San Juan Man Charged with Elder Abuse

A San Juan Capistrano man pleaded not guilty Monday to three charges of elder abuse, including injuring and falsely imprisoning a senior citizen.

Declan Paul Nieblas, 56, whose relatives are considered one of San Juan's founding families, has faced similar accusations in the past.

In the latest case, he allegedly inflicted injury on elder adult, falsely imprisoned an elder or dependent adult by violence and dissuaded a witness by force, all felonies.

He was arrested Jan. 24 after deputies were called to the Seasons Senior Apartments to investigate a grand theft, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s log. Court records show the violation occurred two days earlier.

In June 2012, he faced similar charges, including inflicting injury on an elder adult, disobeying a domestic relations court order and violation of a protective/stay away order.

The first two charges were dismissed, and Nieblas pleaded guilty to the third, court records show. He received a sentence of three years’ probation, which was revoked Monday.

In 2010, Nieblas was accused of inflicting injury on an elder adult and damaging a wireless device used to contact law enforcement. Nieblas pleaded guilty to both misdemeanors and served a 90-day jail sentence and was placed on probation for three years.

According to court documents, Nieblas remains in custody. A preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 7 in the Newport Harbor Justice Center.

Brother Jerry Nieblas, president of the Capistrano Historical Alliance, had no comment, saying it was "a very private and personal family matter."

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