Santa Ana Jail

A Santa Ana jail guard accused of smuggling drugs into the city jail surrendered to authorities Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to drug charges. Michelle V. Rodriguez, 25, faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison if convicted on all five felony counts, which include furnishing drugs to prisoners. Her attorney, Charles E. Frisco Jr., said Tuesday that Rodriguez never took drugs into the jail and that prosecutors are relying on the word of inmates.

Seven months after a Santa Ana woman was killed, police have arrested her 16-year-old daughter and the daughter's boyfriend in connection with the death. Darlene Saddler, 49, was found shot and stabbed in the head in September in the home she shared with her two daughters, Police Cmdr. Tammy Franks said Saturday. Saddler's son discovered her body when he arrived at the home. Her 5-year-old daughter had been inside the home with the body for several hours before he arrived, Franks said.

When the Catholic revival began, most of the 17 inmates stood stoically in their olive prison garb, staring straight ahead. The initial turnout was poor enough that guards sent a last-minute invitation to Spanish-speaking prisoners in other sections in the Santa Ana Jail to participate if they'd like. By Sunday afternoon, nearly 50 smiling prisoners mimicked the dance moves of the gospel singers, eagerly talked about their religious reawakening and shed tears of contrition.

A guard at a federal detention center in Orange County was arrested this week on suspicion of taking bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband to at least one inmate, including cellphones, a small computer, protein powders and other bodybuilding substances, a federal official said. Jose Abel Flores is a correctional officer at the Santa Ana City Jail, which has a contract to house federal prisoners awaiting trial. Flores, 36, of Corona was taken into custody Monday at the jail.

The city of Santa Ana will pay nearly $100,000 to a white-collar criminal who was beaten and raped by a Nazi-tattooed cellmate just hours after a U.S. District judge had ordered the men separated, officials said Monday. The out-of-court settlement stems from a Feb. 12 attack on a 32-year-old accountant who was awaiting trial on charges of counterfeiting.

A 15-year-old boy accused of kidnapping a man and firing an AK-47 rifle at police officers during a freeway chase was mistakenly released from custody last week and is now the subject of a manhunt, authorities said. The teenager, who was being held at the Santa Ana Jail without bail because of the seriousness of the charges, was set free Sept. 25 from Juvenile Hall in Orange after a mix-up in which Santa Ana jailers erroneously thought that all charges had been dropped.

After leading police on a one-hour car chase through five cities Monday, a 23-year-old parolee ran out of gas and was captured at a service station in Garden Grove, police said. Alfred Mendez, suspected of stealing a white BMW in Irvine, led officers on a pursuit that reached speeds of 100 mph after he ignored a stoplight in Santa Ana at East 1st and North Fairview streets.

Just days after the grand opening of the city's new jail, the City Council on Tuesday will consider two proposals to boost city coffers by renting out vacant cells. One plan would allow the Orange County Probation Dept. to operate the city's 48-cell temporary jail, which is being vacated, and rent 64 spaces in the new city jail. All 112 spaces would be used for juveniles, Santa Ana jail administrator Russell M. Davis said. Officials said the proposal could bring the city as much as $1.

With carpeting, cable television and views of the city, module 3-C in the new Santa Ana City Jail may be as comfortable as it gets for someone facing charges of drug possession. The comfort level at the jail and the unarmed officer who mingles with inmates throughout the day and night are not there by accident.

A transient has been arrested on suspicion of trying to burn down six vacant houses and a car in the central part of the city since November, a fire official said. Witnesses identified Jim Gregory Tuner, 28, through photo lineups as the man who was near the blazes either minutes or hours before they were found, Battalion Chief Tom Skelley said Friday. The fires were not accidental, investigators said, and the suspect did not set fires in the vacant homes and car for warmth.

Two Santa Ana men were arrested Tuesday in connection with the bludgeoning death of their roommate, authorities said. Hugo Salvador Rivera and John Paul Vega, both 19, are each being held at Santa Ana Jail on $1-million bail after calling police at 12:44 a.m. to report the death. Sgt.

The city of Santa Ana will pay nearly $100,000 to a white-collar criminal who was beaten and raped by a Nazi-tattooed cellmate just hours after a U.S. District judge had ordered the men separated, officials said Monday. The out-of-court settlement stems from a Feb. 12 attack on a 32-year-old accountant who was awaiting trial on charges of counterfeiting.

A 15-year-old boy accused of kidnapping a man and firing an AK-47 rifle at police officers during a freeway chase was mistakenly released from custody last week and is now the subject of a manhunt, authorities said. The teenager, who was being held at the Santa Ana Jail without bail because of the seriousness of the charges, was set free Sept. 25 from Juvenile Hall in Orange after a mix-up in which Santa Ana jailers erroneously thought that all charges had been dropped.

A Santa Ana jail guard accused of smuggling drugs into the city jail surrendered to authorities Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to drug charges. Michelle V. Rodriguez, 25, faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison if convicted on all five felony counts, which include furnishing drugs to prisoners. Her attorney, Charles E. Frisco Jr., said Tuesday that Rodriguez never took drugs into the jail and that prosecutors are relying on the word of inmates.

When the Catholic revival began, most of the 17 inmates stood stoically in their olive prison garb, staring straight ahead. The initial turnout was poor enough that guards sent a last-minute invitation to Spanish-speaking prisoners in other sections in the Santa Ana Jail to participate if they'd like. By Sunday afternoon, nearly 50 smiling prisoners mimicked the dance moves of the gospel singers, eagerly talked about their religious reawakening and shed tears of contrition.

A 27-year-old Santa Ana man was in jail Saturday after he forced a tense standoff with police by holding a steak knife to his baby daughter's throat and demanding release into Mexico, authorities said. The 2-month-old girl suffered minor scratches on her throat but was not seriously injured, Santa Ana Police Sgt. Steve Colon said. She was released to her mother. At 3 p.m.

A 26-year-old Tustin man was shot and killed early Saturday after arguing with a man outside a bar, police said. Alberto Aguilera, 36, of Ontario was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Jose Raya Perez. Aguilera was booked in the Santa Ana Jail, with bail set at $250,000, authorities said. According to Santa Ana police, Aguilera shot Perez in the head while the two men argued at 1:40 a.m.

Seven months after a Santa Ana woman was killed, police have arrested her 16-year-old daughter and the daughter's boyfriend in connection with the death. Darlene Saddler, 49, was found shot and stabbed in the head in September in the home she shared with her two daughters, Police Cmdr. Tammy Franks said Saturday. Saddler's son discovered her body when he arrived at the home. Her 5-year-old daughter had been inside the home with the body for several hours before he arrived, Franks said.

After leading police on a one-hour car chase through five cities Monday, a 23-year-old parolee ran out of gas and was captured at a service station in Garden Grove, police said. Alfred Mendez, suspected of stealing a white BMW in Irvine, led officers on a pursuit that reached speeds of 100 mph after he ignored a stoplight in Santa Ana at East 1st and North Fairview streets.

Chipping away at a security problem that plagues old jails, Orange County supervisors voted Tuesday to install a closed-circuit television surveillance system in the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana. "We would like to have video cameras everywhere in the jails system, but it's quite costly. So we add them as we can," Assistant Sheriff Rocky Hewitt said. "It's critical we have them in the central jail complex."