Briefly In Public Safety

Man, 39, jailed in stolen purse case

A 39-year-old Laguna Hills man was arrested after he was discovered sleeping near a reportedly stolen purse at a school in the 3000 block of South Coast Highway at 2:10 p.m. Feb. 17, Lt. Jason Kravetz said.

The victim was the mother of a kindergartner at the school who had volunteered with the class the day before, and left her purse in the classroom while everyone went out to the playground.

When she came back the purse was gone, and a witness said a man might have walked away with it. The next day, some of her friends helped her look around the campus for her purse, and they came upon a man sleeping behind a shed. The contents of the purse were scattered nearby along with the purse in a bush. The sleeping man got up and ran from the area.

Police were called to the scene and ended up detaining Jason William Brown in the 2700 block of South Coast Highway.

Brown allegedly had some of the purse contents in his pockets. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property, and a parole hold was placed on him. He was held without bail in Orange County Jail, according to jail records.

Couple accused of scamming hotel

A man and woman are being sought on suspicion of defrauding a Laguna Beach hotel out of nearly $500, Kravetz said.

The couple checked into the hotel in the 1600 block of South Coast Highway and claimed that their belongings were stolen at the airport. They provided a member’s reward number, which gave them a free night’s stay. They ended up staying a few more nights and then allegedly left without paying. In addition, the rewards number used belonged to someone else.

The incident was reported to police at 10:23 a.m. Feb. 19.

Man accused of firing gun in home

A 51-year-old Laguna Beach man was arrested after allegedly firing a gun inside a home in the 1400 block of Skyline Drive at 11:11 a.m. Feb. 19, Kravetz said.

Police were called to the home by the suspect’s mother, who called 9-1-1 and told the dispatcher she was having an argument with her adult son, who was allegedly smashing things. The dispatcher heard a gunshot and officers were sent to the location.

After the officers arrived, they determined that the son had fired a round into a wall in a fit of anger and that none of the four people inside the home was hurt, Kravetz said.

The suspect, Marko Ivanisevic, was arrested on suspicion of discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner, a felony. He was held on $25,000 bail, Kravetz said.

Medical pot allegedly sold to officers

Two teenagers were arrested after allegedly selling about five grams of marijuana to undercover officers after buying the marijuana at a medical marijuana clinic in South Orange County, Kravetz said.

Michael John Walton, 19, of Dove Canyon and Christopher Alan Hollingsworth, also 19, of Laguna Hills, were arrested at 11:10 a.m. Feb. 19 in the 600 block of North Coast Highway. Walton was arrested on suspicion of transportation of marijuana for sales and Hollingsworth was accused of possession for sales and transportation for sales.

Snowboarding goods stolen from patio

Snowboarding equipment worth $1,600 was reported stolen from a patio at Club Laguna in the 300 block of San Tropez Court at 10:21 a.m. Saturday, Kravetz said.

The stolen items were a K2 snowboard worth $800; an Original Sin snowboard valued at $700; and a duffel bag valued at $100.

Vandals target vehicles at residence

Two vehicles were reported vandalized outside a residence in the 500 block of St. Ann’s Drive on Saturday, Kravetz said. A Ford F-150 pickup truck had the driver’s side and passenger side windows smashed, but nothing was stolen from the inside. A couple of weeks prior, the truck had been keyed on two doors, Kravetz said. The vandalism occurred while the truck was parked on the street. The damage is estimated to be in excess of $500.

In a related incident, a motorcycle was pushed over and damaged at the same location about the same time the truck was vandalized.

The victims live in the same residence, Kravetz said.

Former employee in custody of ICE

A Santa Ana man was turned over to ICE after police were called to a restaurant in the 100 block of South Coast Highway on a report that an ex-employee was drunk and refusing to leave the premises, Kravetz said.

Isidro Refugio, 24, was arrested on suspicion of trespassing. Refugio allegedly showed up for work drunk and was terminated, Kravetz said. He was told to leave and not come back, but an hour later returned and was allegedly blocking the manager’s door and harassing her. Laguna Beach police took him into custody and then called ICE after learning that he was in the country illegally, Kravetz said.