Fleeing scenes prompts jailing

Costa Mesa police have taken at least five OCC students to court over hit-and-run complaints. One of the students was pulled from class and arrested in the school’s parking lot, police said.

Last week, traffic investigators arrested the student after he allegedly hit another car and then hurried off to class as if nothing happened, authorities said.

Most of the offenses have been attributed to parking mishaps and bad maneuvering, said Traffic Investigator Jeff Horn.

All have been misdemeanors involving only property damage and no injuries. Regardless, the act becomes a crime once drivers leave the scene, no matter the excuse, Horn said.

“All they have to do by law is exchange information, and for the most part they’re in the clear,” Horn said. “Otherwise, they have to deal with the all the headache and financial woe of getting into the criminal system. It is a criminal act. I think a lot of times people think ‘oh, it’s just property damage,’ but breaking other people’s stuff is a crime.”

People get scared or think amid all the movement in OCC’s lots no one will notice. They think police won’t find them, “but we can get a hold of them,” Horn said.

At least 13 hit-and-runs on campus have been reported to Costa Mesa police since January, and that’s not including what has been reported to the school’s Department of Parking and Public Safety.

Campus police have taken 49 reports of hit-and-runs since the beginning of the year. Thirteen of those reports were made in September, which is probably due to the influx of incoming fall students, according to campus police.

The punishment can be severe, Horn said. A person can either be imprisoned in county jail for up to six months, fined $1,000, or both.

“It’s sad because these little things that could be nothing turn out to be something when all they had to do is locate and notify the owner of the vehicle or property and contact their insurance company,” Horn said. “By not sticking around and getting that information, we now have to come looking for them.”

KELLY STRODL may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].