Officer of the Month

Detective Eric Haug and Detective Ryan Newton have been selected as the recipients of the Officer of the Month Award for January 2020.

Officer’s Story

On December 9, the Criminal Investigations Unit assumed the investigation of a homicide which occurred near Prospect Avenue and Norwood Park Place. During the following three weeks, detectives and investigators from CIU and GRADE, led by Detective Haug, canvassed the surrounding area, the City of Orange, and the City of Santa Ana for evidence.

Detectives and investigators watched over one hundred hours of video surveillance footage trying to connect the suspects and suspect vehicle to the crime. As a result of the warrants served, the Unit was able to collect crucial forensic evidence. They scoured 14 square miles and contacted over 450 people. These efforts resulted in identification of a vehicle likely connected to the homicide.

On December 17, Detective Newton located the vehicle in the City of Santa Ana and set up an undercover surveillance. Once the occupants returned to the vehicle, they were detained. Interviews from the vehicle stop resulted in detectives writing nearly twenty search warrants, following up on leads into the states of Oregon and Arizona, and following up on leads in South Orange County.

This investigation is an outstanding example of team work and taking ownership of a case. From the leadership of the Sergeants, to the investigative skills of the Detectives, to the outstanding work of the Crime Analyst and Investigators, this was an amazing display of team effort at its very finest during one of the most difficult cases in the history of Tustin PD.