PUBLIC SAFETY Local firefighters help wage a...

PUBLIC SAFETY

Local firefighters help

wage a hard-fought battle

Newport-Mesa firefighters have returned from helping battle the

wildfires that have ravaged parts of Southern California.

“You hear about the devastation and how everything is totally

destroyed,” said Fred Segwin, a Costa Mesa fire captain. “It’s

different when you actually see it and are a part of it. It’s hard to

put into words. It’s as if a huge bomb exploded in the area.”

The Newport-Mesa strike teams worked almost round-the-clock,

stopping to rest only for minutes. All members returned home safely.

* A 38-year-old Newport Beach man pleaded guilty on Monday to one

count of attempting to receive a videotape that contained child

pornography, officials said.

Daniel T. Flynn worked as a teacher for the Irvine Unified School

District at UC Irvine’s Child Development Center, which houses the

program for children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder.

Flynn is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, when he can get as

much as 15 years in federal prison. Prosecutors said the

investigation began in March when Flynn sent an e-mail to an

undercover U.S. postal inspector seeking to purchase a 30-minute

videotape of minors engaging in sexually explicit acts.

Flynn was placed on administrative leave in May and denied access

to the center when the investigation began. He resigned shortly

afterward.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.