Woman sought in local crime spree

Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- Police, with bloodhounds by their side, conducted

a manhunt Friday for a woman who went on a crime spree, allegedly

stealing a white BMW in Corona del Mar and stuffing it with items she

reportedly ripped off from unlocked garages that morning.

Although authorities pulled out all the stops to find the woman, she

remained at large late Friday.

The woman was described as being in her early 20s or late teens, about

5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing about 130 pounds with blond hair. Police

believe she may be from the Newport-Mesa area.

The incident put a scare into some residents in the Dover Shores

neighborhood as police scoured the area around Highland Street and Marian

Lane on foot, on bicycles, in a helicopter and with bloodhounds, but came

up empty handed.

Janet Payne caught a glimpse of the excitement from her window when

she saw authorities pointing guns at her neighbor’s garage. She was

relieved to hear that nobody was hurt during the burglaries.

But the rash of thefts made Payne question her neighborhood’s safety.

“We live at such a comfort level in this neighborhood and leave the

doors unlocked sometimes,” she said. “This makes you think twice about

things.”

The Newport Beach Police Department learned of the crimes at about

4:20 a.m., when they received a call about the car stolen from Blue Water

Drive.

A few minutes later, a woman was reportedly seen at the Baywood

Apartments swapping license plates with another BMW in the complex, said

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Mike McDermott.

Things remained quiet until 8 a.m., when authorities said they

received a string of complaints about a woman who was entering unlocked

garages around Blue Gum Lane and Dover Drive.

In one instance, a resident questioned the suspicious woman, who

replied that she was only looking for her car, police said.

The woman was getting into unlocked cars and taking items, such as

cellular phones and some clothing, McDermott said.

She piled up some of her stolen goods alongside one house, but never

returned for them after she realized authorities were after her,

McDermott said. Authorities located the stolen BMW still parked in the

neighborhood. The automobile had to be dusted for fingerprints before it

could be returned to the owner, police said.

Bloodhounds traced the woman’s scent around Polaris Beach, then down

toward Coast Highway and Dover Drive. Dogs pulled authorities up one side

and down the other of the hilly terrain at Castaways Park. Police

eventually made the dogs stop the search and said the windy conditions

scattered the woman’s scent around the bluffs, making it difficult to

trace.

Late Friday, police still were unsure of the dollar amount the woman

was able to steal.