8 arrested in sweep of Fairview and Talbert parks targeting camping violations

A sweep of Fairview and Talbert Regional parks in Costa Mesa resulted in eight people being arrested Wednesday morning and triggered a search for an additional suspect who is a parolee, police said.

Starting at 6 a.m., Costa Mesa police, along with the Costa Mesa Public Services Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department — including the helicopter Duke — Costa Mesa Network for Homeless Solutions, Orange County Parks and Huntington Beach police helicopter HB1 canvassed the parks to clear what police said were encampments.

Officers arrested eight people and began a search for a ninth person who is a “known parolee,” according to Costa Mesa police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad. That person was not found, but officers were continuing to search the area, police said.

The eight people arrested were suspected of municipal code violations for off-trail camping, Fyad said. One of them also had a misdemeanor warrant and at least one was suspected of possessing drugs and drug paraphernalia, Fyad said.

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