A construction worker was electrocuted and a second worker hospitalized after coming into contact with exposed electrical wires during a job at Mission Viejo High School.

Two worker came into contact with exposed electrical wires while setting up scaffolding at Mission Viejo High School. (Credit: Steve Concialdi, OCFA)

The incident was reported around 3:15 p.m. near the football practice field located on Chrisanta Drive, said Chris Concepion with the Orange County Fire Authority.

The men, both in their 20s, were erecting a scaffold when they came into contact with the electrical wire, Concepion said.

One of the men was electrocuted and died at the scene. When the second man realized what was happening he tried to perform CPR on his co-worker, Steve Concialdi with OCFA said.

But when the worker stood up he also struck the power lines, Concialdi said.

One worker was electrocuted and a second hospitalized after coming into contact with exposed electrical wires. (Credit: Steve Concialdi, OCFA)

The good Samaritan received a serious electrical shock and was transported to the hospital in critical condition, Concialdi said.

His condition was later upgraded to serious.

CAL OSHA was at the scene investigating.

No further information about the victims was released.

A mixed-martial artist nicknamed “Mayhem” was arrested at his home  Thursday after apparently live-tweeted an hourslong standoff with the Sheriff’s Department that ended after a SWAT team, a bomb squad and crisis negotiators came to his Mission Viejo home on Thursday.

A neighbor of Jason “Mayhem” Miller shared this photo of his arrest after a standoff that he live-tweeted on Oct. 9, 2014, in Mission Viejo. (Credit: John De Ghetto)

Deputies were serving an arrest warrant for alleged stalking and domestic violence in the 26000 block of Avenida Calidad (map) about 10 a.m. when a man barricaded himself inside the home, Lt. Jeff Hallock with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said.

Hallock identified the man in the home as Jason Miller, and said the individual had routinely been in contact with the Sheriff’s Department in past incidents.

“He retreated into the house, was uncooperative with any of the commands by sheriff’s deputies, and based on that, we established a perimeter, called out the SWAT team and now we’re in the process of establishing communication with him inside the house,” Hallock said shortly after 1 p.m.

SWAT and patrol cars were outside the Avenida Calidad address given out by Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who was live-tweeting the response, on Oct. 9, 2014. (Credit: KTLA)

Jason “Mayhem” Miller, an MMA fighter, wrote the following from his verified Twitter account at 11:20 a.m.: “If you would like to see this drama unfold, please, come to 26262 Avenida Calidad, Mission Viejo, CA 92691.”

Public records show Miller owns the home at that address, which is in a development of single-family homes.

“We haven’t seen any real negative downfall from that particular tweet,” Hallock said, “but we know that is another mechanism for communicating with this individual.”

At least one resident who lives nearby said he read the tweets and they prompted him to go to the scene to find out what was happening.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller is shown during his arrest after a standoff that he live-tweeted on Oct. 9, 2014, in Mission Viejo. (Credit: Chip Yost / KTLA)

Authorities tried to contact Miller via cellphone and were prepared to “communicate with him via social media if need be,” the lieutenant said.

Just before 2:15 p.m., the Sheriff’s Department blew his front door open, and Miller walked to the rear of the home and surrendered, Hallock said. Miller was taken into custody on the arrest warrant, as well as  obstructing and delaying a peace officer resulting from the incident, authorities said.

Miller was being held on  $200,000 bail and was expected to appear in court on Oct. 14.

Aerial video showed multiple patrol cars, a black SWAT armored vehicle, an ambulance and other police-type vehicles were on scene. A crisis negotiations team and bomb squad responded as well, Hallock said.

About 1:45 p.m., Miller tweeted that authorities had broken a window in his home, thrown a box in with a phone inside, and were scaring his dog. Video from the scene showed the front door blown open.

“I would like to give up, but not with 50 RAMBOS out there. Not cool,” Miller stated.

In other tweets, Miller referred to “wanna be soldiers” and “waste of resources” outside his house. He said he wanted a “peaceful solution.”

“Just don’t let them shoot me,” Miller wrote.

“ALL THIS because I wanted to help raise a young boy into a man, and his mama (went) off her meds, and an ambitious DA thinks mayhem is BAD,” Miller tweeted.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller is shown attending ESPN the Magazine’s 7th Annual Pre-Draft Party at Espace on April 21, 2010, in New York City. (Credit: Mark Von Holden/Getty Images for ESPN)

On his Facebook page, Miller wrote Sunday the Ol’ Dirty Bastard from Wu-Tang Clan had taken over his Twitter account. The rapper died in 2004.

The page stated that Miller had worked since June at Rampage Fitness Academy in Lake Forest. An individual who answered the phone at the facility said no one there had seen Miller in the month.

From 2009 to 2012, Miller was the host of MTV’s “Bully Beatdown,” a show in which bullies fought in the ring against MMA-trained fighters for prizes, according to his page on the Internet Movie Database.

He also appeared in filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s documentary series “A Day in the Life,” according to IMdB.

In 2013, he appeared on the NBC competition reality series “American Ninja Warrior.”

Jason Miller is shown in a 2012 booking photo related to an incident in Mission Viejo.

Miller was charged in 2012 in connection with the a vandalism incident in which he allegedly broke into a church and caused an estimated $400 worth of damage, according to the Los Angeles Times, which also reported he was discovered sleeping naked on a couch. The charge was dropped later that year, the Associated Press reported.

On Thursday, the pastor of the Mission Viejo church that was vandalized came to the standoff scene, saying Miller had become a friend.

“He was apologetic from Day One and was very sincere,” said Pastor Brian Anderson of Mission Hills Church. “He took care of absolutely every cost of the damage. … We’ve been good buds ever since.”

About a year later, he was also arrested on suspicion of domestic violence outside his Mission Viejo home in August 2013, according to the Orange County Register.

Miller has competed in a number of MMA competitions, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Strikeforce and DREAM, according to his profile on the MMA website Sherdog.

Miller’s former agent, Ryan Parsons, said the two parted ways two years ago, when he said Miller retired from MMA fighting.

Miller is 33, according to his profile on UFC.com, where he wrote that he began training in his backyard when he was 16.

“It’s what I was born to do. I don’t have the skill set to do any other job — I can only give my body for the entertainment of the masses,” Miller stated on the profile page.

KTLA’s Anthony Kurzweil and Jennifer Thang contributed to this article.

 More  video:

Police were searching Tuesday for a woman suspected of stealing a kitten from a pet store in Mission Viejo.

Chip Yost reports for the KTLA 5 News at 6 on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014.

Mission Hospital has closed 14 surgery rooms following a number of reported incidents involving patients who became infected at the hospital.

Chip Yost reports from Mission Viejo for the KTLA 5 News at 6 on Oct. 15, 2014.

More Video:

Irvine police detectives have arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of committing lewd acts on two teenage boys, authorities announced Saturday.

Sherwin Ngo was taken into custody Friday at the Irvine offices of his employer, a financial institution, and was booked into the Orange County Jail, according to a news release from the Irvine Police Department.

Ngo is suspected of luring or attempted to lure at least two boys by posting personal ads on Craigslist, the release said. Those who responded to the ads were allegedly led to believe that Ngo was a female “offering sexual contact.”

Two alleged victims — 15- and 16-year-old boys from Irvine and Mission Viejo, respectively — have been identified. The 15-year-old boy was identified after his mother discovered explicit email on his tablet computer, police said.

After a search warrant was executed and a “large” number of emails were discovered on Ngo’s email accounts, detectives believe there may be more victims, authorities said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Irvine Police Department at 949-724-7200.

Mixed martial arts fighter Jason Miller pleaded not guilty Monday to resisting arrest after barricading himself in his Mission Viejo home and live-tweeting his standoff with police.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller faces one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing a police officer after refusing to surrender to authorities Oct. 9, according to the Orange County Superior Court officials.

Miller didn’t live-tweet his hearing — something that would not have sat well with a judge or bailiff.

But he took to Twitter afterward, tweeting, “Court went well. I have faith in America and California. I have Faith.”

Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.

A 34-year-old teacher in Mission Viejo was arrested Friday after a monthslong investigation into an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student at La Paz Intermediate School.

Kristen Roush, an 8th grade teacher, was arrested at her home in Aliso Viejo for lewd and lascivious acts with a child in connection with the case, according to a news release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The investigation began in July after the alleged victim’s parents became “concerned over what they perceived as an inappropriate relationship between their juvenile son and Roush” and contacted authorities, the release stated.

Evidence of an alleged inappropriate relationship was also gathered from both the victim and teacher’s cell phone, according to the release.

Roush was being held on $50,000 bail and was expected to appear in court on Monday.

Anyone with additional information was asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-647-7000. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller, the mixed martial arts fighter who live-tweeted an hourslong standoff with the Sheriff’s Department about two weeks ago at his Mission Viejo home, created a GoFundMe page Monday.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller posted this photo on the GoFundMe page, the #FreeGator Mayhem Campaign, on Oct. 27, 2014.

The #FreeGator Mayhem Campaign page did not explicitly say what the $2 million requested would be used for, but stated, “I am a mixed martial artist, and any money that you invest will be reinvested into the art.”

Miller also stated the Oct. 9 incident caused “extensive” damage to his home, including a broken gate that his dog, Gator Hotdog Dog, was able to escape through. Officials later found the dog and stated they would not return it until paid about $400, according to the GoFundMe page.

“I will also #FreeGator from his small concrete cell, and hire a camera crew to document this turbulent time in my existence,” Miller stated on the GoFundMe page.

Deputies initially planned to serve the MMA fighter an arrest warrant on Oct. 9 for alleged stalking and domestic violence when Miller barricaded himself inside the home and began live-tweeting the standoff from his verified Twitter account.

The first officer on scene had his weapon unholstered and Miller went back inside his house to “wait for an officer that I knew to arrive,” he stated on the GoFundMe page.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller is shown during his arrest after a standoff that he live-tweeted on Oct. 9, 2014, in Mission Viejo. (Credit: Chip Yost / KTLA)

Miller continued to defend his actions, stating, “I am not guilty of any charges leveled against me.”

During the four-hour ordeal Miller tweeted his address, encouraging people to come “see this drama unfold,” and documented the damage done to his home.

Two windows were “smashed” and C4 explosives were used on Miller’s front door during the incident, he stated on the GoFundMe page. The total cost of damage was not disclosed.

“The damage to my home was extensive, and although the Sherriff eventually came and boarded the broken entrances to my home, they have not responded to my requests for reimbursement,” he stated on the GoFundMe page.

Miller eventually surrendered and was taken into custody on the arrest warrant, as well as obstructing and delaying a peace officer resulting from the incident, authorities said.

Miller appeared in court last Monday, pleading not guilty to resisting arrest and returned to Twitter, stating, “court went well. I have faith in America and California. I have faith.”

On Friday, Miller tweeted about the GoFundMe page over a dozen times:

https://twitter.com/mayhemmiller/status/526817776791351296

https://twitter.com/mayhemmiller/status/526879520557891585

https://twitter.com/mayhemmiller/status/526844682811097090

Thirteen people had donated a total of $400 by late Monday afternoon.

A father was suspected of shooting and killing the mother of his children in front of their 13 and 7-year-olds before turning the gun on himself Halloween night in Mission Viejo, officials said Saturday.

Scott Gimbel, 50, and Linda Sachs Gimbel, 44, were found dead in a parking area of an apartment complex at 26971 La Alameda (map) around 8:36 p.m. Friday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release.

Investigators believe Scott Gimbel shot Linda during a child-custody exchange before killing himself.

The two children were present during the shootings, the news release said.

Both bodies were found near Linda Sachs Gimbel’s vehicle and the handgun suspected of being used was also located.

Anyone with additional information was asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-647-7000. Anonymous tips could be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227 or at occrimestoppers.org.

School teacher Kristen Roush, who was charged with committing lewd acts against an eighth-grade boy at an intermediate school in Mission Viejo, spoke out after pleading not guilty in court Friday.

Christina Pascucci reports from Newport Beach for the KTLA 5 News at 1 on Nov. 14, 2014.

Two actors who portrayed Santa Claus and an elf at a shopping mall in Orange County have been fired after turning away a 7-year-old autistic girl and her service dog, officials said.

Abcde Santos, 7, is seen in a photo with her service dog, Pup-Cake. (Photo courtesy of the Santos family)

Abcde (pronounced Ab-Suh-Dee) Santos waited in line with her family and the dog, named Pup-Cake, for more than thirty minutes at the Shops at Mission Viejo before the incident occurred Sunday, according to Julie Marie Miller, a spokeswoman for the Santoses.

“To her dismay, Santa was afraid of her dog, a sweet pit bull with as patient a disposition as Abcde,” Miller said in a statement. Although the family offered to remove the animal from the area, “Santa still refused to see the child,” she said, attributing the decision to “what we can only assume is the influence of BSL (breed-specific legislation).”

Miller described the encounter in a news release that was published on social media. She also contacted the mall’s management group and the organization that had hired the Santa and elf actors.

The latter company, which provides Santas and Easter Bunnys annually to shopping malls throughout the U.S., issued a response on Monday.

“The entire team at The Noerr Programs sincerely apologizes for any distress caused by this situation, and truly regrets the incident,” said CEO Judy Noerr. “We have reached out to the girl’s family, in an effort to extend a private Santa visit with complimentary  photos of both the child and her service dog.”

In a later news release, Miller thanked the management team at shopping center and its parent company, The Simon Property Group, “for swiftly responding to our concerns.”

“Santa and the elf have subsequently been fired,” she said.

The statement was shared by The Shops at Mission Viejo on its Facebook page, which added: “We look forward to welcoming back the Santos family and Pup-Cake for a special Santa experience.”

Homicide investigators responded to a home in Mission Viejo on Tuesday where they found the body of  73-year-old Barbara Parsons.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department provided this photo of Gary Lee Parsons, 74, after arresting him Feb. 3, 2015, for allegedly killing his wife in Mission Viejo.

A man initially described only as “familiar with victim,” was detained after being found near the home in 27000 block of Pueblo Nuevo Drive (map), Orange County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Jeff Hallock said.

Hallock initially said the relationship between the man and the victim was not known, but the Sheriff’s Department later stated on Twitter that the “detained male is believed to be husband of deceased victim.”

He was later identified as 74-year-old Gary Lee Parsons.

Deputies responded to the home after receiving a 911 call from Gary Parsons who alleged indicated he had killed his wife, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators said it appeared the couple became involved in a physical altercation inside the residence and that Barbara Parson suffered what appeared to be fatal injuries, according to the release.

The exact manner and cause of death would be determined by the Orange County Coroner Division.

Investigators could be seen attending to a pet golden retriever, which neighbors said was beloved by the couple. Their own relationship was volatile, a neighbor said.

Authorities attended to a dog that a neighbor said belonged to the couple who lived at a Mission Viejo home where a woman was found dead on Feb. 3, 2015. (Credit: KTLA)

“There would be laughing and dancing and having fun, and then the next minute they’re yelling and throwing things,” neighbor Diana Spinello said.

Authorities had been called to the home on multiple occasions, said Spinello, who lives across the street.

Gary Parsons was booked on suspicion of murder.

He was being held on $1 million bail.

More video:

A 74-year-old man was charged Thursday with felony murder after allegedly strangling his wife to death in their Mission Viejo home.

Gary Lee Parsons was accused of engaging in an argument with his wife, 73-year-old Barbara Parsons, that later escalated into a physical confrontation inside their home on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

During the argument, Parsons allegedly threw his wife onto their bed and strangled her until she was unresponsive, the release stated.

Barbara Parsons, 73 (Credit: DMV)

Parsons then allegedly tucked his wife into bed and left the house.  Investigators said he later called a family member, who notified the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Parsons eventually called authorities himself and was sitting in his car outside his home when deputies arrived, the release stated.

He was arrested at the scene.

If convicted, Parsons faced a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.

He was being held on $1 million bail, according to the release.

About 20 locations in Southern California were raided Tuesday in connection with a federal investigation into three “maternity tourism” schemes that allow pregnant foreign nationals to deliver children in the U.S. and ensure their babies’ American citizenship.

Federal criminal search warrants were served at locations in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, according to a spokeswoman with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Federal investigators provided a screenshot of the website from one of the alleged “Chinese birthing houses” raided on March 3, 2015.

Affidavits unsealed Tuesday describe locations in Irvine, Rowland Heights, Walnut and Rancho Cucamonga as “Chinese birthing houses” where visa, marriage and tax fraud allegedly occurred.

Video from the scene of one of the raids in Irvine showed Internal Revenue Service agents entering an apartment complex called The Carlyle at Colton Plaza.

The raids represent a rare crackdown on the maternity tourism business in the U.S., the Los Angeles Times reported.

During the raid at a Rowland Heights apartment complex, babies could be heard wailing, and pregnant woman in sweat clothes gave confused looks to agents, according to the Times.

Clients of the businesses pay between $15,000 to $50,000 for lodging, transportation and food, according to an email from ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice. Some of the more expensive packages include visits to Disneyland, shopping malls or a firing range.

An Orange County operation was branded as “You Win USA Vacation Resort,” while a business in Rancho Cucamonga went by “USA Happy Baby, Inc.,” Kice wrote.

Clients, who were not expected to be arrested in Tuesday’s raids, were told their infants would get U.S. Social Security numbers and passports. Once the U.S.-born infants reach adulthood, they would be able to apply for U.S. visas for family members living abroad, according to Kice.

The mothers were coached into wearing loose clothing and giving false reasons for their trips to the U.S., authorities said.

“It’s not illegal to have your baby born in the United States, but it is illegal to lie about your reasons for travel,” ICE Special Agent Claude Arnold said. “In these cases, the women were misrepresenting their reason for travel. They were concealing the fact that they were pregnant, and they were coached by the businesses on how to do that.”

In one case, an Orange County birthing operation was linked to more than 400 children born at just one Orange County hospital between January 2013 and February 2015, according to an affidavit.

The scheme included defrauding hospitals of payment by claims of poverty, the affidavit stated.

Those named in the three affidavits were: Chao Chen, Dong Li and Jie Zhu in connection with the Irvine operation; Michael Wei Yueh Liu and Jing Dong, in connection with the Rancho Cucamonga U.S.A. Happy Baby, Inc., operation; Wen Rui Deng, Li Yan Lang, and Wen Shan Sun in connection with apartments in Rowland Heights.

State and local law enforcement participated in the raids alongside federal authorities.

Investigators were looking for evidence of criminal activity and hoped to interview clients and identify them as possible witnesses.

For 19 years, the director of the Laguna Parent Participation Preschool has worked alongside mothers and fathers to decide such questions as what children should eat during snack breaks and what type of field trips they should take.

But when the current measles outbreak prompted the school to review its vaccination policy, the south Orange County co-operative found itself confronting questions normally left to politicians and public health officials.

“We’re a microcosm of what everyone is coming up against,” said Barbara Crowley, the school’s director. “Do parents have a right to decide to vaccinate their children or not?”

Kindergarten classrooms and preschools have been pushed to the front lines as measles cases continue to roll in and the national debate over vaccines grows more heated.

Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.

A 41-year-old attorney was convicted Tuesday of striking and killing a bicyclist in Mission Viejo last year while driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

Hasti Fakhrai-Bayrooti of Rancho Santa Margarita pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony count of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

The crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. on March 15, 2013 on Santa Margarita Parkway south of El Toro Road, near Trabuco Hills High School, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Fakhrai-Bayrooti was driving southbound when she veered into the bike lane, striking Eric Billings, the release stated.

The impact sent the 54-year-old bicyclist over the hood and windshield of the car, according to the release. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time of the crash, Fakhrai-Bayrooti was under the influence of prescription drugs, including Xanax and Suboxone, according to the DA’s Office.

Fakhrai-Bayrooti was free on $100,000 bail and was scheduled to be sentenced May 8.

She faced a maximum sentence of four years in state prison.

Erica Alonso was seen in a photograph provided by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

A decomposed body recovered Tuesday off the Ortega Highway near Mission Viejo has been tentatively identified as that of missing Laguna Hills woman Erica Alonso, according to Lt. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

A group of biologists working for Caltrans made the discovery late Monday night in the Cleveland National Forest about 12 miles east of the 5 Freeway (map) and one mile east of the San Juan Fire/Ranger Station, according Hallock.

Crews waited until Tuesday to recover the body because the terrain was very rugged and steep, Hallock said.

While the remains were preliminarily identified as the 27-year-old missing woman, confirmation was still pending fingerprint and/or dental record comparison, according to a new release from the OCSD.

But sheriff’s officials said they felt comfortable making the identification.

“There were some tattoos that we were able to make comparisons with,” Hallock said.

An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday to determine cause and manner of death, the release stated.

Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority said the person may have been the victim of a crime.

Isaac Alonso, whose daughter Erica Alonso has been missing since Valentine’s Day weekend, went to the location earlier Tuesday in hopes of getting more information.

“I wanted to go down there and see the body … because I know that I can recognize my daughter. But they didn’t let me, they just told me it was a female body,” Alonso said.

Crews work to recover a body in the Cleveland National Forest on Tuesday, April 28, 2015. (Credit: KTLA)

At the time, Isaac Alonzo said he was trying to remain hopeful that the body was not his daughter.

“I want to keep the faith that it’s not Erica because we want her alive,” he said.

As his voice broke with emotion, Issac Alonzo described his daughter as “an amazing person.”

“We don’t want to lose her,” he said.

Erica Alonso disappeared after leaving her boyfriend’s house in the city of Irvine on the morning of Feb. 15 after a night out celebrating Valentine’s Day.

Earlier in the night, Alonso and her boyfriend had been at the Sutra Lounge in Costa Mesa.

The couple arrived at the club either by taxi or Uber earlier in the evening, Lt. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department stated at the news conference.

At some point in the night, Alonso befriended another couple and convinced them to give her and her boyfriend a ride home, Hallock said.

A surveillance photo showed Erica Alonso and the couple she met on Valentine’s Day just hours before her disappearance. (Credit: Orange County Sheriff’s Department)

The foursome left the club about 1:30 a.m. and drove to Alonso’s boyfriend’s apartment in Irvine near Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue, according to a news release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The couple stayed at the apartment until about 3:45 a.m., but left after Alonso and her boyfriend got into an argument, Hallock said.

About 10 to 15 minutes later, Alonso also left the apartment and was not heard from again, the news release stated.

Two days later, family members contacted authorities when Alonso failed to show up for work.

Alonso was believed to have driven from her boyfriend’s home in her 2014 Honda Civic, which was located about one mile away from her home in Aliso Viejo on March 25.

After being told the young woman’s body had been found, her family thanked the public for their support during the weeks of searching.

“On behalf of the family, we want to thank everybody who has helped us look for Erica,” said brother Isaac Alonso.

Her heartbroken father remained confident that investigators would find out what happened to his beloved daughter.

“They made me feel that I can trust them that they’re going to find the one who did it,” he said.

But nothing will ever replace seeing Erica’s smile and the feel of her arms around him, her grieving father told KTLA.

“When she arrived home, she would have that beautiful smile on her and say, ‘hey dad, how are you doing,'” father Isaac Alonso said.

KTLA’s Jennifer Thang contributed to this report. 

More video:

A 2-year-old recently died after being found unresponsive in a Coto de Catza home’s swimming pool, according to the Orange County coroner’s office.

Lucia Ulrich, who would have turned 3 in July, was discovered on Seacliff (map) around 5:30 p.m. Monday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department stated online.

She was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where she was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m.

Additional details were not immediately made available.

Editor’s note: The coroner’s office stated the home was located in Trabuco Canyon, but Google Maps appeared to show it was in fact in nearby Coto de Catza – located in eastern Orange County.

Members of the Lake Mission Viejo Assn. have approved the use of highly purified recycled water to refill the private lake that has become a hot spot of controversy amid the state’s relentless drought.

The unanimous vote Tuesday night came as mandatory water-use cuts take effect for urban water districts statewide. Drinkable water has been used to refill the recreational lake since its creation in the 1970s, but the practice has come under fire as California struggles through a fourth year of drought.

“This unanimous vote is a powerful statement by our members that they want Lake Mission Viejo to be a sustainability trendsetter,” said Kevin Pennington, president of the lake association’s board.

Talks about alternative water sources for the lake intensified this year as state officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown, urged conservation. On April 1, Brown ordered a 25% cut statewide in urban water use.

Click here to read the full story at LATimes.com.

Investigators on Monday morning located the mother of an 13-year-old autistic boy who was found walking alone on a street in Mission Viejo, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department announced.

Officials were en route to the family’s home, hours after a deputy encountered the unaccompanied boy about 1:45 a.m. on Crown Valley Parkway (map), just north of the 5 Freeway, according to the department. Authorities initially gave his age as 11.

The young man was in good condition but was himself unable to provide details about his parents or home address, said sheriff’s Lt. Joe Gaul.

The boy’s mother told investigators that the boy has a history of leaving home unaccompanied, and that she went searching for him Monday when she discovered he was missing.

Officials contacted the woman after receiving an anonymous tip about the boy’s identity, sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock said. She said she was looking for her son in places where she had found him in the past.

No charges were expected to be filed in the case, because there was no evidence of negligence or criminal wrongdoing, Hallock said. He was unable to confirm whether the young man had yet been reunited with his family.