Teacher at Irvine’s Beckman High School arrested after recording devices found in school restroom

• February 28, 2023

IRVINE — A teacher at Beckman High School in Irvine was arrested Monday on suspicion of hiding recording devices in a bathroom at the school.

Siu Kong Sit was arrested on suspicion of  possession of or manufacturing child pornography, burglary and on two misdemeanor charges and was booked at the Orange County Jail, said Irvine Police Department Lt. Cathy Scherer.

According to police, a contracted maintenance worker found the devices inside a restroom near a pool at the school and turned the items over to the school’s administrative staff, which then called the police department. Officers determined the devices had recorded several victims while they were in the restroom, Scherer said.

During the course of their investigation, detectives determined Sit had installed the recording devices.

Scherer said police are attempting to locate additional victims based on additional evidence located on the devices.

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​ Orange County Register 

Fountain Valley collision leaves one driver dead, another hospitalized

• February 28, 2023

A two-vehicle collision at Euclid Street and Slater Avenue in Fountain Valley left one driver dead and another hospitalized after officers pulled him from his burning car on Sunday, Feb. 26.

Fountain Valley police said in a Monday statement that an officer witnessed the collision at 4:52 p.m. when a 2022 Toyota Camry heading north on Euclid collided with a 2008 Dodge Caravan, and the Camry burst into flames.

The 55-year-old Caravan driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said that at the time of the collision, the Caravan driver was turning left onto eastbound Slater from southbound Euclid. His identity was not immediately made public.

Officers pulled the 51-year-old Camry driver from Costa Mesa out of his vehicle after it had become engulfed in flames. He was hospitalized with significant head injuries, police said.

Investigators have not yet determined if drugs or alcohol were involved.

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​ Orange County Register 

Santa Margarita girls soccer seeded first for CIF Southern California Regional

• February 28, 2023

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Santa Margarita’s girls soccer team received another reward Sunday for its dramatic victory in penalty kicks in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship.

The Eagles (19-2-1) were seeded first in Division I for the CIF Southern California Regional tournament, which starts Tuesday.

Santa Margarita will play host to Liberty of Bakersfield (22-1) at Saddleback College at 6 p.m.

Los Alamitos (18-7-5), the Division 1 runner-up to the Eagles, received the No. 3 seed in Division I and a match against visiting Cathedral Catholic on Tuesday. Cathedral Catholic was the Open Division runner-up in the San Diego Section to Westview.

Villa Park (17-3-4), which fell to Santa Margarita in the semifinals, claimed the No. 4 seed in Division I. The Spartans play host to No. 5 La Costa Canyon at El Modena High on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Marina (11-6-6) and Portola (16-3-2) received the third and seventh seeds, respectively, in Division III. The Vikings play host to Centennial of Bakersfield on Tuesday while the Bulldogs travel to No. 2 Patrick Henry, the Division II champion in San Diego.

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Crean Lutheran (19-3-3), which claimed the Division 5 title Saturday, drew the third seed in Division IV and a home game against South Gate on Tuesday.

And in Division V, Magnolia and La Quinta, who dueled in the CIF-SS Division 7 final on Friday, received the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively.

The champion Sentinels (17-9-1) play Tuesday at Clairemont of San Diego, the Division IV champion in San Diego. The Aztecs (16-7-5) play host to Larchmont Charter of Los Angeles at Bolsa Grande High.

The regional tournament continues Thursday with the semifinals and concludes Saturday with the finals.

​ Orange County Register 

‘Still kicking,’ Ducks beat Blackhawks for 3rd straight win

• February 28, 2023

ANAHEIM — Four-point swings aren’t quite what they used to be …

Old days: A game between the Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks meant bragging rights in the regular season in the Western Conference.

New times: A contest involving the Ducks and Blackhawks meant a result could impact the race to the bottom, also known as the Connor Bedard Derby. Of course, last place overall doesn’t automatically ensure the right to pick first in the draft – due to the draft lottery – but a team’s odds are meaningfully enhanced by finishing 32nd.

So how about those standings?

Columbus still holds down the last spot overall with 44 points but ‘gained’ more separation in the standings when the Ducks defeated the Blackhawks, 4-2, on Monday night at Honda Center, with the hosts winning their third straight game. The Ducks and Chicago each have 47 points but the Ducks have played 61 games, two more than the Blackhawks. The result snapped Chicago’s five-game winning streak.

Scoring for the Ducks: Isac Lundestrom (fourth of the season), Jakob Silfverberg (ninth), Max Jones (fifth) and Troy Terry (16th), with Terry and Jones adding assists. Ducks rookie center Mason McTavish added three assists, Frank Vatrano had two assists, and rookie goaltender Lukas Dostal made 24 saves for his third win of the season. Defenseman John Klingberg had the primary assist on Silfverberg’s goal, giving him nine points in his past nine games.

“That’s a hard game for those guys to play,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “We flew home the other night (from Carolina). Guys probably got in their beds by maybe 4 a.m. Guys with kids probably didn’t sleep at all. So these are dangerous games. … Good on our guys for being ready, getting over that mental hump and finding a way to get the points.”

The game-winner was from Jones, who broke the 2-2 tie, scoring with 17.5 seconds remaining in the second period and Terry scored the only goal in the third, converting a slick backhander from a sharp angle at 8:15.

“I can’t not mention McTavish,” Terry said. “Him and (Jones) together are two of the best forecheckers on the team and they won the puck back. Mac made a really good play. Once I saw he was going to get it, I tried to just bust to the net because I knew he was going to find me.

“Once I got it, I did have a little more time than I thought. I was on my backhand. … I don’t even know if I could have scored it from where I ended up. I just tried to get it around the goalie (Petr Mrazek) and it’s a fortuitous bounce. It feels good.”

Troy Terry Ducks lead 4-2! @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/YzzfNmilwo

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 28, 2023

The Ducks’ only other three-game winning streak this season was in late January. Earlier in the day, Terry pointed to things he saw in last week’s victory in Washington, which started the current run for the Ducks.

“As a team, we’re still fighting,” he said. “We’re still kicking. When you’ve got guys fighting Tom Wilson and (Dylan) McIlrath and you’ve got Nathan Beaulieu jumping in front of an Alex Ovechkin one-timer. That type of stuff – we may be where we are in the standings – but we’re all playing for something and we’re too close a group not to battle for each other.

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“That game was a good reminder of that and set us up for the next game.”

Jones agreed, saying: “Right there, it showed all right, we still care. Everyone is out there still fighting and leans on each other. It makes everyone else want to work harder.”

Chicago was without franchise icons Jonathan Toews, who is dealing with symptoms of long COVID-19 and Patrick Kane (roster management), and earlier in the day, defenseman Jake McCabe and depth forward Sam Lafferty were traded (along with future draft picks) in a package to the Toronto Maple Leafs for two players and two future picks. One of those players, Joey Anderson, the older brother of Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson, traveled to Anaheim and played against the Ducks, on the fourth line.

How thin were the Blackhawks on experience? Two forwards in their top nine had played a combined nine games in the NHL, counting Monday night’s contest.

​ Orange County Register 

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball breaks ankle, latest setback in rough season

• February 28, 2023

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball’s frustrating, injury-plagued season is likely over after the point guard broke his right ankle in Charlotte’s 117-106 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

The former Chino Hills High star has already missed 27 games this season after he sprained his left ankle on three separate occasions, beginning in the preseason. He and the Hornets (20-43) were playing their best basketball of the season before the point guard fell to the floor on a non-contact play in the third quarter.

X-rays revealed the fracture to Ball’s ankle.

“It sucks,” Hornets swingman Gordon Hayward said, shaking his head. “Injuries are the worst part of the game.”

Ball had entered the game with five straight double-doubles and appeared on his way to another with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists before leaving with 9:26 left in the period.

He was also shooting the ball extremely well from deep, having made 47.3% (27 of 57) of his 3-point shots over the last five games. He was 6 for 7 from behind the arc against the Pistons.

Charlotte’s five-game winning streak was the team’s longest of the season.

“We were starting to figure it out as a team,” Hayward said. “He and I were starting to build (chemistry). I think me personally, I was starting to build a good relationship with him on the court and we were finding easy buckets for each other. Some of that is what we’ve gone through the whole year, not being able to build that out on the court with different guys being injured. Him at the beginning of the season, then me right after that, and now him again. It’s been back and forth with different people through the year, which is tough.”

Ball had just dribbled behind his back and appeared to be setting up to work off a screen from center Mark Williams behind the 3-point arc when he fell to the ground. He grabbed the loose ball and passed to Williams, who found a teammate for a score.

Ball was taken to the locker room.

Hayward said players figured he had “tweaked something,” not knowing the extent of the injury until after the game.

Hornets coach Steve Clifford didn’t say how long Ball would be out. But given the severity of the injury and the fact the Hornets only have 19 games remaining and are not in contention for the playoffs, it seems unlikely the team would rush him back.

“The only thing you can do is watch the film, learn from it and then focus on what we have to do tomorrow in practice to get ready for (the next game). Unfortunately, we’re experienced at playing without all of them, so it’s not like it’s going to be brand new,” Clifford said. “It’s tough, too, because he was starting to play so well, and the team obviously was playing better and better. They’re not going to wait for us.”

Hayward said he texted Ball after the game, but hadn’t spoken with him.

“I think that is the most important thing when you are injured – stay positive and have a good support system around you including your teammates, family and friends,” said Hayward, who broke an ankle on an awkward landing in 2017 while playing for Boston. “He’s young and he will bounce back but it is always tough in the moment.”

​ Orange County Register 

Troy Terry on wearing the ‘A’ : ‘It’s a huge honor to me’

• February 28, 2023

ANAHEIM — Troy Terry didn’t have much time to get adjusted to wearing the “A,” which will be one of his responsibilities as long as injured teammate Adam Henrique is out of the lineup with a lower-body injury.

Terry found out shortly before their game at Washington on Thursday.

“Honestly, I came to the rink against Washington and it wasn’t on my jersey when I first got there. … There were some cheers and people giving me a hard time,” Terry said, smiling. “It’s a huge honor to me. It’s something that I don’t take lightly.”

Ducks coach Dallas Eakins previously said that Terry had “earned it,” in terms of the leadership qualities required of an alternate captain and elaborated on Monday after the Ducks’ morning skate.

“We’re not only trying to develop hockey players here, but we’re trying to develop leaders as well and he’s doing a fabulous job at that,” Eakins said.

It is something that doesn’t happen overnight.

“More vocal for sure,” Eakins said of Terry this season. “Before he was just a fly on the wall and wouldn’t say much. It was more of a respect thing. Didn’t want to step in front of another veteran player. Certainly more vocal in the room. Has an opinion on some things we’re doing on the power play. Certainly way more engaged on the bench with other players. It’s baby steps all the time.

“Leadership, especially in an NHL dressing room, is something you maybe don’t want to go running into the fire. You’ve got to take the necessary steps to get there and I think he’s slowly checking off the boxes.”

400 CLUB

For Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, hitting the 400-point career mark in the NHL (which happened on Saturday in Carolina) resonated even more when he started hearing from family and friends and other teammates.

But the fact that he has played the third-most games in the NHL among members of his 2010 NHL draft class – the contest against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday was his 872nd – topped the career point total mark, at least in his mind.

“I’d say that’s probably what I’m more proud of – I still think I have a lot of years left to play,” Fowler said. “Besides some injuries, I think I’ve tried to be a consistent factor for the team on the back end. The points and stuff – that’s fun – but it’s more about showing up every day and being ready to go for your team.

“Doing that over a long career, that’s what I’m most proud of. Hopefully, like I said, there’s a lot more years left.”

ICE CHIPS

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is one of the many soon-to-be unrestricted free agents on the roster and his name has come up periodically on trade boards this season. Still, he isn’t racing toward the exit sign and would consider signing a contract extension with the rebuilding Ducks.

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“We would be definitely open for it,” Shattenkirk said on Monday. “Again, totally understand the situation too, especially after what happened (here) last year.”

There haven’t been meaningful talks regarding an extension.

“It’s in his hands,” Shattenkirk said of Ducks GM Pat Verbeek. “I’m certainly old enough to understand the way the business works. If nothing happens, maybe we’ll explore it again.”

​ Orange County Register 

Man who sold fatal dose of fentanyl to Temecula college student gets 9 years in federal prison

• February 28, 2023

Matt Capelouto stood in the Riverside courtroom of federal Judge Jesus G. Bernal on Monday, Feb. 27, clutching a blue urn containing the ashes of his daughter, Alexandra. He was there to address the man who sold Alexandra the fentanyl that killed her.

Capelouto told 23-year-old Brandon Michael McDowell he only wished one thing.

“If there is anything I would wish for today, it would be to hear Alex’s voice. Since the day she was born, the sound of her voice filled our hearts and our lives with love and hope,” Capelouto said at the sentencing hearing in U.S.District Court. “I just want to hear her voice, and here we are, here we are standing in the same room with an individual that chose to trade all that, to trade her life, for a few bucks.”

Packed courtroom

In a packed courtroom and a packed jury room to accommodate the overflow of spectators, Bernal sentenced McDowell, of Riverside, to nine years in federal prison. Federal prosecutors were seeking a 14-year sentence, while McDowell’s attorney, Deputy Federal Public Defender Young Kim, was asking for seven years in prison.

McDowell sold 20-year-old Alexandra Capelouto a batch of what she thought were oxycodone pills on Dec. 22, 2019. Capelouto had contacted McDowell via the social media platform Snapchat, seeking the pills to help her sleep. Instead, they were a death sentence.

During emotionally powerful victim impact statements, the Capelouto family — Alexandra’s parents, Matt and Christine, and their three surviving daughters, Skye, Brooke and Brittney — spoke of Alexandra’s battles with clinical depression, anxiety and insomnia, and how her death destroyed their family.

Alexandra Capelouto (Courtesy Capelouto family)

‘A nightmare you never wake up from’

Christine Capelouto found her daughter slumped over on her bed two days before Christmas, in a sitting position in front of her makeup mirror.

“I really thought she had just fallen asleep that way. I went to move her in a more comfortable sleeping position. I realized when I turned her over she was long gone,” Christine Capelouto said. “Her body was stiff and cold. This is a parent’s worst nightmare. It’s a nightmare you never wake up from.”

Alexandra was a sociology major at Arizona State University who dreamed of working in the foster care system, her mother said. She was home visiting for Christmas when she died.

Skye Capelouto said she woke up that dreadful morning — Dec. 23, 2019 — to the sound of a door slamming and her mother screaming.

“That was the worst day of my life. I lost my parents for awhile. We didn’t function as a family for a long time,” she said. “My heart will never stop breaking from losing my sister.”

Christine Capelouto said the day her daughter died, Alexandra told her she was battling insomnia, was really tired and that she could not get good sleep.

“I told her I didn’t have anything for her that could help her. Unbeknownst to me she sought out painkillers to help her sleep. She did not want to die. Alex was seeking relief, not death,” her mother said.

Suffering from lung cancer

In March 2022, she said she was diagnosed with stage 4 triple negative breast cancer which had metastasized to her lungs. Genetic testing came back negative, and the condition does not run in her family.

“I asked my doctor if my grief could have caused this cancer, and he said more than likely, yes,” Christine Capelouto said. “Our daughters barely have parents anymore. We just can’t function like a normal family, and we never will. I will not be alive much longer from this cancer. More losses in the family. I lost both my parents and my daughter in a 9-month period.”

Matt Capelouto said Alexandra’s death has taken even more from his family.

“We all know there is no greater pain than having a child stolen from you. It puts a weight and a strain on us all that can’t be measured,” he said. “I have no doubt all this pain and despair is the cause of my wife’s cancer, which is literally killing her as I stand her and talk with you — collateral damage caused by a guy making a buck off the life of our daughter.”

A grand jury indicted McDowell on one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death in December 2021. But under a deal with federal prosecutors, McDowell agreed to plead guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

After Alexandra Capelouto made contact with him on social media, McDowell drove to her Temecula home and sold her a batch of what were later determined to be blue fentanyl pills known in drug culture as “M30s,” according to the indictment.

Investigators seized 11 1/2 pills from Alexandra Capelouto’s bedroom, but are not sure how many she actually bought, and believe she had crushed them into powder and snorted the drug.

60-mile walk to courthouse

Three days before the court appearance, Capelouto’s parents and their supporters braved the cold and rainy weather on Friday to begin a 60-mile walk from Morgan Hill Park in Temecula to the federal courthouse in Riverside to attend McDowell’s sentencing. They were accompanied by a truck with an electronic billboard that flashed photos of people, most of them young, who have died from fentanyl poisoning.

During the final leg of their walk on Monday, the group marched from the Mission Inn in Riverside to the George E. Brown Jr. Federal Building, with Alexandra Capelouto’s parents leading the way and Matt clutching the blue urn like it was his newborn daughter.

Matt Capelouto is one of several parents whose children have died from fentanyl poisoning who have been pushing for stricter laws that would hold drug dealers accountable if they knowingly sell fentanyl to people who die after using it. Many support murder charges in such cases.

As part of the push for more punitive sentencings, federal prosecutors have vowed to continue aggressively investigating fatal overdose cases to identify and bring to justice every individual involved in trafficking the cheap synthetic opioid.

More on Alexandra Capelouto

Harsher penalties are needed to combat the fentanyl crisis and save lives
Riverside County’s war on fentanyl dealers gaining attention across state
Federal authorities have a tool to battle fentanyl dealers that California lacks
Law enforcement agencies, families call for tougher penalties against fentanyl dealers
Murder charges in fentanyl deaths? Riverside County carves new path in Southern California

In the last year, law enforcement officials at all levels from across Southern California and the country have been sounding the alarm and launching public awareness campaigns on the dangers of fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine and spreading like a cancer across the nation, becoming the No. 1 killer of adults in the 18-to-45 age range.

In January, local and federal law enforcement officials in Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties announced the launch of another public outreach campaign, “Death in Disguise.” It expanded on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s “One Pill Can Kill” campaign and included the release of a new public service announcement and an engagement program targeting schools and community groups across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The Capelouto case has generated wide publicity and prompted Sen. Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, to introduce Senate Bill 350 in 2021. The bill, which failed in committee, would have mandated that under state law, anyone convicted of dealing fentanyl or other potentially deadly drugs be issued a written warning that an overdose death resulting from providing such drugs could result in a murder prosecution in the future.

It was recommended Monday that McDowell serve his sentence at either the Lompoc or Terminal Island federal correctional institutions.

​ Orange County Register 

Boys and girls soccer: Schedule for the CIF SoCal Regional playoffs

• February 28, 2023

CIF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFFS

BOYS SOCCER

DIVISION I

Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Bakersfield Ridgeview at JSerra

Sunny Hills at Encinitas San Dieguito

DIVISION II

Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Poway at San Clemente

DIVISION III

Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Newport Harbor at San Diego Point Loma

Santa Maria Pioneer Valley vs. El Dorado at Valencia HS

Palisades at Los Alamitos, 4:30 p.m.

DIVISION IV

Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

La Jolla Country Day at Orange Lutheran

DIVISION V

Regional semifinals: Thursday, 5 p.m.

Oxford Academy at Lompoc

SCHEDULE

Regional semifinals: Thursday, 5 p.m.

Championship games: Saturday, 5 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER

DIVISION I

Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Bakersfield Liberty vs. Santa Margarita at Saddleback College

Carlsbad La Costa Canyon at Villa Park

San Diego Cathedral at Los Alamitos, 7 p.m.

DIVISION III

Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Bakersfield Centennial at Marina, 3 p.m.

Portola at San Diego Henry

DIVISION IV

Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

South Gate at Crean Lutheran

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DIVISION V

Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Magnolia at San Diego Clairemont

Larchmont vs. La Quinta at Bolsa Grande HS

SCHEDULE

Regional semifinals: Thursday, 5 p.m.

Championship games: Saturday, 5 p.m.

​ Orange County Register