California Dolphin

A 62-year-old registered sex offender pleaded guilty Friday to recording upskirt videos in Irvine and Tustin and was sentenced to three years in prison. Roland Moreno pleaded guilty to felony counts of burglary and annoying or molesting a child with a prior conviction as well as 11 misdemeanor counts of using a concealed device to record another without their consent. In a separate case he pleaded guilty to five counts of using a concealed device to record another without their consent and a count of contempt of court, all misdemeanors. Police were called Oct. 20, 2023, to a Spirit Halloween store at 13852 Red Hill Ave., adjacent to Tustin High School, where they were told by multiple witnesses that Roland Moreno was seen taking videos under a woman’s skirt as she shopped inside the store with her two children. Moreno fled the store prior to the officers’ arrival but left his cellphone behind, police said. A search of his phone revealed additional videos of similar nature from various locations, police said. According to the criminal complaint, the dates of the upskirt videos were Sept. 17

A felon was convicted Friday of murdering a 17-year-old girl who was shot while walking on a Long Beach street near her house. Jurors deliberated about 1 1/2 days before finding Troy Lamar Fox guilty of first-degree murder for the March 26, 2024, shooting of Briana Soto, along with four counts of attempted murder involving shots that were fired at a vehicle and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, according to Deputy District Attorney Robert Song. The motive for the attacks was not known, the prosecutor said. Soto was shot in the upper body near the intersection of 11th Street and Lewis Avenue, and was initially hospitalized in critical condition before dying four days later, Long Beach police said last year. Police said DNA, video and cellphone evidence pointed to Fox as the suspect in the girl’s killing. He has remained behind bars since his arrest last September on what police said was an unrelated weapons violation. The attempted murder charges stemmed from shots fired last April 9 at a vehicle containing an 18-year-old and three juveniles in the 1300 block

The CEO of a company that owned the rights to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar’s name and likeness was arrested and extradited to L.A. to face fraud and money laundering charges. Olaf Kyros Gustafsson, 31, also known as “El Silencio,” is a Swedish national who owned Escobar Inc., a corporation registered in Puerto Rico that held successor-in-interest rights to the persona and legacy of Pablo Escobar, the Colombian narcoterrorist and head of the Medellín Cartel who died in 1993. The company used Escobar’s persona to market and sell a variety of products to the public including victims across Southern California, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. From July 2019 to November 2023, Gustafsson found existing products in the marketplace and used Escobar’s persona to advertise similar products at a much lower price than the competition, court documents said. Some of the items he allegedly sold included an Escobar Flamethrower, an Escobar Fold Phone, an Escobar Gold 11 Pro Phone, and Escobar Cash (marketed as a “physical cryptocurrency”). Gustafsson would receive payments for these items through PayPal, Stripe, Coinbase and other online payment platforms. However, despite

SACRAMENTO — Since his podcast debuted in March, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has flummoxed Democrats who fear that the politician they considered a liberal prizefighter is turning MAGA-friendly. The rap against “This Is Gavin Newsom,” in which the governor spoke out against trans athletes competing in women’s sports and disavowed the gender-inclusive term “Latinx,” is that he doesn’t sound like the Newsom they know at all. “What in God’s name is going on with Gavin Newsom?” asked CNN anchor Erin Burnett, quoting a headline criticizing the podcast, during a recent segment ripping the governor’s apparent shift. “The country is trying to figure out how he went from progressive hero and governor of the most liberal state in the country to interviewing and spending time with MAGA favorites like Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk.” The Democratic governor was also surprised, but by the response. “I did what I said I was going to do. I mean, when I launched this, I said I was going to have, not debates with people I disagree with, I said we’re gonna have people on we disagree and agree with to

No detail, or diamond, was spared. Modern-day championship rings, Dodgers chief marketing officer Lon Rosen joked, have essentially “turned into wearable sculpture pieces.” And after a month of intricate design planning this offseason, the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series ring is no exception. Presented to players and coaches on the field before Friday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium, the latest championship ring in Dodgers history is easily the most grandiose yet: Made of 14 karat gold, more than 300 diamonds, and 120 sapphires. Looking down at the top of the hulking piece of jewelry, the team’s LA logo is spelled out in blue gems, with a bed of oval-shaped diamonds serving as a backdrop. Around the edge lies a circle of 34 sapphires honoring late Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who died in the midst of last year’s World Series run. On either side, eight more diamonds were included to recognize the organization’s eight all-time championships. On the top and bottom, “World Champions” is spelled out in more bling. Down the side of the ring, there are personalized touches, with each team member’s

I was driving through Westlake, on my way to pay Nathaniel Anthony Ayers a visit at his nursing home, when it hit me. My God. Has it been 20 years? Hard to believe, but yes. The year was 2005. It was around noon, as I recall, on a drizzly, late-winter day. I heard music in Pershing Square, followed the sound and spotted him next to a shopping cart heaped over with his belongings. Steve Lopez Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist. And so it began: Mr. Ayers with a violin that was missing two strings, trying to get back on track three decades after illness forced him out of New York’s prestigious Juilliard School. Me with my notebook, getting to know this Cleveland-born prodigy while trying to navigate a mental health system that left thousands fending for themselves on the streets of Los Angeles. Neither of us could have known where we’d be headed together in the years to

Paso Robles residents learned this week that a long-time local restaurant would soon be closing its doors. The owners of Paso Terra on Pine Street told KSBY that they are shutting down the restaurant as they attempt to find an interested party to purchase it. The family-owned seafood restaurant opened in 2012, offering refined seafood dishes and wine. More than a decade later, the owners say they are planning to sell the establishment as they enter retirement. Since sharing the news on Facebook, officials say they have received an outcry of support from locals. “It’s bittersweet for sure,” Christina Averseng, a co-owner of Paso Terra, said. “It will be kind of weird not to be here every day and every night. We will miss our customers for sure. These people are so nice, so many repeat customers and our local people have been so nice to us.” The owners say they have been in contact with some potential buyers, who would reportedly maintain the restaurant’s same name and recipes. Reservations are still available, and owners say their European wines are half off on Saturday.

A new addition is coming to the City of Santa Maria. A second Chick-fil-A location is set to open near Highway 101 and Broadway. The restaurant chain, which sells fried chicken and southern cuisine, already has one location on the corner of Betteravia Road and South College Drive. There is no word yet on exactly when the new location is set to open.