Whittier man, an ex-Inglewood cop, pleads guilty to federal cocaine charge

• October 17, 2023

SANTA ANA — A former Inglewood Police Department officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of distributing cocaine.

John Abel Baca, 47, of Whittier, who served as an Inglewood officer for 21 years, admitted that he distributed cocaine on two occasions. Sentencing was set for Feb. 5 in Santa Ana federal court.

On April 29, 2021, Baca delivered cocaine to a witness cooperating with law enforcement. Baca then delivered 2.2 pounds of cocaine to the same cooperating witness during a meeting the following week in exchange for $22,000 in cash, according to his plea agreement.

In February 2021, the witness informed the FBI that Baca previously had offered to sell 2.2 pounds of cocaine, 4.4 pounds of white heroin and an unlimited supply of black tar heroin. The informant reported that Baca claimed to have stolen drugs and cash during routine traffic stops he made while working with a drug task force, federal prosecutors said.

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During a covertly recorded meeting in late April 2021, Baca provided a sample of the cocaine to the informant to provide to purported buyers. Several days later, Baca negotiated the price for 2.2 pounds of cocaine — $22,000 in cash — and then delivered a brick of cocaine to the informant’s workplace. Later the same day, Baca collected $22,000 from the cooperating witness, he admitted.

In the plea agreement, Baca admitted that he abused his position of trust as a police officer, including by stealing drugs from the police department’s lock-up and reselling them.

The charge of distribution of cocaine carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County boys athlete of the week: Ardwon Morris, Orange

• October 17, 2023

The Orange County boys athlete of the week:

Name: Ardwon Morris

School: Orange

Sport: Football

Year: Senior

Noteworthy: He rushed for 409 yards and seven touchdowns on 33 carries in the Panthers’ 59-20 win over Estancia in an Orange Coast League game. Morris’ 409 rushing yards are the eighth-most in Orange County high school history. Tthe county record is 547 yards by Nathan Lancaster of Laguna Beach in 2013. Morris (5-10, 210), who committed to Sacramento State, has rushed for 1,499 yards and 20 touchdowns this season and is averaging 9 yards a carry.

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​ Orange County Register 

Can the police search my cell phone? Ask the Lawyer

• October 17, 2023

Q: I got into it with a guy at a bar and we both were arrested. There are two witnesses who are clear this other person was wasted and started it, and that I was defending myself. But the police confiscated my cell phone. I want to know can they just go through it for any reason?

M.O., Tustin Ranch

Ron Sokol

A: The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the police may only search your cellphone when they have your consent or a valid search warrant. As to your consent, it has to be provided freely and voluntarily (not coerced). As to a search warrant, the police are to only search the phone identified and to focus on the evidence described in the warrant.

There may, however, be exigent circumstances that permit a search without warrant or consent: If the police have to search a phone quickly to prevent bodily harm or imminent danger to someone; to prevent the destruction of evidence of a crime; or to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect. The exigent circumstances are to be carefully assessed to make sure they are legitimate.

Q: A friend of mine was driving. He had a bit to drink, got pulled over and by the time it was done, was arrested. Among other things, they took his cell phone. That’s legal?

G.N., Inglewood

A: Research indicates that the police generally can seize a cell phone, if a person is legally arrested. They can do so without a warrant. This does not mean they can search the phone, absent exigent circumstances as discussed above. The police could apply for a search warrant, if they have probable cause to believe the cell phone holds evidence of a crime.

Q: If I am pulled over by the police and asked for my cell phone, am I required to turn it over?

B.V., Long Beach

A: I think this question is best answered by a criminal law specialist who can talk out with you the circumstances involved. For example: Why were you pulled over? Was there some dialog with the officer that led him or her to ask for your cell phone?

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My knee jerk reaction — and that’s all I can provide with such limited information — is that you may politely refuse to turn over your cell phone. If you consent, and the officer deems that you have agreed your cell phone can be searched, then whatever is found on your cell phone could possibly be used against you.

Ron Sokol has been a practicing attorney for over 40 years, and has also served many times as a judge pro tem, mediator, and arbitrator. It is important to keep in mind that this column presents a summary of the law, and is not to be treated or considered legal advice, let alone a substitute for actual consultation with a qualified professional.

​ Orange County Register 

Dana Hills football finding ways to win in quest for outright league title

• October 17, 2023

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Dana Hills football coach Tony Henney uses a colorful phrase to describe a momentum-shifting performance that succeeds despite slim chances.

The veteran coach calls those moments “stealing a play,” and they’re pushing the Dolphins closer toward one of their biggest goals for the season.

Dana Hills, for example, returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last week in a 21-20 victory against reigning state champion Laguna Hills in the teams’ Pacific Coast League opener.

Henney doesn’t believe any of his former squads ever accomplished such a feat, and he guided Nordhoff and Trabuco Hills to CIF-SS championships before arriving at Dana Hills in 2021.

The Dolphins also stopped a fourth-and-goal from their 3-yard line in the third quarter against Laguna Hills, which was riding a section-leading 15-game winning streak.

“The kids are finding ways to win,” Henney said of Dana Hills, which is 6-2 overall. “We had to steal a few plays to win.”

Senior Noah Kucera sparked the efforts against Laguna Hills by returning the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown.

Junior Owen Walz followed early in the second quarter by returning a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.

Henney credited Kucera and Walz for their speed and patience on the returns, along with the Dolphins’ blocking.

“I think (Laguna Hills) is a good football team,” the coach said. “(Our) kids did their assignments.”

Dana Hills also received an eye-opening performance from junior Grant Peters, who filled in for injured sophomore Charlie Eckl at outside linebacker.

Peters contributed nine total tackles to support inside linebackers Cooper Walsh (12 tackles) and Dominic Barto (nine tackles).

Dana Hills received similar step-up performances in a 14-7 victory against Irvine on Oct. 6.

Walz, a transfer from San Clemente, shifted from running back to quarterback to fill in for sophomore starter Jace Lowe.

Kucera, a wide receiver and safety, also sealed the victory with an interception with about 30 seconds left on another goal-line stand.

The inspired play, along with the healthy return of wide receiver Chase Berry, has Dana Hills contending for its first outright league title in school history.

The Dolphins play at Portola (4-4, 0-1) on Friday before playing host to Northwood (4-4, 1-0) — a state championship runner-up last season — in Week 10.

“Our goal was to win our first outright league title and we’re on pace to that,” Henney said. “But it’s the old Kobe Bryant saying: job is not finished.”

TROY THOMAS MAKING AN IMPACT AT EDISON

Former Servite head coach Troy Thomas is taking a major role guiding Edison’s defense.

Last week in a 31-28 victory against Newport Harbor, Thomas led the defensive meeting at halftime on the field as the Chargers tried to cool off Sailors quarterback Jaden O’Neal.

“I’ve learned so much from him and he’s progressed our defense tremendously,” senior defensive back Jared Schnoor said of Thomas, one of the assistants for Jeff Grady.

“He’s very intense. He’s very disciplined as well. It’s pretty nerve-wracking when he’s talking to you. He wants to make you a better player, which is why he’s a real good coach.”

Schnoor leads Edison with four interceptions.

Thomas is coaching one of his former Servite players in Edison linebacker Hoi Hansen, a senior who leads Orange County with 114 tackles.

NOTES

Former Orange Lutheran coach Jim Kunau is serving as a consultant at Santa Margarita. …

Los Alamitos junior Alonzo Esparza passed for 346 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for two scores in a 69-14 victory against Corona del Mar last week. …

San Clemente posted its first victory at Mission Viejo since 1998 — the final season of Tritons coach Mark McElroy — with its 20-10 victory last week. In 1998, the Tritons rallied from an 18-point deficit for a 24-21 victory against the Diablos. …

San Juan Hills (8-0) is off to the best start in school history. …

Troy (5-3, 3-0) and Sonora (7-1, 3-0) meet Friday at La Habra High for sole possession of first place in the Freeway League. The Warriors, who have already defeated league juggernaut La Habra, are seeking their first outright league crown since 2006. The Raiders, who play La Habra in Week 10, have never won the Freeway League title and last won league in 1973 in the Orange League. …

The CIF-SS Division 1 final will played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 24, the section announced Tuesday. Last season, the Division 1 championship game between Mater Dei and St. John Bosco was held at the Rose Bowl.

Please send football news to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsitguy on X or Instagram

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​ Orange County Register 

The healthcare network that gives you more

• October 17, 2023

At Regal and ADOC Medical Groups, we understand that quality care is more than just seeing your doctor when you’re sick. It’s also about having the right resources available when you need it. That’s why being part of the largest physician led network in Southern California means more choices in finding the right doctor and healthcare that best fit your needs. We have been caring for the many diverse communities throughout SoCal for more than 30 years.

We have thousands of doctors and specialists to choose from and everyday resources that extend beyond the doctor’s office. With a focus on coordinated, whole-person care and disease prevention, we offer well-rounded support for you and your family through every stage of your unique health journey.

See why our members have chosen our network of doctors and hospitals: 

Largest doctor-led medical group in Southern California
Comprehensive network of thousands of doctors and specialists
Access to hundreds of local urgent care centers, labs and hospitals
Free online health education, fitness classes and more
Appointment preparation n In-person, online and telehealth visits n Preventive care
Patient resources and testing
Contracted with most major health insurance plans
5-star rating in Standards of Excellence from America’s Physician Groups

You’re never alone on your journey to better health  

“Regardless of where a member is at on their journey, we meet them there,” says Mindy Morgen, Vice President of Marketing and Health Education at Regal, Lakeside and ADOC.

“We work with members with a focus on making small, realistic changes that lead to lasting and meaningful healthy life changes.” On HealthyWayEvents.com, members can browse through daily offerings of free fitness classes like Yoga, Zumba and Strength and Balance, as well as Doc Talks, community events and health education presentations.

For members who have serious health issues or chronic conditions, Regal and ADOC offer chronic condition management programs and extra support custom-tailored to their needs. This can include resources like one-on-one health coaching, dedicated social services support, pharmacy consultation for patients and families, specialized care teams catering to short and long-term recovery and more.

“The goal is to provide a very customized and member-centered experience,” says Nirav Shah, M.D., Senior Medical Director of Regal, Lakeside and ADOC. “We believe in the importance of well-rounded and complete healthcare – access to providers that speak your language and understand your culture, extra support beyond your doctor’s office and a highly encouraging and comforting environment that is tailored to your goals and health needs.”

We help you get the most out of your Medicare 

Did you know? Medicare Annual Enrollment is coming soon, beginning October 15 and ending December 7, 2023. And because Medicare benefits change every year, it’s important to have your benefits reviewed by a licensed agent to ensure you still have the right coverage that meets your current needs for 2024. Make sure to also ask about Medicare Advantage, which can help reduce out-of-pocket expenses while providing coverage for dental, hearing, and other important services and care.

Regal and ADOC are devoted to the health and well-being of our members and the communities we serve. Our purpose is to better every life we touch through the way we care.

To learn more about Regal and ADOC Medical Groups, or about our doctors and your Medicare health plan options for 2024, call (866) 984-0527 to speak with a licensed agent, or visit regalhealth365.com

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County firefighter charged with hit and run crash in Dana Point

• October 17, 2023

A grand jury handed up an indictment on last week, charging a veteran Orange County Fire Authority firefighter with a hit and run crash that killed a man in Dana Point last year, officials said on Tuesday, March 17.

Jeffrey Richard Grasinger, of Rancho Santa Margarita, was indicted on one felony count of hit and run with permanent injury or death, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

On October 21, 2022, Grasinger, 36, is accused of striking the victim, 24-year-old Said Darinel Sanchez, who was crossing Pacific Coast Highway, the district attorney’s office said in a press release on Tuesday. The crash caused the victim to go airborne, spin through the air, and fall head first into the pavement.

Video of the collision captured the moment the vehicle hit its brakes before crashing into the victim, as well at the moments after the crash, including the vehicle leaving without stopping or rendering aid, the district attorney’s office said.

The vehicle was tracked to a home in Rancho Santa Margarita by Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators, who found blood on the front of the vehicle and damage consistent with hitting a pedestrian.

Grasinger, an OCFA firefighter for 13 years, was determined by investigators to have been behind the wheel when Sanchez was struck and killed.

“Firefighters are public servants who are sworn to protect the lives of others,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the press release. “While another driver stopped to render aid after witnessing the collision, Mr. Grasinger, a professional firefighter trained to provide medical attention, drove off after hitting a human being. The fact that a sworn firefighter would disregard a human life so callously is not only disturbing; it is criminal.”

Grasinger was released on his own recognizance over the objection of prosecutors, who argued for bail, and is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 17 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

He faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison if convicted.

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​ Orange County Register 

The Alarm’s Mike Peters was hospitalized this time last year. Now he’s here playing concerts

• October 17, 2023

Singer-guitarist Mike Peters of the Alarm was in a dire spot at the end of September 2022. The leukemia he’d twice beaten was back, and this time a life-threatening case of pneumonia tagged along.

“I was in a bad situation,” Peters says of his illnesses. “And then there was a gentleman hovering quite close to my bed with a mask around his face.

“I looked at him, and he went, ‘Are you Mike Peters in there?’” the 63-year-old Welsh rock musician continues. “I went, ‘Yeah. I don’t feel like I look like him right now, but yeah, it’s me.’

“He goes, I’m a massive fan,” Peters says. “I’ve just come over from the USA to see my dad who’s down on the ward.’ He goes, ‘I was on the (Alarm) forum last night, with all the Alarm fans, telling them how ill you look.’

“I thought, ‘Oh no, it’s out now,’” he says. “Everyone knows.”

But there’s one thing you need to know about Mike Peters. Since he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1995, and then a second cancer, leukemia, in 2005, Peters has welcomed the chance to talk about cancer – his, yours, anyone’s.

Peters, who co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation after the first leukemia diagnosis, is probably the famous person least likely to be upset that news of a recurrence had been leaked by an overeager fan. So he told them even more.

“I didn’t want everyone to be as worried as it sounded,” Peters says. “So I wrote a letter to all the Alarm fans that I posted on TheAlarm.com, and I signed off with a word I’ve never used before.

“I can’t sign this off ‘Best’ or ‘Many thanks, Mike.’ I just signed it off with the word ‘Forwards’.

“And as soon as I wrote the word down, bang, there’s a song comes right into my head,” Peters says. “I thought, this isn’t about where I am right now. It’s where I’m going to get to. I’m going to get out of this situation by hook or by crook.

“In some ways, I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to write myself out of the situation and write a soundtrack that gets me back to real life.’”

Which is exactly what Peters did. The songs he started writing while in hospital in Rhyl, Wales eventually became the Alarm’s new album “Forwards.”

It’s that which brings him to Southern California for four shows this week, though, not entirely. Peters first decided to come attend the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit in Long Beach on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 16-17.

And, as he’s often done in recent years, Peters will also go for a public hike to raise cancer awareness, walking from the Venice Pier to the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, Oct. 19, and inviting anyone who wants to join him to come along for a song, a conversation, a human interaction.

Cancer and concerts

“The trigger was that I was invited to come to the Cancer Leaders’ Summit and take part in that,” Peters says on a recent call from the customs line at the Atlanta airport after flying to the United States from Wales for the first time since before the pandemic. “I thought, it’s a good opportunity to come to the USA on a little bit more of a challenge for a few more shows.

“Because a year ago, I was very ill and wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the strength to be able to come and play in America, never mind sing,” he says.

The cancer conference is another chance for Peters to do what he’s done for years now.

“I’ve lived with the word ‘cancer’ hanging over me and my family since 1995,” he says. “I suppose along the way I’ve become kind of an authority on surviving and staying the distance and hanging onto life. So I’ve got a lot to impart in that respect, you know, to help humanize the stories that people have to tell through cancer.”

Playing music has provided an opportunity to talk to people all around the world about cancer, often under the banner of Love Hope Strength Foundation, often through walks like the one he’s planned here or more ambitious hikes in locales from Africa to the Himalayas.

“I perform and speak and talk about cancer,” Peters says. “I can hopefully make them aware of the second word in our charity, Love Hope Strength. Make them aware of the hope that’s out there for people receiving diagnosis.”

Love Hope Strength, which took its name from a lyric in the title track to the Alarm’s 1985 album “Strength,” focuses on programs designed to have an impact in the communities where it holds events. One key program is getting people to sign up for the international stem cell registry through which they match and donate to patients who need stem cells, Peters says.

When he and the organization do work in far-flung communities, they make sure the funds raised there stay there. A project in Tanzania helped create three new hospital wards for child cancer patients, each ward named with the Swahili word for love, hope and strength. An excursion with other musicians to the base camp on Mount Everest raised funds that went to buy the first-ever mammography machines in Nepal, saving women with breast cancer from traveling to India for that service.

“Whenever we’re on the ground, we like to keep the money in the shadow of the mountain,” Peters says.

Songs in the sick ward

When Peters realized in 2022 that he wasn’t getting out of the hospital quickly, he asked his wife, Jules Peters, who herself is a breast cancer survivor, to bring his acoustic guitar to the ward.

“The COVID protocol was still in place last year, especially in hospitals in Wales, and so it was quite a distance between me and other patients on the ward,” Peters says. “I felt like I was starting to get some ideas for songs and words, and I wanted to just make them come alive so I can record them quietly into my phone or something like that.

“Then it just became this thing that the nurses were hovering near my bed when I was playing my guitar,” he says. “They quite enjoyed it. And then the other patients went, ‘Play it a bit louder,’ you know, ‘Do you know any Beatles or anything?’”

Again, he thought about how cancer is relentlessly unified when it attacks – but we in our modern world often feel so disconnected from each other.

“But music is this one force that kind of brings us all together because everyone understands harmony and singing,” Peters says. “That’s what we tried to do, use the power of music to bring people together. Take some fun into the cancer world because it can be a very dark place to be involved.”

The songs that he wrote in the hospital are anthemic like Alarm classics such as “Sixty Eight Guns,” “Rain in the Summertime,” “Spirit of ’76,” and “The Stand.” And like those, they uplift with positive, hopeful messages.

“Songs like ‘Forwards,’ and the one that follows it on the album, ‘The Returning,’ that was where I wanted to get,” Peters says. “You know, I wanted my life, my relationship with my family, my kids, and to survive. I was longing to return back to real life.”*

Playing for people

It’s clear by now that Mike Peters likes people a lot, isn’t it? The pier-to-pier walk on Thursday is his chance to meet them in a personal way, using his music, his love, hope and strength to make connections.

Sometimes, he says, it almost seems like he was meant to be doing this even before cancer first visited him.

“When I sang ‘Strength’ in 1985, and sang the lines, ‘Who will be the lifeblood coursing through my veins?” I didn’t for one second think it was going to turn itself into a charity that’s gone on to register a quarter million people to the bone marrow register and find over 5,000 potentially life-saving matches,” Peters says.

“So I pinch myself every day that I got involved in all this,” he says. “It sounds ironic, and maybe to some people it sounds horrible to say, but cancer’s been a blessing in some ways in my life.

“Because it’s brought me into contact with so many inspirational people. Incredibly talented doctors and nurses, and people who’ve gone way beyond the call of duty and show incredible acts of selflessness to keep people alive.”

As for the shows he booked in Montclair, Temecula, Agoura Hills and San Juan Capistrano this week, they’re billed as acoustic Alarm shows but Peters says there’s a bit more electricity involved than that might suggest.

“It’s really electro-acoustic, quite a big noise,” he says. “It’s like a one-man version of the White Stripes, so be prepared. It’s not Simon and Garfunkel, put it that way, as great as they are.”

Mike Peters of the Alarm

Wednesday, Oct. 18: Doors at 6 p.m., show at 8 p.m. at The Canyon, 5060 E. Montclair Plaza, No. 2020 Montclair.

Thursday, Oct. 19: Walking from Venice Pier to Santa Monica Pier, playing music and talking along the way. For details and to register for the free event go to Lovehopestrength.org and click on the event.

Friday, Oct. 20: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Wiens Winery, 35055 Via Del Ponte, Temecula

Saturday, Oct. 21: Doors at 6 p.m., headliner at 9 p.m. at The Canyon, 28912 Roadside Dr., Agoura Hills

Sunday, Oct. 22: Doors at 5 p.m., show at 7 p.m. at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano

​ Orange County Register 

Did he pull the trigger? Prosecutors seeking to recharge Alec Baldwin in fatal movie-set shooting

• October 17, 2023

By MORGAN LEE

SANTA FE, N.M. — Special prosecutors said Tuesday they are seeking to recharge actor Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie in New Mexico two years ago.

New Mexico-based prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said they’ll present evidence grand jury within the next two months, noting that “additional facts” have come to light in the October 2021 fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” during filming on the outskirts of Santa Fe.

Baldwin, a coproducer of the film, was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on the film’s set outside Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the gun fired.

Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer killed in October 2021 on a New Mexico movies set by a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin, is seen above attending the SAGindie Sundance Filmmakers Reception at Cafe Terigo on Jan. 28, 2019 in Park City, Utah. (File photo by Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie)

Special prosecutors in April initially dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin, saying at the time that they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. They later pivoted and began weighing whether to refile a charge against Baldwin after receiving a new analysis of the gun.

The gun analysis from experts in ballistics and forensic testing based in Arizona and New Mexico relied on replacement parts to reassemble the gun fired by Baldwin — after parts of the pistol were broken during earlier testing by the FBI. The report examined the gun and markings it left on a spent cartridge to conclude that the trigger had to have been pulled or depressed.

Alec Baldwin movie-set shooting

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Alec Baldwin charged in fatal New Mexico movie set shooting

The analysis led by Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona stated that although Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, “given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”

The weapons supervisor on the movie set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February.

In March, “Rust” assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the shooting.

The 2021 shooting resulted in a series of civil lawsuits centered on accusations that the defendants were lax with safety standards. The cases have including wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins’ family. Baldwin and other defendants have disputed accusations they were lax with safety standards.

​ Orange County Register