SANTA ANA — A man who operates an Orange County-based babysitting service is facing charges of sexually assaulting two boys, 7 and 8, one in Laguna Beach and the other in Los Angeles, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski, 30, of Costa Mesa faces 90 years to life in prison if convicted of three felony…
The judge in the capital murder trial of Charles “Chase” Merritt, accused of fatally bludgeoning the four-member McStay family, refused Wednesday to dismiss charges against him, rejecting defense allegations that prosecutors withheld favorable evidence from them. The hearing out of the jury’s presence before San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith prompted heated…
The Sacramento Police Department is again facing accusations of police brutality after a video of officers and a security guard forcing a 12-year-old boy to the ground and placing a “spit mask” over his head went viral. The Police Department is not investigating the officers involved. The boy,…
Michelle Morris, whose foster homes in Orange and Riverside counties were hailed as a godsend by some and denounced as a nightmare by others, has surrendered her license in the aftermath of a 16-year-old girl’s death. Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for the California Department of Social Services, said the license was voluntarily handed over effective…
Gene W. James, the next highest vote getter for City Council who was not elected during the last election, and the clear favorite to be appointed to fill the recent vacancy in the council left by the unexpected death of Mayor Steve Swartz by those in attendance at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, addresses the council…
This Memorial Day weekend marks the 20th year in a row when Muslim volunteers reach out to homeless people and others in need on Skid Row with free health services, food, clothing, and other assistance in the closing days of Ramadan. On Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, five “Humanitarian Day” charitable events are…
On Election Day in November 2016, a gunman went on a deadly rampage in an Azusa neighborhood, killing one and injuring three others with a rifle and handgun near an election polling place. In a ceremony Wednesday, eight Azusa and Irwindale police officers were honored at the White House with the Medal of Valor for…
A long-awaited state audit of Los Angeles County’s troubled Department of Children and Family Services has uncovered shortcomings that often place vulnerable children in harm’s way. The audit found that the department’s social workers didn’t initiate or complete investigations of neglect accurately…
The Montebello Police Department is investigating a vehicle theft that hits rather close to home. A marked patrol SUV was boosted from a city parking lot last week — along with a loaded AR-15 assault rifle and two loaded shotguns that were inside, authorities said Wednesday. One of the shotguns…
Georgie Anne Geyer, a longtime foreign correspondent who chased after the world’s most despotic leaders while clearing the way for a future generation of women journalists who’d largely been excluded from the male-dominated foreign press corps, has died at her home in Washington, D.C. She was 84. …
