Tustin : Gunshot Victim Had Long Arrest Record

A man found dead of gunshot wounds in his car outside a Tustin restaurant had a history of arrests dating back 35 years, police said Monday.

Since 1951, Charles George Romanus, also known as Charlie the Ape and Charles Tipps, had been arrested in Orange and Los Angeles counties on suspicion of gambling, counterfeiting, burglarly, receiving stolen property, sale of obscene material and operating a lottery, according to Lt. Bob Schoenkopf of the Tustin Police Department.

Schoenkopf said officers were still checking to see if Romanus had ever been convicted and served time in prison as a result of any of those arrests.

Romanus, 55, who lived in Corona del Mar, was found Sunday morning slumped at the wheel of his Cadillac in a parking lot behind Mimi’s Cafe on East 17th Street. Schoenkopf said an autopsy showed that Romanus had been shot several times in the head with a small-caliber gun.

Investigators have not been able to establish the time of death, although witnesses reported seeing Romanus’ car parked at the restaurant as early as 7 a.m. Saturday, according to Schoenkopf, who added that no weapon has been found.

As far as a possible motive, Schoenkopf said, “There were some valuables on the body, and some others appeared to be missing. There was also no sign of forced entry into the car.”