Thieves Target Cars at Laguna Hotels

Thieves preying on vehicles parked at Coast Highway hotels last weekend in Laguna Beach smashed the windows of five cars and stole items cumulatively valued at more than $6,000, police said.

“This is rather unusual as most thefts from vehicles are usually done due to an unlocked door or open window,” said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Louis Callus.

“As always, it is safer to not leave valuables in plain sight in the car or even behind the seat. Secure them in the trunk or take them with you,” she said.

Guests at three hotels and two other car owners at an apartment complex on Saturday, Aug. 27, reported finding cars with shattered windows and looted contents. Thieves made off with several laptop computers as well as a $3,000 saxophone, according to the police log.

In some instances, the vehicles were parked in underground hotel lots, but all of the break-ins occurred along Coast Highway.

“I am assuming that the cases are linked in that the method of entry is the same, window smashes,” Callus said.

In July, police reported that Laguna Beach has experienced a 60 percent increase in vehicle burglaries and thefts from unlocked cars in the first six months of 2010 compared to a year ago.

Probation Violator Rearrested

Laguna police arrested a Laguna Niguel teen at a filling station Sunday, Aug. 29, wanted for a warrant issued last month for a second probation violation, according to Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. He was sentenced to three years in state prison on Tuesday, Aug. 31, she said.

Curtis Anthony Peters Jr., 18, had pleaded guilty last July to four felonies stemming from the burglary of an occupied Mission Viejo home in January. He was re-arrested for a probation violation last October, Emami said.

Tuesday, Aug. 24

Trafficstop. 2 a.m. 100 block of N. Coast Highway. A 19-year-old La Habra man was arrested for DUI and held for $2,500 bail.

Reckless driving. 7:29 a.m. Cliff Drive. A 27-year-old woman was cited for reckless driving.

Grand theft. 8:27 a.m. Vista del Sol. A golf cart was stolen overnight.

Trespassing. 4:14 p.m. 21000 block of Wesley Drive. Five squatters were shown the door after the owner discovers his son provided friends a key without his knowledge.

Grand theft. 5:46 p.m. 200 block of Forest Avenue. A grinder was reported stolen.

Assault. 6:41 p.m. Beach Street. George Breyer, 59, of Florida, was arrested for suspicion of assault after he pulled out a golf club in a dispute over a parking space. He was held for $25,000 bail.

Citizen assist. 6:57 p.m. 100 block Cliff Drive. Waves trapped two people in a cove and can only exit from private steps.

Wednesday, Aug. 25

Animal calls. 7:23 a.m. 500 block of Canyon Acres. Mountain lion in front loop of canyon trail.

Traffic collision. 4:37 p.m. North Coast Highway at Chiquita Street. A car was broadsided and three people injured, resulting in a partial highway closure.

Stalking. 7:16 p.m. 900 block of Laguna Canyon Road. Larry Arnold Bonham, 70, of Garden Grove, was arrested for suspicion of stalking and held for $20,000 bond after returning to an art festival. He allegedly made persistent inappropriate comments to a 20-yearold female, who filed a complaint the month before.

Warrant service. 9:47 p.m. 200 block of Forest Avenue. Jose Alfredo Pacheco, 24, of Laguna Beach, was arrested for an outstanding DUI warrant and other charges held for $15,000 bail.

Thursday, Aug. 26

Traffic collision. 10:54 a.m. Laguna Canyon Road. A female driver who spun out of control smashed into a utility pole and hit two bystanders, who were working on nearby fencing. Inbound lanes were temporarily closed.

Fraud. 11:44 a.m. 2800 block of Park

Place. A resident reported an unauthorized $700 credit card purchase.

Fraud. 12:14 p.m. 900 block of Summit Drive. A suspect forged a check for $950.

Skateboarders. 12:55 p.m. 600 block of Pearl Street. Eight kids on skateboards on Pearl en route to Santa Cruz Street.

Trafficstop. 5:20 p.m. 500 block of Forest Avenue. A San Diego woman was arrested for DUI and held for $2,500 bail.

Trespassing. 7:15 p.m. Laguna Terrace. Five teens who aren’t park residents were ejected from the pool.

Friday, Aug. 27

Burglary. 8:16 a.m. 2900 block of Zell Drive. Three boxes containing a fireplace mantle valued at $350 were taken from an unsecured garage.

Grand theft. 10:50 a.m. 700 block Laguna Canyon Drive. A student in a residence hall reported the theft of a bike locked in a rack.

Trafficstop. 3:21 p.m. 300 block of Park Avenue. Alexander James Huston, 27, of San Juan Capistrano was pulled over for expired tags, but arrested for suspicion of drug possession and held for $25,000 bail. About seven pounds of marijuana and $1,180 in cash was found in the vehicle.

Traffic collision. 6:50 p.m. El Toro Road. A San Diego woman, 19, was arrested for suspicion of DUI and held for $2,500 bail following a collision involving two cars.

Saturday, Aug. 28

Traffic stop. 1:52 a.m. Forest Avenue. U.S. Marine Matthew Benjamin Berre, 28, of Camp Pendleton, was arrested for suspicion of DUI and held for $10,000 bail due to a prior conviction.

Trafficstop. 2:37 a.m. Ocean Avenue. An 18-year-old Aliso Viejo man was arrested for suspicion of DUI and held for $2,500 bail.

Vehicle burglary. 8:48 a.m. 21000 block of Raquel Road. Thieves smashed a window of a vehicle at the dog park and made off with a purse and its contents valued at $4,300.

Dispute. 6:09 p.m. Cliff Drive. Police were called about a dispute but arrested Michael Densmore, 41, for two outstanding hit and run and DUI warrants. He was held for $50,000 bail.

Sunday, Aug. 29

Trafficstop. 2:09 a.m. Jasmine Street. A 31-year-old Fullerton man was arrested for DUI and held for $2,500 bail.

Trafficstop. 2:12 a.m. Coast Highway. A Turlock woman, 27, was cited for DUI and held for $2,500 bail.

Trafficstop. 3:32 a.m. Montage Resort Drive. Shirley N. Fleisher, 36, of Laguna Niguel, was arrested for suspicion of DUI and held for $10,000 bail due to a prior conviction.

Petty theft. 9:12 a.m. 31000 block of Scenic Drive. A brass ship’s bell valued at $250 disappeared from the porch.

Information in Street Beat is compiled from publicly available logs of the Laguna Beach Police Department and often follow-up interviews.