Police issued a warning about a telephone scam where the calling party identified themselves as a police captain and appeared to be calling from the department’s non-emergency number.
The individual demanded that a resident withdraw $2,000 in order to avoid arrest for a supposed warrant for not attending jury duty, says police spokesman Sgt. Tim Kleiser.
No police or governmental agency will solicit money for fines by phone, said Kleiser, warning residents to avoid falling prey to another scam involving a demand for a money order, gift card, or wire transfer. “If you receive this type of phone call, always verify who the caller truly is; do not use a phone number they provide you as verification,” he said. “Usually, the number provided by the thief will go to a voice recording message.”
If you have sent money or believe that you are a victim of a crime, please call and report the incident to police. Contact Kleiser at tkleiser@lagunabeachcity.net or 949-464-6671
Monday, April 11
Petty theft. 200 block of Forest Ave. 12:32 p.m. A business reported a shoplifter was recorded on a surveillance video.
Fraud report. 700 block of S. Coast Hwy. 4:54 p.m. A business accepted a counterfeit $100 bill.
Fire. 30800 block of Coast Hwy. 9:45 p.m. Carpeting was set on fire by a small transformer fire.
Tuesday, April 12
Vehicle burglary. 900 block of Summit Way. 8:35 a.m. Sunglasses, a laptop and wallet valued at $1,934 was taken from a vehicle that showed no signs of forced entry.
Vandalism. 1500 block of N. Coast Hwy. 8:50 a.m. A window was smashed.
Warrant service. 24800 block of Via San Rafael. Samuel Flores Luna, 28, of Aliso Viejo, was arrested for three outstanding warrants. Bail was set at $25,000.
Property. 500 block of Forest Ave. 2:27 p.m. A Nike bag and golf clubs was turned in.
DUI. Laguna Canyon Rd. 3:12 p.m. A report about a motorist swerving and almost hitting a curb resulted in the arrest of a juvenile. No more details were available.
Traffic stop. Coast Hwy. 4 p.m. Jon Fermin Gomez, 51, of Capistrano Beach, was arrested for two DUI warrants.
Paramedic level response. 30600 block of Marilyn Dr. 8:55 p.m. Detectives are investigating a fight among adults over a child.
Wednesday, April 13
Vehicle stop. S. Coast hwy. 12:51 p.m. Christian James O’Conner, 23, of Laguna Beach, was arrested for suspicion of three misdemeanor offenses.
Fraud. Encinitas Ct. 2 p.m. A resident received a bill of $400 for a cell phone account opened fraudulently two days earlier.
Burglary. 200 block of Ledroit St. 4:34 p.m. Someone took miscellaneous items from an open garage.
Traffic stop. Forest Ave. 6 p.m. Philip Zehner, 50, of Laguna Beach, was arrested for suspicion of forgery and was held for $20,000 bail.
Disturbance. 300 block of Club Dr. 11:33 p.m. A 22-year-old San Juan Capistrano man was cited for DUI.
Thursday, April 14
Petty theft. 2100 block of S. Coast Hwy. 12:13 p.m. A paddleboard worth $800 was stolen from a patio.
Automated license plate reader. 16-01399. Laguna Canyon Rd. 1 p.m. Officers arrested Marc Tarasevic, 28, of Riverside, for suspicion of auto theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail was set at $20,000.
Traffic stop. 300 block of Cliff Dr. 9:37 p.m. Kevin Richard Bourne, 35, of Lancaster, S.C., was arrested for an outstanding felony warrant from his home state.
Sleeper. 600 block of N. Coast Hwy. 9:52 p.m. James Christopher Thacker, 53, of Laguna Beach, was arrested for suspicion of drug possession. Police allegedly seized 10 grams of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $25,000.
Friday, April 15
Traffic stop. 200 block of Pearl St. 2 a.m. A 26-year-old Los Angeles man was cited for DUI.
Detective activity. 600 block of Park Ave. 10:16 a.m. A 16-year-old by was detained for making threats and taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.
Drug activity. 200 block of Crescent Bay Dr. 2:29 p.m. Jairo Daniel Padilladuenas, 24, of Santa Ana, who was smoking pot, was arrested for three outstanding warrants.
Petty theft. 700 block of Laguna Canyon Rd. 3 p.m. A locked bike was taken.
Vehicle burglary. 18700 block of Laguna Canyon Rd. 4:29 p.m. A purse with $500 in cash and credit cards was taken out of vehicle while the owner was hiking.
Occupied vehicle. 30900 block of Coast Hwy. 11 p.m. Justin Jariabka, 28, Trabuco Canyon, and Liam Yanez, 19, of Dana Point, were both arrested for suspicion of possessing heroin.
Saturday, April 16
Traffic stop. 300 block of Jasmine St. 2 a.m. A 39-year-old from Mason, Ohio, was arrested for DUI.
Traffic stop. 31000 block of Coast Hwy. 2:34 a.m. A 24-year-old San Clemente resident was cited for DUI.
Grand theft. 1700 block of S. Coast Hwy. 9:16 p.m. A portable credit card machine valued at $2,000 was taken.
Traffic stop. Broadway St. 10:36 p.m. A 25-year-old Long Beach man was cited for DUI.
Traffic stop. Cajon St. 11:33 p.m. A 47-year-old San Francisco man was cited for DUI.
Sunday, April 17
Traffic stop. Glenneyre St. 2:24 p.m. A 56-year-old Newport Beach man was cited for DUI.
Traffic collision. Coast Hwy. 11:55 a.m. One motorist complained of pain following a rear-end collision involving two vehicles.
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