Relief fund for injured OCFA firefighters tops a quarter million dollars, highlights sense of community among first responders

• September 25, 2024

More than $265,000 has been raised so far for the firefighters injured when their truck overturned on an Orange County toll road last week, with contributions from Southern California hotshot crews, firefighter and police unions and others.

The crash occurred on the evening of Sept. 19, north of the Portola Parkway exit on the northbound 241 Toll Road. Eight members of the Orange County Fire Authority’s Santiago hand crew were headed back to their command post in a transport truck, following a 12-hour shift battling the over-23,000 acre Airport fire in the Cleveland National Forest area.

For reasons under investigation, the driver lost control and struck a metal guard rail, causing the truck to overturn and roll over several times before it landed on its side. Six of the eight injured crew members, who ranged between the ages of 24 to 34, suffered serious injuries.

As of Tuesday, Sep. 24, four critically injured members remained hospitalized, officials said. They were expected to remain in the hospital for “quite a while,” OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said in a news conference last week.

A relief fund for the eight affected firefighters and their families was set up by the OCFA and its union, with a fundraising goal of $500,000. The money raised will help with medical costs not covered by insurance, caregiver fees and other supplemental expenses they will incur “on the long road to recovery,”  said Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, Local 3631 President Chris Hamm.

“We drive the same kind of buggy, we do the same work they do… I’m sure they would have done the same for us,” said Patrick Fearon, a foreman at Los Angeles County’s Fire Camp 8 in Malibu. Fearon and close to 30 other hand-crew members made a group contribution of $2,000, with each individual pitching in what they could.

Over $265,000 total had been raised as of Tuesday, with roughly $236,000 in donations from a GoFundMe and a little over $30,000 through PayPal. Donors included hotshot crews and firefighter unions based in Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire, and even as far as Sacramento and Vacaville. So far, the single largest donation came from the San Bernardino County Professional Firefighters Local 935, which gave $15,000.

“It’s a tragic incident. Anything we can do to help our brothers and sisters in Orange County, we always will,” IAFF Local 935 President Jim Gregoli said.

Some local police unions also showed support, including the police associations of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. Garden Grove Police Association President Brian Stroud described the relationship between police and firefighters as a special brotherhood, with a long history of both agencies being there for each other. When he was injured in the line of duty, OCFA was there for him.

“We’ve been there to help them and they’ve been there for us. If one of them goes down, we feel the pain as well,” Stroud said.

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​ Orange County Register 

5 defendants liable in Tustin boiler room securities scam

• September 25, 2024

A federal court jury deliberated for a little more than two hours before finding five defendants liable for a boiler room securities scheme that fraudulently raised more than $67 million from investors to benefit a Tustin aerospace start-up.

The verdict handed down Friday, Sept. 20, capped a 10-day trial stemming from a 2021 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit involving Elite Aerospace Group, a bankrupt company that purported to design, build and sell components for rockets, spacecraft, aircraft and satellites.

Jurors found Michael P. Owens of Newport Beach, Dawson Davenport of Irvine, Robert Gunton of Tustin, Andrea Lindstrom of Anaheim and Julie Yale of Laguna Hills liable for securities fraud in the scheme that operated from 2014 to 2018.

The lawsuit states Owens operated several media and marketing companies while Davenport and Lindstrom worked as business consultants. Gunton is listed as a media production company owner and Yale is the owner of a bookkeeping service.

Owens also violated federal broker-dealer registration provisions and, with Gunton and Yale, breached securities registration laws, according to the SEC.

Davenport said in a brief phone interview Tuesday that the jury’s verdict is “very disappointing,” adding that he hopes to appeal the decision.

“It’s a horrendous outcome and horrendous experience to try to advocate against the federal government,” he said.

The five defendants could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The SEC did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking information about financial penalties against them.

Separately, the SEC in 2007 charged Owens and Davenport with securities fraud and registration violations in a $50 million “Ponzi-like” scheme involving investor funds associated with another company. The two men later settled the complaint with the SEC.

Owens told Elite officials that he and the co-defendants could take care of fundraising, bookkeeping, information technology, marketing, legal issues and other administrative tasks so the company could focus on growth, according to the complaint.

Elite officials knew about the boiler room activities and agreed to pay Owens a large weekly consulting fee and stock in the company, the suit states.

From 2014 to 2018, Owens’ company controlled Elite’s efforts to raise capital and managed numerous sales representatives, none of whom were registered or associated with SEC-sanctioned broker-dealers.

According to the SEC, the sales representative made unsolicited phone calls to potential investors using leads provided by Owens’ companies and received commissions totaling 15% for each new investment and 10% for reinvestments.

The sales staff also was offered additional incentives — such as vacations, electronics or cash — for meeting specific target goals.

Although Owens was operating the boiler room scheme out of Elite’s offices, he structured the operation so that it appeared to be compliant with the securities laws, according to the SEC.

“Because he had previously been charged by the SEC for acting as an unregistered broker, Owens knew there was potential liability associated with paying unregistered salespeople commissions for soliciting investments,” the suit states. “Instead of calling the salespeople’s compensation commissions, Owens referred to them as discretionary, or performance bonuses, and instructed others to do so as well.”

In the fall of 2016, as Elite was trying to get its financial statements audited in preparation for a public offering, auditors asked for documentation explaining payments that had been made to a few of Elite’s salespeople.

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As a result, Davenport created four different letters on Elite letterhead and sent them to auditors, falsely stating sales personnel were receiving discretionary awards and bonuses suggested by management and based on extraordinary effort or dedication.

Owens also engaged in activities similar to a broker, such as handling investment funds even though he has never registered with the SEC.

“In carrying out the boiler room scheme, Owens knew or was reckless or negligent in not knowing that he was concealing his control of Elite’s capital-raising process, concealing the payment of commissions to unregistered brokers,” the complaint states.

​ Orange County Register 

8 country bars to check out in Southern California

• September 25, 2024

Country music as a genre gained new fans this year as it found itself taking the front seat in the pop culture mainstream.

Last year’s Stagecoach Festival sold out before both weekends of Coachella.

“Twisters,” the standalone sequel to the 1996 disaster film, had a box office debut of $81.3 million, making it the best-ever opening weekend for a natural disaster film to date. The soundtrack to the film brought together quite a few country stars including Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown, Miranda Lambert, Jelly Roll and Luke Combs whose track “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” started trending on TikTok with the popularity of the movie.

Related: Stampede draws country music, line dancing fans to Temecula

Spotify declared 2024 the year of the cowgirl and curated playlists around the trend such as “neon cowgirl” and “coastal cowgirl.” Up-and-coming country artist Dasha’s song “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)” took over TikTok as users posted videos of themselves line dancing to the chorus. Fans also noticed that Sabrina Carpenter’s single “Please Please Please” was giving a similar sound to country legend Dolly Parton. And who could forget Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter.”

@dasha

i love u guys so much, half a million streams in the past 24 hours on Austin alone

♬ Austin (Boots Stop Workin’) – Dasha

@emilydianerisner

Please Please Please @Sabrina Carpenter #sabrinacarpenter #shortnsweet #shortnsweettour #pleasepleaseplease #pleasepleasepleasesabrinacarpenter #columbus #ohio #nationwidearena

♬ original sound – Emily

@ayhollywoood

YA YA @Beyoncé #fyp #tiktok #beyonce #yaya #yayachallenge #organizedchaos #cowboycarter

♬ YA YA – Beyoncé

So for those looking for spaces to listen to country music, try out line dancing and maybe even ride a mechanical bull, here are some country bars across Southern California where you can do just that.

Los Angeles County

Desert 5 Spot

The rooftop bar is new to the LA scene, but it has grown a loyal customer base since opening at the end of 2021. The Hollywood location offers line dancing lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as “Cowboy Karaoke” on Wednesday evenings.

6516 Selma Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Saddle Ranch Chop House

Located on the Sunset Strip, this restaurant has gained new popularity in recent years as social media influencers began making it a hot spot. In addition to the western atmosphere of the place, they also have a mechanical bull.

8371 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

The Cowboy Palace Salon

With the tagline “the last real Honky Tonk in Los Angeles,” this bar has live country music Wednesday through Sunday nights. Additionally it hosts line dancing for various skill levels as well as a daily happy hour. And a bonus for country music fans: Keith Urban and Julia Michaels filmed the music video for “Coming Home” here.

21635 Devonshire St, Chatsworth, CA 91311

Line dancing at Cowboy Country in Long Beach, California (Carolyn Burt, SCNG)

Cowboy Country

Open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays with free dance lessons in the evenings. During line dancing in the evening, the music rotates between a DJ and a live band.

3321 South St, Long Beach, CA 90805

Orange County

In Cahoots

This Fullerton Dance Hall and Saloon offers dance lessons on Wednesday nights.

1401 S Lemon St, Fullerton, CA 92832

The Ranch Restaurants and Saloon

Located in Anaheim, the restaurant hosts line dancing on Thursday nights and live bands on Friday and Saturday evenings.

1025 E Ball Rd #101A, Anaheim, CA 92805

Related: Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll and Luke Combs top the bill for Stagecoach 2025

Inland Empire

Stampede

Billed as the West Coast’s largest country music venue. It has been a fan favorite since 1995 and features a massive dance floor for line dancing, pool tables and a mechanical bull.

28721 Old Town Front St, Temecula, CA 92590

Montana’s

This country night club features line dancing lessons, a billiards area and more. Music wise, Montana’s plays everything from the classics to today’s country hits.

657 W Arrow Hwy, San Dimas, CA 91773

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​ Orange County Register 

Angels blow late lead against White Sox, delaying their record for futility

• September 25, 2024

CHICAGO — Just moments after Jack López experienced the exhilaration of his first major league home run, he felt the sting of an embarrassing gaffe.

The Angels’ second baseman failed to catch a pop-up that would have ended the eighth inning with the Angels leading by a run. The tying run scored on that play, and the go-ahead run came on a single on the next pitch.

That cost the Angels a 3-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night, allowing the White Sox to hold at 120 losses, which has tied the major league record.

Everything was set up for a record-breaking night, with Jack Kochanowicz pitching seven scoreless innings and the Angels taking a two-run lead on RBIs from Eric Wagaman and López.

In the bottom of the eighth, though, Hunter Strickland retired just one of the four hitters he faced, cutting the lead to 2-1. Left-hander Brock Burke entered and seemed to be out of the inning, with a flyout and a pop-up.

López, drifting into shallow center field, never seemed to be fully camped under the ball, and it dropped. He put his hands on his head in disbelief after the play.

“I just dropped it,” said López, a 31-year-old journeyman who played his 29th big league game. “It sucks. Cost Jack a win. Cost Burkey a (blown) save. Cost Strick a hold. It’s a tough one to swallow… I gotta have that.”

Manager Ron Washington said Lopez went after the ball incorrectly.

“He drifted with it,” Washington said. “You do that on a pop up that you’re not sure if it’s going to get over your head. You just run back there and get it. But when the ball goes up like that, you got to beat the ball where it’s going. So you got to run and get behind it and then work your way back to it. I saw he was in trouble the way he was backpedaling, and then he didn’t come up with it.”

Burke then gave up a run-scoring single Andrew Benintendi, snapping the tie.

The Angels also could have helped themselves by scoring more than two runs. Strickland could have done better when he entered to face of the bottom of the order.

It added up to another ugly loss for the Angels (63-94), who are now just one loss away from equaling the franchise record.

The positive on the night was Kochanowicz, who needed just 82 pitches to get 21 outs, including 12 of them on 11 ground balls. He induced one double play, ending the seventh. That came at the end of a 10-pitch at-bat.

“He was outstanding,” Washington said. “He gave us seven innings. In that last inning, they worked him pretty good to get through that inning. And he got through it. He had done his job.”

Kochanowicz struck out four and didn’t walk any. He used the same formula as for most of his rookie season, pounding the strike zone with sinkers.

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Kochanowicz, 23, lowered his ERA to 4.01 through his first 10 major league starts, including 2.63 in the eight starts since he returned from a brief stint in Triple-A.

He might have started his final game of the season. The Angels could start him in the final game of the season, on Sunday. They could also opt to end a season that has seen him pitch 160⅓ innings across all levels, up from 94 last year.

“It’s been good,” Kochanowicz said of his current run of success. “It’s been good to just kind of build some confidence, for sure. Just to know where my feet are. Just building to next year.  Just gives me some good confidence.”

​ Orange County Register 

Newsom signs California law banning medical debt from credit reports

• September 25, 2024

By Molly Castle Work | KFF Health News

Californians with medical debt will no longer have to worry about unpaid medical bills showing up on their credit reports under legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, adding the nation’s most populous state to a growing effort to protect consumers squeezed by unaffordable medical bills.

The bill, by Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) and backed by Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta, will block health care providers, as well as any contracted collection agency, from sharing a patient’s medical debt with credit reporting agencies. At least eight states have banned medical bills from consumer credit reports in the past two years. In June, the Biden administration proposed similar federal protections, but it’s unclear when the rules will be enacted — or, if former President Donald Trump is elected again, if they will be at all.

“Nobody chooses to get sick, and then your credit gets ruined,” said Chi Chi Wu, a senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. “That’s why we encourage states to keep adopting laws. In case something goes wrong at the federal level, the states could protect their own consumers.”

When California’s new law goes into effect in January, it will extend these protections to credit reports used for employment and tenant screening, Wu said. This is in addition to the proposed federal ban on reporting to credit agencies that inform credit card companies and mortgage lenders.

California lawmakers noted that medical debt — unlike other kinds of debt — isn’t an accurate reflection of credit risk, and its inclusion can depress credit scores and make it hard for people to get a job, rent an apartment, or secure a car loan.

But California lawmakers have left a glaring loophole. Patients who pay hospital bills using medical credit cards or medical specialty loans — which can come with interest rates as high as 36% — won’t get that debt taken off their credit report, as residents of Colorado, Minnesota, and New York do. It’s a concession the financial industry won through late-in-the-game “hostile” amendments, which “influential entities opposed to the measure prevailed” in including, Limón said. In a 2022 KFF poll on medical debt, 15% of adults said they had used a medical credit card.

Kelly Parsons-O’Brien, legislative chair of the California Association of Collectors, which represents collection agencies, said the exemptions were essential because medical credit card holders can buy nonmedical items and medical loans can be refinanced with nonmedical debt, making it “impossible” for creditors to know what’s actually a medical charge.

“More consumers will get into situations where they cannot afford to pay, and lenders will be operating in the dark,” Parsons-O’Brien said.

The three largest U.S. credit agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — said they would stop listing some medical debt, including paid-off debts and those less than $500, but millions of patients were left with bigger medical bills on their credit reports. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported in April that 15 million Americans still had medical bills on their credit reports.

About 4 in 10 Californians report carrying some type of medical debt, which disproportionately affects low-income, Black, and Latino patients, according to the California Health Care Foundation.

Dozens of states have enacted legislation to protect consumers from surprise billing and medical debt, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Newsom, a Democrat, also signed legislation on Tuesday banning hospitals from using liens on all real property owned by Californians who typically earn less than 400% of the federal poverty level. It expands current state law that protects a patient’s home from debt collectors.

A KFF Health News analysis found that credit reporting is the most common collection tactic used by hospitals to get patients to pay their bills. A credit score ban might make it more difficult for hospitals to collect.

When Sacramento resident Sonia Hayden and her boyfriend applied for a home loan last year, she discovered her credit score had dropped about a hundred points. It had been downgraded because of an approximately $200 emergency room charge after a car accident years ago.

The 44-year-old said her insurance covered tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills but that the hospital miscoded the $200 charge and she never received a bill for it. That, she said, should also have been charged to insurance.

Hayden tried unsuccessfully for over a year to resolve the issue with her health insurer. It’s still on her credit report. She was eventually able to get a home loan, but her interest rates were higher because of her credit score.

“Medical bills, they’re not on purpose, you know?” said Hayden, who testified in support of the legislation. “It was already a super traumatic accident. I almost died. And then to have this super stressful medical bill — nobody’s asking for that. It shouldn’t affect your credit.”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers promote minor-league pitcher who hit 104 mph this season

• September 25, 2024

LOS ANGELES — A big part of the story of the 2002 Angels’ run to the franchise’s only World Series championship was the arrival of Francisco Rodriguez.

Then just 20 years old, the hard-throwing right-hander was a September callup, struck out 13 in his first 5⅔ major-league innings, made the Angels’ postseason roster on the strength of that and was a crucial piece of their bullpen on the way to the title.

The Dodgers are taking their shot at finding similar lightning in a bottle.

Right-hander Edgardo Henriquez was promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday and will pitch out of the bullpen this week. The hard-throwing Venezuelan (like Rodriguez) has a 100-mph fastball that has been clocked as high as 104 mph during his rise from Class-A Rancho Cucamonga to OKC this season.

“We’ve talked about – is it Frankie Rodriguez? Is it Camilo Doval (with the San Francisco Giants) in ’21 more recently?” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said earlier this season of the ‘comps’ for Henriquez. “These guys who just throw this hard. Sometimes if they’re just around the zone – it’s just hard to hit no matter where you are. You don’t see 102 with a 94 mph slider. Hitting is hard enough when you’re at this level so it’s just, let’s see what it looks like. I feel really good about our bullpen and the guys that are there. It’s just adding another option if we need it.”

Right-hander Ben Casparius was optioned to the minors and Gavin Stone (shoulder) was moved to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot for Henriquez.

“That’s certainly high regard when you’re talking about Frankie Rodriguez and what he did for the Angels,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Certainly unique in the sense of his impact as a rookie for that team making a playoff push. Certainly, I know you’re not comparing the pitchers, but it’s two different skill sets. So we’ll see. It’s a variance play. Get him in here. Get him in the big leagues. And see how he looks, how he responds and go from there.

“But he’s certainly a weapon.”

The 22-year-old Henriquez was at Dodger Stadium on Sunday and Roberts talked with him on the field before the game, even taking him onto the mound for a moment.

“I knew he was gonna be active at some point. I just wanted to diffuse a little bit of being on the mound and get that visual of him being out there on the mound before the first time the (bullpen) gates open up in left field,” Roberts said. “Just to visualize him and the catcher being on the attack, hopefully we did a little exercise and hopefully it pays off when he does get into a big-league ball game.”

Henriquez made his debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2019 but missed the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 shutdown and all of 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. This season, he started at Rancho Cucamonga and progressed through Class-A Great Lakes, Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A, striking out 88 in 53 combined innings. At OKC, he struck out 18 in 12⅔ innings but also gave up 14 hits and walked 10.

“Always loved the arm, the body,” Gomes said. “As he was coming off TJ, that sidetracked his development path. We figured this is his protection year. He’s throwing the ball really well. Let’s put him in the ’pen and see what it looks like. Let’s challenge him. At every turn he has done really well at each level he has been at with the mindset of this is an arm talent that is quite rare.”

HOLDING PATTERN

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw threw more than 80 pitches in a bullpen session last week in Miami and then threw a shorter bullpen session this past weekend at Dodger Stadium. But Roberts said on Tuesday that Kershaw was “in a holding pattern – I don’t think there’s been improvement” and Kershaw won’t be throwing to hitters in a simulated game this week.

Kershaw, 36, declined to comment other than to say “I’ll pitch when I can pitch.”

It is almost certain now that the three-time Cy Young Award winner won’t be pitching during the Dodgers’ first playoff series. Roberts acknowledged that it was “pretty telling” Kershaw wouldn’t be facing hitters this week.

“It’s the toe. It’s just the body,” Roberts said. “There’s something that’s holding him up from progressing to face hitters. So for me, for the training staff, I was told that we’re kind of status quo on not moving forward.”

Kershaw has not pitched since leaving his Aug. 30 start after one inning with pain in his left big toe.

Kershaw, who didn’t pitch until July 25 after having offseason shoulder surgery, went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts before getting hurt.

PITCHING HEALTH

Right-hander Tony Gonsolin completed his minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment with OKC on Saturday and went to the Dodgers’ training complex in Arizona. Roberts said Gonsolin was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday and then face hitters in a live batting practice session on Friday.

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That eliminates the possibility of Gonsolin pitching for the Dodgers before the end of the regular season. Gonsolin is recovering from Tommy John surgery last September.

Meanwhile, left-hander Anthony Banda faced hitters in a simulated game on Monday and could be activated from the IL in the next few days. Banda broke a bone in his hand on Sept. 9.

ALSO

Fernando Valenzuela has left the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcast team indefinitely. The Dodgers declined to give a reason for Valenzuela’s absence. Valenzuela is not likely to return for the playoff broadcasts.

UP NEXT

Padres (RHP Dylan Cease, 14-11, 3.42 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Jack Flaherty, 13-7, 3.10 ERA), Wednesday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Man fatally shot in Santa Ana

• September 25, 2024

SANTA ANA — Santa Ana police Tuesday asked for the public’s help finding witnesses to a fatal shooting.

The shooting happened about 3:30 p.m. Monday in the 400 block of West Camile Street, near Birch Street, police said. As officers were responding to the scene they were told two victims were headed to a hospital.

Steven Garcia, 20, of Santa Ana, died from gunshot wounds, police said. A 15-year-old who was also shot was expected to survive, police said.

Anyone who has relevant information was asked to call police at 714- 245-8390. Orange County Crime Stoppers will accept anonymous tips at 855-TIP- OCCS.

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​ Orange County Register 

Bail for Orange County judge accused of killing his wife is doubled to $2 million

• September 24, 2024

An Orange County Superior Court judge accused of murdering wife had his bail doubled to $2 million and was immediately taken into custody on Tuesday, Sept. 24, after a Los Angeles County judge determined he had lied to cover up consuming alcohol while awaiting trial.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter said she didn’t believe Judge Jeffrey Ferguson’s claim that he hadn’t consumed alcohol since his arrest a year ago. The Los Angeles judge added that Ferguson’s claim that his use of cortisone cream and hand sanitizer had caused a false-positive reading for alcohol on his ankle monitor was “ridiculous.”

The judge raised Ferguson’s bail from $1 million to $2 million. Two deputies handcuffed Ferguson in the courtroom immediately after the ruling and began the process of booking him into the Los Angeles County jail system. Judge Ferguson’s attorney, Ed Welbourn, said after the hearing that he wasn’t immediately sure if Ferguson would be able to pay the higher bail.

Ferguson is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, through the chest with a .40 caliber Glock he allegedly pulled from an ankle holster during an argument in front of the couple’s son at their Anaheim Hills home. Ferguson’s attorney has previously described the shooting as “a terribly unfortunate accidental discharge.”

Judge Ferguson’s criminal case has been assigned to a Los Angeles judge in order to avoid a potential conflict of interest with his judicial colleagues within the Orange County court system.

That Ferguson avoid alcohol had been a key condition when he was allowed to be freed on bail following his arrest and criminal charges. An ankle monitor he was required to wear detected suspected alcohol use on Aug. 28 and 29.

Ferguson, in recent testimony, said he has a health condition that can lead to swelling of his legs. That swelling was particularly acute the week before the recent Labor Day holiday, Ferguson testified. In order to reduce redness and chafing on his skin under his ankle monitor, Ferguson claimed he used the cream and sanitizer.

An analyst who works with the company that oversees the ankle monitor testified, however, that the readings on Ferguson’s monitor came from the consumption of alcohol, not the use of cream or sanitizer.

Under cross-examination by a prosecutor, Ferguson during earlier testimony acknowledged that one of the days the ankle monitor allegedly found alcohol in his system he had attended a lunch with two sitting Orange County Superior Court judges, who he identified as Andre Manssourian and Jonathan Fish.

Welbourn provided the court with a hair sample analysis that he contended proved Ferguson hadn’t had any alcohol. But the judge noted the defense report itself acknowledged it wasn’t a forensic analysis and shouldn’t be used in criminal proceedings.

The defense attorney argued that Ferguson isn’t a flight risk or danger to the community and urged Judge Hunter to just add to his previous bail conditions such as limiting his ability to drive or requiring him to attend self-help meetings.

“With the conflicting evidence we have, we are in a position where don’t know what happened,” Welbourn said.

Judge Hunter told Ferguson that if he had come to her courtroom and admitted to making a mistake and drinking alcohol she would have understood and likely given him a warning and the minor new bail restrictions suggested by the defense attorney. But by denying he had consumed any alcohol, Ferguson had turned it into a credibility question, Judge Hunter added.

“I hate it when people lie to me,” Hunter told Ferguson.

Hunter also told Ferguson that she had come close to completely denying bail, which would have forced him to remain in custody until trial. Judge Hunter said she believed that Ferguson had been drunk when he went to the lunch with his Orange County judicial colleagues.

“I do believe he was driving while drunk,” Hunter said.

Judge Manssourian and Judge Fish declined to respond to questions about their lunch with Ferguson that were sent through court officials. Orange County Superior Court spokesman Kostas Kalaitzidis cited court rules prohibiting judicial officers and the court from discussing pending judicial matters. While Ferguson’s criminal matter is being heard by a Los Angeles judge, it remains an Orange County Superior Court case.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt, the Orange County prosecutor assigned to Ferguson’s case, declined to comment on the bail ruling. During the hearing, the prosecutor told Judge Hunter that he hopes to start Ferguson’s trial early next year.

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​ Orange County Register