Charity in the clink

Dressed in black and white prisoner’s garb, Irrelevant Week founder

Paul Salata found himself in the slammer Thursday.

Salata was one of 15 local professionals who were hauled into a

makeshift jail Thursday at the Tommy Bahama Cafe and Emporium. Once

in custody, the convicts had their mug shots taken and were allowed

to call friends and ask for “bail,” which was donated to the Muscular

Dystrophy Assn.

After he was processed, Salata said jokingly that he has been

arrested “a couple times here but a lot of times elsewhere. Mostly

for scalping tickets at USC.”

“Prisoners” helped raise $16,500, according to Gretchen Bohrer,

district director for the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. The donations are

slated to help send children to summer camp.

Costa Mesa 12-year-old Amanda Nili said she has attended the

summer camp sponsored by the association since she was 6.

“It’s really beautiful and relaxing because you get to be in the

outdoors and nature,” Amanda said.

Amanda is the association’s goodwill ambassador for California.

She said her duties include discussing summer camp and the

association’s activities at various events.

Nine off-duty members of the Newport Beach Fire Department took

part in the event by playing the part of police and bringing in

suspects.

“It’s kind of neat to switch roles and be the arresting officer,”

fire department engineer Oscar Dykesten said.

The prisoners were arrested -- and even handcuffed if they agreed

to it -- at their workplaces, paramedic Jude Olivas said. On the

drive to the restaurant, the arrestees listened to a CD containing

mock Miranda rights informing them they had the right to call as many

people as they wanted to ask for donations.

Sonia Kehyeyan, an attorney with Costa Mesa-based Michael Maguire

& Associates, has been arrested more than once for charity.

“The first time I got arrested, I thought it was great,” Kehyeyan

said. “Every year, you get better at it. You know how to get bail.”

She said she spent about two months trying to raise about $2,300

in bail money.

“It’s a great cause and this is a great way to raise money. You

have fun. Your friends have the satisfaction of seeing you in jail,

and the good ones have the satisfaction of getting you out of jail,”

Kehyeyan said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at o7andrew.edwards

@latimes.comf7.