Police report child-annoyance case

Police continued to patrol the area around Harper Park in Costa Mesa on Wednesday in response to a child annoyance report filed more than a week ago.

At about 4:20 p.m. on Oct. 10, a 10-year-old boy getting ready for soccer practice was approached by a white man 30 to 35 years old. The man reportedly drove a two-door, light blue and rust-colored car with a broken taillight into the parking lot and asked the boy if he wanted any candy, according to police. When the boy said no, the man left.

The man returned almost immediately and, using a British accent, asked the boy if he wanted a toy. The boy again declined and the man again backed out of the parking lot only to return about 30 seconds later, this time offering the boy $100, according to police.

At that time, the boy ran to the south side of the park, which is on East 18th Street, where other people were and later made the police report, police said.

The man had black hair combed back, a goatee and tanned skin. He was reportedly wearing a multicolored ripped T-shirt. He was last seen driving toward 17th Street on Tustin Avenue.

Police Sgt. Marty Carver said the department should have released the information to the public sooner.

“It went to an officer who took the report and did an area patrol check and then filed a report, went to the watch commander who signed it and should have seen the importance of putting it out but didn’t,” Carver said Wednesday.

The delay in alerting the public and media did not have any effect on an investigation, which has been ongoing since it was reported, Carver said.