Domestic Violence

A Costa Mesa man who was armed to the teeth when he was arrested last year faces more than 15 years in prison after his conviction Tuesday for stalking his estranged wife and threatening Huntington Beach police. Ronald Gary Turner, 45, was convicted of numerous felonies, including stalking and possessing destructive devices. In April 2008, Turner was put on probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence and ordered to keep away from his estranged wife. He didn?t attend the court-ordered batterer?

A Costa Mesa man was sentenced to 17 years in state prison for making threats against his estranged wife, a judge and an officer at the Huntington Beach Police Department. Ronald Gary Turner, 45, was given the maximum sentence after police found three homemade bombs in his house and a stolen 9 mm firearm in his vehicle, according to a release by the Orange County district attorney. Turner was on probation for a domestic violence case against his wife when Huntington and Newport Beach police departments received information he may have been in possession of bombs and weapons.

A lawsuit has been filed with Orange County Superior Court against the city alleging a conspiracy among numerous city employees to cover up abuse by a Huntington Beach police officer charged with assaulting and threatening his wife. The ex-wife and son of Officer James Roberts III claim his actions were allowed by city employees, including the Huntington Beach Police Department. The lawsuit was filed Nov. 24. The city has not been served with the lawsuit, said Gordon Eliason, the city’s liability claims coordinator.

Officers injured during dispute Two police officers were injured in a fight with a man while responding to a family dispute at 3:45 a.m. Saturday in the 8400 block of Edinger Avenue, police said. When police arrived at the apartment, the husband, who apparently had been drinking, came to the door and argued with the officers, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Craig Junginger said. Police could see that the wife inside the apartment was emotionally distraught, and when they tried to enter the apartment, the husband charged at the officers, Junginger said.

Using new DNA technology, prosecutors have charged a man with killing and then burning the body of his high school friend in Sunset Beach more than 20 years ago. Robert Haugen, 29, whom authorities say was a marijuana dealer, was stabbed 18 times in his apartment Oct. 24, 1988. The killer then lit Haugen’s body on fire to destroy the evidence, and fled the scene. Blood belonging to the victim and an unknown second person was collected at the scene, authorities said, but the case went cold.

A Long Beach man has been extradited to Orange County from Nevada in relation to a fatal stabbing that took place in Sunset Beach more than two decades ago. Paul Gentile Smith, 49, is charged with one felony count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. Smith is accused of murdering Robert Haugen, 29, in Haugen?s Sunset Beach apartment on Oct. 24, 1988. According to the Orange County district attorney?

The bank robber dubbed "the Christmas bandit" by the FBI, who hit three Southern California banks during the holidays including one in Huntington Beach was convicted and awaits sentencing. Guy Christopher Brooks began his crime spree just before Christmas. On Dec 24 he robbed Cal Bank & Trust in Dana Point and then a Bank of America in Lake Forest. Then, on Jan. 28, he robbed Union Bank in Huntington Beach. Brooks was arrested in Lake Forest when a patrol deputy with the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Marcus Perez, arrested Brooks for domestic violence at a Lake Forest hotel.

A former high school basketball coach charged with having an ongoing unlawful sexual relationship with a student pleaded not guilty Thursday. Fountain Valley resident John Tran Nguyen, 21, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of unlawful sexual intercourse and one misdemeanor count of domestic violence battery, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. He faces a maximum of three years in state prison if convicted and is out on $20,000 bail. His pre-trial is scheduled April 26, said spokeswoman Farrah Emami.

Eron Ben-Yehuda HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The girlfriend and daughter of a man killed by a police officer are seeking more than $80 million from the city. The city has until the end of November to respond to the wrongful death claim filed earlier this month. The claim will most likely be rejected, said Karen Foster, the city's risk manager. The law requires such a claim be submitted prior to filing a lawsuit, she said. The claim alleges that on April 22, Officer Aaron Smith panicked and shot David Blackman at "point-blank range" outside his apartment, even though he was unarmed and posed no threat.

Tariq Malik HUNTINGTON BEACH -- A lawsuit accusing a city police officer of shooting an unarmed man to death has been dropped three weeks before it was set to go to trial. Resident Desiree Ulmer agreed to drop the lawsuit against the city and Police Officer Aaron Smith, after almost a year of accusing him of shooting then-43-year-old David Blackman execution style against a wall at "point-blank range." "I think the evidence was quite clear from the beginning that Officer Smith shot in self-defense," said Neal Moore, attorney for Smith and the city.