Latest news with #OrangeCountySheriff'sDepartment
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Man, 54, arrested for alleged racist, threatening rant in Orange County
A 54-year-old Orange County man has been arrested in connection with a video that reportedly shows him spewing hateful and racist language at a business where several Hispanic adults can be seen. In the footage, which has racked up nearly 15,000 views on at least one Instagram account, a man, who police say is Lake Forest resident Eric Walter Ramminger, is captured screaming graphic insults and obscenities at a woman who works at the business on May 30. 'In America, we do not like you, okay? We do not like you!' he's seen yelling while violently pounding on the shop's window. The 54-year-old, who appears to be inebriated, is also seen threatening the woman and her customers. 'You think you're safe, but you're not going to be safe for soon,' he says. 'You might get away with this one, but you're going to have a f****** problem.' He goes on to call the woman a 'piece of s***' and an 'a**hole' before saying, 'Listen, I will blast your face off,' while encouraging the woman to come outside, presumably to fight him. Teenage boy, 15, killed, 5 others hurt in parking lot crash during pick up at L.A. school The woman, who looks like she's trying to get Ramminger out the door, dodges one of his swings and swipes back at him, prompting one of the men in the room to stand up, possibly to come to the woman's aid. It's unclear how the situation ended. A man narrating the Instagram video to his followers said that the woman called the police and they took hours to get there, arriving only after 'the danger had ended.' In a news release, officials at the Orange County Sheriff's Department disputed that claim. 'We received a call about a man yelling at a business near Ridge Route and Lake Forest drives at 6:47 p.m. on Friday, May 30,' the release states. 'With the information provided to dispatch, the call was assigned as a low-priority call. The deputies responded to the call and arrived at the business in less than 30 minutes.' Sheriff's officials said that a report was taken and given to investigators, who took Ramminger into custody on Wednesday at around 2:30 p.m. on suspicion of trespassing, assault and battery, criminal threats and charges related to hate crimes. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information about the investigation is asked to contact OCSD at 949-770-6011. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Around Town: Huntington Beach police, O.C. Sheriff's Department offer free e-bike training
Join the Huntington Beach police and the Orange County Sheriff's Department Saturday, May 31 for a hands-on e-bike training event featuring six 70-minute sessions focused on safe riding practices, traffic awareness and California e-bike laws. Riders can take their own bicycles and helmets to the event, which takes place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Dwyer Middle School, 1502 Palm Ave., in Huntington Beach. Registered participants can receive prizes, giveaways and a sticker for completing the course. Registration is required, and all riders under 18 need a permission slip to attend. To register, visit the event's Eventbrite page. The Orange County fairgrounds' Heroes Hall Museum invites the public to attend a free Speaker Series talk on May 31, from 2 to 4 p.m., titled 'Beyond the Battlefield: Navigating the Journey of Veterans with PTSD.' The event begins with a viewing of the documentary film 'The Volunteer,' which documents the journey of veteran Bruce Nakashima as he searches for and reconnects with a fellow Army Ranger and friend who saved his life in Vietnam. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on post traumatic stress disorder and its impact on veterans and their families featuring Nick Berardino, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam; Tom Clark, a Vietnam veteran and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient; and Tim Higle, veteran and director of the South County Veterans Center. Heroes Hall is located at the O.C. fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Admission is free. Local residents are encouraged to join Costa Mesa Planning Commissioners Tuesday, May 27 at 6 p.m. to discuss future land use concepts and key components of the Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan, which will guide future growth at the 85-acre site. Topics for discussion will include the proposed land use distribution, open space framework, circulation network and overall site organization on the grounds of the decommissioned state hospital site. Tuesday's study session takes place at Costa Mesa City Hall Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive, in Costa Mesa.
Los Angeles Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
‘Everything is more expensive': Orange County looking at $1.2-billion hike in annual budget
Orange County officials are proposing a $10.8-billion budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, an increase of about $1.2 billion over the current year's spending plan. The general fund budget, which offers the most flexibility, is projected at $5.4 billion, up from last fiscal year's $4.8 billion. The remainder of the budget is generally restricted by law, limiting the county's ability to adjust how those funds are used. 'It is higher than last year,' Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner told City News Service. 'We have enormous new mandates from [the state] Legislature to deal with, issues from the court, so it's a frustration. Yes, it's bigger than last year. I won't defend that. But that is in the inevitable way of government budgets everywhere, and I wish we could get a handle on it. Everything is more expensive.' The county expects $1.2 billion in general purpose funds, an increase of $78.5 million, largely due to a $72.1 million rise in property tax revenue. The one-half cent tax to fund law enforcement from Prop. 172 is down 2.5% this year compared to last fiscal year, officials said. The estimated revenue is $427.6 million, with $342.1 million allocated to the Orange County Sheriff's Department and $85.5 million to the district attorney's office. The county is expected to receive $27.5 million from 'realignment revenue' over last year for a total of $945 million. Of that, $266.4 million is budgeted for health, mental health and social services, $666.7 million forpublic safety and social services and $11.4 million for juvenile criminal justice. The county is planning to eliminate 163 jobs by not filling vacant positions, although department heads may attempt to restore some of those cuts. For instance, officials from the district attorney's office recently met with county leaders about the upcoming budget, Wagner said. 'They were asking we take a hard look at the positions that were frozen and see if there's relief there,' Wagner said. The county can hire back some retired employees on a part-time basis but only for about six months or so, Wagner said. 'If the Legislature wants to give us relief from that then that would help,'' Wagner said of the pension restrictions that prohibit longer tenures for returning employees. The Prop. 172 revenue decrease is bad timing, Wagner noted. 'The 172 revenue is down but the demands on law enforcement, the public defender and D.A. are increasing, so it is a challenge to continue to provide the level of support... without making cuts in other places,' Wagnersaid. `'So we've been very clear with department heads that belt tightening has to happen, which has been happening.' One looming financial concern is the Airport fire of last September and the series of resulting legal claims that blame the county Public Works Department for its ignition. 'We are reserving some money,' to prepare, Wagner said. 'We are perhaps being a bit more frugal with restoring augmentations than we'd like to because that money we're going to need to make [legal claim] payments. It's not a great big bill due immediately, but over several years now, and we are planning accordingly. This budget and next will be tight. We've made no secret about that.''
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Southern California authorities use new technology to save stranded biker
Officials in Orange County are touting the use of new technology that helps first responders locate stranded people. What3words is a global addressing system that divides the entire world into three 10×10 feet squares and assigns each of them a unique three-word name. For example, upon entering 'Hollywood Sign' into the search field, the exact square representing it has the code: ' In a media release, the Orange County Sheriff's Department stated that they deployed the technology on May 10, when they were contacted to assist in locating a missing mountain biker in the hills north of Yorba Linda who did not have much water and took a wrong turn. LAX-bound flight from Hawaii diverted after 'potential security concern' found in lavatory The informant advised authorities that the biker, a 71-year-old man, may have been experiencing heat exhaustion due to extreme weather conditions, the sheriff's department added. Resources, including a motor deputy on a dual-sport motor vehicle and an airship, were dispatched to look for the man; however, he was not located, even though the motor deputy traveled more than six miles along a trail during the search efforts. Hearing the original call for service, the department's Real Time Operations Center used a new application, Prepared911, to assist in the search. The app utilizes technology that can send live video calls to a cell phone, and once a call is answered, the tech provides authorities with an accurate GPS location, the sheriff's department stated. 'Even though there was an intermittent signal loss, RTOC was able to push a video call to the biker's cell phone activating 'What 3 Words' and providing an accurate GPS location,' OCSD said of the May 10 rescue. 'TROC shared the information with the Orange County Fire Authority's rescue crews, who responded and rescued the biker.' The biker, Jay Doyle, said the technology got him out of a dire situation compounded by the fact that he had run out of water. 'I honestly knew I was in trouble, but I didn't realize how much trouble I was in,' Doyle, a Westminster resident, told KTLA. OCSD Research Analyst Sarah Shirvany broke the technology down further to KTLA 5 Orange County Bureau Chief Chip Yost. 'At the time I launched Prepared911, I sent a link to [the biker's] phone, and the link basically states: 'This is the Orange County Sheriff's Department and we're requesting to link into your phone',' Shirvany said. 'Once the caller hits the link, it gives us permission to get a live feed [from] their phone.' Click here for more information on Prepared911 and here for more information on what3words. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
16-05-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
O.C. fairgrounds' the Ranch opens gates to public in debut during Discovery Day
After more than a year of planning and preparation — and following an exodus of horse trainer tenants and their equines — a new Ranch Community Center at the Orange County fairgrounds this week opened its doors to the visiting public. Fairground officials debuted the facility in a Discovery Day event Wednesday, inviting more than 500 youth to the Costa Mesa site to learn about the care, keeping and use of horses in Orange County's past and present. 'This is a vision the board had; I shared that vision, and the staff got behind it,' said Michele Richards, chief executive, who welcomed guests to the center. 'It's the newest expansion of agricultural education programs at the OC Fair & Event Center.' Despite a dearth of regular equine occupants (only five, including two that are privately boarded, reside at the roughly 144-stall center) the day's event featured 21 horses that children can visit with, touch and learn more about. Members of the California State Guard's 26th Cavalry Support Regiment led demonstrations on the use and history of horses in military operations, while six deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Department's Mounted Enforcement Unit were stationed, hip to hip, at the Ranch's western edge. Other horses, on loan from other locations in Orange County, included two belonging to a fairgrounds volunteer who illustrated how OCFEC, serving as California's 32nd District Agricultural Assn., is equipped to provide large-animal evacuation services in an emergency or disaster. Handlers of three resident horses from San Juan Capistrano-based nonprofit Walk Intuit discussed equine-assisted therapy lessons and programs being offered at the Ranch, while representatives from Tanaka Farms' Barnyard program in Irvine introduced 27-year-old rescued miniature horses, Dolly Madison and Lil' Debbie. 'Their owner died and so we took them in. They're just lovely little sassafrases, two old ladies gossiping all day,' joked Shelmarie Main, creator of the Barnyard's programs. Youths toddled through educational exhibits from Knott's Berry Farm 4-H and Hapa Honey Farm, engaging in activities from veterinary tech students of Anaheim's Platt College and interacting with bunnies, domesticated chickens, a donkey and a llama from the fairgrounds' own animal landscaping team. For kids who may have been looking to saddle up, Discovery Day at the Ranch offered a stick-horse rodeo, where kids could gallop and practice jumps, and saddles mounted onto bales of hay that provided a ranch-themed photo opp. Riding lessons, which once flourished at the fairgrounds' former Equestrian Center, could soon rebound, now that OFCEC signed a contract with its first trainer, Sara Zomo, owner of San Juan Capistrano's Zequestrian Riding Academy, who recently began boarding two horses at the facility. Zomo, who brought out horses Rosie Posey and Princess to meet the kids, said she's looking to meet the needs of clientele in the area and is starting off with those two horses but may bring more. 'The purpose for us expanding is there is a need for fresh blood in the sport, and not a lot of people teach kids,' she said. 'So, we're so excited to be here as a second location and really excited to serve the community.' Kids, parents and teachers who attended Wednesday's Discovery Day were equally excited to check out the Ranch and see a part of the fairgrounds they hadn't really explored before. 'I think this might have been my best field trip yet,' said Natalie Schild, a kindergarten teacher at Coto de Caza's Wagon Wheel Elementary School, who's taken students to nearby Centennial Farm but had never stepped foot in the Equestrian Center before Wednesday. 'We never knew it was available for field trips,' she continued. 'There was no limit on volunteers, so we gave it a try — it was a great experience.' Fellow Wagon Wheel kindergartner Dalante Dunklin Jr, 6, happened to be on his first field trip and pointed out a bunny-petting station and being able to touch horses as highlights of the visit. Classmate Malia Nevarez, also 6, agreed petting the horses was 'amazing.' 'Usually we go to Centennial Farm, but this is kind of more free flowing,' said their teacher, Kim Nakamoto. 'This is really fun. It's interactive, and the kids were really looking forward to that.' Richards, who plans to retire on May 30 after 23 years at the fairgrounds, said she couldn't be more pleased with the Ranch's debut. 'This is exactly what we envisioned,' she said. 'I know it's just the beginning, and I honestly can't wait to come back in a year and see how it's grown.'
