The following is the spring update on local felony cases.
Two legal terms to keep in mind are pre-trial hearing and preliminary hearing. The terms sound similar, but they mean different things. A pre-trial hearing will deal with specific issues before the trial starts. A preliminary hearing determines if there is enough evidence for a case to go to trial.
The cases are listed in chronological order based on next scheduled court appearance.
Seal Beach nursing home murder
Roy Charles Laird, 88, has been charged with one count of murder and with one enhancement of personally discharging a firearm, resulting in the death of his 86-year-old wife. The term “enhancement” means that if the jury finds a defendant is guilty of both the basic crime and the enhancement, additional time could be added to the defendant’s sentence.
That means Laird could be sentenced to 50 years to life, meaning the 88-year-old man would have to wait 50 years to be eligible for parole.
The shooting occurred on Sunday, Nov. 21, in the victim’s apartment in the Country Villa Healthcare Center just outside of Leisure World. The DA’s Office reported that the victim was in late-stage dementia.
According to press reports, Laird was released and placed in a nursing home.
According to the Orange County Superior Court Web site occourts.org, Laird is out on a conditional release. No bail has been posted.
Latest: A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 16.
Series of bank robberies
Three men have been charged with a series of Orange County bank robberies, including a U.S. Bank in Seal Beach. The defendants are Paul Acosta, Andres Soto and Richard Valdez.
Acosta has been charged with eight counts of second-degree robbery and four counts of second-degree burglary.
Soto has been charged with 10 counts of second-degree robbery and seven counts of second-degree burglary.
Valdez has been charged with two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of second-degree burglary.
All three defendants are in custody in the Orange County Jail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 27, but that hearing was cancelled.
The latest: A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for March 29.
Los Alamitos murder and arson
Joseph Elija Ettima has been accused of murdering his grandmother and setting her Los Alamitos apartment on fire with two children inside on Jan. 19, 2009. 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.
On April 15, U.S. Marshals arrested the prime suspect in the murder, Joseph Elija Ettima, now 27, in Mexico. Ettima could face 25 years to life imprisonment if he is convicted. Ettima’s jury trial began on Oct. 18, 2010.
Ettima remains in the Orange County Jail.
The latest: A mental competency hearing has been scheduled for March 23.
Rossmoor home invasion robbery
On Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011, an elderly Rossmoor resident used her Life Alert system to call for help. According to the Sheriff’s Department Web site, she said she had been robbed and was tied up in her home on Weatherby Road. It was 11:40 a.m. when the Sheriff’s Department learned of the crime.
Units were dispatched at 11:43 a.m.
Deputies located the front door of her home.
According to the dispatch log, she was too far from the door to hear the unit. She could not hear the questions that Life Alert operators asked her.
Deputies entered the house. They heard her screaming that she was tied to a chair.
The Sheriff’s Department investigators obtained descriptions of two suspects: a white man with a gun and a man she described as Hispanic. The second suspect wore black gloves with snowflakes on them.
They left the scene in a white Mazda pick up truck.
Tyler James Compton, 23, was arrested the next day, Thursday, Dec. 8, according to the Sheriff’s Department Web site.
Compton is being held on $210,000 bail, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Web site.
The latest: Compton’s preliminary hearing continues on March 23. The court also has a bail hearing scheduled for that date.
Los Alamitos Physical child abuse
On July 24, witnesses saw a woman swinging an infant around and called the Los Alamitos Police Department. A police officer ordered the woman to stop. She dropped the infant, who was then 9 days old. The child survived. There is no evidence that the woman was under the influence of drugs. The child’s mother, Natasha Latise Lundy, 21, was charged with four felony counts including child endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon. Lundy turned 21 on Jan. 3, 2012.
Lundy is being held without bail in the Orange County Jail.
Preliminary hearings in the case were held in August and September.
Mental competency hearing for the defendant were held on Sept. 21, 2011; Nov. 10, 2011; Nov. 17, 2011; Dec. 2, 2011; Dec. 16, 2011; Feb. 24, 2012; March 2, 2012 and March 7, 2012.
The latest: Lundy’s preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue on April 10.
Seal Beach fatal child abuse/murder
A 22-month-old Seal Beach girl identified as Millicent Wilborn died on Dec. 17, 2009. Her twin brother suffered a skull fracture, but lived. The crime apparently occurred in the resident housing area of the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on Anchor Way.
Authorities have said there is no evidence that either of the victims’ other two siblings were physically abused.
Their mother, Linda Wilborn, has been charged with assaulting a child with enough force likely to cause death. According to the DA’s office, their father was at work at the time the crime occurred. The DA’s Office described the charge against Wilborn as the “equivalent of murder” because the penalty for fatal child abuse is the same as the penalty for murder: 25 years to life.
When Wilborn was originally charged in early 2010, the DA’s office filed four felony counts against her—none of them murder. However, the Orange County Superior Court Web site now lists a fifth count against Wilborn: murder.
Wilborn is currently in custody in the Orange County Jail.
She entered a not guilty plea to all charges on April 26, 2011.
Latest: Trial is scheduled to continue April 16.
Seal Beach sexual assaults
A masseur who used to work in Seal Beach was charged last year with three counts of assault with intent to commit specified sex offenses.
Seal Beach Police Sgt. Steve Bowles described the incidents as “a series of inappropriate and unwanted physical contacts” between Jason Michael Elliot, 28, and the three women clients.
Bowles confirmed that all three incidents apparently took place at Massage Envy.
The company issued a statement that said the accused passed a Seal Beach Police background check prior to being hired. He was dismissed when the business learned about the accusations against him.
The incidents reportedly took place in 2009.
Elliot has had two preliminary hearings scheduled and cancelled in his case.
Elliot is currently out on $100,000 bail posted by Viking Bail Bonds.
The latest: A pre-trial hearing has been set for April 24.
Seal Beach DUI/Hit-and Run
On Feb. 4, a motorist struck three bicycle riders in Seal Beach. The driver kept going. The Seal Beach Police Department obtained a description of the suspect car and broadcast it. The Huntington Beach Police Department pulled over a vehicle matching that description.
Juli Ann Brown, of Alaska, has been charged with DUI, causing injury; failure to stop at an accident with injury; unlawful possession of a controlled substance and causing an injury while driving with a suspended driver’s license. Prosecutors have also added an “enhancement”—an aggravating circumstance that could add to the accused’s potential sentence—of inflicting great bodily harm.
The latest: Brown’s preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue on April 24.
Leisure World rape
On July 6 or July 7, 2010, a 46-year-old woman took a cab from Sunset Beach to an apartment in Seal Beach’s Leisure World. According to the Seal Beach Police Department, she awoke the next morning with no recollection of the previous night.
On Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, Seal Beach officers arrested Orange County cab driver Orlando Bruce Bosley, 57.
Bosley has been charged with one count of rape by duress or menace, one count of rape by use of drugs and one count of rape of an unconscious person.
He is currently out on $100,000 bond.
Latest: The preliminary hearing is scheduled to start May 9.
Los Alamitos road rage
Los Alamitos Police arrested Robert Barnhart, 52, of Bellflower in November as a result of a road rage incident. Barnhart is accused of following another driver in his car and striking that car with his following a collision.
The Orange County DA’s Office has charged him with 11 felony counts, including nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of making criminal threats.
Barnhart is currently out on $150,000 bond, according to the Orange County Superior Court Web site.
The latest: Barnhart’s jury trial is scheduled to begin May 24.
Los Alamitos Joint Forces Trainging Base murder
A Costa Mesa man was murdered 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, he 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 murder. 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 the crime. The charges include “special circumstances” that make the accused eligible for the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Wozniak remains in custody.
Latest: Wozniak’s preliminary hearing continues on May 25.
Salon Meritage case
Scott Evans Dekraai has been charged with eight counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the Oct. 12, 2011 Seal Beach shooting spree at the Salon Meritage beauty shop. He was reportedly involved in a bitter custody dispute over his 8-year-old son with his ex-wife, who was one of the victims. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty. Dekraai has entered a plea of not guilty. So far, he has not entered an insanity defense.
In California, a death penalty case is divided into two phases: the guilt phase and the penalty phase. In the guilt phase, the jury decides if the state (represented by the county DA) has established the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the jury convicts and also finds there were special circumstances in the case, then the trial moves into the penalty phase. In that phase, the jury votes for either life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or for death. In California, 25 or more years may pass between a death sentence and an execution.
If Dekraai opts for the insanity defense, there will be a sanity phase of the trial between the guilt and penalty phases. The jury will have to decide if Dekraai was sane.
He is being represented by the Orange County Public Defender’s Office. He is in custody in the Orange County Jail.
The latest: The trial has been scheduled for Oct. 15.
Crime Log Compiled
by Charles M. Kelly
IN SEAL BEACH
Monday, February 27
Trash Diggers—10 a.m.—10th Street—Two men were seen loitering in the area and digging in the trash.
Found Property—6:27 p.m.—Seal Beach Boulevard—A citizen found a purse and turned it into Leisure World Security. The owner picked up the purse and all her possessions were reportedly still there. The police unit was cancelled before arrival.
Tuesday, February 28
Patrol Check—1:01 a.m.—Pacific Coast Highway—Police unit 207 transported a woman home. Her boyfriend was contacted and he would be home soon to take care of her.
Vehicle Burglary—8:09 a.m.—Montecito Road—Point of entry: a smashed passenger side window. Loss: a purse and its contents. The crime apparently occurred overnight. Report taken.
Wednesday, February 29
Traffic Hazard—9:22 a.m.—Seal Beach Boulevard and Apollo Court—The caller said a large garden tool was in the southbound lanes of Seal Beach Boulevard between Apollo Court and Adolfo Lopez. The road way was cleared. Assisted.
Welfare Check—9:57 a.m.—Main Street/Pacific Coast Highway—The caller saw smoke come out from under a door in the alley accessed from Pacific Coast Highway, just eat of Main street. The caller as not in the area and could not provide an exact address. Unit M6 apparently determined that it was a dryer vent that was smoking. No further police services were required.
Protesters—11:20 a.m.—Pacific Coast Highway—A group of about six individuals were protesting in the parking lot. The caller said they were calling the customers and refusing to leave. This was the second call regarding the protesters. The manager was counseled about laws concerning picketers.
Disturbance—1:34 p.m.—15th Street and Electric Avenue—The caller said an individual who was described as a transient was yelling as he threw trash around in the alley between 15th and 16th streets.
Assault—2:21 p.m.—Pacific Coast Highway—A citizen walked into Seal Beach Police Department Headquarters to report being choked out six months after the event. The citizen said he was choked by another man at 5 p.m. on July 2, 2011. The citizen now wanted documentation of the incident. Log item issued.
Thursday, March 1
Disturbance—11:18 a.m.—Coastline Drive—The caller requested a log item for an individual throwing a rock at her fence. No damage. Log entry.
Bikes—1:51 p.m.—Riversea Road—The caller reported the theft of a beige bike with a brown seat and white basket that was locked up in the back yard when it was taken. That bike was valued at $200. The beige bike was stolen within the last six hours. The other bike was apparently stolen six months earlier. The other bike was a brown men’s Huffy that was valued at $200. Like the beige bike, the brown bike was stolen from the caller’s back yard.
Assist Other Agency—3:19 p.m.—Marina Bridge—The Harbor Patrol had detained three individuals at the base of the east jetty. One individual was arrested for public drunkenness.
Friday, March 2
Vehicle Burglary—7:53 a.m.—13th Street—Loss: CDs, clothes and headsets. Point of entry: unknown. The crime apparently occurred sometime during the previous night.
Grand Theft Report—11:15 a.m.—Marina Drive—The caller contacted police on behalf of a tenant whose tail gate was stolen. Report taken.
Transient—11:43 a.m.—Montecito Road—The caller said there was an individual sleeping near the bike racks by the flag pole on the other side of the wall.
Fraud—4:27 p.m.—Seal Beach Boulevard—The caller said someone was trying to commit identity theft, using fake identification to make a purchase on someone’s account. The caller described the suspects as a man and a woman. Both were described as appearing Hispanic. The woman was reportedly in her late 20s to early 30s, wearing a white and orange striped shirt and jeans. The man was described in his 20s to his early 30s, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and a gray hat. The two suspect took off. One suspect, a woman, was taken into custody. She was wanted on a warrant for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Saturday, March 3
Disturbance—2:15 p.m.—Pacific Coast Highway—The caller said a man was yelling at people and begging for money. Police unit M7 warned him about trespassing.
Identity Theft—2:24 p.m.—B Row, Surfside Colony—Someone opened a line of credit using the caller’s name and information. Loss: $8,000.
Eggings—4:01 p.m.—Wisteria Street—The caller’s house was egged for the third time the night before. No damage. The caller requested extra patrol checks. Call printed for night shift. Log entry.
Counseling—6:06 p.m.—Birchwood Avenue—The caller requested counseling about a possible civil dispute or fraud. She said someone came to her door, offering to fix dents in her vehicle. The individual took $400 for unfinished work and the caller is no longer able to contact this person. Counseled.
Sunday, March 4
Graffiti/Vandalism—9:18 a.m.—7th Street and Ocean Avenue—Someone sprayed a large amount of red and black paint on the wall of a house under construction. Unit 107 followed up with the construction crew.
Dog in Vehicle—10:53 a.m.—Caravell and Clipper—The caller said a dog had been inside a parked vehicle for the past hour. The windows were cracked, but the caller said it was warm. The small brown dog did not appear to be in distress. Police unit 107 found all four windows open, the dog had a water dish and the vehicle was parked in the shade. No further police services were necessary.
Patrol Check—12:09 p.m.—Lampson Avenue—Police unit 106 contacted approximately 18 individuals in possession of model aircraft. No violations observed. They were warned. Log entry.
Petty Theft—1:02 p.m.—Birchwood Avenue—Loss: the caller’s GPS, sunglasses and CDs were stolen from an unlocked car.
IN Leisure World
Wednesday, February 29
Counseling—8:23 a.m.—Northwood Road, Mutual Unknown—A Leisure World woman had received four calls that morning from individuals trying to convince her that to send them $200 for $2 million.
Thursday, March 1
Grand Theft—1:06 p.m.—Riversea Road—Someone stole $900 in cash and $3,000 in checks from the caller. Report taken.
Keep the Peace—8:37 p.m.—Golden Rain Road—The caller requested assistance. Maintenance was en route to deal with an electrical issue, but the resident would not let them in without a police presence. Assisted.
IN LOS ALAMITOS
Saturday, February 24
Graffiti/Vandalism—11:47 p.m.—Ball and Bloomfield—The caller reported seeing as many as four male subjects “tagging” poles. The suspects were described as male teens, one on a skateboard and wearing a red hoodie and the others dressed in black. The caller watched from his car as the suspects were behind the US Bank. The suspects fled the scene with police in pursuit with vehicle patrols and a helicopter spotlight. After attempting to hide under a truck and around several residences, two suspects were caught. One was released to his mother and the other was arrested on suspicion of vandalism, possessing vandalism tools and breaking curfew.
Sunday, February 25
Suspicious Persons—2:03 p.m.— Howard Avenue—The caller said he kicked three individuals off his property who said they were waiting for their friend who lives in the apartment complex next door. The caller said there are a lot of problems regarding the complex and that the three individuals looked suspicious. The caller said one individual went down the alley near Farquhar and met up with two more individuals and that they were probably up to no good. The suspects were gone by the time a police unit arrived.
Brandishing Weapon—6:16 p.m.—Noel and Green—The caller said a man pointed a gun at him and his friend in the alley between Green and Katella Avenue. The caller said the suspect was with four or five other individuals. Patrol contacted the suspects and one admitted to pointing an air soft rifle at the caller. The victim did not want to prosecute and the individual who pointed the air soft rifle was counseled.
Tuesday, February 27
Transient—9:08 a.m.—Green Street—The caller said that when his mother walked into the laundry room of their complex, a man who appeared to a be a transient tried to grab her. The woman was able to get away and the suspect was seen running west through the alley. He was described as being in his 30s, tall and thin, with blond hair.
Suspicious Circumstances—9:45 p.m.—Del Norte Way—The caller reported suspicious noises that sounded like someone walking on her roof. Patrol check required assistance from animal control units for possible animals crawling around in the walls of the house. A check of the attic was unable to locate anything. Animal control units reported that raccoons had left the scene.
Friday, January 13
Suspicious Circumstances—5:50 p.m.—Florista and Los Alamitos Boulevard.
IN ROSSMOOR
Monday, March 5
Suspicious Person in Vehicle—7:48 a.m.—Quail Run Road and Donnis Road.
Keep the Peace—7:44 a.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard.
Vandalism Report—8:10 a.m.—Foster Road.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—12:28 p.m.—Orangewood Avenue—The caller saw a woman lying on the ground across from the caller’s property. The caller didn’t think she was hurt, just homeless.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—1:40 p.m.—Yellowtail Drive and St. Cloud Drive.
Suspicious Vehicle—3:12 p.m.—St. Albans Drive—The caller reported an unoccupied vehicle parked behind the caller’s vehicle. The caller did not know how long it had been there. The caller was concerned due to recent burglaries.
Petty Theft Report—6:46 p.m.—Yellowtail Drive—A UPS package was stolen.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—8:58 p.m.—Salmon Drive—The caller said someone tried to get into the side garage door. The caller heard the door handle being tried.
Investigate Person Down—10:09 p.m.—Weatherby Road—The caller said an unknown man was sleeping in the yard in between two houses on a lot. He appeared to be moving.
Tuesday, March 6
Disturbance—9:51 a.m.—Wallingsford Road and Hedwig Road.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—6:24 p.m.—Hedwig Road and Pemberton Road—The caller requested a patrol check for a man who was described as transient and disoriented. The man was walking around the park. The caller then said the man was lying down by the Snack Shack. The man agreed to leave the area after being contacted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Wednesday, March 7
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—9:15 a.m.—Weatherby Road and Bradbury Road.
Illegal Peddling—9:51 a.m.—Drysdale Lane and Pemberton Road.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—7:28 p.m.—Weatherby Road and Bradbury Road.
Thursday, March 8
Burglary Report—8:40 a.m.—Martha Ann Drive—The log did not say if this was a residential or vehicle burglary.
Disturbance—11:34 p.m.—Quail Run Road—Several juveniles were reportedly running up to the caller’s home, ringing the doorbell and slamming the door with their hands. The caller said they might be smoking drugs and drinking.
Friday, March 9
Suspicious Vehicle—1:32 a.m.—Martha Ann Drive.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—7:25 a.m.—Foster Road.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—10:08 a.m.—Baskerville Road and Kittrick Drive—The caller requested a patrol check for a bright blue cruiser that was parked in front of the caller’s home for the last 30 minutes. The cruiser was last seen headed toward Rossmoor Park. The caller said the vehicle was occupied by three black men.
Disturbance—8:16 p.m.—Oak Grove Road.
Disturbance—10:10 p.m.—Oak Grove Road.
Saturday, March 10
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—8:22 a.m.—Hedwig Road and Pemberton Road.
Disturbance, Family Dispute—12:44 p.m.—Bostonian Drive.
Ted Apodaca of the News-Enterprise contributed to this article.
