BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Waitress accused of selling cocaine at bar

A 20-year-old waitress at Bamboo Bar and Grill in Laguna Beach was arrested at 11:05 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, on suspicion of selling $150 worth of cocaine to an undercover Laguna Beach police officer, Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

Danielle Marie Tarajcak, of Laguna Beach, was arraigned Tuesday afternoon at Harbor Justice Center and entered a not guilty plea on a felony charge of selling a controlled substance, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s office.

Tarajcak’s bail was set at $40,000, according to jail records.

The bar was closed temporarily while police conducted an investigation. Another bar employee was issued a citation for marijuana possession, Lenyi said.

The cocaine arrest was the result of a lengthy police investigation into allegations that drugs were being sold at the bar, Lenyi said.

Tarajcak allegedly sold the drug while working as a waitress at the establishment. The bar operator has not been implicated in the alleged cocaine trade, Lenyi said.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Dept. H2 at the Harbor Justice Center.

Two new police officers hired

Two new police officers have joined the Laguna Beach Police Department: Patricia Horn and Christopher Moore, City Manager Ken Frank announced.

Horn was a police officer in Los Alamitos for five years and then had her own business. Moore is new to policing.

Citizens Academy deadline extended

The deadline for applicants to the Laguna Beach Police Department’s Citizens Academy has been extended to Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The academy meets on 12 consecutive Wednesdays from 6 to 9:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 24.

The Citizens Academy is designed to provide community members with a better understanding of the police department and includes instruction in the history of the department, investigations, traffic enforcement, gangs, narcotics, neighborhood watch, crime prevention, crime scene investigation, police K-9 program and volunteer programs. There will also be a tour of the police facility as well as vehicles and equipment used by the department.

Academy members will be given the chance to shoot at the police firing range and participate in mock scenarios. There is also a tour of the Orange County Jail.

To obtain an application, contact the Police Department at (949) 497-0701. For questions, contact Sgt. Darin Lenyi at (949) 497-0375 or e-mail: dlenyi@lagunabeachcity.net.

Applications will be mailed or faxed upon request.