BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Trio held in multiple thefts from vehicles

An alert Laguna Beach Police officer stopped an apparent vehicle burglary spree in progress and arrested three suspects early Sept. 22 in downtown Laguna Beach, Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

Officer Dustin Staal was traveling southbound on South Coast Highway at 3:49 a.m. when a red compact vehicle passed him in the opposite direction with no front license plate, Kravetz said.

Staal made a U-turn to stop the vehicle, which sped off. The driver made a lot of turns and tried to hide on Broadway Place. As the vehicle drove the wrong way down Broadway Place, police units converged on the area.

From interviewing the occupants of the vehicle “” a male driver and two females “” and looking inside the vehicle, officers concluded that the trio was out committing car burglaries.

Inside the vehicle, police say stolen items were found from six different alleged thefts from vehicles in Laguna Beach. In all six cases, the car doors had been left unlocked.

Police say the suspects were apparently cruising neighborhoods, looking for unlocked cars.

The suspects were arrested on suspicion of burglary, possessing burglary tools, conspiracy to commit a crime and petty theft from vehicles. The driver was also placed on a “no bail” parole hold.

The arrestees were: Erik David Hernandez, 23, Fountain Valley; Kristen Marie Hemenez 25, San Juan Capistrano; and Lonna Kay Williams, 30, Mission Viejo.

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Student arrested in multiple thefts

A 15-year-old male student at Laguna Beach High School was arrested about 1 p.m. Sept. 17 on suspicion of stealing cellphones, cash and gift cards from other students, Kravetz said.

The suspect was allegedly caught with numerous stolen items, and had apparently been stealing from other students for a couple of weeks, Kravetz said.

All the victims were identified, and police will be sending the case to juvenile court. The juvenile was released to his guardian. His name is being withheld because he is a minor.

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Internet rental leads to check scheme

An 18-year-old Laguna Beach man was nearly arrested on suspicion of passing a bad check after he agreed to cash a check for a prospective landlord Sept. 18, Kravetz said.

The victim had been searching for a place to rent on the Internet, and was offered a location in Laguna Beach by a man who said he would make all the arrangements via the Internet.

The prospective tenant agreed to cash a check for the “landlord” that would be delivered to the location. The victim was told to keep the cash until he and the “landlord” could meet. When the victim took the check, which was made out to him, to the local Bank of America, bank officials determined the check was fraudulent and had an account number belonging to another victim in Arizona.

Police were called in, and after questioning the “tenant,” let him go without charges, and are now trying to determine who the suspect is.

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Stolen racing bicycle is recovered at Main Beach

A 17-year-old Laguna Beach boy was arrested after the owner of a stolen racing bike saw the boy with the bike at Main Beach at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Kravetz said. The bike had been stolen about 45 minutes earlier that day.

The victim had taken his $5,000 racing bike “” a Lance Armstrong-type bike with red tires “” out of a garage near Park Avenue and Catalina Street, and placed it on the side of his house while he went to the restroom. When he came back out, the bike was gone.

A short time later, the victim was walking on Main Beach when he saw the suspect riding his bicycle. He called police, who detained the suspect. The juvenile was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and released to a parent. The bicycle was returned to the victim at the scene.