LAGUNA BEACH : Man Alleging Police Beating Is Freed

After spending 20 days in Orange County Jail, a homeless man who claims a Laguna Beach police officer beat him during an arrest in June was ordered released Thursday while awaiting trial on a charge of resisting arrest.

Municipal Judge Pamela L. Isles allowed Kevin A. Dunbar, 25, to go free on his own recognizance and accepted four guilty pleas from Dunbar’s attorney on four other charges filed last summer, including drinking in public and having an open bottle of beer in a car. Isles sentenced Dunbar to 15 days in jail but gave him credit for time served and released him.

Dunbar was arrested Dec. 14 on warrants for failing to appear in court on those charges and held without bail at Orange County Jail. Earlier that day, Dunbar filed a $10-million claim against the city of Laguna Beach, saying a police officer kicked him in the head during an arrest June 17.

A week after Dunbar’s arrest, Irvine attorney Christopher B. Mears released a videotape that he said shows Dunbar’s June arrest. The tape, allegedly shot by an area resident, shows a man on the ground surrounded by several officers, one of whom kicks four times in the direction of the man.

Police charged Dunbar with resisting the arrest after he allegedly took a swing at one of the officers. Dunbar’s trial on that charge is scheduled for Jan. 15.

After Laguna Beach Police Chief Neil J. Purcell viewed the videotape of Dunbar’s arrest, he identified the officer shown kicking as Keith Knotek and shifted him to office duties while an internal investigation of the incident continues. The Orange County district attorney’s office also is looking into the matter for possible criminal charges against the officers.

Although Dunbar is homeless and has a history of failing to appear for court hearings, his multimillion-dollar claim against the city is a high motivation for him to remain in the area, Deputy Public Defender Jan Christie said in support of his release.