Cypress Unites in Helping Mother, 2 Children After Crash

Jacqui Bowerman of Cypress simply couldn’t stay out of it after learning about the June 1 accident that left Vicki Schwartz and her two children seriously injured.

“My children go to the same school, she and her children were in a van like mine, and it happened on a street not far from our home,” Bowerman said. “It could have been my family so easily.”

So Bowerman went to Landell Elementary School and got support for a fund-raising effort for the Schwartz family. A local McDonald’s donated food and facilities for a rally. Local florists donated purple ribbons to pass out to children at the school, who donated their quarters and dimes. Many of them even gave up their own lunch money. The Cypress branch of Union Bank cut through red tape to establish a Schwartz family trust fund, which has raised thousands so far.

“I tell you, it tugs at the heartstrings to see this community pull together for one of its own,” said Landell Principal Edward Inskeep. “Our entire school wants to help out.”

The Schwartz family has been touched by the outpouring on their behalf. Says the father, Ted Schwartz: “What this community has done has been phenomenal. We’ve got more than 80 letters of support. I’m going to try to answer them all, but it can take awhile.”

So the upside is that the Schwartz family has seen that they had friends when they needed them. But this is not a happy-ending story. Vicki Schwartz still suffers from head injuries she received in the accident. Natalie Schwartz, who is 4, is being treated for facial scars. And Ryan Schwartz, 6, now home after being hospitalized for more than two months, has suffered serious brain damage. His father says the boy still cannot speak and at present has the mental capacity of a 2-year-old. He will have to attend special education classes.

“He knows who we are, and he can walk,” Ted Schwartz said. “But he’s got a long way to go.”

Add to this tragedy, the driver charged by prosecutors as responsible for the accident, Steven Wayne Arndt, 35, had pleaded guilty three times before for drug possession, and once served a two-year prison sentence. Cocaine was found in his possession at the time of the accident. Prosecutors say Arndt ran a red light at the intersection of Moody Street and Orange Avenue, smashing into the Schwartz van.

Arndt has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs, possession of a controlled substance, causing injury to others, and enhancements stemming from his prior convictions. He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years and eight months if convicted on all the charges.

Monday, Arndt appeared before Municipal Judge Martin Engquist. Sources say the public defender’s office, representing Arndt, offered to change his plea from not guilty to guilty in exchange for a sentence considerably less than what prosecutors are seeking. The judge apparently didn’t find the offer suitable. The case now goes for a Sept. 12 preliminary hearing. Arndt remains in custody.

It’s unclear what witnesses might testify at a hearing. Several people came forward after Arndt’s arrest to say they saw him driving at a high rate of speed just before the accident.

Ted Schwartz, who sells cars, has missed considerable time at work to be with his family. His wife’s injuries are so severe she does not remember the accident. But Schwartz says she is cheered by the many kindnesses showed them by the people of Cypress. “It’s really done a lot to help her,” he said.

Bilingual Tipping: The WeTip people, that nonprofit group that passes your crime tips along to the police, are trying to make it easier for Spanish-speaking tipsters. WeTip now has bilingual operators on duty at all times, and recently aligned itself with the Latino Peace Officers Assn. to promote crime prevention among Spanish-speaking communities.

Today at 3 p.m., it announces its new honorary chairman for 1996 at Planet Hollywood in Santa Ana. For the first time, it’s a Latino--recording star Gustavo Alarco, who is from Newport Beach. If you don’t recognize his name from your Top 40 countdown radio station, it’s because he sings mainly in Spanish.

WeTip gets about 200 calls a week. When you call its hotline number, (800) 78-CRIME, the first thing you hear is someone telling you not to leave your name. You’re given a special code, and if your tip leads to an arrest and conviction, you are paid a reward through that code. A spokeswoman for WeTip, based in Ontario, says it gets about 200 calls a week.

Home Improvement Promises: Each year I go to the Home & Garden Show at the Anaheim Convention Center, and each time I go home convinced I’m going to be creative in fixing up my own place. If you’re one of those put off by the size of the Anaheim Convention Center, and all those long walks just to get somewhere inside, this is one show worth your time. It opens Saturday and runs through Aug. 25. Admission is $6.50 ($5 for senior citizens).

The 42nd annual show promises a 1,700-square-foot log home for viewing, a nail-driving contest you can enter, and a dog Olympics.

But it’s Deborah Fabricant of Corona del Mar who offers what I probably need help with most. She’ll put on shows at 1 and 6 p.m. opening day to help you improve your entertaining for dinner get-togethers. Fabricant says she went three years without ever cooking the same meal twice. (The question I intend to ask her: What if your daughter will only eat macaroni and cheese?)

The First Crooner: You show your age just a little if you remember the heyday of Depression-era crooner Rudy Vallee. His widow and fourth wife, Eleanor Vallee, will promote her new book on their life together, “My Vagabond Lover,” at Round Table West at the Balboa Bay Club on Thursday. Also on the agenda: T. Jefferson Parker of Laguna Beach, promoting his latest novel, “The Triggerman’s Dance.”

Wrap-Up: The Union Bank in Cypress is still taking donations to the Schwartz family trust fund. You can call (714) 826-0011.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling The Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax at (714) 966-7711 or by e-mail at jerry.hicks@latimes.com.