night through Serrano Creek Park after buying school supplies, officials said. Konther allegedly pulled the child into a brush area and forcibly raped her.

The victim ran home naked and reported the incident to her parents, who contacted law enforcement, investigators previously said.

On June 2, 1998, Konther’s accused of grabbing the 31-year-old woman as she was jogging on a trial along El Toro Road and similarly dragging her into bushes, just south of Saddleback Church. He then forced oral copulation on her and raped her before fleeing the scene, prosecutors said.

In both instances, investigators collected DNA evidence that was eventually linked back to Konther. In the 9-year-old’s case, the defendant’s DNA was found on the girl’s body.

The DA’s office initially filed a John Doe warrant in the two rapes in April 2016, but Konther was not identified as a suspect until 2018. Further investigation of those assaults led to the discovery of the third victim, officials said.

Konther has an identical twin brother, and the DNA profile had initially implicated both men. Both were arrested last Thursday at their respective residences in Highland, but further investigation led authorities to release the brother and focus on Konther as their main suspect.

On Monday, Konther was formally charged with two felony counts each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and aggravated sexual assault of a child, and one felony count each of forcible lewd acts upon a child under 14 and lewd acts upon a child under 14.

Prosecutors are also seeking a sentencing enhancement for the allegation that he kidnapped and sexual assaulted multiple victims.

The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, Jan. 17.

If convicted as charged, Konther could face up to 140 years to life in state prison.

He was being held on $1.2 million bail at the Men’s Central Jail, inmate records show.

Prosecutors filed murder and  assault charges Friday against a Marine from San Clemente accused of killing his girlfriend’s 17-month-old daughter at an apartment in Orange earlier this month, authorities said.

Christopher David Recio, 28, entered no plea when he appeared in Orange County Superior Court to face charges of murder and assault on a child likely to produce great bodily injury or death, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a written statement.

“The defendant is accused of murdering 17-month-old Jane Doe in the city of Orange by causing blunt force trauma to the victim’s head,” according to the statement.

The injuries occurred on Jan. 5 at a home in the 3100 block of West Chapman Avenue, Orange Police Department Sgt. Phil McMullin said. Recio, who is described in booking records as a U.S. Marine, was not the child’s father.

Firefighters were first summoned to the apartment about 5:30 p.m. after someone reported the toddler needed medical help, the sergeant said.

Paramedics took the girl to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries the same day, McMullin said.

Details regarding how exactly the girl was injured were not available Friday. But McMullin said through their investigation, detectives determined the incident was not an accident.

“This was an intentional act,” the sergeant said.

Prosecutors declined to discuss the details of the case.

Recio was scheduled to return to court for an arraignment hearing on Feb. 8.

A U.S. Marine sergeant by the same name was honored by the L.A. Galaxy Soccer Team in May as the team’s “Hero of the Game.”

A profile for the honoree stated that he had served eight years with the Marines, including two combat deployments to Afghanistan and two deployments to Japan. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton, serving as a combat instructor in an infantry training battalion.

A Southern California man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of an off-duty firefighter hit by a car while bicycling in November.

Twenty-five-year-old Stephen Scarpa pleaded not guilty Friday in the death of Costa Mesa fire Capt. Mike Kreza, who succumbed to his injuries two days after he was hit in Mission Viejo.

Orange County prosecutors say Scarpa is suspected of driving under the influence of multiple controlled substances when he crossed into a bike lane, onto the sidewalk and hit Kreza.

In a separate case, an O.C. doctor is facing federal drug trafficking charges for allegedly selling Scarpa the powerful narcotics he was believed to be under the influence of at the time of the crash.

Dr. Dzung Ahn Pham, 57, is also linked to Ian David Long, the gunman who killed 12 people in the Borderline Bar & Grill mass shooting in Thousand Oaks. Long was found to be in possession of medication Pham had prescribed someone else, officials said.

Scarpa could face life in prison if convicted. He’s being held on $2 million bail.

The 44-year-old Kreza was married with three daughters.

KTLA’s Erika Martin contributed to this report.

Attorneys for a Newport Beach surgeon and his girlfriend who are accused of drugging and sexually assaulting several women say the allegations against their clients were misrepresented amid a “political showdown” in last year’s race for Orange County district attorney.

In documents filed last week in Orange County Superior Court, attorneys for Dr. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley argued that prosecutors did not thoroughly review videos seized from the defendants before then-Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas contended last year the videos revealed evidence of possibly hundreds of instances of rape.

The videos contain no evidence of rape, the defense attorneys said.

“Despite the lack of any ‘rape videos,’ and despite the lack of any meaningful review of the videos by the prosecutor’s office, the statements that were made set off a frenzy that completely destroyed the integrity of this case and the defendants’ ability to a fair trial,” according to the attorneys.

Read the full story on LATimes.com. 

An Orange County  jury convicted a former fugitive of murder Wednesday for chasing down and fatally shooting a Garden Grove woman after she was involved in a fight with his mother, authorities said.

Nathaniel Joseph Liscano, 22, of Garden Grove was convicted of the Aug. 24, 2016, shooting death of 31-year-old Kellie Louise Nichol in the 13000 block of Purdy Street, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Nichol was described as a Trabuco Canyon resident who had been staying in Garden Grove.

“After a verbal and physical altercation between the victim and the defendant’s mother in front of the residence, the defendant pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the face and chest,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a written statement

“Nichol attempted to run away after the initial shots, but Liscano chased her and shot her three times in the back,” the statement said. He then fled, although the killer’s face was clearly depicted in surveillance camera images obtained by detectives.

Police initially arrested Liscano’s mother and brother in connection with the killing. An update on the status of their cases was not available Wednesday.

Liscano fled to Corpus Christi, Texas, where he was found and arrested by U.S. Marshals in September of 2016, prosecutors said.

He faces up to 50 years to life in state prison when he returns to court for sentencing on March 8.

The Orange County district attorney has ordered an examination of all evidence, including numerous videos, in the case of a Newport Beach surgeon and his girlfriend charged with sexually assaulting seven women.

Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said that after the review, he will determine how to proceed in the case against Dr. Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, whose high-profile prosecutions were launched by Spitzer’s predecessor, Tony Rackauckas.

The move comes after defense attorneys filed a motion for evidence, accusing Rackauckas of recklessly misrepresenting depictions on video of the couple engaged in sexual acts with intoxicated women and claiming his office had not reviewed any materials supporting such inflammatory claims.

The charges and salacious details involving the reality-TV star — including accusations that the doctor drugged and raped his victims — made national headlines, but defense lawyers say forensic experts found no evidence of sexual assault on the videos or people in any state in which they could not consent to sex.

Read the full story on LATimes.com. 

A man pleaded not guilty on Friday to violently raping a woman in a brazen assault caught on surveillance video at a Santa Ana bus stop last month.

Erick Alvarez Hernandez, 27, of Santa Ana, was arraigned on charges of forcible rape, kidnapping to commit a sex offense, forcible oral copulation and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, according to court officials.

The defendant was charged by Orange County prosecutors on Jan. 14 following an investigation into the Jan. 5 attack.

The 52-year-old victim was waiting at a covered bus stop outside the MacArthur Village condo complex at 1000 W. MacArthur Blvd. when Hernandez allegedly approached her from behind and, without exchanging any words, wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her to a secluded area.

He then proceeded to physically and sexually assault her, according to investigators.

An Orange County transit bus pulled up to the bus station during the attack and was able to capture video evidence that shows the perpetrator wearing a blue Dallas Cowboys jersey with the number 82.

The suspect in a violent and brazen sexual assault in Santa Ana is seen in a composite sketch a still of surveillance video released by police on Jan. 8, 2019.

Police said Hernandez was found to be in possession of an identical jersey when he was arrested Jan. 10.

Detectives said they were able to identify the 27-year-old as a suspect in part because of his “belligerent behavior” at a nearby Buffalo Wild Wings the night of the assault.

In addition to the four felony charges, prosecutors are seeking a sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury to a sexual assault victim, as well as sentencing enhancement allegations for kidnapping and inflicting great bodily injury, the district attorney’s office said.

Hernandez is expected to return to court Feb. 20 for a pretrial hearing.

If convicted as charged, he could face up to 41 years to life in state prison.

He was being held on $1 million bail at the Central Men’s Jail, inmate records show.

Authorities on Tuesday continued to investigate a man's death while in custody of Fullerton police, who deployed a "sponge gun" and Tasers after he allegedly broke into a home, caused a street disturbance and attacked three officers.

Fullerton police said the father of the 22-year-old man, whose name has not been released, called the agency's dispatch around 4 p.m. Monday. The parent told authorities that his son was being disruptive, and that the 22-year-old might fight police when they arrive.

Responding officers spoke with the man and his family, who then told police that the son could stay with them and that they could control him.

"They did not want anything done further with the male," an agency statement said.

About an hour and half later, Fullerton police responded to a call about a man acting erratically and screaming at pedestrians in the 200 block of S. Kellogg Avenue.

Witness Josefina Beltran said she heard the man yelling and saw him walking with his hands balled in a fist.

"He was screaming things and walked away down the block and I did not hear him again," she said in Spanish.

According to the Police Department, the officers recognized the man from the earlier incident and similar recent calls. One of the officers also knew him from a Feb. 2 incident in which the 22-year-old allegedly jumped in front a Fullerton Fire Department engine and tried to fight firefighters in the area of Valencia Drive and Magnolia Avenue.

Police responded to the Fire Department's request for help. The officers said they struggled to detain the man, who was found to be in possession of meth. He was eventually detained for a mental health evaluation and hospitalized.

When the Police Department again encountered the 22-year-old on Monday, the man "immediately began to rush the officers," the agency said.

Police fired 40-millimeter "sponge gun" rounds at him, striking him in the torso.

"The less lethal rounds had no effect on the male and he continued to rush at them," the Police Department said in a statement. "Three separate Fullerton Police Officers deployed their tasers, however they had no effect on the male and he continued to rush them. After the sponge gun rounds and three tasers were deployed with no effect, a physical fight ensued."

According to police, three officers sustained various injuries--one officer was hurt in the face, another in the neck and the other in the abdomen. They received treatment at the hospital and have been released.

Police ultimately managed to place the 22-year-old in handcuffs before paramedics arrived to transport him to the hospital, which is standard with Taser deployment, the agency said.

The man allegedly fought the paramedics, who reported giving him a sedative after receiving permission from the hospital.

Police said after the 22-year-old calmed down, he stopped breathing at some point on the way to the medical center.

He was pronounced dead in the emergency room.

Following the man's encounter with police on Monday, investigators said they determined that the man had broken into a neighbor's home 20 minutes before the officers arrived.

Surveillance video shows a man violently punching a door as a woman screams.

The victim fled the residence. Her husband said he called police on the man for his behavior the previous month.

"He was basically looking for trouble, trying to fight someone," he said. "It's pretty scary for my kids."

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the case.

Anyone with information can contact the Fullerton police at 714-738-6776. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or visit http://www.p3tips.com/913.

More than a decade ago, an audit uncovered that the executive director of a Santa Ana charter school had funneled millions in state funds to several businesses he owned.

After being extradited from Spain, Emilio Vazquez arrived in Orange County recently to face decade-old felony charges that include misappropriation of public funds, forgery and grand theft, the Orange County district attorney’s office said Wednesday.

Vazquez served as the executive director of Albor Charter School from 2002 to 2006. Allegations of questionable spending, fiscal mismanagement and conflicts of interest led the Santa Ana Unified School District to revoke Albor’s charter in 2005.

Although a legal battle allowed the school to stay open for the next school year, Vazquez closed Albor in March 2006 without notice to students or staff.

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