Since the beginning of 2014, there have been six residential burglaries that have been reported in both The Hill and Old Town areas.
In response, the Seal Beach Police Department is encouraging residents to take the following precautions while at home and away for the day/night:
1) Close and lock your windows
2) Close and lock your doors
3) Trim any bushes and/or clear any debris near your windows for easier police visibility
4) Replace light bulbs
5) Install motion detectors
6) Leave window shades open
7) Build relationships with your neighbors
8) Join Neighbor 4 Neighbor
The police will continue to saturate the neighborhoods with both uniformed and plainclothes police officers to attempt to deter any further criminal activity.
However, citizens are usually the Police Department’s best witnesses.
Report any non-emergency suspicious activity to the SBPD at (562) 594-7232.
Los Alamitos felony court case update
By Charles M. Kelly
The following is an update on Los Alamitos felony cases as they work their way through the courts.
The cases are listed by the date of the next scheduled court appearance.
Los Al 2009 murder trial enters sanity phase
The sanity phase of Joseph Elija Ettima’s trial for the 2009 murder of his Los Alamitos grandmother was scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 10.
Last week, on Feb. 4, a jury convicted Joseph Elija Ettima of murdering his grandmother and setting her Los Alamitos apartment on fire with two children inside on Jan. 19, 2009.
The jury found him guilty of murder, arson, two counts of child endangerment and one count of making criminal threats.
The children were Ettima’s then 8-year-old brother and his 3-year-old niece.
The 8-year-old boy got the 3-year-old girl out of the burning building.
Authorities found 69-year-old Emma Louise Hardwick-Street’s body inside.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Ettima faces a maximum sentence of 27 years and 8 months to life in state prison if the jury finds he was legally sane at the time of the murder. A previous press release from the DA’s Office incorrectly said that Ettima faced a sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
Rossmoor jogger stabbing
At about 9:11 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012, someone grabbed a 28-year-old woman from behind and stabbed her.
The crime occurred on the 3200 block of Bostonian Drive in the unincorporated community of Rossmoor.
The woman was treated at a hospital and released.
Rossmoor resident James Rivas, 18, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 25, at his home.
According to the Orange County Superior Court website, he has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury, mayhem and burglary. Rivas has pled not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors have also charged Rivas with three sentencing “enhancements,” attempted premeditated murder, and two charges of inflicting great bodily harm. Rivas has denied all the enhancements.
He has remained in custody in the Orange County Jail since his arrest.
The latest: Jury trial is scheduled to begin Thursday, Feb. 27.
JFTB murder case
A Costa Mesa man was killed at the theater at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos on Friday, May 21, 2010.
Some of his remains were found on the base and some of his remains were found in El Dorado Park in Long Beach.
His killer apparently then went to the victim’s Costa Mesa home and lured a woman the dead man knew to the apartment. There, the suspect killed the woman and staged the crime to look like a sexual assault.
For a brief time, Costa Mesa Police considered the first victim a suspect in the second killing. It wasn’t until the following week that they learned their murder suspect was in fact a murder victim.
The DA’s Office has charged Daniel Patrick Wozniak with two counts of murder, two counts of using a firearm to commit the crime, and enhancements or “special circumstances” for committing a murder for financial gain and committing more than one murder.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Wozniak has pled not guilty to all the charges and denied the special circumstances.
Wozniak remains in custody.
The latest: The jury trial is scheduled to begin Friday, March 14.
Crime Log Compiled by Charles M. Kelly
IN SEAL?BEACH
Monday, February 3
Stray Animal—1:18 p.m.—Elder and Goldenrod—Police received second hand information from another agency that a large stray dog was in the area of Elder and Goldenrod. No further description. Referred to Long Beach Animal Care Services, which has the contract to provide animal control services to Seal Beach.
Vehicle Burglary—1:21 p.m.—Old Ranch Parkway—The caller said the crime took place within the past hour. Point of entry: smashed window.
Loss: an iPhone was missing. Report taken.
Fraud Report—1:42 p.m.—Seal Way—The caller said that a $282.90 airline ticket was charged to the caller’s credit card. The caller said the charge was fraudulent. Report taken.
Burglary—7:59 p.m.—Catalina Avenue—According to the log, the caller said she heard noises and then her bathroom door opened and she saw a flashlight. She never saw the suspect.
Police unit 204 confirmed that a burglary had been interrupted. Report taken.
Tuesday, February 4
Theft Report—5:20 p.m.—Seal Beach Boulevard—Loss in excess of $400. The theft apparently took place at 3:25 p.m.
The caller had a video of the crime. According to the log, police took a crime report for a burglary. In California, if there is evidence an individual entered a place of business with the intent to steal, then the theft is classified as a business burglary. Otherwise, the theft of property worth less than $950 would be classified as a petty theft.
Wednesday, February 5
Found Property—10:29 a.m.—Seal Beach Boulevard—A citizen turned in a gun at the lobby of Seal Beach Police Department headquarters. The gun was booked for destruction. Report taken.
Petty Theft—10:32 a.m.— Seal Beach Boulevard—Loss: a computer tablet valued at $200. The caller said the suspect was last seen on a bike headed toward the back of the store. The caller said the suspect might have ditched the bike there. Police unit M6 found a bike abandoned behind the store. Police unit 445 picked up the bike to be booked as evidence. Report taken.
Saturday, February 8
Assault—time unknown—First Street—A woman told police that her boyfriend struck her face multiple times, causing injuries, sometime in the evening of Saturday, Feb. 8, according to Sgt. Phil Gonshak, spokesman for the Seal Beach Police Department. He said that the police could see the injuries.
Gonshak said the victim could not recall what the man struck her with, nor could she recall the number of times she was struck.
He said police had arrested a suspect, but because the investigation is on-going he could not release anyone’s name.
IN LEISURE WORLD
Tuesday, February 4
Petty Theft Report—12:46 p.m.—North Gate Road, Mutual Unknown—The caller reported the theft of a wallet that was apparently taken two months ago. The caller was waiting in front of the location and would flag down the officer. Counseled.
IN LOS?ALAMITOS
Friday, January 31
Terrorist Threats—4:41 p.m.—Tarawa Drive—The caller was a woman, described as hysterical in the log, who said her husband had a history of violence and had threatened to kill her. He was texting her. The women was crying and said she was going through a divorce. She was advised to notify police in the future if an actual threat has occurred. Counseled.
Saturday, February 1
Armed Robbery—4:10 p.m.—Katella Avenue–The caller said a man used a gun to rob cash from the register. The caller described the suspect as white, in his early 40s, wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and black sneakers with sunglasses and a beard. The caller was the only one in the store. Report taken.
Monday, February 3
Coyotes—9:55 p.m.—Walnut Street—The caller reported five coyotes running up and down the street. The caller also referred to Long Beach Animal Care Services for her further questions. Message delivered to animal control. Patrol advised they would page animal control.
IN ROSSMOOR
Monday, February 3
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—1:58 a.m.—Martha Ann Drive.
Ted Apodaca of the News-Enterprise contributed to this article.
