SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – Free COVID testing and vaccines have been a lifeline through the pandemic, but federal dollars that funded much of those programs for the uninsured is running out, though some local programs plan to carry on. Juan Sanchez road his bike to get a free COVID test from Latino Health Access in Santa Ana so that he can continue working at a new job. (CBSLA) For Elisa Ponce, a front-line worker who can’t afford to pay for COVID tests, getting them for free is a must. “I wouldn’t be able to get tested and I wouldn’t be able to go back to work,” she said. Tuesday is the last day t ..read more

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Santa Ana High School was placed on locked down for hours Thursday due to a bomb threat. Santa Ana Police Department officers responded to the call of a threat at Santa Ana High School located at the 500 block of W. Walnut Street. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department were on site responding to the incident. #PublicAdvisory Police Activity in the area of the 500 block of W. Walnut Street. Please stay away from the area. More information to follow #SAPDPIO #onscene — SantaAnaPD (@SantaAnaPD) March 10, 2022 “Out of an ..read more

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — A volunteer at a Garden Grove church has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, and authorities believe he may have more victims. (credit: Orange County Sheriff’s Department) Terry Lyn Myers, 65, was arrested on March 2 in connection with the sexual assault of a minor in the 1990s, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. He is being held at Orange County Jail on $1 million bail. Investigators say Myers has been a volunteer at multiple churches in Orange County, including at Grace Community Church, formerly known as Nutwood Church, in Garden Grove betwe ..read more

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Two elementary schools in Santa Ana were temporarily on lockdown Tuesday morning due to a possibly armed robbery suspect barricaded inside a vehicle nearby. “Out of an abundance of caution, Lowell and Pio Pico elementary schools have been placed on lockdowns due to police activity outside the schools. No one is currently allowed in or out of the campuses to help ensure the safety of our students and staff,” the Santa Ana Unified School District said. The Santa Ana Police Department and Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department were on site responding to the incide ..read more

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — A woman hitchhiking along State Route 241 in Santa Ana was struck by a vehicle and killed Sunday. Authorities reported that she died at the scene. The collision occurred in the area of the Santiago Canyon Road off-ramp just after 9 p.m., and several lanes were closed for more than an hour. California Highway patrol officials did not provide any update on the status of the driver. The victim’s name was withheld pending notification of next of kin ..read more

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – Drug overdoses and deaths due to fentanyl are being called an epidemic, which is why Orange County leaders held a special hearing  Thursday to address the growing problem. “This legislation is going after the traffickers and the dealers who are killing our kids,” said Assembleywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris said at today’s meeting. A sentence of 20 years to life is the punishment Petrie-Norris is pushing for anyone who sells fentanyl in areas around children. Poisoning by fentanyl is the leading cause of death for kids 17-years-old and under in Orange County. Fentanyl-rela ..read more

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — California is poised to lift its mask mandate for schools, but public health officials in Orange County say they “strongly recommend” people keep their faces covered after three children died in the Omicron surge since the beginning of the new year. In just the past two months, three children have died of COVID-19 in Orange County – including a healthy teenage girl whose father says she was not vaccinated, and a child under the age of 5 who was not eligible for vaccination. The third death was also a teenager, public health officials said in a recent episode of “Your Health ..read more

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Police need the public’s help to track down a warehouse manager suspected of stealing more than $1 million worth of COVID-19 tests from his employer. (credit: Santa Ana Police Department) Carlitos Peralta, 33, was the manager of one of the seven warehouses owned nationwide by Covid Clinic, 3401 W. MacArthur Blvd. The warehouses are where COVID tests are stored before they are shipped to clinics, pop-up testing sites, schools, and hotels. “It’s our understanding that it’s at least a million dollars worth of COVID tests,” said Santa Ana Police Department Sergeant Maria Lope ..read more

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Mourners braved the cold and the rain Tuesday to pay their respects to Huntington Beach police Officer Nicholas Vella, who was killed this weekend in a helicopter crash off the Newport Beach. Light rain was falling in Santa Ana as Vella’s body left the Orange County coroner’s office. Dozens of people, most without umbrellas, stood by in silence as the hearse carrying Vella’s body, which was accompanied by dozens of motorcycle officers and other law enforcement vehicles, passed by slowly. Mourners standing in the rain to honor Huntington Beach officer Nick Vella whose body ..read more

ORANGE COUNTY (CBSLA) – Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer was accused of racism for comments he made over a death penalty debate. Murder victim Darren Partch pictured here with his mother, Brenda Partch. (source: Brenda Partch) The mother of Newport Beach murder victim Darren Partch said she wasn’t told by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office or elected DA Todd Spitzer that they wouldn’t go for the death penalty for suspect Jamon Buggs. She claims she heard it from police despite the fact that she’d been led to believe that the death penalty would be sought by prosecu ..read more