Prominent sports coach Chris Flores convicted of sexually assaulting a teen and a young woman

• July 31, 2024

A prominent Southern California youth sports coach and trainer was convicted Tuesday, July 30, of sexually assaulting a teenager and a young woman

An Orange County Superior Court jury deliberated for several hours before finding Chris Flores guilty of seven felony counts, including sexual penetration by a foreign object and multiple lewd acts against a girl beginning when she was 14, and a sexual penetration by foreign object and force charge against a 22-year-old woman.

Flores — a Bellflower resident known to many in the local high school sports community as “Coach Frogg” — was a coach and a trainer at STARS academy in Orange. The training center is well-known in Orange County athletic circles, having been linked to several top high school football players and boasting a client list that ranges from junior high school athletes to professional players.

Prosecutors allege Flores used his position of trust to prey on children for his own sexual gratification. Along with the teen Flores is charged with abusing, prosecutors seeking to prove a pattern of unlawful conduct introduced during the trial two other young accusers who alleged that Flores committed similar acts against them.

Flores has flatly denied the allegations.

During closing arguments Tuesday in a Santa Ana courtroom, Flores’ attorney, Ed Welbourn, told jurors that false allegations from the young accusers spiraled out of control as they spread through their group. Welbourn noted that at least one of the alleged victims provided different dates for the alleged abuse during her testimony compared to when she initially spoke to law enforcement.

“Anyone can say anything at any time and then you tell your friends and you have a similar-ish story,” Welbourn said. “That doesn’t make it true.”

Prosecutors say the sexual assaults against the young teens occurred at various times in 2021, and included inappropriate touching, kissing and digital penetration. They also allege he sexually assaulted a young woman who was working for him during a party at a home in 2022.

Deputy District Attorney Sarah Rahman, during her closing arguments, cited a recorded call in which a man prosecutors have identified as Flores tries to persuade a 14-year-old to go with him to a late-night movie on a “date” and asks if she had “deleted everything.”

Rahman described Flores as a “manipulative” and “calculating” predator. The prosecutor asked what reason the accusers would have to lie about someone who had power within the sports they wanted to pursue. She also noted that it wasn’t unusual for a victim to not remember the exact dates when abuse occurred.

“Why would they blow up their futures for the one person who had those connections?” Rahman asked jurors.

STARS, where Flores was at one point listed as the COO, announced after Flores’ arrest that they had “severed all ties” with him and were cooperating with authorities.

Flores, who had been out on bail during the trial, was handcuffed and taken into custody immediately after the verdict. He is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 4 for sentencing.

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​ Orange County Register 

Knott’s and Magic Mountain to offer season pass combo in 2025

• July 31, 2024

Knott’s and Magic Mountain will offer a season pass good for both parks in 2025 — but you’ll have to pay for a whole lot of theme park access across North America that you probably don’t need and likely won’t use.

Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain will offer an All Park Passport add-on next year that gets select season passholders into all legacy Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks starting on Jan. 6, according to Knott’s and Six Flags officials.

ALSO SEE: 10 questions with Elvira’s Cassandra Peterson on returning to Knott’s Scary Farm

A Southern California season pass good for only Knott’s and Magic Mountain is not planned at this time.

Prices will be announced in the next few weeks when 2025 season passes and add-ons go on sale at all legacy Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks.

Guests ride the Wonder Woman Flight of Courage roller coaster, one of the thrill rides for which Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia is known. Poland’s Energylandia is challenging Magic Mountain’s claim as Thrill Capital of the World by opening two new roller coasters in April 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

How much could a season pass cost that’s good for every Six Flags and Cedar Fair park?

Knott’s currently sells an All Park Passport that offer access to all Cedar Fair parks in 2024 with the Gold season pass for $285 and the Prestige pass for $555.

Magic Mountain sells a Diamond season pass for $195 that gets you into all Six Flags parks in 2024.

ALSO SEE: Six Flags Magic Mountain adds Stranger Things and Trick ‘r Treat mazes

The new All Park Passport with no blackout dates good for Knott’s, Magic Mountain and all the Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks could cost less than similar passes for Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood.

The $1,649 Inspire Key annual pass is good nearly every day of the year at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure — with about two weeks of blockout dates.

ALSO SEE: Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze returns to Universal’s Horror Nights

The $599 Platinum annual pass at Universal Studios Hollywood has no blackout dates.

Disney and Universal do not offer annual passes good at all of their parks around the globe.

The 2025 Six Flags All Park Passport could be priced to compete with similar passes from SeaWorld and Legoland.

SeaWorld San Diego offers a $369 Platinum Pass that is also good for United theme parks in Florida, Texas, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Legoland California sells a $349 Elite Pass that can be used at Legoland parks in Florida and New York as well as other Merlin Entertainments locations.

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​ Orange County Register 

Chargers rookie Joe Alt making strong case to start at right tackle

• July 31, 2024

EL SEGUNDO — When rookie offensive lineman Joe Alt lined up at right tackle this week, he was matched up against longtime Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa, a four-time Pro Bowl selection. When he lined up at left tackle, he faced off against veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack, an eight-time selection.

Tall order?

Times two.

The Chargers’ coaching staff has moved Alt without hesitation so far in training camp. They did so without any concerns that he couldn’t handle the task. After all, he was the fifth overall pick in the draft in April, the son of a former Kansas City Chiefs left tackle, two-time Pro Bowl pick John Alt.

Alt certainly didn’t look out of place in any of the Chargers’ first six practices.

Just as their coaches expected.

“Iron sharpening iron,” Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said Tuesday of pitting Alt against players of the experience and accomplishments of Bosa and Mack. “Joe’s got his mind in the exact right spot. He is humble and hungry and is a talented guy who is going to keep getting better because of his work ethic. We’re two days into it with the pads on and whatnot and he’s doing a great job. We expect big things out of Joe. No reason to believe otherwise.”

If all goes to plan, then Alt is likely to start the season on Sept. 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders at right tackle. Trey Pipkins III, who was the Chargers’ starter at right tackle last season, will shift to right guard. Bradley Bozeman will be the center with Rashawn Slater at left tackle and Zion Johnson at left guard.

In addition to supplanting Pipkins at right tackle, Alt also has made Jamaree Salyer the odd man out among the Chargers’ top five offensive linemen. Salyer started 31 of 34 games in his budding career, after the Chargers selected him in the sixth round of the 2022 draft from the University of Georgia.

It’s likely Salyer will be the swing lineman, moving from side to side to fill in for the others because of injuries or lackluster play. It’s also possible Alt could fill that role when the season begins, but judging by the first six days of training camp and the past two in pads, that would seem to be a less likely scenario.

Not that the Chargers don’t have faith in Alt’s versatility.

They do.

“You’ve got to be able to play both sides,” Roman said. “Some guys struggle with one more than the other. Obviously, he’s played more left (tackle while at Notre Dame), so he’s a little more comfortable in his stance. ‘Hey, Joe, you’re playing right.’ He gets in his stance and we’re playing football.

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“You’ve got to love the linemen who don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s not like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’ve got to move over to the left side.’ You’ve got to work at it and train your muscle memory and whatnot. He’s excited about it. Flexibility is huge. There can be a bunch of different scenarios and you better be prepared for any eventuality. We’re really excited about his versatility and he doesn’t even blink. ‘Joe, you’re playing right (tackle).’ It’s football. You’re working on both sides. It’s great to have that flexibility.”

SALYER INJURED

Midway through the Chargers’ two-hour practice, Salyer fell to the ground during a play in which quarterback Justin Herbert stepped up in the pocket and threw a touchdown pass to Josh Palmer during an 11-on-11 drill. The nature and extent of Salyer’s injury were not immediately known.

Salyer remained on the grass for roughly two minutes while athletic trainers attended to him. In time, he got to his feet and performed several blocking drills before walking slowly to the training room inside the facility. He did not return to the field for the remainder of the practice and his status was unknown.

Teams are not required to give injury updates until Week 1.

EXTRA POINTS

Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson addressed the Chargers before Tuesday’s practice. … Backup quarterback Easton Stick joined Herbert as the only players to wear yellow practice jerseys. … Running back Gus Edwards participated in some team drills. He had been limited to individual drills to start camp. … Junior Colson, a rookie linebacker from Michigan, passed his physical after undergoing an appendectomy during the offseason. He was listed on the active/non-football illness list for the first six days of camp.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers add Jack Flaherty, Kevin Kiermaier before trade deadline

• July 30, 2024

SAN DIEGO — It took right up until Tuesday’s in-season trade deadline, but the Dodgers added the starting pitching they had been targeting all along.

Right-hander Jack Flaherty was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for two well-regarded prospects – catcher Thayron Liranzo and Triple-A infielder Trey Sweeney.

In a separate trade, the Dodgers sent left-hander Ryan Yarbrough to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for four-time Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. Yarbrough had been designated for assignment on Monday.

In Flaherty, the Dodgers add a veteran who is eligible for free agency this winter. A first-round draft pick out of Harvard-Westlake in 2014, Flaherty was 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA in 18 starts for the Tigers this season.

The 28-year-old was considered to be the best starting pitcher available behind White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet and Flaherty’s Tigers teammate Tarik Skubal. Neither Crochet nor Skubal was traded before Tuesday’s deadline.

Kiermaier is an elite defender who won his fourth Gold Glove with the Blue Jays last season. He has never offered much offensively, however, and has a career batting average of .246 with a .709 OPS. In 81 games with the Blue Jays this season, Kiermaier batted .195 with a .546 OPS.

Flaherty and Kiermaier make it a five-player haul at the deadline for the Dodgers. Right-hander Michael Kopech and utilitymen Tommy Edman and Amed Rosario were acquired in trades on Monday.

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​ Orange County Register 

Marine killed in rollover at Twentynine Palms base was part of elite training group

• July 30, 2024

A highly trained 26-year-old staff sergeant who used his combat experience to mentor junior Marines was identified on Tuesday, July 30, as the person who died from injuries after a vehicle rollover on a range at Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms.

Staff Sgt. Jerry L. Betzold, of Avon, Indiana, was pronounced dead by doctors at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs on Sunday, July 28, after suffering major injuries on Saturday while overseeing a training exercise at the base. He was first treated at Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital in Twentynine Palms after the accident and then flown to the Palm Springs hospital on Sunday.

Betzold was driving a high-mobility multi-purpose vehicle across one of the ranges when it rolled over and severely injured him, said Capt. Johnathon Huizar. No other Marines were in the vehicle, which is agile and lightweight and can carry machine guns and anti-tank launchers.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jerry Betzold, with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, trains in a coxswain course at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, May 27, 2021. Betzold is a Avon, Ind. native. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sarah Marshall)

Huizar described Betzold as “an experienced infantry Marine” among an elite group of Marines at the base who mentor, teach and coach younger Marines. This group of Marines call themselves “coyotes.”

“He came with a lot of experience before he got here,” Huizar said. “His role is the center of excellence on ground maneuvers. His position was significant in developing young Marines.”

In their role, these coyotes, in signature neon-orange flak jackets, plan and run the training exercises at the combat center, known for its rigorous ranges and vast training areas, as well as observe and assess training to ensure Marines are ready for their next mission or deployment.

The coyotes are known to work hard and long hours, especially during service-level training when units from across the Marines come out to the desert base to learn more skills and become better warfighters, Marine officials said.

“Staff Sergeant Jerry Betzold represents all that is good and pure in our nation and Corps,” said Col. David Hart, director of Tactical Training Exercise Control Group. “He tragically lost his life while working to ensure our combat formations remain ready when the nation needs them.”

“His loss is deeply felt across our Marine Corps family,” Hart added. “Our hearts and full support will remain with his family and friends as we all navigate this extremely difficult time.”

Bitzold enlisted in the Marines on Aug. 15, 2016, and trained as an infantry Marine. In 2021, he deployed to Okinawa with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, also based at Twentynine Palms. He was just promoted to staff sergeant on March 1.

His decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (third award), Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (second award), Sea Service Deployment Medal (fourth award), Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Armed Forces Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.

The incident is under investigation by NCIS, as all military deaths are.

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​ Orange County Register 

Angels deal Luis Garcia, hold other potential trade pieces

• July 30, 2024

The Angels reportedly sent right-handed relief pitcher Luis Garcia to the Boston Red Sox in a deal just before the Tuesday trade deadline, while the club held on to players like starting pitcher Tyler Anderson, infielder Luis Rengifo and outfielders Taylor Ward and Kevin Pillar.

There had been reported interest in all four players, but the Angels apparently did not find an offer they felt was sufficient. Anderson, Rengifo and Ward all remain under control for at least one more season.

Garcia, who is a free agent at the end of the season, has a 3.71 ERA in 43⅔ innings this season.

The return for Garcia was not immediately apparent.

In a smaller move, the Angels picked up right-hander Mike Baumann from the San Francisco Giants, in exchange for cash considerations.

Baumann, 28, has a 4.41 ERA in 34⅔ innings with three teams this season. He started the season with the Baltimore Orioles, was traded to the Seattle Mariners and then was purchased by the San Francisco Giants. He was designated for assignment by the Giants last week.

Baumann had a 3.76 ERA in 60 games with the Orioles last season.

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​ Orange County Register 

Acting Secret Service director says he’s ‘ashamed’ after Trump assassination attempt

• July 30, 2024

By ERIC TUCKER, FARNOUSH AMIRI, REBECCA SANTANA and CLAUDIA LAUER

WASHINGTON — The Secret Service’s acting director on Tuesday told lawmakers he considered it indefensible that the roof used by the gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was unsecured and said it was regrettable that local law enforcement had not communicated to his agency that a gunman had been spotted on a nearby roof.

Ronald Rowe also testified that he recently visited the shooting site and laid down on the roof of the building where shots were fired in order to evaluate the gunman’s line of sight during the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year Secret Service veteran, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured,” he said.

The testimony was the most detailed catalog to date by the Secret Service of law enforcement failings and miscommunications, with Rowe accepting blame for his own agency’s mistakes while also pointedly criticizing local law enforcement for communication breakdowns that resulted in his agency not sharing information that a gunman, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, had been spotted on the roof of a building less than 150 yards (135 meters) from the rally stage where Trump was speaking.

“Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of the former president’s security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the building with a firearm,” Rowe said. “It is my understanding those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots.”

He said that the shooting amounted to a “failure on multiple levels,” including a failure of imagination and a “failure to challenge our assumptions.”

“We assumed that the state and locals had it,” Rowe said. “We made an assumption that there was going to be uniformed presence out there, that there would be sufficient eyes to cover that, that there was going to be counter-sniper teams” in the building from whose roof Crooks fired shots.

“And I can assure you,” Rowe added, “that we’re not going to make that mistake again.”

He said he had implemented multiple reforms since taking over as acting director last week, including mandating that every event security plan is vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before being implemented, expanding the use of aerial drones to improve visibility of roofs and dedicating more resources to improve communications at events where the Secret Service is operating.

Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, was struck in the ear by a bullet or a bullet fragment in the assassination attempt, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured before the gunman was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

The blunt and at times emotional testimony Tuesday, featuring combative exchanges with lawmakers, ensured that an already simmering blame game between federal and local authorities will continue. It also suggested that Rowe, with ready and generally detailed answers, was determined to strike a different posture than that of his predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned last week after facing intense criticism from lawmakers from both major political parties following responses at a congressional hearing that were seen as evasive and lacking in specifics.

Tuesday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees was the latest in a series of congressional sessions dedicated to the law enforcement lapses and missed communications that preceded the shooting.

Local law enforcement officers had first observed a suspicious-looking man at the rally site more than an hour before the event and circulated that information, including photographs of a man who turned out to be Crooks. But the officers ultimately lost track of Crooks, who was able to scale the roof of a building at AGR International Inc., a supplier of automation equipment for the glass and plastic packaging industry, and fire an estimated eight shots with an AR-15-style rife.

Shortly before the shooting, a local officer climbed up to the roof to investigate. Crooks turned and pointed his rifle at the officer, who retreated.

Even though text messages among local snipers revealed anxiety about the man, Rowe said the only thing the Secret Service knew at the time of the shooting was that law enforcement was contending with a suspicious-looking man.

“No information regarding a weapon on a roof was ever passed to our personnel,” Rowe said. At another point, he noted, ”It is troubling to me that we did not get that information as quickly as we should have. We didn’t know that there was this incident going on.”

But Rowe’s willingness to assign blame to local law enforcement opened him up to harsh criticism from Senate Republicans, who saw him as failing to take sufficient responsibility.

“Isn’t the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded — isn’t that enough mission failure for you to say to the person who decided that that building should not be in the security perimeter, probably ought to be stepped down?” said Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican.

Rowe, raising his voice, responded that he has “lost sleep over this for the last 17 days” and that he would not be rushed “to judgment” by Congress. He assured lawmakers that “people will be held accountable.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said if something like this happened in the military, “a lot of people would be fired. And if a lot of people are not fired, the system failed yet again.”

He added: “Nothing’s going to change until somebody loses their job.”

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The FBI, meanwhile, disclosed new details about Crooks, with Deputy Director Paul Abbate saying a social media account believed to be associated with the gunman suspected in the assassination attempt espoused political violence and included antisemitic and anti-immigrant sentiment. The posts were from the 2019-2020 timeframe, when Crooks would have been in high school.

Abbate did not identify the social media platform, saying investigators were still trying to definitively determine that it belonged to Crooks. However, he indicated that it was separate from an account on a different platform called Gab that was active in 2021.

The chief executive of Gab posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, during the Senate hearing that Crooks’s presence on that platform was consistent with being “pro-Biden and in particular pro-Biden’s immigration policy.”

On Monday, the FBI revealed that Crooks had looked online for information about mass shootings, power plants, improvised explosive devices and the May assassination attempt of the Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico.

The FBI also said that Trump has agreed to be interviewed by agents as a crime victim.

​ Orange County Register 

Galaxy opens Leagues Cup play at San Jose

• July 30, 2024

The Galaxy went into the Leagues Cup break with a win against the Portland Timbers on July 20.

On Wednesday, the team returns to action with its first game in this year’s Leagues Cup tournament against a familiar rival, traveling to San Jose to take on the Earthquakes at 7:30 p.m.

The Galaxy and Earthquakes have met three times this season, with the Galaxy winning all three. The Galaxy has outscored the Earthquakes by a combined score of 10-4.

“It’s an important event for us,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said of Leagues Cup. “We’re going to try to balance a couple of things, which is get our guys back, who have been out, try to use our roster a bit. Just to get through this tournament, the games are every 3-4 days. You have to use everybody and we have to get some guys going, like Emiro (Garces), more minutes for him, getting guys reintegrated who are coming back (from injury) and being mindful of guys who have played a lot of minutes (this season).”

The Galaxy is in Group B with San Jose and Chivas de Guadalajara. In the opening game, San Jose and Chivas played to a 1-1 draw, but the Earthquakes won the penalty kick shootout to earn two points. The Galaxy will face Chivas on Sunday.

The big issue for the Galaxy could be a feeling of complacency, considering how easily they’ve handled the Earthquakes this season.

“It’s a tournament and there’s a trophy at the end of it,” Galaxy midfielder Mark Delgado said. “That’s the exciting part. You just have to see that as the end goal, lifting that trophy. We’ve faced them three times, but now there’s a trophy at the end of these next few games, so there’s definitely something on the line.”

San Jose had a crowd of 50,675 on Saturday in their shootout win over Chivas at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Wednesday’s game will be at PayPal Park, which has a capacity of 18,000.

“Every time you have to go away and beat a team again, it becomes more and more difficult each time,” Vanney said. “Against Chivas, they looked very motivated. I thought their emotional energy was high, they were very competitive, out pressing and making the game very difficult for Chivas. We know what their capacity is and what they’re capable of, so it’s important that we have to match the intensity of the game.”

Perez loaned to Nashville SC

The Galaxy has loaned Jonathan Perez to Nashville SC for up to 18 months.

A product of the Galaxy Academy system before signing as a Homegrown Player, Perez had his contract renewed last season through 2026 with an option for 2027.

The Galaxy has the right to recall Perez from the loan in the summer of 2025, but Nashville SC holds an option to permanently buy his rights.

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“I think it’s a big opportunity for him,” Vanney said. “There’s two really big pieces. One is the playing time. I think he goes there and I think they’re looking for somebody to come over and play a significant role, that’s something Johnny’s ready for. He needs to step in. He’s had good minutes for us. He needs to stay healthy and he showed that’s he capable of playing at the MLS level. He just needs that experience and this allows that. I hope he goes there and he shows them what he’s capable of doing and he earns their trust right away.”

LEAGUES CUP: GALAXY at SAN JOSE

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: PayPal Park; San Jose

How to watch: Apple TV (free)

​ Orange County Register