It was announced on Tuesday, April 12, 2012, by Sheriff Lee Baca that a section of the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail will be closed and the inmates would be moved to other locations. The inmates will be moved to other counties or fire camps but Sheriff Baca did not detail when the closure will start. There had been discussion about closing this ancient sector of the jail depending on the construction of a better facility. The closure will go through independent of the construction proposal and is based on a review commissioned by the American Civil Liberties Union. The report explains that the number of inmates at the jail could be reduced by transferring them to electronic confinement. The facility had been in the spotlight in reference to violence amongst inmates and abuse of force by guards. The design of the cell blocks are considered obsolete by today’s standards, a point of concern considering that violent inmates are housed in that sector.

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Criminal Law Updated by the Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney William W. Bruzzo (714) 547-4636

Related Articles

• Sheriff considers closing part of Men’s Central Jail (abclocal.go.com)
• ACLU Study: Men’s Central Jail Can Be Shuttered By 2013 (losangeles.cbslocal.com)

Paul Richardson, Shaquille Richardson and Josh Shirley were all set to play football for UCLA. Each was a regional star for his local high school. Paul Richardson was a wide receiver at Sierra High School in Gardena, Shaquille was a cornerback who attended Los Alamitos High School and Shirley was a linebacker from Kaiser High School in Fontana. Shirley was an especially desirable recruit who considered attending University of Southern California before signing on with the UCLA Bruins. The three are now facing potential charges for felony theft after allegedly stealing a student’s purse. The three were arrested on the UCLA Campus and booked at a Los Angeles County jail but released early the next day on bail. Police were not aware whether any of the three had hired an attorney.

The three athletes have been dismissed from the team by UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel. The coach said the three players might be able to return to the team in January should they meet unspecified requirements. Additionally, the three will not be allowed to continue at summer school or to enroll for fall quarter at UCLA. See, Penal Code Sections 487, 211.

On June 16, 2010, members of a tagging crew were arrested for doing hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage over the last year. The vandalism included damage during the Lakers’ 2009 victory celebration. Members looted several retail establishments, smashed car windows and even vandalized police cars. At least 31 individuals were arrested after officers conducted probation searches and served search warrants. After some more investigation, detectives learned the crew, OCP or “Out Causing Panic”, has been vandalizing all across Los Angeles County, including El Monte, Pico Rivera and Whittier. In addition to vandalism, OCP members have been involved in assaults, robberies, vehicle thefts and drug sales.

The arrests have come just in time to help prevent a repeat vandalism attack that occurred during post game celebrations last year following the Lakers’ title win. The Lakers were set to play the Boston Celtics in Game 7 in Los Angeles for the 2010 NBA championship on June 17th. See, Penal Code Section 594.

Mitrice Richardson was a graduate of Cal State Fullerton in Orange County and vanished last September near Malibu. Her family has now brought a suit against Los Angeles County for their lack of efforts. The Richardson family’s attorney is alleging negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful death at the hands of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Richardson was last seen in September when she was arrested one night for not paying a bill at an upscale Malibu restaurant. She was later released from the sheriff’s station without her car, phone or any money. Deputies let her go without conducting a psychological evaluation when strong evidence indicated Richardson was having mental problems at the time. Richardson’s father, frustrated, commented: “I’ve been begging. I’ve been pleading. I’ve been asking for all the help I can get. I haven’t gotten anywhere.”

The Sheriff’s department is saying, in their defense, that Richardson did not seem mentally incapacitated to the point where they would deem a mental evaluation was necessary.

The multi-million dollar lawsuit is now pending.

An ordinance, adopted January 2009, in the city of Lancaster in Los Angeles County is seeing positive results after imposing stiff penalties on dog owners. Owners of “potentially dangerous” and “vicious” dogs such as pit bulls and Rottweilers are prevented from using their dogs to bully people or cause physical harm to others.

Since the passage of the law, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control impounded 1,138 pit bulls and Rottweilers and of those, 362 were voluntarily surrendered by owners.

Lancaster’s Mayor, R. Rex Parris, said that a year ago “these individuals delighted in the danger these animals posed to our residents, often walking them without leashes and allowing them to run rampant through our neighborhoods and parks.” According to Parris, Lancaster is a lot safer now since the ordinance was passed. Parris said there was a 45% drop in Lancaster’s violent gang crime, which includes homicide (Penal Code Section 187), rape(Penal Code Section 220), robbery (Penal Code Section 211) and aggravated assault (Penal Code Section 245(a) (1).