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Like other cities in Orange County and around the world, Newport Beach is not alone in its experiences in a year shaped largely by the ongoing pandemic and sweeping shutdown orders.
The city saw beach closures, tragedy, new members of its City Council, a presidential visit, an agreement for a homeless shelter and the cancellation of a time-honored Christmas tradition as part of a number of events that rocked 2020.
Here are some of the top stories of Newport Beach in 2020:
A woman prays at a makeshift memorial for Lakers legend Kobe Bryant outside Pelican Crest, the gated community in Newport Coast where Bryant lived with his family. His daughter Gianna, 13, died with him in a helicopter crash in Calabasas.
New LA DA’s Reforms Draw Ire From Victims, Former DA
The moment George Gascón took office as Los Angeles County’s district attorney on Dec. 7, he implemented a sweeping overhaul of the criminal justice system.
Gascón, whose stated goal is to “reimagine public safety,” has been widely criticized by deputy district attorneys, lawyers, current and former officials, and families of victims.
He’s preventing justice from being served, says one widow whose husband’s alleged killer could experience leniency under Gascón’s reforms.
“For this man [Gascón] to come in and not follow the rule of law and just make up his own policies is ludicrous,” Tania Owen, 55, told The Epoch Times. “As the DA, as the top man, [he] should be the defender of the community that he serves.”
Huntington Beach Crime Scene Investigator Charged With Swallowing Evidence
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has charged a former Huntington Beach Police Department crime scene investigator with stealing drugs from a suspect’s vehicle, swallowing the evidence, and then driving a police vehicle home while under the influence.
Sean Patrick Lotts, 53, of Huntington Beach, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of embezzlement by a public official, one misdemeanor count of seizing property under the color of authority, and one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence for the alleged Jan. 23 offense.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a Dec. 22 press release announcing the charges that he was “disappointed and angered” by the suspect’s conduct.
Rehab doctor jailed for ‘patient brokering’ released to luxury home after COVID diagnosis [The Orange County Register]
Dec. 18 The Beverly Hills doctor accused of building a luxurious life on the backs of desperate drug users and contributing to some of their deaths has been released from jail after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, despite the strident objections of prosecutors who’ve charged him with 88 felonies and fear he’s a flight risk.
Randy Rosen ran Wellness Wave, a surgical center in Beverly Hills that allegedly paid addicts eager to make a buck to endure unnecessary surgeries, get unnecessary lab tests and receive unnecessary injections for inflated prices, according to Orange County prosecutors.
Man charged with aggravated kidnapping for ransom petitions for release as OC reduces jail population
By Mary Stringini
Man charged with aggravated kidnapping for ransom petitions for release as OC reduces jail population
The first Orange County inmate has petitioned to be released on his own recognizance following a judge’s order Friday that ordered the Orange County Jail’s population be reduced by half.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - A man charged with aggravated kidnapping for ransom and extortion is the first Orange County inmate to petition to be released on his own recognizance following a judge’s order Friday that ordered the Orange County Jail’s population be reduced by half.