San Diego County district attorney highlights successes in annual report

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan released her office's annual report Tuesday, touting new programs and initiatives plus the number of felony crimes prosecuted last year.

"This past year, we obtained justice for victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, hate crimes, organized retail theft, fentanyl poisoning, environmental and consumer fraud, elder fraud, sexual predators and many more," DA Stephan stated.

In 2024, the DA's office prosecuted more than 2,600 assaults, including stalking, making it the crime with the highest number of felony prosecutions in the report.

Drug-related offenses came in second at 1,320 prosecutions in the county, and theft/embezzlement at third with just over 960.

The report also mentioned several highly publicized cases, including that of former TikTok star, Ali Abulaban, the man convicted of murdering his wife, Ana, and her new partner, Rayburn Barron in an East Village high-rise apartment.

Abulaban, who went by the name "JinnKid" on TikTok, fell from grace when a jury of 12 found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder last May. In September, he was sentenced to a total prison term of 50 years-to-life plus two terms of life without the possibility of parole.

Also mentioned in the report was the case of Christopher Schmittel, a 19-year-old who was convicted of killing two people and injuring two others after crashing onto Torrey Pines State Beach.

Prior to the crash, authorities said Schmittel was driving between 100 and 130 miles an hour through Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties -- all while under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, Xanax and what were believed to be psychedelic mushrooms.

In addition to the cases of Abulaban and Schmittel, the DA detailed five other significant cases in the annual report.

DA Stephan also highlighted new programs and initiatives launched by her office last year.

They included SCOPE, a new program in East County for people suffering from substance use disorder and severe mental illness who would normally not qualify for Drug Court or Behavioral Health Court.

The DA's Office formed a historic partnership with the Attorney General of the Mexican State of Baja California, the State of Baja California Justice Center for Women and the DA's One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center.

The partnership allows victims of domestic violence and other crimes to access services on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border to ensure safety where they are most comfortable getting help.

Another achievement highlighted in the report was regarding the topic of public camping ordinances as a way to combat homelessness in the county.

In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the DA's Appellate Division wrote amicus briefs about the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on public camping bans locally in San Diego County.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Investigation under the DA's Office completed more than 33,000 "investigative tasks," conducted over 2,900 interviews and executed 445 search warrants last year.

The DA's annual report for 2024 is linked here in its entirety.