Orange County Juvenile Court

James Odriozola, 49, was appointed an Orange County Superior Court commissioner by a panel of judges this week. Odriozola has served since 1991 as a referee at Orange County Juvenile Court, where he has presided over more than 250 trials. He also has served as a faculty member at Orange County Bar Assn. College of Trial Advocacy and a guest lecturer at Western State University College of Law.

The Orange County Probation Department is investigating how a south Orange County teen escaped one of its juvenile facilities a month before police said he killed five people in a drunk-driving crash in Nevada. The department requested an arrest warrant for Jean Ervin Soriano, 18, after it discovered he had left the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana on March 1. But authorities didn't find him until Saturday morning on a Nevada highway after he allegedly rear-ended a van filled with family members returning from a trip to Colorado to see a dying relative.

A 15-year-old student accused of shooting a boy in the face and holding a drama class hostage at Loara High School in Anaheim will go to trial on attempted murder charges Feb. 6 in Orange County Juvenile Court, a judge ruled today. Juvenile Judge C. Robert Jameson set the trial date for Cordell L. (Cory) Robb during a brief pretrial hearing in Juvenile Court in Orange. Robb, dressed in a jean jacket, dark blue T-shirt and jeans, was in court and solemnly responded to questions the judge asked.

A teenager accused of drunk driving in a crash that killed five members of a Los Angeles family had weeks earlier fled from an Orange County juvenile detention facility. The Orange County Probation Department requested an arrest warrant for Jean Ervin Soriano, 18, after it discovered he had left the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana on March 1. But authorities didn't find him until Saturday morning on a Nevada highway, after he allegedly rear-ended a car filled with family members returning from a trip to see a dying relative.

An Orange County Juvenile Court judge on Tuesday postponed the extradition proceedings for a 14-year-old Tustin boy charged with a Nevada murder-robbery, authorities said. Peter Quinn Elvik will return to court next Tuesday to begin proceedings that may return him to Carson City, Nev., where authorities have charged him in the shotgun slaying of a 63-year-old retiree, police said.

It is difficult to tell whether a youth arrested for the first time is embarking on a life of crime or has made a single--perhaps even very serious--mistake. That question is at the heart of a debate in Orange County over making more names of juvenile offenders public. Law enforcement officials believe more disclosure should be made, in part to protect the public. But caution is advised.

The Orange County Probation Department is investigating how a south Orange County teen escaped one of its juvenile facilities a month before police said he killed five people in a drunk-driving crash in Nevada. The department requested an arrest warrant for Jean Ervin Soriano, 18, after it discovered he had left the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana on March 1. But authorities didn't find him until Saturday morning on a Nevada highway after he allegedly rear-ended a van filled with family members returning from a trip to Colorado to see a dying relative.

A man accused of drunk driving in a crash that killed five members of a Los Angeles family had weeks earlier fled from an Orange County juvenile detention facility. The Orange County Probation Department requested an arrest warrant for Jean Ervin Soriano, 18, after it discovered that he had left the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana on March 1. But authorities didn't find him until Saturday morning on a Nevada highway after he allegedly rear-ended a van filled with family members returning from a trip to see a dying relative.

Jose admitted he was smoking a marijuana cigarette when he was arrested. But the six jurors weighing his sentence didn't like the youth's offhand demeanor in court and the way he belittled his offense. Noting that the 17-year-old had a history of marijuana and alcohol use, the jury threw the book at Jose, giving him 35 hours of community service, grounding him at home every other weekend and ordering him to attend school, get a job and stay away from drugs, drug pushers and gang members.

A teenager accused of drunk driving in a crash that killed five members of a Los Angeles family had weeks earlier fled from an Orange County juvenile detention facility. The Orange County Probation Department requested an arrest warrant for Jean Ervin Soriano, 18, after it discovered he had left the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana on March 1. But authorities didn't find him until Saturday morning on a Nevada highway, after he allegedly rear-ended a car filled with family members returning from a trip to see a dying relative.

A man accused of drunk driving in a crash that killed five members of a Los Angeles family had weeks earlier fled from an Orange County juvenile detention facility. The Orange County Probation Department requested an arrest warrant for Jean Ervin Soriano, 18, after it discovered that he had left the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana on March 1. But authorities didn't find him until Saturday morning on a Nevada highway after he allegedly rear-ended a van filled with family members returning from a trip to see a dying relative.

The six student jurors fired questions at a teen caught with marijuana during Irvine High School's first Peer Court. Did you have intentions of smoking the marijuana? What's your curfew like? Have you learned anything from all this? After the final question, the panel filed out of the room to deliberate a punishment. The decision: 20 hours of community service, stay away from drug dealers and users and serve as a Peer Court juror.

The scene is Central California Norman Rockwell: Two rows of elms, turned gold by the fall's chill, line a street of neat houses and lawns. The elementary school down the street has just let out for the day, and children call to each other while slinging on their backpacks and juggling books.

James Odriozola, 49, was appointed an Orange County Superior Court commissioner by a panel of judges this week. Odriozola has served since 1991 as a referee at Orange County Juvenile Court, where he has presided over more than 250 trials. He also has served as a faculty member at Orange County Bar Assn. College of Trial Advocacy and a guest lecturer at Western State University College of Law.

An Orange County Juvenile Court judge on Tuesday postponed the extradition proceedings for a 14-year-old Tustin boy charged with a Nevada murder-robbery, authorities said. Peter Quinn Elvik will return to court next Tuesday to begin proceedings that may return him to Carson City, Nev., where authorities have charged him in the shotgun slaying of a 63-year-old retiree, police said.

Jose admitted he was smoking a marijuana cigarette when he was arrested. But the six jurors weighing his sentence didn't like the youth's offhand demeanor in court and the way he belittled his offense. Noting that the 17-year-old had a history of marijuana and alcohol use, the jury threw the book at Jose, giving him 35 hours of community service, grounding him at home every other weekend and ordering him to attend school, get a job and stay away from drugs, drug pushers and gang members.

The scene is Central California Norman Rockwell: Two rows of elms, turned gold by the fall's chill, line a street of neat houses and lawns. The elementary school down the street has just let out for the day, and children call to each other while slinging on their backpacks and juggling books.

The six student jurors fired questions at a teen caught with marijuana during Irvine High School's first Peer Court. Did you have intentions of smoking the marijuana? What's your curfew like? Have you learned anything from all this? After the final question, the panel filed out of the room to deliberate a punishment. The decision: 20 hours of community service, stay away from drug dealers and users and serve as a Peer Court juror.

The Orange County Grand Jury on Tuesday recommended numerous changes in the county's Juvenile Court schools, noting that youths frequently skip classes, violate judges' orders, receive inadequate counseling and miss the chance to receive high school credits. Orange County Department of Education Supt. John F. Dean agreed with much of the grand jury's findings, saying that most problems at the 12 county-run schools for convicted juveniles are caused by inadequate state funding and overcrowding.

It is difficult to tell whether a youth arrested for the first time is embarking on a life of crime or has made a single--perhaps even very serious--mistake. That question is at the heart of a debate in Orange County over making more names of juvenile offenders public. Law enforcement officials believe more disclosure should be made, in part to protect the public. But caution is advised.