O.C. Now

Newport Beach

DUI checkpoint tonight on Finley Avenue

Police are scheduled to conduct a DUI checkpoint tonight on Newport Boulevard at Finley Avenue.

From 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., police will be stationed at the intersection, stopping northbound traffic, cars heading off the Balboa Peninsula, and checking for drivers license violations and drunk drivers.

Police chose the location because of its proximity to bars and restaurants among other reasons, police said.

Checkpoints don’t necessarily lead to more arrests; rather, they serve as reminders to the public about police enforcement and the dangers of drinking and driving, according to authorities.

— Joseph Serna

Huntington Beach

Guardian files claim for playground injury

A 5-year-old girl’s guardian has filed a claim against the city after the child fell off the monkey bars, fracturing her arm and chipping her tooth.

Emma Gallardo’s guardian filed a claim for her May 13 for an unknown amount of more than $10,000 in damages, according to the claim. Emma is listed as the official claimant on the form.

Emma was playing on the monkey bars at Bolsa View Park, 5653 Brighton Drive, about 3 p.m. March 8 when she fell off onto “compacted sand,” according to the claim. She chipped her tooth and fractured her arm, requiring surgery, according to the claim.

— Britney Barnes

Man fends off suspected burglar

A business owner on Sunday wrestled down a burglary suspect who allegedly attempted to stab him with a screwdriver until police arrived.

Police arrested Randall Sebreros, 50, of Buena Park, on suspicion of burglary and assault with a deadly weapon. Sebreros pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday, according to court records.

The owner of a lawn mower repair shop and his wife noticed several people inside their closed shop as they drove around town at 8:11 p.m. Sunday, said Lt. Russell Reinhart. About three or four men had allegedly broken through the store’s locked door in an attempted burglary.

— Britney Barnes

Mission Viejo

Hospital fined for giving opiate to baby

Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo has been fined $50,000 by the state for an incident last year in which a nurse accidentally gave morphine to a newborn baby in the intensive care unit instead of to the baby’s mother, the California Department of Public Health announced Thursday.

The baby experienced respiratory problems and had to be intubated, according to the department’s investigation report. The infant recovered fully and was released from the hospital about two weeks later.

The hospital was fined for failing to follow its established procedures for administering medication, putting the baby in “immediate jeopardy” of death or serious injury, according to the CDPH.

This is the first fine for the hospital.

— OCLNN.com