Results tagged “san bernardino county” from News 24/7
A Virginia man was arrested and brought back to San Bernardino County where he will face felony mortgage fraud charges.
Duk Sung Jin, 30, was escorted by San Bernardino County District Attorney Investigators assigned to the Real Estate Fraud Unit after they traveled to suburban Washington D.C. Tuesday, according to a district attorney's news release.
Jin faces felony charges of conspiracy and grand theft amounting to more than $1.2 million. The victim's identity was used to steal two homes and two vehicles and at least one vehicle was illegally shipped to Korea.
Jin was arrested March 24 at a home in McLean, Virginia. His bail is set at $2,180,000.
Kenneth Sung Park, another suspect in the fraud case, is being held in federal custody on unrelated federal mortgage fraud charges, according to the news release. Park is wanted in connection with identity theft, grand theft, and forgery in San Bernardino County on a $2,180,000 felony arrest warrant.
Michael Moon Park and his wife Bu Yun Park were arrested on March 17 as suspects in this case, according to the news release.
Sheriff's deputies are still looking for Jason S. Kim, who they believe was also involved in the fraud. Officials said he could be in the Los Angeles area.
- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com
Duk Sung Jin, 30, was escorted by San Bernardino County District Attorney Investigators assigned to the Real Estate Fraud Unit after they traveled to suburban Washington D.C. Tuesday, according to a district attorney's news release.
Jin faces felony charges of conspiracy and grand theft amounting to more than $1.2 million. The victim's identity was used to steal two homes and two vehicles and at least one vehicle was illegally shipped to Korea.
Jin was arrested March 24 at a home in McLean, Virginia. His bail is set at $2,180,000.
Kenneth Sung Park, another suspect in the fraud case, is being held in federal custody on unrelated federal mortgage fraud charges, according to the news release. Park is wanted in connection with identity theft, grand theft, and forgery in San Bernardino County on a $2,180,000 felony arrest warrant.
Michael Moon Park and his wife Bu Yun Park were arrested on March 17 as suspects in this case, according to the news release.
Sheriff's deputies are still looking for Jason S. Kim, who they believe was also involved in the fraud. Officials said he could be in the Los Angeles area.
- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com
By Stephen Wall
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - County Supervisor Neil Derry's pick for his next chief of staff is Sun Metro Editor George Watson.
The Board of Supervisors will vote on the appointment April 7, Derry said.
"George is a top-tier individual," Derry said. "He's ethical. He's highly educated. He's professional. He works very hard. I think he will be a tremendous asset to not only the third district, but the county as a whole."
Watson will replace Jim Erwin, who resigned as Derry's chief of staff earlier this week after being arrested on suspicion of perjury over the disclosure of gifts from a Rancho Cucamonga developer.
Watson is on leave from his role at The Sun.
A proposal to phase out benefits for San Bernardino County judges was tabled for two weeks by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday after a public hearing.
Supervisor Neil Derry, who is proposing the discontinuance of judicial benefits, requested the continuance because Supervisor Josie Gonzales was unable to attend Tuesday's board meeting and wants to be in on the discussion.
Derry is proposing the cuts as a cost savings measure to address the county's gaping budget deficit. Eliminating the benefits would save the county $1.4 million over six years.
Supervisor Neil Derry, who is proposing the discontinuance of judicial benefits, requested the continuance because Supervisor Josie Gonzales was unable to attend Tuesday's board meeting and wants to be in on the discussion.
Derry is proposing the cuts as a cost savings measure to address the county's gaping budget deficit. Eliminating the benefits would save the county $1.4 million over six years.
Continue reading Judge benefits proposal put on hold.
San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry is proposing to hire controversial anti-illegal-immigration activist Joseph Turner to serve as his special projects coordinator.
Derry's proposal goes before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for action. It comes five days after his chief of staff, Jim Erwin, was arrested and charged with 10 felony counts of perjury and filing forged or falsified documents relating to gifts he took from an influential Rancho Cucamonga developer in January 2007.
Derry placed Erwin on administrative leave the day of his arrest. He rejected Erwin's voluntary resignation, but has not said if he plans to stand by Erwin during his criminal proceedings.
Continue reading Supervisor Neil Derry proposes hiring Joseph Turner for his staff.
Jim Erwin, County Supervisor Neil Derry's chief of staff, was arrested this morning on suspicion of 10 felony counts.
In count six, prosecutors accuse Erwin, 46, of failing "to disclose receipt of prostitution and masseuse services on or about January 30, 2007 on Fair Political Practice Commission Statement of Economic Interest form 700."
Read the complaint here.
will.bigham@inlandnewspapers.com
In count six, prosecutors accuse Erwin, 46, of failing "to disclose receipt of prostitution and masseuse services on or about January 30, 2007 on Fair Political Practice Commission Statement of Economic Interest form 700."
Read the complaint here.
will.bigham@inlandnewspapers.com
San Bernardino City Unified School District Superintendent Arturo Delgado is announcing his plans to seek the office of San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools at a press conference Wednesday at the Feldheym Library at 4:30.
deborah.pfeiffer@inlandnewspapers.com
deborah.pfeiffer@inlandnewspapers.com
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an appropriation of $23.2 million from a tobacco tax settlement for the construction of a new three-story medical office building at the northwest end of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.
Construction on the 65,000-square-foot building is set to begin in May and is expected to take less than a year to complete, said Patrick Petre, the hospital's chief executive officer.
"We'd like to be occupying the new facility in May of next year," Petre said.
Construction on the 65,000-square-foot building is set to begin in May and is expected to take less than a year to complete, said Patrick Petre, the hospital's chief executive officer.
"We'd like to be occupying the new facility in May of next year," Petre said.
County children who have lost a family member to a violent death were able to attend a three-day camp free of charge this weekend in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Camp Good Grief SVP hosted 37 children from March 13 to 15, according to a District Attorney's news release.
The camp is put on by the District Attorney's Victim Services Unit and the Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. Unclaimed victim restitution funds and donations from the San Bernardino Police Department Management Group fund the camp.
Therapists also donate their time to go to the camp with the children.
The manager of the Redlands Jamba Juice also donated juice to the camp.
In five years, the camp has hosted 187 children.
Camp Good Grief SVP hosted 37 children from March 13 to 15, according to a District Attorney's news release.
The camp is put on by the District Attorney's Victim Services Unit and the Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. Unclaimed victim restitution funds and donations from the San Bernardino Police Department Management Group fund the camp.
Therapists also donate their time to go to the camp with the children.
The manager of the Redlands Jamba Juice also donated juice to the camp.
In five years, the camp has hosted 187 children.
Sam Clauder, who served as spokesman and finance chair for the San Bernardino County Democratic Central Committee and as a representative for Congressman Joe Baca, has been charged with felony possession of child pornography.
Clauder, 57, of San Bernardino, pleaded not guilty to the charge during his arraignment March 11 in San Bernardino Superior Court. He posted bond on $25,000 bail and will next appear in court on April 20 for a pretrial hearing. He faces a maximum of three years in prison if convicted, Deputy District Attorney Angela Sonico said.
Clauder was charged with the alleged crime on Feb. 24, which occurred on or about April 16, 2008, according to court records.
Read more at Behind the Story.joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com
As two independent probes into alleged misconduct at the San Bernardino County Assessor's Office remain under investigtion, the Board of Supervisors has yet to initiate a process for replacing disgraced former Assessor Bill Postmus.
Postmus resigned from office Feb. 13 following an arrest for suspected methamphetamine possession and a spate of allegations that the office he oversaw was used for political purposes. He has not been charged with a crime.
The District Attorney's Office continues its investigation into alleged political malfeasance at the Assessor's Office. John Hueston, the trailblazing attorney who successfully prosecuted key figures in the Enron scandal and was commissioned by the county to do his own investigation into the Assessor's Office, has yet to report his findings to the Board of Supervisors.
Read more at Behind the Story.
joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com
San Bernardino County fire Chief Pat Dennen was named acting Office of Emergency Services Fire and Rescue Region VI coordinator March 1.
The appointment was announced by Office of Emergency Services Fire & Rescue Branch
Chief Kim Zagaris, according to a county fire news release.
The state is broken up into six regions. The local region includes San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial, Inyo and Mono counties.
The regional coordinator manages mutual-aid resources and develops uniform fire and rescue plans for the region. Regional resources often have to be used in an emergency when local agencies need assistance.
Dennen held the post for a short period in 2006. For the past three years, he has served as area coordinator for San Bernardino County and as the region's alternate region coordinator.
County fire Deputy Chief Dan Wurl was named alternate coordinator and would stop in in Dennen's absence.
The appointment was announced by Office of Emergency Services Fire & Rescue Branch
Chief Kim Zagaris, according to a county fire news release.
The state is broken up into six regions. The local region includes San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial, Inyo and Mono counties.
The regional coordinator manages mutual-aid resources and develops uniform fire and rescue plans for the region. Regional resources often have to be used in an emergency when local agencies need assistance.
Dennen held the post for a short period in 2006. For the past three years, he has served as area coordinator for San Bernardino County and as the region's alternate region coordinator.
County fire Deputy Chief Dan Wurl was named alternate coordinator and would stop in in Dennen's absence.
More than 300 San Bernardino County In Home Support Services workers and their union representatives marched in protest Tuesday, demanding raises and affordable health care plans.
Standing outside of the county Government Center, they chanted, "No justice, no peace."
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 6434, which represents abut 13,000 In Home Support Services (IHSS) workers in the county, has failed to negotiate a new contract with the county. The union is demanding all workers' pay be increased by $2 an hour and an affordable health care plan offered.
The county presented three health care plan options to the union last month, but the union rejected them all, arguing that employee out-of-pocket expenses were too high.
Standing outside of the county Government Center, they chanted, "No justice, no peace."
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 6434, which represents abut 13,000 In Home Support Services (IHSS) workers in the county, has failed to negotiate a new contract with the county. The union is demanding all workers' pay be increased by $2 an hour and an affordable health care plan offered.
The county presented three health care plan options to the union last month, but the union rejected them all, arguing that employee out-of-pocket expenses were too high.
Continue reading Union protests stalled contract negotiations with county.
San Bernardino County may be facing a $131 million budget deficit over the next two years, but its $4 billion investment pool remains one of the best in the state, Treasurer-Tax Collector Dick Larsen announced Monday.
The county recently received a top rating of AAAf from Stanard & Poor's, an arm of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. that publishes financial research and rates stocks and bonds according to investment risk. The county, which is rated quarterly by the company, has received the coveted ranking since 1999.
"As the guardian of the public's dollars it is of utmost importance to me and our office to ensure the county's tax dollars are invested properly and kept safe," Larsen said in a news release.
Essentially, it means the county's investment pool carries the smallest degree of risk and an expectation that any adverse economic factors, such as the flagging economy, will have minimal impacts to the fund, Larsen said.
The county's investment pool is made up of property tax dollars and local government agency funds. For the fiscal year 2007-2008, the county's investment pool yielded more than $175 million in investment earnings.
Read more at Behind the Story.
A trailblazing political consultant from San Diego County has been hired on as the San Bernardino County Republican Party's new executive director to help boost the number of registered Republican voters in the county.
As an executive board member for San Diego County's Republican Party, Matt Schumsky, 42, helped bolster the number of Republican elected officials in San Diego County over the last six years, from about 30 percent to about 70 percent. He hopes to do the same thing in San Bernardino County, where the number of registered Republicans has waned in the last year.
"Our main mission is getting Republicans registered and getting Republicans elected," Schumsky said Wednesday. "We're basically going to be doing a lot of the same things we did in San Diego here in San Bernardino."
Continue reading San Bernardino County GOP gets new executive director.
Michelle Scray was sworn in today as the San Bernardino County Probation Department's chief probation officer during a special ceremony at the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meeting.
A native of Needles, lifelong county resident and Probation Department employee of 23 years, Scray will oversee a department with 1,200 employees and an annual operating budget of $135 million.
Scray worked her way through the department ranks serving in treatment, detention, field services and administrative assignments. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology and criminal justice from Cal State San Bernardino and is preparing to receive a Master's Degree in criminal justice from the same university this year.
joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com
A native of Needles, lifelong county resident and Probation Department employee of 23 years, Scray will oversee a department with 1,200 employees and an annual operating budget of $135 million.
Scray worked her way through the department ranks serving in treatment, detention, field services and administrative assignments. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology and criminal justice from Cal State San Bernardino and is preparing to receive a Master's Degree in criminal justice from the same university this year.
joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com
The county has settled a lawsuit with the operator of a Hesperia juvenile group home for $2.7 million in order to avoid a trial.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Tuesday is expected to approve a payout from the county's general fund that will go to Tucson-based VisionQuest, the parent company that operates the Fred D. Jones Youth Center.
The county, under orders from the state to reduce overcrowding at San Bernardino Junvenile Hall, entered into a 10-year, $95 million contract with Lodgemakers of California Inc., a subsidiary of VisionQuest, in January 2002 to house wards at the youth center. Under the terms of the contract, the county was supposed to refer 72 juvenile wards to the group home on a monthly basis, said David Wert, county spokesman.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Tuesday is expected to approve a payout from the county's general fund that will go to Tucson-based VisionQuest, the parent company that operates the Fred D. Jones Youth Center.
The county, under orders from the state to reduce overcrowding at San Bernardino Junvenile Hall, entered into a 10-year, $95 million contract with Lodgemakers of California Inc., a subsidiary of VisionQuest, in January 2002 to house wards at the youth center. Under the terms of the contract, the county was supposed to refer 72 juvenile wards to the group home on a monthly basis, said David Wert, county spokesman.
Continue reading County settles with group home operators.
Gary Ovitt, chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, sent a letter to state legislative members Tuesday urging them to pass a budget without raising taxes.
"In these trying economic times, it makes no sense to to saddle county residents to pay for an archaic, inefficient budget that makes life more difficult for those we serve," Ovitt said in a news release. "Tax increases are not the answer. It makes an already untenable situation worse."
Ovitt will present a board agenda item at the supervisors' next meeting on Feb. 24 to officially make part of the public record the board's opposition to tax hikes to help balance the state budget.
Read more at Behind the Story.
San Bernardino County residents can apply to serve on the county's grand jury through April 17.
Grand jurors will serve from July 1 until June 30, 2010. The Grand Jury investigates county, city and special-district government and is involved in some criminal matters.
Grand jurors must be 18 or older, U.S. citizens and residents of the county for at least a year before being appointed.
Members of the jury would serve three to four days a week and be paid $25 a day, in addition to receiving meals and mileage compensation.
The application is at the Grand Jury's website. Anyone interested in serving can also ask for an application by calling (909) 381-2458 or find one at a local courthouse.
Grand jurors will serve from July 1 until June 30, 2010. The Grand Jury investigates county, city and special-district government and is involved in some criminal matters.
Grand jurors must be 18 or older, U.S. citizens and residents of the county for at least a year before being appointed.
Members of the jury would serve three to four days a week and be paid $25 a day, in addition to receiving meals and mileage compensation.
The application is at the Grand Jury's website. Anyone interested in serving can also ask for an application by calling (909) 381-2458 or find one at a local courthouse.
San Bernardino County officials are warning mountain residents to be prepared for large amounts of snow during storms lasting through the weekend.
Because there might be a delay before all roads can be cleared, residents should have one gallon of water per person per day, as well as enough food and medications.
Residents at lower elevations should also be aware of heavy rain and potential flooding. It is dangerous to drive over running water.
Because there might be a delay before all roads can be cleared, residents should have one gallon of water per person per day, as well as enough food and medications.
Residents at lower elevations should also be aware of heavy rain and potential flooding. It is dangerous to drive over running water.
Sheriff Rod Hoops was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1957. Upon graduation from high school he moved to California and attended California State University Fullerton earning his Bachelor's Degree in 1982 and his Master's Degree in Public Administration in 1988. He completed the Command College/POST Executive Leadership Program in 1994.
Sheriff Hoops began his career with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in 1978 and has served in numerous facets of the Department. He has served as a Deputy Sheriff, Supervisor, Commander and Executive Staff member. He was a member of the Department's Career Criminal Division (S.W.A.T.), Legislative Liaison in Sacramento, Chief of Police of Grand Terrace and Loma Linda.
As a Commander, Sheriff Hoops was the Chief of Police for the contract City of Rancho Cucamonga for five years and the Commander of the Sheriff's Bureau of Administration for two years. In this capacity he managed the Department's 329 million dollar budget between 2001 and 2003.
As a member of the Sheriff's Executive Staff, Sheriff Hoops oversaw all patrol and specialized operations. He was responsible for the Department's budget, long-range planning and was the direct liaison with County Department Heads, Chief Administrative Officer and elected officials.
Sheriff Hoops was appointed Sheriff on February 3, 2009, to complete the term of Sheriff Gary Penrod.
Always an active citizen in the communities he lives in and serves, Sheriff Hoops is also a member of San Bernardino County Arrowhead United Way, California State Sheriffs' Association, San Bernardino County Chief's of Police Association, California Police Officers' Association, among others.
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