4 arrested after burglary spate

USE THIS VERSIONEarly Tuesday, cops hear reports of items being stolen from unlocked cars.Newport Beach police arrested four people early Tuesday in connection with a string of thefts from vehicles in a Newport Beach neighborhood.

Police believe the four may be linked to at least two thefts from vehicles in the Dover Shores neighborhood. Detectives are investigating their involvement in three other burglaries -- one on Balboa Peninsula and two in Newport Heights, police said.

A digital camera and a portable music player were among the items stolen from the vehicles; none of the vehicles were locked, said Newport Beach Police Sgt. Bill Hartford.

A Newport Beach man called police at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when he heard his car alarm go off and saw a white, foreign-made car speeding away from the area in the 1100 block of Nottingham Road.

Police later stopped a car with a matching description in Costa Mesa. When police saw what they believed to be stolen property in the car, several of the occupants admitted to stealing from vehicles.

The items found in the car were later traced back to thefts from cars in the Dover Shores neighborhood, Hartford said.

A theft was reported at 2:32 a.m. in the 1100 block of Nottingham Road and another reported at 3:42 a.m. in the 1300 block of Antigua Way.

Police also received reports of early-morning thefts from a vehicles in the 500 block of West Ocean Front, the 500 block of Redlands Avenue and the 500 block of El Modena Avenue.

There were no reports of similar thefts from vehicles in Costa Mesa on Tuesday morning, said Costa Mesa Sgt. Zack Hoferitza.

Sarah Catherine Primo, 22, of Costa Mesa; Anthony Thomas Guerrero, 19, of La Mirada; Stephen David Hall, 19, of Boise, Idaho; and Andrew James Blades, 18, of Costa Mesa are being held on $20,000 bail at Newport Beach City Jail.

Police said residents should lock their cars and park in well lighted areas.

“We encourage you not to leave anything of value inside your car,” Hartford said.