Caretaker gets nearly 3 years in prison for sexually assaulting a disabled woman at a Mission Viejo care facility

• July 9, 2024

SANTA ANA — A caretaker pleaded guilty Monday and was immediately sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for sexually assaulting a woman with disabilities at a care facility in Mission Viejo.

Gil Franco Carpentero, 66, of Tustin pleaded guilty to two felony counts of committing a lewd act with a dependent adult by a caretaker.

A woman reported that Carpentero sexually assaulted her on Dec. 20, 2021, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. When Carpentero was arrested two years ago he had been caring for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults for the past 10 years, sheriff’s investigators said.

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​ Orange County Register 

Struggling Angels can’t keep pace with Rangers

• July 9, 2024

ANAHEIM — After the Angels welcomed back a key piece of their team on Monday night and a large chunk of their payroll, the result looked just the same.

Other than a brief surge of offense in the second inning of the series opener, the Angels couldn’t keep up with the hot bats of the Texas Rangers and lost for the seventh time in their past eight games, 9-4, at Angel Stadium.

Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon came off the injured list earlier Monday after missing 69 games with a partially torn left hamstring and the veteran third baseman went 1 for 4 in the leadoff spot with a seventh-inning RBI single.

“He’s a pro, he’s going to figure it out,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “It’s not going to take him long. As a matter of fact, it looks like he’s about ready.”

The Angels figured to perform better against Texas starting pitcher Jon Gray, who came in with a 10.00 ERA in his past four outings, but other than a four-batter stretch in the second inning, the Angels (37-53) did little to press the Rangers.

Still, the Angels managed to score more than one run for just the second time in the past six games, but also surrendered five or more runs for the eighth time in the past nine.

Gray (4-4) allowed three runs and five hits in five-plus innings, striking out two and walking one. That was enough to help the Rangers (43-48) win their fourth in a row.

Angels starter Davis Daniel (1-2) took another step back in his third major-league start. The 27-year-old right-hander surrendered seven runs and eight hits in 3⅔ innings, striking out three without issuing a walk.

Daniel’s first seven pitches were strikes and 12 of 15 hit the zone in the first inning, but he got burned on a pair of 0-and-2 pitches.

“He didn’t have anything to put them away,” Washington said of Daniel. “He gets two strikes and just couldn’t put them away.”

Rangers leadoff hitter Marcus Semien quickly fell behind to start the game, but dropped a single into left field. Daniel then threw two strikes to Corey Seager before he blasted a 457-foot home run onto the batter’s eye in center for a 2-0 lead.

The home run was the second-longest of Seager’s major-league career behind the 464-foot shot he delivered as a member of the Dodgers against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 26, 2021.

“He made a real good pitch to Marcus, but he stayed on it and he just pushed it over our shortstop’s head,” Washington said. “Then he got two strikes on Seager and then got the fastball up and he didn’t miss it.”

The Angels answered with four straight line-drive base hits in the second inning to move ahead 3-2.

Logan O’Hoppe started the rally with a one-out single to left, and Brandon Drury hit the first pitch up the middle for another single. Mickey Moniak then roped a line drive just inside the right field line for a two-run triple that tied it 2-2.

Jo Adell followed with an RBI single to left with the infield in to put the Angels in front 3-2.

The Rangers moved back ahead with five runs in the fourth.

Wyatt Langford grounded a double just inside the third base line and Adolis Garcia followed with a single to put runners on the corners.

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Daniel then stumbled as he was making a delivery to Nathaniel Lowe, resulting in a run-scoring balk that tied it 3-3. Lowe then singled up the middle to score Garcia for a 4-3 lead.

After a strikeout and hit batter, Leody Taveras dropped an RBI single into right field. Taveras stole second to put runners on second and third before Semien came through with a two-run single that stretched the lead to 7-3 and ended Daniel’s day.

“They just had a pretty good approach,” Daniel said of the Rangers. “They saw that in my games in the past, I was around the zone a lot, so it looked like they shortened up and took their singles and took advantage of a couple bad pitches. I’ve just got to learn to adjust when they do. Obviously, they came out and made an adjustment in the fourth and I didn’t make the adjustment.”

Langford added a two-run homer in the seventh inning off Carson Fulmer to stretch the lead to 9-3.

Rendon’s RBI single up the middle trimmed the lead to 9-4, but the Angels left the bases loaded in the inning.

Wash discusses the loss@Angels I #AngelsLive pic.twitter.com/9vOZlVB9lj

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 9, 2024

MICKEY TIES THE GAME WITH A TRIPLE@Angels I #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/74cJskTQ7P

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 9, 2024

Corey Seager blasts one 457 feet to straightaway center pic.twitter.com/EvbE4Yt8Ci

— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2024

​ Orange County Register 

United Airlines flight loses wheel after takeoff from Los Angeles and lands safely in Denver

• July 9, 2024

LOS ANGELES — A United Airlines Boeing jet lost a main landing gear wheel Monday while taking off from Los Angeles and later landed safely in Denver, the airline said.

There were no reported injuries on the ground or on board Flight 1001, United said in a statement.

“The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event,” the statement said.

The Boeing 757-200 was carrying 174 passengers and 7 crewmembers.

On March 7, a United Boeing B777-200 jet lost a tire mid-air after takeoff from San Francisco. It landed on a car in an airport employee parking lot. Nobody was hurt and the plane landed safely in Los Angeles.

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​ Orange County Register 

Lionel Messi will start for Argentina in Copa America semifinal against Canada

• July 9, 2024

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK — Lionel Messi won’t be stopped by a leg injury and will play in Argentina’s Copa America semifinal against Canada on Tuesday night.

Messi has been dealing with a right leg problem since a group stage victory over Chile on June 25. He missed the first-round finale four days later but played the entire match in the quarterfinal victory over Ecuador last Thursday.

“Leo is good. He will be playing tomorrow,” Albiceleste coach Lionel Scaloni said Monday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

At 37, Messi has 13 Copa America goals and is four behind the record shared by Argentina’s Norberto Méndez and Brazil’s Zizinho, but he hasn’t scored in this year’s tournament.

“It’s an easy decision for me,” Scaloni said. “It’s a fairly honest decision: I ask him how he feels. If he says ‘I’m not good,’ then he will play the last 30 minutes. When he’s available, he will play.”

Seeking a record 16th Copa America title, Argentina beat Canada, 2-0, in the June 20 tournament opener when Messi set up second-half goals by Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez.

“We didn’t do well enough with Messi last match. He was able to run free at our goalkeeper too much,” said Jesse Marsch, the American hired as Canada’s coach in May. “We all know he’s the greatest player to ever play the game.”

Argentina outshot Canada 19-10, including 9-2 on target, and had 64% possession.

“It’s more of (an) advantage that we were able to play against them than it was for them to play against us,” Marsch said.

Both teams are coming off quarterfinal wins on penalty kicks. Canada, an invited guest from North America, defeated Venezuela.

In the other semifinal, Uruguay plays Colombia on Wednesday night in Charlotte, North Carolina. The championship is Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Argentina will have four days of rest, one more than Canada, but both teams are coming off 90-minute matches. Tournament regulations call for extra time to be used only if needed in the final.

Argentina is seeking to win its third major title after the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup and to equal the feat of Spain, which won the European Championship in 2008 and ’12 along with the 2010 World Cup. The Albiceleste are tied with Uruguay for most Copa America titles with 15.

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Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has won four straight shootouts, against Colombia in the 2021 Copa semifinals, vs. the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals and against France in the final, then vs. Ecuador last week.

The 6-foot-5 Martinez, constantly shuffling his feet and a chatterbox trying to distract opponents, saved eight of 18 shots, stopping Colombia’s Davinson Sánchez, Yerry Mina and Edwin Cardona; the Netherlands’ Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis; France’s Kingsley Coman; and Ecuador’s Ángel Mena and Alan Minda.

Canada was eliminated in the group stage of its only World Cup appearances in 1986 and 2022. It won the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup after gaining the title of a predecessor tournament, the 1985 CONCACAF Championship.

“We’re playing against the best team in the world,” said Cyle Larin, Canada’s career leader with 29 goals. “We have a lot of speed and power, but I think over those days we’ve been together we’ve been growing.”

AP Sports Writer Eric Núñez in East Rutherford, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Swanson: Ending 213 Era was the only way forward for Paul George, Clippers

• July 9, 2024

Peace out, P.

It’s officially, officially official now – now that Paul George’s tell-all Podcast P episode dropped with all the juicy details Monday about the demise of the Clippers’ 213 Era, the unfulfilling and unlucky pairing of Southern California stars Kawhi Leonard (No. 2) and George (No. 13).

To hear the new Philadelphia 76ers wing tell it, the sides started far enough apart last October that by the time they got within shouting distance this offseason, he didn’t feel like yelling across the remaining divide.

Neither did the Clippers, judging from the offers he said they made, starting with two years for $60 million. “That’s crazy,” George recalled thinking from his perch in the rich and rarefied air occupied by the NBA’s stars.

PG details how contract negotiations with the Clippers affected his decision to leave LA. pic.twitter.com/PU3Z5gZ94z

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) July 8, 2024

He went on to ask for three years for $150 million – similar to the contract Leonard signed in January – but also he wanted a no-trade clause. Those are rare in the transaction-happy NBA, but it’s an understandable request when you look at it from a player’s perspective: “They’re like we want you here long term … we want you to be a Clipper your whole career. So I’m like, ‘Cool, cool.’ Give me three years, $150 (million), no-trade then … then I’m taking less, but at least I know I’m here.”

The Clippers didn’t bite, so George said he threw out four years and $220 million as a counter: “If y’all gonna trade me, then y’all gonna trade me. But at least now I’m not in a situation where I could have got more had I just gone to free agency.”

And so they let him go.

After they brought him aboard to play with Leonard in a trade that sent out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of first-round draft picks and picks swaps, they let him go for nothing but the optionality, flexibility, possibility.

Because they realized, correctly, that option was better than running it back.

The window on a George-Leonard championship was shutting fast. It might have shut already, save for a miracle.

The Clippers knew that. Their fans knew that. Leonard, 33, and George, 34, had to know it too; PG – the guy negotiating for max-level money – even talked enough about it on his podcast: “I mean, we are old.” And Kawhi didn’t balk when PG called him to tell him he was leaving, just told his pal to go get his payday.

And so the Palmdale native will earn a total of $211 million across the next four years in Philly – a lot of cheesesteak for a player who played in more than 56 games in a regular season just once as a Clipper and who will be 38 before the contract expires.

The Sixers talked themselves into believing George can be the missing piece to help the also-oft-injured Joel Embiid and young star guard Tyrese Maxey compete for a ring, the Moses Malone to Julius Irving on the 76ers’ 1983 championship squad, or so Dr. J told PG: “He was like, ‘P, you’re the missing piece.’”

Maybe.

More likely, George will enjoy a hot stretch during the regular season and we’ll hear pundits and fans deriding the Clippers’ decision. But then there will come a lull, and it will likely be when the pressure is on and expectations are highest, probably during the playoffs.

Imagine Philadelphia fanatics’ reaction to a seven-point playoff game like the one George turned in during a first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks last season. Or another string of games when he’s limited by unfocused foul trouble – followed, of course, by Princess and the P analysis on the podcast about how uncomfortable and hard the job can be when a two-way star is asked to do so much dirty work (ie. rebounding and defending).

“Yeah, they can be rowdy,” George said of the Sixers’ fans he’s about to meet. “I’ve heard the stories of them getting on their players … but that’s good pressure. That’s pressure you want.”

We’ll see.

Just like we’ll see what the Clippers do next. How can they do right by their loyal, less-demanding but long-suffering fan base? How will they, under the new CBA’s constrictive apron rules, fill the 22.6-points-per-game void left by George?

So far, they’ve added Derrick Jones Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. and are reportedly working to add Kris Dunn, young, athletic supporting characters who would make for a robust roster around a pair of future Hall of Famers – if Leonard and Harden were entering their prime and not exiting it.

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As it is, it’s hard to picture this unit, as currently constructed, hosting many playoff games at the new Intuit Dome.

Maybe they add some offensive firepower yet? Maybe those trade rumors involving them and New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram and Chicago’s Zach LaVine transpire?

Will they maneuver – as they worked to do several seasons before they called 213 to order – to make another substantial, starry splash by inviting aboard players like Anthony Edwards or inviting Gilgeous-Alexander back when those guys hit free agency – if they do?

We don’t know, and that’s OK.

Because when it’s broke, you fix it – and you can’t do it when you’re handcuffed to a fading star.

​ Orange County Register 

Authorities search for man suspected of robbing a bank in Mission Viejo

• July 9, 2024

Authorities were searching for a man suspected of robbing a Mission Viejo bank and attempting to rob a bank in Ladera Ranch on Monday, July 8, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said.

Deputies responded to the first bank around 12:41 p.m. after the suspect presented a note to a teller at a bank in Ladera Ranch, located in the 27000 block of Crown Valley Parkway. The man left the bank without getting any money, Sgt. Matthew Parrish said.

Around 1 p.m., the suspect, whose description was not released, targeted a second bank in the 26000 block of Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo. After presenting the teller with a note, the suspect left with an undisclosed amount of money.

The robbery and attempted robbery are believed to be related, Parrish said.

No injuries were reported.

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​ Orange County Register 

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