Just received from the OC Register.
ACCUSED: Mission Viejo Councilman Lance MacLean is accused of assault and battery. OC Register reporters Greg Hardesty, Erika I. Ritchey and John Crandall co-authored this story.
Mission Viejo councilman faces assault and battery case
Mission Viejo’s Lance MacLean offered anger management classes to get charges stemming from UCI incident dropped.
Councilmember and former Mayor Lance MacLean has been charged with assault and battery stemming from an incident in October in which he pinned a fellow UCI employee against a wall during a loud concert.
MacLean, 49, has pleaded not guilty to the two misdemeanor charges, filed in December at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for June.
The charges carry a maximum six months in jail but will be dismissed if MacLean successfully completes a court-approved course in anger management, a district attorney’s spokeswoman said today.
The incident occurred Oct. 26, when MacLean – then a UCI employee – was mayor of Mission Viejo. It involved an alleged victim identified in court documents only as “Jack M,” another university employee.
MacLean, who was associate executive director for student government, was released on his own recognizance, according to court documents.
When first contacted by a Register intern Thursday about a possible criminal case against him, MacLean, said his middle name was Ralph and that he was born in 1957. Actually, MacLean’s middle name is Robert and he was born in 1958.
MacLean, in a telephone interview Friday, said he felt uncomfortable giving out his personal information to a reporter he didn’t know.
He referred all questions about the criminal case to his attorney, Kay Rackauckas, but disputed the facts of the incident.
MacLean has since taken an early retirement from UCI, where he worked for 27 years. He said he plans to begin a second career in public relations – something he’s been thinking about for a while.
Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, as well as Rackauckas, provided some details about the incident:
Around 8:15 p.m. at “Shocktoberfest,” held outside the UCI Student Center, MacLean noticed that more students than anticipated had shown up at the event and that all the nearby bathrooms were locked.
MacLean asked the alleged victim – identified by Emami as director of UCI Hospitality & Dining Services – to unlock the restrooms but he was ignored, according to Rackauckas.
The alleged victim was Jackson Burdette McManus, based on an online directory of UCI employees.
MacLean, listed in court documents as 6 feet 5 inches and 200 pounds, “pinned (McManus) up against a wall” in front of several witnesses that included campus police, Emami said.
“There were about 2,000 people there and Lance saw many of them (urinating) outdoors,” Rackauckas said. “He was trying to avert a crisis.”
McManus, reached by phone Friday, declined to comment and referred all questions to campus media representatives. Cathy Lawhon, a UCI spokeswoman, said more than 3,500 students attended the event.
“Both sustained minor injuries,” Lawhon said. “The UCI Police Department conducted a criminal investigation and forwarded it to the District Attorney’s Office. There was also an administrative investigation and since December MacLean no longer works at the university.”
MacLean was not in court at his arraignment Jan. 2 and had his attorney enter pleas of not guilty for him.
A pre-trial set for Jan. 30 was rescheduled to June 24 to give MacLean time to complete anger-management training.
“I can’t even believe the (UCI) police wrote him up,” Rackauckas said. “This has been a disaster for Lance…We feel the DA’s office is doing the right thing (in planning to dismiss the charges).”
MacLean has no previous criminal background, Emami said.
Fellow councilmember Gail Reavis expressed shock and disappointment at hearing the news of her colleague.
“I’d like to see a public explanation on this,” she said.
LG Comment. I am not surprised. There may be more to this story outside of UCI.
I agree with the writer’s opinion — not a surprise. It’s also not a surprise it wasn’t in newspapers far and wide. Consider that the D.A. managed to keep news of Jeffrey Nielsen’s sex offenses out of the paper for more than a year. The wife of the D.A. apparently has influence as well.
According to the quote from Kay Rackauckas, Lance was trying to “avert a crisis” of someone peeing in public. Was the crisis a flood? How many drownings did Lance prevent with his great act of crisis prevention?
Sounds like Lance and his attorney both need insanity management training.
Indeed this is not a surprise.
This individuals conduct has been alarming since he was elected. Once elected he abandoned every campaign promise he made.
While he may maintain his middle name is not Ralph–we the voters in Mission Viejo know his middle name is not Integrity. From campaign sign stealing to deceiving the public that has been the modus operandi.
Anything does not go–even in Mission Viejo politics. Enough is enough.!!!Believe me there is more to the story !!!!!
why are you anonymous? State who you are , not hide behind a news letter.
colin.. Or is it Rip Van Winkle. The fact that you might have seen me wearing a “T” shirt with the number 19 on it today does not grant permission to bring up the Feb 2010 recall. Lance has moved on and so have we. That’s really old news.
As to those writers who do not provide their real names. This is a long standing policy from Art Pedroza, the Juice founder, when the blog was first started. There can be arguments made on both sides as to when providing our names vs those who feel sharing that info might lead to some form of punishment such as a school teacher who is blowing the whistle with facts we might otherwise never learn.
In fact I may know you on sight but do not recognize your name which I will assume is as posted.
Great just what Mission Viejo needs–an ANGRY public relations twerp.
Crap happens. Lance MacLean needs to clear the air and move on.
This does not come as a suprise if you live in our neighborhood. As a memeber of our home owners Asso. he upset almost everyone. I do have a question. Who is paying for his high price attorney Kay Rackauckas? Is the city paying? Who and when did Mission Viejo City Staff know about this and how long have they kept it quite? Yes, it is time for Mr. MacLean to move on. Resign from the City Council and move to NewPort Beach. Mr. MacLean has embarrassed out city long enough.
I don’t know this Lance fellow but I’ve seen Councilwoman Gail Reavis in action and she is several sandwiches short of a picnic! When I see her quoted in an article the cuckoo alarm goes off!
The wife of the D.A. apparently has influence as well.
It’s actually the DA’s ex-wife. And I don’t think it was amicable. She is a former prosecutor.
Besides, it would probably be a conflict if a defense attorney was married to the DA but in this case, I can’t imagine the DA doing any favors just for her.
Thank God this didn’t involve one of Santa Ana’s clowncil members.
Do I understand correctly that no one knew about this for nearly four months?
email response:
I would like to offer my time and services providing anger management tutorials to Lance Maclean. Do you know how many times I have felt like pinning Lance up against the wall, but have restrained myself successfully???
Bit late I know Larry, but all you would do is lift up your blood pressure!
anon 11:11 a.m.
You raise the same question several have asked me off line.
I seem to recall when my daughter was attending college you would hear of campus attacks on students that were kept out of the press. You surely don’t want to impact future enrollment by pointing out assaults and rapes.
Holding back data is not new in our city. We had a rash of auto thefts at our Mall in a the summer of 2006 yet our chief of police services did not issue an alert to the public until December 2006, AFTER a critical election the prior month when the incumbents boasted of being the safest city in America.
Why the 3-4 month delay? It is a very appropriate question. I commend the OC Register reporters who flushed out the details that have been reported.
As I stated in my closing one liner there is more to this story. I will pursue additional facts that will be shared with Juice readers as quickly as possible.
Although I have received multiple source inputs over the past two years dealing with Lance I didn’t wish to move forward without hard evidence.
The time to check it out has come. Stay tuned.
I am surprised by the quote of DA Rackackus. I don’t care if he was mayor or not. While he didn’t fire an Uzi in the school, what apparently occured does warrants charges being filed. Anger management classes leading to a change in actions by Lance is a pipe dream. You can take that to the bank.
Folkjs.
As to Ms Kay Rackauckas I was told this morning that she is the ex-wife of our DA. Someone did inquire as to who was paying his legal bills. I don’t have the answer to that question. Nor do I know if UCI has pool insurance similar to cities where he might be covered. However, my sense is that any group insurance would be in effect in the line of duty. Slamming someone against the wall does not fall under my definition of anyone’s normal “duties and responsibilities.”
PS: Let me apologize to the DA for mispelling his last name in the above thread. It should be DA Rackauckas.
Lance, Lance, Lance…boy….you
represent nearly a 100,000 people.
Your job is to set the bar – not
break it or use it on another person! Hey, when you see wrong..
those old days of fixing it yourself are over. This is a good
abject lesson for all of us….do
not take the law into your own hands and make sure you have a
very wonderful attorney always
available to help you….perferably
a brother or brother-in-law!
Email response from former Mission Viejo candidate Bill Barker who OK’s my posting his off-line reply.
“Why does this type of action not amaze me? I recall seeing him physically pulling up and walking off with Greenwood for council signs at the corner of La Paz & Marguerite during our campaign against him. I observed his actions first hand when campaigning on the opposite corner. There were quite a lot of in your face words by him directed towards Greenwood at that time. I found that a personal embarrassment knowing I had supported him during his first election. Immediately following was quite an episode when the Sheriff came to calm the situation down. He was also Mayor at that time.
A few weeks later the first city wide negative campaign signs appeared against Greenwood / Barker plastered all over the city stating we would raise taxes and lower property values, they being paid for by the committee to elect Lance MacLean. I saw hundreds of them assembled in his front driveway when I drove by.”
End of an email reply follows. Note: I have deleted the opening remarks as they were not on point.
“So, how is it that Lance, a mere college counselor, has the funds to retain a high-profile attorney, who, I believe, for years specialized in sexual abuse issues. Seems to me that there is a broad brush at work painting associations here. Just my personal opinion.”
Another email response:
“Quite a story about Lance. He should have known to call campus police and what a price he pays now.
At least no one but himself is hurt.”
Gilbert comment. According to the article I believe the other party “sustanined minor injuries.”
Lance MacLean has some issues to work on ,but to hear the Winship’s call him out is disgusting. Most recently Ron was spreading lies through-out newport beach about Jack Croul. Hey Ron, what happened to the “proof” that Jack Croul is a developer? Pretty quiet..wonder why…liar maybe?
anon 5:41 p.m.
While Ron can respond for himself let me add my two cents worth.
While Lance is an elected public official in Mission Viejo, to the best of my knowledge he does not carry a badge be it with the Irvine or UCI’s police dept’s.
The fact that Lance was in higher authority does not give him the right to take matters into his own hands as it relates to violence on campus. Confronting the other party was above his pay grade. And it will now cost him.
This is not an isolated episode for Lance. Stay tuned. This story is far from over.
lance has had the unmitigated audacity to refer to our citizens as stupid; he has called us racists and bigots and amateurs. it speaks just as poorly of his fellow council members that they never admonished or challenged his public outbursts or his untruthful statements. so now, lance has progressed from name calling, lying and door slamming to petty theft and another incident of assault and battery. it is time lance stepped down from the city council and get his life in order. because right now, his priorties are not for the well being of the citizens, but finding self control and employment.
Those “ANONYMOUS’ comments are worthless since the writer’s do not have the [love to say it] courage to sign it.If they feel so strongly sign it!
Colin Brake .Mission Viejo
This is a violation of copyright laws. The exact story was published on The Orange County Register Web site and in the newspaper, and you’re getting credit for the reporting. None of the reporters’ names is mentioned with a byline. That’s improper and illegal.
anon 11:50 AM
Thank you for catching my oversight
If you go back to the post you will see that I opened by stating that the story was “just received from the OC Register.” And it was. I still have the email that was sent to me on Friday while the story did not hit the print edition until Saturday morning.
As to publishing the entire story. I had a choice. Edit it and hope that I didn’t put any personal bias in the section provided or omitted or post it in its entirely.
If you are a regular reader of my posts you will notice that I try to provide a link to the post sources which I obtain from a wide variety of local to international news agencies or press releases.
However, I did fail to credit the reporters and will do that both here as well as in the text.
They were Greg Hardesty, Erika I. Ritche and John Crandall.
Sharing of news is a two way street. I provide stories and leads to the print media as well as other bloggers on a regular basis so that you have a better chance of seeing it in case you are not a regular reader of the Juice.
It’s time for Mr. MacLean to remove himself from the City Council of Mission Viejo. This embarrassment to the City in now nation-wide. The Mayor should ask Mr. MacLean to resign from the City Council and appointment be made until the election in November.
to anon 2/13/08 11:38
You must be from “the third rock from the sun” to suggest that the Mayor should ask Lance MacLean to resign. He is her third vote on the City Council who lets the staff get away with everything short of mayhem. “Queen” Trish Kelley would never ask MacLean to resign as would she ask Frank Ury to do the same. These two boys are her puppets and the three of them lead the Staff around by the nose. Lance MacLean resign!! get real!
anon 11:38 AM
Lance MacLean has no intention of resigning from our city council. He was at last night’s council meeting as if nothing had happened. While I expect some additional news to break that will get him angry, short of a Recall we are stuck with him for two more years. There is one possiblility. If he fails the mandatory anger manangement course and ends up doing some time than he would miss consecutive meetings which opens the door for dismissal.
Community service. Like placing his campaign signs in the entrance to a city park across the street from my house in violation of a city Ordinance. And, after I had Code enforcement remove them, I personally saw him putting up replacements in the same location while looking directly at me.
Larry, at least you sign your name………..although I don’t agree with what you say.