Former Teacher Convicted of Sex-Related Charges

A former Long Beach teacher was convicted Monday of sex-related charges involving three victims, including two former students.Jurors found Mark Anthony Santo, now 54, guilty of two counts of lewd act on a child under 14 and one count each of forcible sexual penetration, forcible oral copulation, assault with intent to commit forcible oral copulation and assault with intent to commit forcible penetration, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.Santo was taken into custody after the jury’s verdict and is facing a potential life prison term, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Santo was initially charged in May 2020 with committing a lewd act at his home in La Mirada in 2015 with a 13-year-old girl who was a family friend. The District Attorney’s Office subsequently added charges involving two additional victims.The prosecution alleged that Santo — who taught at Jordan High School and Lindbergh Middle School — inappropriately touched one of his students at the middle school during the 2012-13 school year and forced oral sex in 2018 on an 18-year-old woman who had been one of his students in the seventh

Felon Acquitted of Killing Daughter in Crash, Convicted of Child Abuse

A felon was acquitted Monday of causing the death of his infant daughter in a high-speed crash on the south end of Palm Desert.A Riverside jury deliberated nearly three days in the trial of 58-year-old Marcus Novell Green of Thermal before returning with not guilty verdicts on charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for the June 27, 2016, death of 5-month-old Armani Green.The jury, however, convicted Green of a misdemeanor child abuse count. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst immediately sentenced the defendant to a year in jail for the conviction, but with credit for time served behind bars awaiting trial, the sentence was nullified, and the defendant was released from custody at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.His ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Kristen Lauer of Rancho Mirage, pleaded guilty in 2019 to second-degree murder and child cruelty and was sentenced by Judge Burke Strunsky to a lifetime term of probation. Strunsky justified the sentence by pointing to the physical impairments, including a brain injury, Lauer suffered because of the wreck. He downplayed the part she played in it, describing hers as a “neglectful criminal

San Bernardino Councilman Contradicts Police Misconduct Statements: SBPOA Op-Ed

City of San Bernardino Councilman Ben Reynoso continues to speak out publicly against the police department; meanwhile, his actions contradict his sentiments and open the City up to further civil liability.  In a recent news article, the 5th Ward Council Member stated, “We’re tired of having to use taxpayer money for police misconduct. It feels like we’re just bleeding dry.” This comes as no surprise, seeing that Reynoso has a history of not supporting the police department, doesn’t prioritize public safety for community members, and did not garner any support from public safety organizations during his campaign. What comes across as questionable is that while he is quick to make statements against the police department, regardless of knowing the facts or allowing the investigation to take place, he has also been part of approving the very settlements he is complaining about and has done nothing to address the alleged misconduct and poor police-community relations he speaks of. Further, his public statements on social media and via news outlets put the City at risk of civil litigation, which could ultimately cost the City even more money.