16 Selected for New County Grand Jury

Sixteen volunteers were selected by lottery on Wednesday to join three returning members on the 1988-89 Orange County Grand Jury.

County Clerk Gary L. Granville drew the 16 names from a pool of 30 prospective grand jurors chosen by a committee of eight Orange County Superior Court judges.

The jurors range in age from 53 to 74 years, and most are retirees. They will take office on July 1. The grand jury meets four days a week for a year, its members receiving $25 per day plus mileage reimbursement.

A foreman will be appointed by the presiding judge of the Superior Court’s criminal panel, Myron S. Brown.

The grand jury serves as the “watchdog” of county government, said L. Patrick Hearn, assistant jury commissioner

Additionally, the grand jury can issue criminal indictments upon the petition of the district attorney. This process is rarely used by prosecutors, Hearn said, who usually prefer to file criminal charges through Municipal Court.

Any registered voter in Orange County is eligible to apply for appointment as a juror. Hearn said that 125 applications were received. The judge’s committee chose 60 candidates to interview, and from that group selected 30 finalists, he said. Six finalists were chosen from each of the county’s five supervisorial districts.

Those 30 journeyed to the County Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday to watch as Granville drew their names from a box. The first 16 called were appointed to the jury; the remaining 14 will serve as alternates.

Among those reappointed was the foreman of the present grand jury, James O. Lindberg, 69, of Corona del Mar. It was announced at the lottery that Lindberg, a retired Air Force general, is being considered for reappointment as foreman.

The new members, along with their ages, occupations and cities of residence, are:

Edmund D. Blum, 57, retired manager, Fullerton; Elsie V. Carruthers, 70, part-time medical technician, Cypress; Herbert E. Christensen, 55, retired manufacturer, Anaheim; Joan H. Cox, 63, retired accountant, Anaheim; Gilda C. Fehr, 58, part-time high school and college instructor, Orange; Helen M. Johnson, 54, former office manager, Buena Park.

Opal L. Kissenger, 63, retired librarian, Corona del Mar; Colleen H. Mongan, 53, former designer and librarian, Santa Ana; Mike Monzon, 63, retired U.S. Treasury agent, Irvine; Gale W. Pattison, 67, retired school administrator, Anaheim; Carolyn J. Post, 62, housewife, Santa Ana.

Morris Spatz, 74, retired toolmaker and teacher, Cypress; Sally J. Twombly, 61, retired secretary and corporate officer, Corona del Mar; Helen Veneman, 69, retired secretary, Santa Ana; Jocelyn J. Wickersheim, 57, retired teacher, Garden Grove, and Bill B. Wills, 66, retired attorney and contracts manager, Huntington Beach.

Those 16 will join Lindberg and two other members of the 1987-88 grand jury:

June M. Galante, 54, retired manager, Buena Park and Jodeane C. Harrod, 59, former legal secretary, Corona del Mar.