BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Police report rise in car thefts, burglaries

Authorities have reported a rash of car-related thefts and break-ins over the past few months in several Laguna Beach neighborhoods.

In the first two months of the year, 14 vehicles were stolen, and in the past week 17 cars were reportedly broken into, Capt. Danell Adams said.

Many of the cars that were stolen or burglarized were unlocked or had the keys inside, police said.

Adams is not sure if the incidents are the work of professional criminals or are pranks ? or even if they are all related.

“This is an odd increase,” Adams said.

In nine of the stolen-car incidents the vehicles were found abandoned in the area within a few days.

In response to the theft increase, police alerted residents in areas that were hardest hit.

A “reverse 911” call was made to homes in Mystic Hills, Arch Beach Heights and Top of the World, and residents received voicemail messages from the police advising them not to leave their keys in their cars and other basic safety tips.

Anyone who would like more information about the auto-theft incidents may contact community-services officer Coleen Walloch at (949) 497-0382.

Internet sting nets another suspect

Another suspect has been arrested in the recent Internet sting operation that netted more than a dozen alleged child predators who responded to a Laguna Beach location.

On Tuesday morning at about 9 a.m. Laguna police arrested a 24-year-old Northridge man on suspicion of attempted child molestation and attempted lewd acts with a minor under 14.

Police said the suspect engaged in a sexually explicit Internet chat with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old Thurston Middle School student. The chats had been ongoing since the sting that led to the arrests of 13 individuals Feb. 18, Capt. Danell Adams said.

The suspect was arrested at a local park where a meeting was to take place with the fictitious 13-year-old girl, Adams said.

The suspect was also charged with sending explicit matter to a minor. He is being held on $100,000 bail at Orange County Jail.

Internet-related crime continues to be a major concern, Adams said. “We put in a tremendous amount of work to prepare for this,” she said.