Former student pleads guilty to burglarizing Costa Mesa High

Danette Goulet

COSTA MESA -- A trail of gummy bears lead to the arrest of a former

Costa Mesa High School student who pleaded guilty Friday to breaking into

the empty campus during Thanksgiving break, ransacking offices, and

stealing cash, camera equipment and candy, police said.

Costa Mesa resident Eric Edward Amos, 18, pleaded guilty to a charge

of commercial burglary and was sentenced to 60 days in Orange County

Jail.

Amos, who was arrested Thursday morning, was first pulled over by

police Nov. 24 for an unrelated traffic stop, said Costa Mesa Police Sgt.

Don Holford.

“During their investigation, officers found all these gummy bears,”

Holford said.

Officers released Amos, but on Monday compared notes with the school’s

administration and determined Amos’ container of gummy bears fit the

description of the stolen sweets.

Police are still investigating if Amos -- who attended Costa Mesa High

as a senior last year -- is connected to several other vandalism cases

that took place at Newport-Mesa Unified School District campuses during

the Thanksgiving holiday, Holford said.

At least half of Newport-Mesa’s 29 schools were vandalized in some way

over the holiday, said Eric Jetta, the district’s director of facilities

and maintenance operations.

Vandalism damage at two other Costa Mesa schools -- Davis Education

Center and the site leased to Coastline Community College -- was nearly

identical to the damage at Costa Mesa High, Jetta said.

At all three schools, the burglar entered a building by throwing a

water main cover, about 3 feet in diameter, through a window, Holford

said.

Offices were ransacked at all three sites.

During the same four-day school holiday, vandals broke into Newport

Heights Elementary School, where they sprayed orange slush on the

cafeteria floor, put a stuffed animal in the microwave and stole $100

from a classroom.

At Corona del Mar High School, vandals hopped the fence to the pool

area, cut down the backstroke flags and shoved various items into the

water.