Newport man pleads not guilty in attempted liquor store robbery

A Newport Beach man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to trying to rob a Costa Mesa liquor store last weekend.

Jamieson Wallace MacKenzie, 39, faces a felony charge of attempted robbery, according to court records.

Officers responded to Powers Liquor at 1888 Placentia Ave. shortly after 2:30 p.m. Sunday after a man reportedly handed the clerk a note demanding money, according to Lt. Greg Scott of the Costa Mesa Police Department. The clerk ran out of the store and locked the man inside, Scott said.

Officers negotiated with the suspect by phone for about an hour before he surrendered, Scott said. No firearm was found at the scene.

MacKenzie was booked into Orange County Jail with bail set at $65,000. He has a pretrial hearing scheduled for Wednesday at the West Justice Center in Westminster.

DANIEL LANGHORNE is a contributor to Times Community News.