VENTURA : ‘Real Nice Family’ Suspected in Theft

When Ventura real estate agent Erich Grimm rented his client’s Malibu Bay Club townhouse in June to a couple from London with three small children, he thought that they looked like a “real nice family.”

But this week, sheriff’s deputies were told, the couple moved out of the plush, furnished condominium and practically cleaned the place out, taking about $8,000 worth of furniture and appliances.

Paul and Beth Ruffman had been evicted from the beachfront apartment on Pacific Coast Highway near the Ventura County border after paying little more than the first and last month’s rent and $1,000 security, Grimm said.

Their whereabouts are unknown, sheriff’s deputies said, adding that they are being sought on suspicion of grand theft.

One of the two co-owners of the three-story, two-bedroom condo, who asked not to be identified, said the couple started missing the $2,000-a-month rent soon after the family moved in.

They said they were waiting for the proceeds from a book, the owner said.

Reviews of a book and the script for a play Paul Ruffman said he had written were among the documents the couple gave as reference, Grimm said.

The apartment owner said the Ruffmans took mostly appliances, including televisions, a stereo, a microwave and a videocassette recorder. They also made off with bar stools, a couch and matching chairs, he said.