Recently in La Habra Category

SANTA ANA -- A La Habra man convicted last week of scamming an elderly couple out of $5.5 million through a phony gold investment scheme now faces new charges stemming from his time as a fugitive, authorities said.
John Arthur Walthall, 56, faces up to 130 years in prison when he's sentenced for the gold investment scheme March 5 in federal court, U.S. Attorney's officials said in a written statement.
In the scam, he told an elderly couple he was running an investment dealing with extracting gold from abandoned gold mines, prosecutors said. He instead used the couple's money to fund a lavish lifestyle and pay for personal expenses.
But he has new charges to contend with as well, officials said.
After failing to appear for a June 27 court hearing, Walthall became a fugitive, according to the statement. He was arrested July 26 in Mesquite, Nevada.
"A gun and a book entitled, 'How to Be Invisible' were found in Walthall's possession when he was arrested," the statement said.
As a result, he is now due to appear again in court Jan. 3 to face weapons charges.
Additionally, investigators are looking into the possibility of additional fraud charges, U.S. Attorney's officials said.
"At the time of his arrest, Walthall was using the name Art Langford. Using the false name, Walthall obtained approximately $10,000 from an Orange County businessman and used part of that money to facilitate his escape," according to the statement. "Investigators believe that Walthall may have defrauded others using the name Art Langford (while a fugitive)."

SANTA ANA -- A mental competency hearing was postponed Friday for a La Habra woman accused of killing her infant son by throwing him from the fourth floor of an Orange County hospital parking structure in August.
The hearing, which will determine whether 31-year-old Sonia Hermosillo is mentally competent to stand trial, was rescheduled for Jan. 6 in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, Orange County District Attorney's officials said.
Hermosillo is charged with murder and child abuse for the Aug. 22 death of her 7-month-old son, Noe Medina Jr.
She is accused of taking her son up to the fourth floor of a parking structure at Children's Hospital Orange County, removing a helmet he wore because of a medical condition and throwing him off.
Hermosillo is yet to enter a plea in the case pending a ruling on her mental state. At a previous hearing, defense attorney's argues that she was not mentally capable of assisting in her own defense.
Hermosillo validated her parking before driving away from the hospital, then was arrested later in the day when investigating officers spotted her driving past the scene, officials said.
Noe Medina of La Habra, father of Noe Medina Jr. and husband of Hermosillo, has said his son suffered from two treatable medical conditions. The infant was being treated for plagiocephaly, also known as flat-head syndrome, as well as toricollis -- a condition which causes a twisting of the neck.
Hermosillo, who suffered from postpartum depression, never seemed to accept her son because of the medical problems, Noe Medina has said.
No official motive in the alleged murder has been released.

LA HABRA - Police checking out a call about a fight found a man stabbed multiple times at a local park Wednesday and later arrested two men.
At 2:21 a.m., police were called to a fight at Electric Avenue and Walnut Street.
La Habra police Lt. Jeff Swaim said officers didn't ind a fight but located a seriously injured 30-year-old man at Portola Park, 301 S. Euclid Street. Swaim said the man was stabbed three times in the chest, once in the abdomen and three to four times in the back.
The injured man, a La Habra residents, remained hospitalized Thursday in critical-but-stable condition, La Habra police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said. He was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center.
Officers later tracked down the suspect vehicle and arrested two men, 20-year-old Anthony Silva of Whittier and 21-year-old Michael Corcoran of Whittier, on suspicion of attempted murder, Swaim said.
Silva and Corcoran were being held at La Habra jail and will be arraigned Friday.
Detectives were still trying to piece what led to the stabbing.
Any witnesses to the attack are asked to call the La Habra Police Department.

LA HABRA -- Two people were hospitalized, one of them with serious injuries, following a three-car crash on Lambert Road early Tuesday, authorities said.
The crash was reported just before 8 a.m. on Lambert Road, just east of Beach Boulevard, Los Angeles County Fire Department Battalion Chief Art Ellis said.
A man estimated to be in his 20s was hospitalized with major injuries but expected to survive after firefighters freed him from his wrecked Hyundai, Ellis said.
Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears that the driver of a pickup truck traveling westbound in the No. 1 lane veered into eastbound lanes," La Habra police officials said in a written statement.
"The truck first clipped a (Chevrolet) Tahoe and then broadsided a Hyundai, pushing that vehicle all the way to the curb line," the statement said.
After being cut free from the wreckage, the Hyundai driver was taken to the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center for treatment, Ellis said. The injuries were serious, but not believed to be life threatening.
The pickup truck driver, also estimated to be in his 20, was hospitalized at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton for apparently minor injuries, Ellis said. A woman in her 30s who was driving the Tahoe was unhurt.
"The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation," according to the police statement. Any witnesses are asked to call La Habra police at 562-905-9750.

*PHOTO by Staff Photographer Keith Durflinger

SANTA ANA -- The defense for an accused of killing her infant son by throwing him from the fourth floor of a hospital parking structure argued Friday that she was not mentally competent to stand trial, officials said.
Sonia Hermosillo, 31, of La Habra is charged with murder and child abuse in connection with the Aug. 22 death of her 7-month-old son, Noe Medina Jr., at Children's Hospital of Orange County.
At an arraignment hearing Friday, she did not enter a plea, Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman Farrah Emami said.
"The defense indicated at the hearing today that they believe she is not mentally fit to assist in her own defense," Emami said.
A mental competency hearing was scheduled Nov. 18 in Santa Ana Superior Court.
Hermosillo was arrested several hours after the incident after police spotted her driving by the scene, officials said.
Noe Medina Jr. suffered from plagiocephaly, known as flat-head syndrome, in addition to congenital muscular torticollis which causes the head to twist to one side.
His mother reportedly suffered from severe post partum depression.
A motive in the killing has not been released.
Her husband, Noe Medina, has reportedly said he believed his wife never accepted their son because of his medical problems.

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Authorities have identified the body of a woman that was found on Huntington State Beach on Monday morning as a 30-year-old La Habra woman.
The Orange County Register reports that the body is that of Myphuong Tran.
Huntington Beach police Lt. Russell Reinhart says the death appears to be a drowning.
Reinhart says body was fully clothed, appeared to have been in the water less than 24 hours, and there's no indication of anything criminal.

From the Associated Press:

LA HABRA -- The City of La Habra has enacted a law to keep sexual predators from city parks and playgrounds.
Monday's action creates a "child safety zone" which are off limits to registered sex offenders unless they obtain written permission from the police department.
Under the new ordinance, sex offenders caught in the zones would face misdemeanor prosecution that is punishable by up to six months in jail and or up to $500 in fines.
The law is modeled after an Orange County ordinance that took effect in May. That law created "child safety zones" in county parks and harbors. Similar laws have been enacted by the cities of Westminster and Irvine.

LA HABRA -- A man shot and wounded by La Habra police officer last month was not armed, and the officer may have mistaken a cell phone he was holding for a gun, authorities said Friday.
Manuel Galvan, 46, of La Habra remained hospitalized Friday and been charged with domestic violence, violating a protective order, damaging a wireless device with intent to prevent a crime report, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and resisting police, La Habra police officials said in a written statement.
Officials have previously disclosed that the first officer to arrive Aug. 25 at the scene of a reported restraining order violation at a mobile home park at 1731 W. Lambert Road shot and wounded Galvan, however no further details of the shooting were released.
In a statement issued Friday, officials said the officer, whose name was not released, believed Galvan was brandishing a handgun.
"It appears the object in the subject's hand may have been a dark-colored cell phone," the statement said.
After arriving at the reported restraining order violation about 10:37 p.m., the officer spotted a man and woman arguing near a vehicle, according to La Habra police.
The officer ordered Galvan to move away from the vehicle, but instead, he entered the driver's side and emerged second later with "a dark object in his hand that the officer perceived to be a handgun," the statement said.
"The officer then ordered the subject, at gunpoint, to drop the weapons several times. The subject ignored these commands and began waving his arms around," the statement continued. "When the subject pointed the object toward the woman, the officer perceived her to be in imminent danger and fired his weapon. When the subject then turned toward the officer, he feared for his own safety and fired again."
No weapon was found at the scene, La Habra police said.
The shooting is being investigated by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, which has declined to discuss the case until the probe is completed.
Police released no further information.

LA HABRA -- A woman who died after being found on fire in the backyard of he La Habra home has been identified, authorities said.
Edith Thrapp, 82, died Monday at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center just before 4:30 a.m. Monday, according to Orange County coroner's officials.
Firefighters responded to reports of a fire about 5 p.m. Sunday in the 500 block of North Kinley Street, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Don Kunitomi said.
"When they arrived, they found her on fire," Kunitomi said. She suffered severe burns and was hospitalized.
The cause of the fire remained unclear Wednesday, police and fire officials said. The home itself was not damaged by the fire.
Nothing criminal was initially suspected, La Habra police said.