A sudden increase of near-drowning calls has raised concern among safety officials, who are asking residents to be extra vigilant as the warm summer months approach. So far this year, the Orange County Fire Authority has responded to eight near-drowning calls, said Capt. Marc Stone. Six of those incidents were reported in the past week. The Orange County Fire Authority hosted “Splashing Into Summer" in June 2011, a demonstration on water safety, at Waterworks Aquatics in Irvine in this file photo. Hayden Round, 9, played the role of a drowning victim.MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ADVERTISEMENT All of the victims during the past week were 12 years old or younger, Fire Authority officials said. Not all of the incidents have involved swimming pools. On ... Continue reading →

WESTMINSTER – Jenna Jameson was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of drunken driving, police said. About 12:45 a.m., police received a 911 call reporting a vehicle that crashed into a light pole at Springdale Street and Westminster Boulevard, Westminster police Officer Rachel Archambault said. Porn star Jenna Jameson gets ready to snap a picture at Affliction's “Day of Reckoning” martial arts, boxing event at the Honda Center. THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ADVERTISEMENT Officers found Jameson, a former porn actress, showing signs of intoxication. Officers conducted a field sobriety test and arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence, Archambault said. Jameson suffered minor injuries, but refused medical treatment. She was booked at the Westminster City Jail and was later cited and released. Contact ... Continue reading →

The Fullerton police officers charged with beating to death a mentally ill homeless man were given a video of the confrontation and allowed to compose their statements despite initial orders that they stay on scene and speak in person to investigators. Acting Chief Dan Hughes said that decision "compromised, or at least damaged, the public's trust and confidence in the process." He said he could recall no other time when officers who had used force were allowed to review a video of their actions as they wrote their reports. Capt. Dan Hughes, the acting chief of police in Fullerton, speaks about his views on the department's reaction to the death of Kelly Thomas. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ADVERTISEMENT But even as the officers ... Continue reading →

ANAHAEIM – A 51-year-old Fullerton man was struck and killed by a Metrolink train in Anaheim, police said. Police were called about 10:10 p.m. Thursday to the southbound tracks between La Palma Avenue and Sycamore Street, Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said. Officers found a man on the tracks. The man, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene, Dunn said. The passenger train was en route from Fullerton to Oceanside. The 800 block of Sycamore was closed in both directions for several hours as police investigated the fatality. "The investigation is continuing as to what exactly happened that caused the collision," Dunn said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was also involved in the investigation, as is standard practice for ... Continue reading →

SANTA ANA – A gang member was convicted of shooting a man in the head after walking out of a house party two years ago. A jury convicted 31-year-old Fernando Nanda Torres Thursday of first-degree murder with a sentencing enhancement of gang activity. The Santa Ana man could face 50 years to life in prison. Fernando Torres.BOOKING PHOTO ADVERTISEMENT Police officials said Torres and Patrick John Palomino, 46, began to argue with Michael Barragan on March 13, 2010 as Barragan was walking out of the party with friends. Torres was accused of then shooting Barragan in the head. Palomino pleaded guilty charges of assault with a deadly weapon in January 2010. Torres' attorney told City News Service he plans to file a motion for a ... Continue reading →

LA HABRA – Remains found in a drainage ditch Thursday evening are not human, authorities have determined.A pedestrian walking in a drainage area behind a trailer park in the 1000 block of West Lambert Road shortly before 6 p.m. reported seeing what she suspected were human bones, La Habra police Lt. Jeff Swaim said. ADVERTISEMENT After examining the bones, a deputy coroner determined that due to their large size the remains are not those of a human. The bones are believed to be from an animal – likely a cow – and are very old, Supervising Deputy Coroner Allison O'Neal said. Contact the writer: 714-796-7939 or semery@ocregister.com Continue reading →

LAKE FOREST A boy on a field trip was found not breathing inside a community pool Thursday afternoon, authorities said. The boy was pulled from the pool when the child was found blue and not breathing, said Capt. Marc Stone of the Orange County Fire Authority. When paramedics arrived, the boy was reported to have recovered a heartbeat, Stone said. Paramedics were called about 2:20 p.m. to the 27000 block of Burbank when the boy was observed not moving in the water inside the community pool, Stone said. The boy was described as 7 or 8 years old. Bystanders began to perform CPR before paramedics arrived, he said. The boy was taken Saddleback Hospital in Laguna Hills after he began to breathe again, Stone said. ... Continue reading →

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO A 2-year-old boy made his way out of his crib and he was found unconscious in bathtub Wednesday, authorities said. The boy was one of a set of triplets who were sleeping in a crib while a relative in her 20s looked after them downstairs, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The female relative was babysitting the triplets when she heard a noise coming from upstairs at about 4 p.m. Amormino said. Only one of the boys was still inside the crib, he said. One of the triplets was found in a hallway of the house, while another was found inside a bathtub with the water running, Amormino said. "There was some water in the tub, how he ... Continue reading →

SANTA ANA – A man with a criminal past and a history of mental illness committed suicide inside county jail by strangling himself with a wet bed sheet, the Orange County District Attorney's Office has determined. The District Attorney's Office also found that jail personnel "complied with applicable procedures and protocol, including hourly welfare checks, medical screening and daily chart reviews," of Taylor Lang Hart, who was found dead in his cell on Aug. 13, 2010. According to the report, Hart had been verbally aggressive to staff at the Intake Release Center in Men's Central Jail after being arrested, yet "there was no indication that he had exhibited any evidence of harming himself," Wednesday's report states. Hart was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's Department ... Continue reading →

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said her decision to tighten up the internal affairs process — called by one union leader ”an act of war” — was crucial to harnessing a department reeling from a lack of accountability, transparency and leadership. Hutchens’ statement, in a court declaration , refers to her action last year to stop allowing deputies, sergeants and detectives to review their internal affairs files before being interrogated. For more than 28 years, those employees have been allowed to see the evidence against them before answering a single question, giving them the opportunity to get their stories straight in administrative probes. The pre-interview access didn’t apply to criminal investigations. Hutchens ended the practice on Jan. 1, 2011, prompting the Association of Orange County ... Continue reading →