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Final remaining OC jailbreak defendant accepts plea deal – Every day Information

Daily SF News — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 01:45:52 +0000

From left, refugees Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu and Bac Duong. (Courtesy Orange County Sheriff’s Department.)

One of the three inmates who brazenly escaped from the Orange County Jail in 2016 accepted Tuesday, April 11.

Jonathan Tieu, now 27, admitted taking part in the escape from the Santa Ana Central Men’s Prison and admitted helping to kidnap a taxi driver while Tieu and his fellow escapees were on the run.

Tieu was immediately sentenced to eight years in prison – but given the time he had served while awaiting trial, his release was ordered.

When asked by Orange County Superior Court Judge Gary S. Paer what he intends to do after his release, Tieu – who was first arrested when he was 15 – said he would “go home and see my mother . …

“I’m going to give her a big ole kiss and a hug,” Tieu said. “It was a long time.”

“This should be a wake-up call,” the judge told Tieu, noting he could face a possible life sentence if the case went to trial. “I hope I never see you again.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t,” Tieu added.

Tieu was arrested in 2011 and charged with murder and attempted murder for the killing of 19-year-old Scottie Bui and injuring another man following a confrontation between rival Asian street gangs in Garden Grove. Tieu was not charged with firing the shots and was not suspected of being a member of a street gang. But he was accused of engaging in the deadly confrontation with friends who were gang members.

His first trial in the murder case ended in early 2015 with a hung jury.

In January 2016, while awaiting the retrial, Tieu joined the prison escape with Hossein Nayeri and Bac Duong. Prosecutors said it was Nayeri, who became one of Orange County’s most notorious inmates over the past decade, who recorded the escape using a contraband cellphone.

Over several months, inmates cut 1/2-inch steel bars to access plumbing tunnels and made makeshift ropes from bed sheets, which they laid out to access the roof through a vertical opening. They sneaked onto the roof at least twice before escaping and also used the bed sheets to roll up backpacks full of supplies, including real rope, that a Duong friend had brought right outside the prison.

In the early hours of January 22, 2016, the three men used the ropes to lower themselves from the five-story prison and slipped into a Santa Ana neighborhood. The fugitives contacted Long Ma, an unlicensed taxi driver, who testified that the men pointed a gun at him after driving them to Rosemead.

Ma said he was held against his will for five days as they moved between hotels. The cab driver said tensions between Nayeri and Duong exploded in a Bay Area motel room in a fight – prosecutors said it was over whether to kill Ma. The cab driver credited Duong with saving his life and said he persuaded Duong to drive her back to Orange County and turn himself in.

Nayeri and Tieu were arrested a day later in San Francisco, ending a massive week-long manhunt.

According to Nayeri, Ma was a willing accomplice who agreed to take the fugitives out of Southern California and find them a home where they could hide from law enforcement for $10,000. Nayeri’s lawyer claimed Ma changed his mind when he realized he could make more money by handing over the fugitives — the reward for their capture had swelled to $200,000 (others shared the money). The taxi driver, while testifying at Nayeri’s trial, contradicted his testimonies at previous trials and during police interviews, including his description of the reported firearm and who allegedly wielded it.

At a previous trial, Duong was found guilty of prison escape and kidnapping and stealing a van while the three men were on the run. Duong is serving a 20-year sentence on fugitive charges and an attempted murder conviction that landed him in prison in the first place.

At the time of the escape, Nayeri was awaiting trial for conspiring with two high school friends to kidnap, torture, and sexually mutilate a marijuana dispensary owner who they believed was worth a nonexistent million dollars buried in the Mojave Desert. He has since been convicted of kidnapping and torture and sentenced to more than two life sentences without parole. He also received an additional two years and eight months last month for his role in the escape; He was acquitted of the kidnapping charge.

Changes in state law after Tieu’s first murder trial resulted in that case being referred to juvenile court. Tieu was eventually convicted of a lesser assault, according to his attorney, Mark Fredrick. It is not clear what sentence he received for the assault conviction.

The lawyer said that at the time of the prison escape, Tieu was “really just a kid” who had spent years in prison and fallen under the influence of “someone as charismatic as Mr. Nayeri”. After being re-arrested, Tieu essentially told authorities he just wanted to meet some girls and have a beer, the defense attorney said.

“He’s a very smart boy who has done some very stupid things,” Fredrick said. “But now he has the world in front of him.”

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Meet Lorna Kollmeyer, the final remaining guardian of San Francisco’s Victorian plaster ornaments

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 20:26:24 +0000

“When you think of San Francisco, what do you think of? The Golden Gate Bridge, right? Or you might think of the Transamerica Pyramid,” says artisan Lorna Kollmeyer.

“But then you think of the Victorians. San Francisco is just the motherlode of Victorian architecture. People come from far and wide to see them. It’s just one of the biggest identities of our city.”

Once, shops dedicated to crafting the delicate, intricate scrolls, rosettes, cartouches, and plaques that bejewel the painted ladies were strewn throughout SF. Today, just one remains, Lorna Kollmeyer Ornamental Plaster. It is the last existing repository of the city’s unique decorative elements, a historical archive almost four decades in the making.

On April 30th and May 1st, Kollmeyer’s shop, along with more than 100 other artist and craftsperson studios at Hunters Point Shipyard, will be open to the public.

A collection of Victorian rosette molds in Kollmeyer’s Hunters Point studio.(Courtesy of @lornakollmeyer)

SF’s Victorian architecture and ornamentation is completely different from that found on the East Coast. It’s flamboyant, even “garish,” explains Kollmeyer. The structures include big floral elements and life-size fruit, images of Egyptian pharaohs and Greek warriors. Somewhere around 60 to 70 percent of all this can be found in Kollmeyer’s archives.

“It’s a culmination of the custom work that we have done over the past 39 years,” she says. “When homeowners and people who have been working on their Victorians bring things to us that are rotting off the building or that need to be replaced, we take the piece, take the paint off of it, repair it, and make a mold of it . Then the molds that we make we keep in the archive.”

Serving as the guardian of San Francisco’s Victorians wasn’t something Kollmeyer dreamed of. An all-American college basketball star who spent time playing professionally in France, she assumed that her career path wouldn’t veer far from the court. But a summer spent with friends in the Bay Area ignited her love for the beauty of the city and began to redefine her future.

For a couple of years, Kollmeyer worked organizing athletic events like Bay to Breakers and coaching basketball at Balboa High School and the JCC. She subsidized her rent with odd carpentry jobs and served as a “gal Friday” for a couple, Peter and Helene Marchant, who restored and flipped neglected Victorians. Then one day, Marchant turned to her and asked, “Do you know anyone who wants to buy a plaster business?”

“I thought this is pretty cool,” she says remembers. “I’ll do it.”

From the archives: Kollmeyer restored the facade of this Forest Hill home by architect Louis Sullivan, which included dozens of plaques in the overhanging eaves and entry surround.(Courtesy of @lornakollmeyer)

It wasn’t long after she took over that Kollmeyer dove head first into a restoration project at the Majestic Hotel on the corner of Sutter and Gough. She put in what she felt was an enormous $23,000 bid to complete the project, only finding out later that her offer was almost $30,000 less than her closest competitor. Kollmeyer got the job. In 1984, she moved into her first studio at Hunters Point. Her rent was just $148 a month.

Back then, there were a number of businesses in SF with the expertise Kollmeyer was honing. Now, her shop is the last one standing.

Lorna Kollmeyer Ornamental Plaster is still housed at Hunters Point Shipyard (though in a much larger space than when she first started out) and, despite threats of redevelopment, not a whole lot has changed there over the last 40 years, she says. The Shipyard is one of the last affordable bastions for artists and craftspeople in the city limits—but no one knows for how long.

“The sword of Damocles gets lowered and raised,” says Kollmeyer, while the property owners and the city decide the Shipyard’s fate. “Our buildings right now are in limbo, we’ve been slated for demolition. Now they’re probably going to be here for another 10 or 15 or 20 years, but the windows are breaking out and the roofs leak and it’s like, hey man, we need some help out here! We’re trying to raise a flag and say look, these kinds of businesses out here, there’s just no way they could afford a tripling or quadrupling of rent.”

Because if Lorna Kollmeyer Ornamental Plaster gets priced out, so too does the last remaining collection of San Francisco’s Victorian ornaments, a deep irony for a city whose architectural identity is rooted in those historic buildings.

Kollmeyer belongs to Artistic License, a guild of artisans all “doing right by” the city’s Victorians, but as the group ages, “we’re on the verge of losing this incredibly valuable brain trust,” she explains. Those at the Shipyard have a pipe dream of turning the property into a historic arts vocational center that educates and trains a new generation of craftspeople to protect SF’s architectural heritage. Until that happens, says Kollmeyer, that great responsibility, at least in the plaster ornament department, falls to her and her invaluable partners, Mike Dyar and Amy Firman.

Maintaining the Victorian architecture “is a link to this fantastic, impractical, eccentric identity that San Francisco has,” says Kollmeyer. “Our survival is going to be a win-win for everybody.”

// Lorna Kollmeyer Ornamental Plaster, 451 Galvez Ave (Bayview/Hunters Point), lornakollmeyer.com; Hunters Point Shipyard Open Studios is 11am to 6pm, April 30 and May 1, shipyardartists.com.

Kollmeyer with her team, Mike Dyar and Amy Firman, in their studio and archive of San Francisco’s Victorian ornaments at Hunters Point Shipyard Artists studios.(Jonathan Prewitt)

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four Remaining Priorities For The San Francisco 49ers Throughout NFL Offseason

Fri, 07 May 2021 21:01:46 +0000

Remaining priorities for the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL off-season. (Photo by Michael Zagaris / San … [+] Francisco 49ers / Getty Images)

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The San Francisco 49ers pretty much set their 90-man roster for off-season programs and the start of training camp after making eight choices in the 2021 NFL draft.

Apparently, the biggest news of the Santa Clara off-season was the 49ers’ decision to act through the third election on the draft for North Dakota quarterback Trey Lance. He will now probably fight for the QB1 place in the camp with the reigning starter Jimmy Garoppolo.

Even so, there are a few things left on the 49ers plate after most of the heavy lifting is done. Could San Francisco choose to bring back a future Hall of Fame cornerback? Perhaps it would appear that a recipient is being freed up after avoiding that position in the draft for the first time in 18 years. There’s also a chance the 49ers could lock up one of their young stud players for a long time.

Below, I see four moves the San Francisco 49ers should make this off-season.

San Francisco 49ers Richard Sherman re-sign

The San Francisco 49ers re-sign Richard Sherman. (Photo by Joe Scarnici / Getty Images)

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For a while earlier this off-season, it looked like a reunion between Sherman and the 49ers was no longer in sight after three seasons together. At 33 years old and an injury-ridden 2020 campaign in which he missed all but five games, there simply wasn’t a strong market for Sherman’s services. It has led to recent signs that he might be back in Northern California for the coming season.

The Fresno Bee’s Chris Biderman notes that Sherman and the 49ers are involved in preliminary talks about a return. Sherman himself said he was “excited” to stay on with the organization.

There are some obvious complications here, however. First and foremost, San Francisco, with its entire eight-person design class to be signed, is just $ 18 million below the cap. Cornerbacks Ambry Thomas (third round) and Deommodore Lenoir (fifth round) were also selected in the draft. After the re-signing of K’Waun Williams, Emmanuel Moseley and Jason Verrett, is there room for Sherman in the free agency?

MORE FROM FORBESSan Francisco 49ers Draft: Day 2 defined by adding bullies to the mix, tradesBy Vincent Frank

I say yes. While the cornerback seems to be on its last legs, Sherman is still a season away from a Pro Bowl appearance with San Francisco. He could start facing Verrett on short notice while serving as the veteran presence for Thomas and Lenoir. If the money is working this should be a priority.

San Francisco 49ers sign Fred Warner to renew contract

The San Francisco 49ers make Fred Warner the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL. (Photo by Kathryn … [+] Riley / Getty Images)

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They may have to wait until the next off-season when the NFL salary cap expands. As mentioned above, the 49ers only have a cap space of $ 18 million. Without Jimmy Garoppolo (unlikely) trading or restructuring other contracts, Warner’s situation will likely have to be brought to its knees.

Even then, the 24-year-old Warner has to have short-term priority. He’s the best inside linebacker in the NFL and has been totally dominant since the 49ers stole him in the third round of the 2018 draft. In the last season alone, the BYU product recorded 125 tackles, seven quarterback hits, six defended passes, five tackles due to loss, and two interceptions en route to being the best insider linebacker according to Pro Football Focus metrics.

This will ultimately result in a huge payday for Warner, slated to become a free agent after the 2021 season. The inability to lock Warner up that off-season or this season will likely force San Francisco to put the franchise tag on him. That would run to an estimated $ 19 million and handcuff the 49ers on a large scale for the next off-season.

The alternative is to make Warner the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL within the next few weeks. That deal would surpass the $ 18 million Bobby Wagner made in his deal with the Seattle Seahawks, but with a lower cap hit of 2022 than the franchise of his. Perhaps Jimmie Ward and Laken Tomlinson’s signing of renewals while Arik Armstead’s contract was being restructured could create enough room to imprison Warner in the long term.

San Francisco 49ers Add Wide Receiver in Free Agency or in Retail

San Francisco 49ers sign the Golden Tate. (Photo by Abbie Parr / Getty Images)

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The addition of Austin Watkins Jr. as a vacant free agent shouldn’t change the 49ers’ plans anytime soon. Sure, he was seen as a mid-round pick leading the draft and fulfilling a need in the slot. But relying on him for an instant effect is stupid.

Right now, Sane Deebo have Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk scheduled in San Francisco to start from the outside. Seasoned free agent Mohamed Sanu will fight for slot assignments with Richie James and the often injured Jalen Hurd. Of this group, only James has had some recent success. In fact, Hurd missed each of his first two seasons due to injury after being selected in the third round in 2019.

MORE FROM FORBESMohamed Sanu returns to the San Francisco 49ers and other notes after Friday’s blockbuster dealBy Vincent Frank

With their limited resources, the 49ers should do whatever it takes to add a capable slot type to the mix. Golden Tate and Danny Amendola are two freelance agents that they have their eye on. The former Chicago Bears second round hit Anthony Miller is firmly on the trading bloc. Maybe it might make sense to send a mid-round pick to the Windy City for the fledgling slot type.

As unlikely as it is, San Francisco could also kick its tires if Julio Jones is added to the mix. The Atlanta Falcons are said to be open to trading in the seven-time Pro Bowler. He worked with Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta and would be an absolutely fantastic fit. Complications include the compensation schemes returning to the hawks in a hypothetical trade and Jones’ bloated contract. Any such move would also require the 49ers to trade or release Garoppolo.

San Francisco 49ers attempt to add NFL draft capital in 2022

San Francisco 49ers act with Jimmy Garoppolo. (Photo by Abbie Parr / Getty Images)

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To say the 49ers left the farm to trade for Trey Lance would be an understatement. This includes the selection of the first round in 2022 and 2023 and the third round next year. It might make sense for San Francisco to remove a player or two in deep positions during training camp.

The decision of the 49ers to design Trey Sermon (third round) and Elijah Mitchell (sixth round) leads to a traffic jam in the background. Perhaps a team will call for the impressive youngster Jeff Wilson in case these two show up at training camp.

After Maurice Hurst and Zach Kerr were added to the mix during the NFL Free Agency, the defensive tackle position is stacked in San Francisco as well. In it, people like Kevin Givens and DJ Jones could become trading lures.

MORE FROM FORBES2021 NFL Draft: San Francisco 49ers Believe Trey Lance is a franchise quarterbackBy Vincent Frank

With that in mind, Jimmy Garoppolo could be the largest chip San Francisco has for acquiring future design capital. Let’s say another starting quarterback is injured in the off-season or at camp. In this case, Garoppolo’s commercial market would grow. The keys to the kingdom would again be handed over to Lance as a beginner. Stranger things have happened.

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San Francisco 49ers 2021 NFL Draft: Niners’ remaining picks going into Day 3

Sat, 01 May 2021 09:11:55 +0000

The San Francisco 49ers selected two offensive players with their first two picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

It was no secret that after the trade, the Niners would take a QB to get the number 3 among the Miami Dolphins. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch selected North Dakota State’s Trey Lance to be the QB of the Future Franchise.

San Francisco originally held number 43 overall but struck a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to move five spots back to 48th, costing them the opportunity to draw cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who finished a 47th. Place went to Los Angeles chargers.

The 49ers took advantage of the selection to improve the inside of the offensive line by going with Notre Banks guard Aaron Banks.

Here’s Pro Football Focus’s report on banks:

Aaron Banks was heavily recruited as a four-star offensive lineman at El Cerrito High School, California. He has received more than 30 scholarship offers including Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon, Arizona, and Arizona State. After his senior season in 2016, he was honored several times in the first team and paved the way for an offense against El Cerrito that averaged 29.4 points per game.

Banks broke into the Irish starting line-up in the middle of the 2018 season and has been a mainstay of the Left Guard ever since. He’s a big boy who will only be on watch at the NFL level despite being Notre Dame’s emergency device. While he’s had quality pass protection for three years, he doesn’t have the foot speed or anchor to believe it will stay that way at the NFL level. Even with his size, you rarely see him bringing guys from the frontier. I struggle to call someone with a cap, but as tech-savvy Banks is already, I’m not sure where he’s going from here.

Lynch then decided it was time to act. The Niners sent their own fourth round picks, as well as the fourth round picks they received from the Raiders, to the Los Angeles Rams for the 88th pick.

San Francisco decided to bolster its backcourt by picking the state of Ohio, which returned Trey Sermon.

Sermon played three seasons in Oklahoma, racing 339 times for 2,076 yards (6.1 ypc) and 22 TDs
36 catches for 391 yards 3 TDs

In the state of Ohio in 2020
116 carries 12 TDs for 870 (7.5 ypc) yards
12 catches for 95 meters

– Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) May 1, 2021

Lynch and Shanahan eventually decided to target secondary school with their compensatory selection at 102nd place. The 49ers went with Michigan cornerback Ambry Thomas.

Here is the Draft Network’s scouting report on Thomas:

Ambry Thomas projects as a potential corner kick for an NFL franchise. You certainly wish you had the chance to watch Thomas’ game in 2020, but the Michigan product was disabled prior to the start of the season due to the uncertainties surrounding the Big Ten season and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Thomas has been most effective at reporting in the press and interrupting route releases in the contact window – he’s a physical gamer who does well getting his hands on the receiver and upsetting the timing of patterns. Thomas also flashes quite strongly in flat spaces as a flat defender in the zone coverage; shows a good awareness of games that develop underneath to drive back to football. The upper limit of Thomas in the draft depends directly on how comfortable the teams are with a “Redshirt” season 2020 and how he stands on his tape from the previous year.

Here is a full list of the 49ers’ draft picks:

Round 1, Selection 3: North Dakota State QB Trey Lance
Round 2, Selection 48: Notre Dame is guarding Aaron Banks
Round 3, Pick 88 (via Rams) Ohio State RB Trey Sermon
Round 3, pick 102 (comp pick) Michigan CB Ambry Thomas
Round 5, pick 155
Round 5, pick 172 (via New Orleans, Kwon Alexander Handel)
Round 5, Pick 180 (Comp Pick)
Round 6, selection 193

The 49ers are supposed to do four picks on Saturday. That could certainly change as we usually see a lot of movement on day 3.

What remaining players would you like to see San Francisco target in Rounds 4-7?

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