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SEC: News DT: 03-20-2015 ZN: 1 ED: 1 PG #: 1
PRICE: $1
PG: Cover_A
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BY: mdell
TI: 03-19-2015
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015
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22:26 CLR: C
K
Y
M
OCREGISTER.COM
Informant battles derail another case
A gang member
facing possible
life term cuts a
better deal.
B Y T O N Y S A AV E D R A
STAFF WRITER
A gang member facing a
potential life sentence for
attempting to kill a Santa
Ana rival instead will go
free next year, another pro-
‘‘
Clearly, the things about the informants,
and the things about the jail, played a
significant role ... .”
D E F E N S E AT T O R N E Y L A U R E N C E Y O U N G
SPEAKING ABOUT HIS CLIENT’S PLEA
secution setback following
revelations about a secret
network
of
jailhouse
snitches.
The plea deal struck this
week with Bryant Islas
brings to at least five the
number of criminal cases
connected to the fallout over informant violations and
the withholding of evidence by local prosecutors.
The deal comes days after a judge removed the
District Attorney’s Office
from the death penalty
phase against Orange
County’s deadliest killer,
Scott Dekraai. Superior
Court Judge Thomas
Goethals cited concerns
that prosecutors in the
Dekraai case needed to
better
regulate
their
“agents” in the use of informants.
Defense attorney Laurence Young, who represents Islas, said the inforS E E P L E A ● PA G E 1 4
ERRANT USE OF INFORMANTS
DISRUPTS LEGAL SYSTEM
STAFF REPORTS
The use of jailhouse informants by police and prosecutors has affected the
outcomes of at least four
cases.
District Attorney Tony
Rackauckas says that’s the
extent of the problem. But
FIVE BEST RIDES IN ORANGE COUNTY
Live
Live Oak
Oak Canyon
Canyon boasts
boasts aa canopy
canopy of
of trees.
trees.
JEFF
JEFF GRITCHEN,
GRITCHEN, STAFF
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
PHOTOGRAPHER
Assistant Public Defender
Scott Sanders contends
dozens of other prosecutions may be in jeopardy
due to information that
was collected by jailhouse
informants illegally and, in
some cases, withheld by
S E E C A S E S ● PA G E 1 4
Brown
proposes
$1 billion
for drought
relief
Along with GOP
leaders, governor
announces
emergency
funding.
B Y D AV I D S I D E R S
THE SACRAMENTO BEE
THE GRID, UNLOCKED
Here are five great places to drive, ride and pedal.
SUSAN
CARPENTER
STAFF
WRITER
The hard truth is obvious to
anyone who lives, drives or rides
here: There is an awful lot of
pavement in Orange County,
much of it gridlocked.
How much fun can be had is
largely a matter of traffic and
what vehicle a person is driving.
Even a Bentley Mulsanne can be
tiresome when stuck on I-5 during rush hour.
There are, however, some glorious stretches of asphalt (and
dirt) that make it all worthwhile.
Whether it’s switchbacks that
carve a path through forest or
coastal air best enjoyed top
down, the county is home to
some of California’s very best
rides.
S E E D R O U G H T ● PA G E 1 5
PCH
Cars and motorcycles
INSIDE
IRVINE
Bicycles
LIVE OAK, SANTIAGO CANYONS
Sport bikes and sports cars
SADDLEBACK
Off-roading in street-legal 4x4s
ORTEGA HIGHWAY
Sport bikes and sports cars
S E E R I D E S ● PA G E 1 0
With California trudging
into its fourth dry year, Gov.
Jerry Brown and legislative
leaders on Thursday announced $1.1 billion in emergency
funding
for flood
protection
and
drought
relief.
The vast majority of the
money – all but about $30
million – was already included in Brown’s January
budget proposal, and the
measure is similar to a bill
package lawmakers approved last year.
ZOT! ZOT! ZOT!
O.C. AUTO SALES
PICKING UP
BUSINESS 1
BRUINS ADVANCE
ON GOALTENDING
CALL
SPORTS 1
Today, UC Irvine’s men’s basketball team plays its first-ever game in the NCAA Tournament. Does that
make UCI a good school? No, but it can make it a more popular school for students and donors. NEWS 14
THE LOWDOWN
ON TATTOOS
LOCAL 1
ANATOMY OF A GREAT YEAR
THE GET! UCI really wanted Presi-
dent Barack Obama to speak at its
commencement address.
And last spring, after
sending a few thousand
handwritten
notes from
students and
a video that
starred the
Anteaters’ 7-foot-6
center, Obama said
yes. In June, he gave
the speech.
TURNING 50 On
June 20, 2014, the
school marked the
50th anniversary of
the date President
Lyndon Johnson
came to an Irvine
field to dedicate the
site as University of
California, Irvine.
The anniversary will
last two years and
include several
events to build the
school’s brand.
LAW SCHOOL PROPS
In March, U.S. News &
World Report named
UCI law the 30th-best
law school in the
country. It was the
highest
ranking
ever for a
school
being
named to
the list for
the first
time.
HARDBALL The
Anteaters baseball
team was the last
one picked for the
64-team field for
the NCAA Tournament. By
June 2014, the
squad was
among the 16
to play in the
College
World Series
in Omaha,
Neb.
HOOP
DREAMS
Today, the
Anteaters
play Louisville
in the program’s firstever game in
the NCAA
Tournament.
They’ll be on
TBS at 1:10
p.m.
72/58
80/54
Coast
Inland
Weather in Local
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