Robbery suspects slated for hearing next week

Four men are expected to appear in court next week in their latest hearing related to a series of violent home-invasion robberies police said they did in recent months.

Richard Martinez, 27, Jesse Paul Rubio, 28, Brian Dean Nightingale, 29, and Anthony Michael Vega, 50 or 51 years old, were arrested by authorities after a four-month investigation. The men are scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana next month.

Police said the four forced their way into at least two homes in Orange County. In December, police said they forced their way into a Newport Beach home on Sandcastle Drive and tied the homeowner up while they ransacked the place.

In Huntington Beach, police said they stormed a home armed with guns and wearing ski masks.

— Joseph Serna