Police recover stolen sunglasses, watches

More than 40 pairs of stolen sunglasses and other items taken from businesses in Laguna Beach and Malibu were recovered Sept. 18 by Laguna Beach police, Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

Many of the stolen items were taken July 11 from a sunglass shop in downtown Laguna Beach. The burglars allegedly smashed out a glass door, entered the business and broke open merchandise display cases, taking more than 30 pairs of designer sunglasses with an estimated value of $55,000.

A similar burglary occurred at a business in Malibu in June, and the same brand of designer sunglasses was stolen, Lenyi said, leading police to believe the incidents were related.

While investigating the case, officers learned that a suspect was trying to sell a pair of allegedly stolen sunglasses on an Internet auction site. A search warrant was obtained and executed at the suspect’s residence in Tustin. As a result, one pair of stolen sunglasses was seized and further leads were discovered.

These additional leads were investigated and two other suspects were identified, and several pairs of stolen sunglasses recovered. Detectives also learned that a fourth suspect may have been selling the stolen sunglasses.

On Aug. 11, the fourth suspect was arrested in Costa Mesa on unrelated charges, and several stolen sunglasses were allegedly found with this suspect.

Laguna Beach police detectives went to a residence in Huntington Beach, where this suspect was staying as a guest. A search of this residence was conducted, and several more stolen sunglasses were recovered. In addition, more than a dozen designer watches were seized as suspected stolen property.

So far, 41 pairs of stolen sunglasses and 17 watches have been recovered, Lenyi said. Many of the sunglasses were confirmed stolen from the businesses in Laguna Beach and Malibu.

Detectives are seeking charges to be filed for possession of stolen property with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for the suspects, whose identities are not being released at this time.