Huntington Beach man faces murder charges for Fourth of July killings

• July 9, 2024

A Huntington Beach man was charged with special circumstances murder on Monday after prosecutors allege he killed two people and injured three others on the Fourth of July in a busy Huntington Beach neighborhood where people had gathered to watch fireworks.

Logan Christopher Kelley, 26, is facing two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and a sentencing enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Orange County Superior Court.

The special circumstances allegation — for allegedly committing multiple murders — means prosecutors could opt to pursue life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Kelley is also facing a misdemeanor count of battery of a police officer, court records show.

The men who died have been identified as William Thomas Collins, 47, and Eric Clayton Hodges, 42, both from Huntington Beach, according to the coroner’s office.

Authorities have released few details of what led to the fatal attack or how it was carried out. But, according to the complaint, at least one of the alleged attempted murder victims — a juvenile — was attacked with a knife.

The attack took place around 11:15 p.m. near 16th Street and Pecan Avenue, police previously said, in the midst of a neighborhood comprised of two-story apartment buildings or condominiums. Kelley was arrested a half hour later.

That intersection is about five blocks from the beach. On the Fourth of July, thousands of revelers flocked to the city to watch the annual Independence Day parade, as well as the city fireworks display that launched around 9 p.m. and lasted about 20 minutes.

Huntington Beach police previously acknowledged that the area where the attack took place is considered a “prime viewing location” for the city firework show. While there is a 10 p.m. curfew for shooting off fireworks in the neighborhoods, police acknowledged that many people ignore that deadline.

Kelley is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Tuesday, court records show.

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​ Orange County Register 

Lifeguards rescued more than 5,600 beachgoers over busy holiday weekend

• July 9, 2024

Lifeguards scrambled to save thousands of lives during the four-day holiday weekend when an inland heatwave drove crowds to the coast and big waves and strong rip currents threatened the beachgoers seeking relief.

About 5,620 rescues were logged at Orange County area beaches over the four days from July 4 through 7, marking the busiest Fourth of July weekend in the past decade.

Though each department’s stats are logged separately, a tally estimating rescues throughout the four days shows how hectic the holiday was.

“The combination of it being a holiday weekend, inland heat and dangerous aquatic activity, with strong surf and rip currents, was kind of a perfect storm and kept it extremely busy,” said Huntington City Beach Marine Safety Battalion Chief Trevor McDonald, with 554 rescues logged at that beach alone during the four-day period.

The agency with the most rescues over the four days was Laguna Beach’s 7.5 miles of coastline, larger than most other territories in the OC, where lifeguards made a total of 2,278 rescues – 1,206 of those to help people out of rip currents.  On the Fourth of July holiday alone, there were 828 rescues.

“It was all-hands-on-deck for those four days,” said Laguna Beach Marine Safety Captain Kai Bond. “A forecasted heat wave, large south swell, warm water and the holiday. It was a recipe for high lifeguard activity.”

Another agency recording a high number of rescues was Newport Beach, with Lifeguard Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda calling it an “extremely busy,” weekend.

There were 803 rescues over four days. To put that in perspective, Yacenda said a typical summer will have an estimated 1,500 rescues over three months.

The uptick in swell brought waves in the 4- to 7-foot range, a “sweet spot” dangerous for inexperienced swimmers, but not big enough that people are scared to stay out of the water, he said.

“We were at maximum capacity all four days of the weekend,” he said. “It was just a melting pot of conditions that created a very busy weekend for lifeguards.”

Saturday also marked the 10-year anniversary of when Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson died during an ocean rescue during a Fourth of July holiday weekend, a four-day period when an even bigger swell brought dangerous conditions to the coast.

“This could have very well been the busiest since the weekend that Ben passed 10 years ago,” Yacenda said.

At Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beaches, there were an estimated 700 rescues.

“Every lifeguard we had was working the last four days,” State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall said. “It was incredibly challenging, waterwise. As the stats indicate, they were incredibly busy. The lifeguards definitely got experience and earned their salary on those four days. It was a success, because we didn’t have any drownings. This four-day weekend was just jam packed.”

There were 14 missing people reported at those beaches, all eventually reunited with their parties. There were also six major medical aids, including one young child who needed treatment for second-degree burns after jumping into a fire ring on Friday morning, still hot from the prior evening’s bonfire.

At the Doheny and San Clemente state beaches, there were 612 rescues, 559 of those due to rip currents. Crystal Cove State Beach had 165 rescues, according to authorities.

Seal Beach had 34 rescues, as well as 43 medical aids, six of which were considered major.

There was one mass rescue off of Surfside Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, July 6, where tower guards were all out responding to rip currents while another six people were pulled out into the ocean near Anderson Street in a large rip current, requiring assistance from neighboring agencies, said McDonald.

San Clemente lifeguards reported about 290 rescues during the four days, with 192 of those occurring on the Fourth of July, said Marine Safety Lt. Sean Staudenbaur.

OC Lifeguards Chief Jason Young called it an “incredibly crowded” weekend and a “perfect storm” of dense beach population, warm ocean temps and a number of swimmers and surfers in the water – but thankfully, no major incidents or drownings occurred, he said.

“I’m pretty proud of my lifeguards,” he said of the guards who watch over Salt Creek and Strands in Dana Point, Poche Beach in San Clemente, Emerald Bay in Laguna Beach and the Santa Ana River jetty area in Newport Beach.

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There were 184 rescues logged in their coverage area, as well as 110 medical aids.

Young said lifeguards have been encountering many people entering the ocean who don’t know how to swim, quickly turning into a medical aid as they take in water.

“We can’t stress that enough, if you don’t know how to swim, you shouldn’t be entering the ocean,” he said.

Another big swell is headed to the region around July 20, so lifeguards will continue to be on high alert, Young said.

“We don’t see any slow down in sight.”

​ Orange County Register 

Sparks coach Curt Miller seeks intensity against Lynx

• July 9, 2024

LOS ANGELES — The Sparks have never beaten the Minnesota Lynx during Curt Miller’s tenure as the team’s head coach.

The Sparks (5-16) are 0-2 against the Lynx this season, including an 86-62 blowout loss at home on June 5 and an 81-76 loss on the road on June 14. That road defeat was the second loss of the team’s recent eight-game losing streak. The Sparks lost all four games against the Lynx last season, leaving Miller 0-6 against them during his time in L.A.

Sparks All-Star forward Dearica Hamby had a team-high 25 points and nine rebounds in Sunday’s 84-78 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Hamby believes the Sparks must play with more poise against the Lynx on Tuesday night to close out the team’s four-game homestand with a win.

“We talk about the composure at the end of the game or having slippage in one of the quarters to close out and it hurt us (Sunday night),” Hamby said.

The Lynx (15-6) are coming off a 74-67 victory over the Washington Mystics on Sunday despite being without All-Star forward Napheesa Collier, who is out indefinitely with a foot injury. Collier had 30 points in the last outing against the Sparks.

The Sparks have lost nine of their last 10 games, the only win being an overtime victory over the Las Vegas Aces last week.

“I’m frustrated, not necessarily with wins and losses. I’m frustrated that we didn’t play like we’re capable of playing,” Miller said after Sunday’s setback. “I don’t think we played with the same spirit. I didn’t think we played with the same intensity.

“I thought we were poor board to court (Sunday night). The focus. The number one thing that you realize as a coach when there’s a lack of focus is when you struggle coming out of a timeout. When you look them in the eye, you diagram something and they come out and they don’t know where they’re supposed to be or they don’t execute. That is a frustrating thing for a coach, you pride yourself on the ATO’s (after timeouts). If we don’t play better, if we play like we did (Sunday night), Minnesota will beat us by 20 plus easily. They are really really talented.”

“What I’m more worried about is us playing to our standards and what we want to look like, and if we don’t do that Tuesday against the Minnesota team it will be a long night.”

Sparks center Azurá Stevens made her season debut Sunday, after missing the team’s first 20 games while recovering from a left arm injury that required surgery.

“I felt good,” Stevens said. “I tried not to really think about it. I’ve been practicing a little bit. I just tried to get in there and help my teammates and not force anything and take it play by play.”

Stevens, a seven-year veteran, finished with 10 points, six rebounds, a career-high tying four assists, two steals and one blocked shot in Sunday’s six-point loss.

“I think we have to have more pride on defense,” Stevens continued. “I’ve been talking about it. It’s just something we really have to work on. We’re not going to beat a lot of teams if we don’t get stops. I think being more aggressive on defense and really buying into that is going to help us.”

Another impact player against the Mercury was second-year guard Zia Cooke, the team’s 2023 first-round pick. Cooke had five points and a team-high three steals in 14 minutes, including key playing time during a second-quarter run and down the stretch in the fourth.

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“It felt good,” Cooke said. “That’s the object for me is always to be able to come and make some noise, whether it’s defensively or offensively. I just want to be a spark coming off the bench and helping out as much as I can.”

Cooke said she knows what the Sparks’ coaching staff wants from her.

“That’s what they want my role to be is a defensive stopper,” Cooke continued. “I come in the game, that’s the first thing I look for and also just for my own good, being a defensive stopper helps me on my offensive end. It makes it flow for me a little more.”

Sparks starting forward Stephanie Talbot left Sunday’s game in the first half with a right foot injury and did not return. Stevens started the second half in Talbot’s place.

LYNX (15-6) AT SPARKS (5-16)

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV: Spectrum SportsNet

​ Orange County Register 

Euro 2024: High-scoring Spain faces Mbappé’s dour France for a spot in final

• July 9, 2024

By DANIELLA MATAR AP Sports Writer

MUNICH — Spain and France meet in the semifinals of the European Championship on Tuesday. The match pits one of the highest-scoring teams against one of the lowest as France captain Kylian Mbappé has struggled to get to grips with his mask. Kickoff is at 9 a.m. PT. Here’s what to know about the match:

Match facts

• The winner will play England or the Netherlands in the final on Sunday in Berlin. Their semifinal is on Wednesday.

• Spain’s and France’s quarterfinals both went to extra time. Substitute Mikel Merino’s game-winning goal in the last minute of extra time handed Spain a 2-1 victory over host nation Germany, while France needed penalties to see off Portugal after the match ended goalless.

• No France player has scored from open play at Euro 2024. The French have scored only through two own goals and a penalty from Mbappé. Spain has netted 11 times.

• Mbappé, who will be facing several of his new Real Madrid teammates, will again be wearing a protective mask after sustaining a broken nose in France’s group opener against Austria.

• Spain, which is chasing a record fourth European Championship title, has been perfect in Germany. It was the only team to win all of its group matches, while France could muster only draws against Poland and the Netherlands after a narrow win over Austria.

Team news

• Spain paid the price for its dramatic win over Germany and a number of players will miss the semifinal – and in some cases the final should La Roja get there – because of suspension or injury.

• Midfielder Pedri was forced off in the eighth minute against Germany with a knee injury following a hefty challenge from Toni Kroos and has been ruled out of the rest of Euro 2024. He will again be replaced by Dani Olmo – who came on for the 21-year-old and went on to score the opener as well as set up Merino’s winner.

• Dani Carvajal was sent off late in extra time for a second yellow card and will be suspended against France, as will fellow defender Robin le Normand after picking up another booking. Veteran Jesús Navas is likely to be tasked with marking Mbappé.

• France coach Didier Deschamps has no injury problems as Marcus Thuram returned to training on Sunday, alleviating concerns he could miss the semifinal after taking a blow to his thigh at the end of the match against Portugal.

By the numbers

• Spain and France have conceded only three goals between them. The only time France goalkeeper Mike Maignan had to pick the ball out of his net was Poland’s retaken penalty in the group stage, while Spain conceded against Georgia and Germany.

• The teams have met 36 times, with Spain winning 16 to France’s 13, including five of the past eight.

• This is Spain’s sixth European Championship semifinal. It has only once failed to advance to the trophy match, losing on penalties to eventual champion Italy at the 2021 Euros.

• France has reached the semifinals on five previous occasions, winning three.

• France has reached the final in three of last four major tournaments, losing 1-0 after extra time to Portugal at Euro 2016 and to Argentina on penalties in the 2022 World Cup, but beating Croatia to claim its second world title in 2018.

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What they’re saying

“We’re in the semifinals and it’s something we shouldn’t take for granted, even if we may be used to it recently. Now we go to win it.” — France coach Didier Deschamps

“Very few people gave us a chance and staying under the radar helped us start the tournament with confidence. Spain is a team to respect. I knew we had a great team and that’s how it turned out.” — Spain defender Marc Cucurella

“It’s natural for him. He has this gift of carrying the team, the group. He gives ideas, advice to the players. He was born for that. He was born to pull the group up.” — France striker Randal Kolo Muani on Mbappé’s captaincy

“Footballers like him are unpredictable. Kylian Mbappé at 50% is like any other player at 100%. (Players like him) can decide a game at any moment. He’s a genius: A super world-class player.” — Spain coach Luis de la Fuente

​ Orange County Register 

Anthony Rendon activated by Angels, in lineup against Rangers

• July 9, 2024

ANAHEIM — Angels manager Ron Washington checked in with third baseman Anthony Rendon as he rode to the ballpark on Monday afternoon and immediately recognized the energized tone in his voice.

Rendon was eager to return to the lineup against the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Angel Stadium after missing 69 games with a torn left hamstring.

“He had the same excitement in his voice that he had in his voice in the winter,” Washington said of their pre-game conversation. “He really wanted to perform this year, and too bad that hamstring pushed him back. He had this date on the calendar and it’s here, and he’s excited about it.”

Washington put Rendon back in the leadoff spot for the series opener, just where he was hitting when he injured his hamstring while running out an infield single against the Cincinnati Reds on April 20.

It was the latest in a string of injuries that have limited Rendon, 33, since the Angels signed him to a seven-year, $245 million contract prior to the 2020 season. The year before, he had led the major leagues in RBIs while helping the Washington Nationals win a World Series title, but he has played in only 167 games and missed 408 since the start of the 2021 season.

Despite a reputation for being indifferent about his performance and availability, Rendon said he still feels the butterflies in his stomach.

“You still get nerves every single day you go out in the field, whether you’re playing every day, or whether it’s been three months,” Rendon said. “If you don’t have nerves playing this game, it kind of defeats the purpose of it, right.

“Long time coming. Ready to keep on going and finish the second half strong.”

Rendon had a brutal start to this season, going hitless in his first 21 at-bats, but is hitting .370 since then to raise his overall mark to .269.

“Seeing him come in every single day since I’ve been banged up, the hard work he’s putting in, finally getting him back out there, it means a lot to him,” Angels center fielder Mike Trout said. “It means a lot to the team.”

Rendon, 33, began taking ground balls last month and faced live pitching for the first time while the Angels were on their recently concluded six-game road trip.

“It was good to see something coming at me,” Rendon said. “The main thing I wanted to do is run everyday. Obviously, being a hamstring injury, I wanted to make sure I got out there, ran the bases, got moving every single day, and that’s something we didn’t do prior (to the road trip), so with the team being on the road, I got to do that.”

The immediate plan is for Rendon to play third base in the series opener, move to designated hitter on Tuesday and likely back to third on Wednesday.

“(Washington) said just let me know when I want to get out there back-to-back days and we’ll ease into it,” Rendon said.

To make room on the roster, the Angels designated corner infielder Miguel Sano for assignment. He was hitting .205 with two home runs and six RBIs in 28 games.

“We had to make a decision,” Washington said. “Sometimes, the numbers get you and, in this situation, the numbers got him.”

TROUT UPDATE

Trout put on his cleats and went through a full on-field workout on Monday for the first time since he tore the meniscus in his left knee on April 29.

There’s still no timetable for his return, but Trout has said he hopes to return to the lineup by the end of this month. The three-time American League MVP jogged in the outfield and took approximately 30 swings of soft toss and off the tee.

“It felt great, (I) feel fine, just progressing like I should be,” Trout said. “It’s good to get out there and start moving around. Don’t have to be in the weight room or cage.”

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Trout said the next step is running full speed in a straight line, then progressing to the basepaths.

“The hitting part of it, I have no issues. I don’t have any issues with running or anything yet (either) because I haven’t done it, but what I did today, I feel really good.”

WARD GOOD TO GO

Angels outfielder Taylor Ward was removed for a pinch-runner in the ninth inning of a 5-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, an inning after he slid knees first into the wall in foul territory down the left field line at Wrigley Field.

“Initially, I was worried,” Ward said.

Ward woke up feeling much better and told Washington he was available to start on Monday, but Washington said he preferred to keep him off his feet and save him for a late pinch-hitting opportunity against the Rangers.

UP NEXT

Rangers (RHP Max Scherzer, 1-2, 2.70 ERA) at Angels (RHP Roansy Contreras, 0-1, 3.72 ERA), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Russian strike damages a children’s hospital in Kyiv

• July 9, 2024

By Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov | Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian missiles blasted cities across Ukraine on Monday, damaging the country’s largest children’s hospital and other buildings in a fierce assault that interrupted heart surgeries and forced young cancer patients to take their treatments outdoors. At least 31 people were killed, officials said.

The daytime barrage targeted five Ukrainian cities with more than 40 missiles of different types, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 30 missiles. More than 150 people were wounded.

It was Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in almost four months, hitting seven of the city’s 10 districts. At least seven people were killed in the capital, including two staff members at the hospital. Strikes in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s birthplace in central Ukraine, killed 10.

The attack on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital caused debris to fall into heart patients’ open chests in the middle of surgery. Cancer patients had their beds wheeled into parks and onto the streets.

“It is very important that the world should not be silent about it now and that everyone should see what Russia is and what it is doing,” Zelenskyy said.

Russia denied attacking the hospital and said the strikes hit military targets.

The assault unfolded a day before Western leaders who have backed Ukraine were scheduled to begin a three-day NATO summit in Washington to consider how they can reassure Kyiv of the alliance’s unwavering support and offer Ukrainians hope that their country can survive Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.

Zelenskyy said during a visit to Poland that he hopes the summit will provide more air defense systems for Ukraine.

In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden called Monday’s missile strikes “a horrific reminder of Russia’s brutality.”

“It is critical that the world continues to stand with Ukraine at this important moment and that we not ignore Russian aggression,” the statement said.

At the hospital in Kyiv, rescuers searched for victims under the rubble of a partially collapsed, two-story wing of the facility. At the main 10-story building, windows and doors were blown out, and walls were blackened. Blood was spattered on the floor in one room. The intensive care unit, operating theaters and oncology departments all were damaged, officials said.

At the time of the strike, three heart operations were being performed, leading to the contamination of the patients’ open chests with blast debris, Health Minister Viktor Liashko said.

The hospital lost water, light and oxygen, and the patients were transferred to other hospitals, he told Ukrainian television.

Rescuers formed a line, passing bricks and other debris to each other as they sifted through rubble. Smoke rose from the building, and volunteers and emergency crews worked in protective masks.

Some mothers carried their children away on their backs, while others waited in the courtyard with their children as calls to doctors’ phones rang unanswered.

A few hours after the initial strike, another air-raid siren sent many of them hurrying to the hospital’s shelter. Led by a flashlight through the shelter’s dark corridors, mothers carried their bandaged children in their arms, and medical workers carried other patients on gurneys. Volunteers handed out candy to try to calm the children.

Marina Ploskonos said her 4-year-old son had spinal surgery Friday.

“My child is terrified,” she said. “This shouldn’t be happening, it’s a children’s hospital,” she said, bursting into tears.

“Among the victims were Ukraine’s sickest children,” said Volker Türk, the U.N. human rights commissioner. A U.N. team visited the hospital shortly after it was hit and saw the children receiving cancer treatments in hospital beds set up outdoors, he added.

“This is abominable, and I implore those with influence to do everything in their power to ensure these attacks stop immediately,” Türk said.

Kyiv city administrators declared July 9 a day of mourning, when entertainment events are prohibited and flags are lowered.

Ukraine’s Security Service said it found wreckage from a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile at the site and opened proceedings on war crime charges. The Kh-101 is an air-launched missile that flies low to avoid detection by radar. Ukraine said it shot down 11 of 13 Kh-101 missiles launched Monday.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday’s missile strikes “particularly shocking,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on the attacks for Tuesday at the request of France and Ecuador. Russia, which holds the council’s rotating presidency this month, will preside at the meeting.

The International Criminal Court’s founding charter says it is a war crime to intentionally attack “hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives.”

Late last month, the court issued arrest warrants for Russia’s former defense minister and its military chief of staff for attacking Ukraine’s electricity network.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted Ukrainian defense plants and military air bases and were successful. It denied aiming at any civilian facilities and claimed without evidence that pictures from Kyiv indicated the damage was caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile.

Since early in the war that is well into its third year, Russian officials have regularly claimed that Moscow’s forces never attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, despite abundant evidence to the contrary, including Associated Press reporting.

More than 1,600 medical facilities have been damaged since the start of the war and 214 have been ruined completely, according to Ukrainian Health Ministry statistics published last month.

Col. Yurii Ignat of the Ukrainian air force said Russia has been improving the effectiveness of its airstrikes, equipping its missiles with enhancements, including so-called heat traps that evade air-defense systems.

In Monday’s attack, the cruise missiles flew as low as 50 meters (160 feet) off the ground, making them harder to hit, he said in comments sent to AP.

About three hours after the first strikes, more missiles hit Kyiv and partially destroyed a private medical center. Four people were killed there, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said.

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In the capital’s Shevchenkivskyi district, a three-story section of a residential building was destroyed. Emergency crews searched for casualties, and AP reporters saw them remove three bodies.

The powerful blast wave scorched nearby buildings, shattered windows and flung a dog into a neighboring yard, resident Halina Sichievka said.

“Now we don’t have anything in our apartment, no windows, no doors, nothing. Nothing at all,” the 28-year-old said.

The Ukrainian air force said some of the weapons used in the attack were Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which are among the most advanced Russian weapons. They fly at 10 times the speed of sound, making them hard to intercept.

Three electricity substations were damaged or destroyed in two districts of Kyiv, energy company DTEK said.

Samya Kullab in Kyiv contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

A ferry, a proposal and a three-generation family tradition

• July 9, 2024

Despite the posted no-standing sign, Aleko Culp needed his girlfriend at the bow of the Balboa Island Ferry.

Christina Dupas needed to be standing so he could drop to one knee and ask her an important question that would affect the rest of their lives.

But he knew engagements aboard the ferry have a “good track record” — he was about to be the third generation of men in his family to pop the question while crossing from the Balboa Peninsula.

“He surprised me,” said the now-engaged Dupas, 25. “The whole thing was a lot of fun.”

Culp’s grandfather, Gary A. Culp, and his wife, Judie, were engaged during a ferry crossing 64 years ago. Culp’s father, Gary Culp, proposed to his wife, Georgia, on the same crossing some 30 years ago.

“It was a ‘ferry-tale’ to propose. I’m happy that Aleko and Christina get to experience this too,” said Gary Culp.

His grandmother lived on the Balboa Peninsula, so he often rode the ferry with his father for a visit and day at the beach.

Since 1919, the Balboa Island Ferry has shuttled passengers between the peninsula and Balboa Island in Newport Beach. For his surprise proposal, Culp invited 25 family members,  disguising it as a Fourth of July party.

Although Culp, 25, and Dupas have been dating for almost three years, for Culp, it was love at first sight. The couple met at a Greek Church Camp when they were 15, where Culp said he immediately developed a crush on his future fiancée. They didn’t start dating until he returned from college.

“When I proposed, I told her how I loved her since I first saw her at camp,” Culp said.

Gary and Georgia Culp have been married since 1996, and the senior Gary and Judie Culp have been married since 1961.

Aleko Culp said he was always set on proposing on the Balboa Island Ferry.

“After seeing Grandpa and Dad do it, and spending all my life in Orange County,” he said, “it just seemed like the right place.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Ex-Mission Viejo swimming coach Mike Pelton remembered for CIF-SS titles and mentorship

• July 9, 2024

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Former Mission Viejo boys swimming coach Mike Pelton, who guided the Diablos during their run as a national powerhouse, died June 18 from cardiac arrest, his death certificate confirmed. He was 76.

“His biggest dream was to do what he did (as a coach),” friend Debra Blake said. “He considered his swimmers his kids.”

Pelton, a Lake Forest resident, died at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, according to his death records. He suffered from heart disease and rapid heart beat, records showed.

Pelton guided Mission Viejo’s boys swimming team to 20 CIF-SS championships from 1976-1999.

When he left the Diablos following the 2001 season, the 20 titles tied Pelton with former Bakersfield football coach Dwight Griffith for the state record for most section titles by a coach in one sport, according to Cal-Hi Sports.

Both coaches have since been surpassed for the state record.

Mater Dei boys basketball coach Gary McKnight holds the Orange County record with 24 section titles.

Pelton’s run at Mission Viejo coincided with the rise of the Mission Viejo Nadadores as a club juggernaut under Mark Schubert. Pelton led the Diablos to 13 consecutive section titles from 1976-88 and coached several Olympians.

“Huge loss for our community,” said Troy Roelen, Mission Viejo’s assistant principal of athletics. “He was the foundation of Mission Viejo swimming.”

“Great dude,” Roelen added. “Very positive.”

Pelton’s impact extended well beyond the pool.

Villa Park softball coach Terry Williams counted Pelton as a friend and mentor.

“Despite the fact we coached different sports, he understood leadership and program building,” Williams said. “He was a legend in Orange County high school athletics and had an impact on so many athletes over the years.”

“I’m really going to miss him,” Williams added.

Pelton’s coaching career was influenced by his mother Katherine, a former elementary school teacher.

Katherine set 34 FINA Masters world records and became a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2006.

“She gave him everything,” Blake said of Pelton’s mother, who died in 1992. “Everybody loved (Pelton). He was bigger than life.”

Service arrangements weren’t announced. Pelton’s assistant coach Ron Osumi served as the informant for his death certificate, according to records.

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​ Orange County Register