POLICE FILES - Sept. 14, 2000

COSTA MESA

* Fairview Road: While an OCC student was at class between 6 and 10

p.m. Sept. 1, a thief was devoting some study time to the plastic windows

on his Jeep Wrangler, parked in the 2700 block. The student returned to

find that the windows, the kind that can be zipped in and out, had been

unzipped permanently.

* Anton Boulevard: A security officer for the Marriott Hotel scared a

man away as he was attempting to get into a BMW roadster parked in a

structure in the 500 block at around 1 a.m. Sept. 6. No damage was done

to the car.

NEWPORT BEACH

* University Drive: A woman parked a Dodge van in the 2300 block for

about an hour Sept. 7 and came back to find that $195 had been taken from

her purse. Likely suspects? The woman told police that “she saw a number

of juveniles skateboarding in the parking lot,” though why that would be

considered suspicious activity is not clear.

* Placentia Avenue: While a resident of the 1500 block was going for

his morning walk, a thief struck. The resourceful perpetrator cut a

screen, reached through to unlock a door, and then went on a very

selective crime spree. Though he ignored some valuable items that were in

plain sight, the thief took a computer hard drive, a video camera and a

Gibson guitar with an ebony neck.