Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS : At The Scene : Woman Charged in Plot Against Daughter
Federal authorities believe that Charlotte Ruth Wyckoff, 51, of Dana Point plotted the possible murder or kidnaping of her own daughter.
Wyckoff, an Orange County private school owner, already had been charged with hiring mercenaries to firebomb the cars of former teachers. But on July 17, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles also charged that Wyckoff tried to make initial arrangements to prevent the testimony of her 28-year-old daughter, Shirley Wright, of Dana Point.
The plot allegedly was concocted at the Sybil Brand Institute, the Los Angeles County women’s jail, where Wyckoff is being held.
Wyckoff was charged in the latest case with conspiracy, witness tampering and obstruction of justice, as was Elizabeth Leta Hamilton, 39, of Dana Point. The two women are co-owners of the Pacific Coast Preparatory Schools, a chain of five preschools and elementary schools.
Wyckoff and Hamilton are being held without bail on firebombing charges. They were accused of approaching another inmate at the women’s jail and soliciting the services of her boyfriend to prevent Wright from testifying at their upcoming trial.
Prosecutors said the other woman’s boyfriend was not involved in the discussions and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
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