Briefly in Public Safety

Country club teen not charged with arson

A Newport Beach teenager detained on suspicion of starting a fire at a Newport Beach country club has not been charged with arson, police said Thursday.

The 15-year-old boy was taken to juvenile hall July 6 after police believed he was involved in purposefully starting a fire at the Big Canyon Country Club. He has only been charged with trespassing and a probation violation, Newport Beach Sgt. Bill Hartford said.

Police are still searching for two other teenagers that fled the scene and are investigating whether the group is responsible for two additional fires discovered July 8 and July 9 at Newport Beach golf courses.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office will not comment on juvenile cases, spokeswoman Susan Schroeder said.

Alleged threats a hate crime, police say

Two Costa Mesa men were arrested Thursday in what police are calling a hate crime after they allegedly threatened to kill a man because he was gay.

The 35-year-old alleged victim, also of Costa Mesa, told police he was walking home near the intersection of 19th Street and Placentia Avenue when two men began yelling at him and said they were going to kill him.

The man ran away and was not physically attacked, police said. He called police and told officers he was gay and afraid of being assaulted because of his sexual orientation. Police found the two male suspects nearby.

Dionicio De Dios-Matias, 33, and Francisco Rendon Barrios, 25, were arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats related to a hate crime.

Parolee arrested on suspicion of burglary

A Huntington Beach man was arrested for allegedly trying to steal money from a laundry room change machine at a Costa Mesa trailer park early Thursday, police said.

When police responded to the Tradewinds mobile home park in the 2100 block of Harbor Boulevard they found William Joseph Peltier, 46, with burglary tools, including a crow bar and screwdriver, near the change machine. Peltier, a parolee, was arrested on suspicion of commercial burglary, police said.