Officer of the year honored Police Officer...

Officer of the year honored

Police Officer Jim Cota will be honored by the Exchange Club of

Laguna Beach as the Laguna Beach Police Officer of 2003.

Police and fire dispatcher Yvette Barbari will receive the award

for 2003 Civilian Employee of the Year and Dylan Metzler will be

honored as 2003 Explorer of the Year.

The awards will be presented at a special banquet scheduled to

begin at 6 p.m. on April 22 at Tivoli Too! at 777 Laguna Canyon

Road. The cost to attend the banquet or to sponsor a police officer

will be $35 to sponsor an officer or to attend. Table sponsorships

will also be available. Information and reservations: make

reservations: (949) 499-9429.

Teenager reported missing

A 15-year-old Laguna Beach teenager has been reported missing.

The boy, who police believe is a runaway, lives in the 600 block

of Ramona Avenue. The boy’s father reported the boy missing on Sunday

at about 11:42 a.m. Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

The boy had been missing since Saturday, Lenyi added.

Police described the teenager as a Latino with brown hair and

eyes, 5-foot-5, weighing 140 pounds with a medium build. He was last

seen wearing a blue and white striped shirt and blue pants.

The boy’s mother lives in Santa Ana and Lenyi said he might be

staying in that city. Anyone with information on the boy’s

whereabouts can call Det. Zach Martinez at (949) 497-0368.