Central Library evacuated due to chemical fumes

Huntington Beach Fire Department was called Friday to Central Library, where chemical fumes caused a temporary evacuation.

By DAILY PILOT STAFF

June 30, 2023 6:29 PM PT

Huntington Beach’s Central Library was temporarily evacuated Friday morning, after a hazardous combination of cleaning chemicals sent fumes into the facility’s HVAC system, officials reported.

Jennifer Carey, the city’s public affairs manager, said the fire department received a call at 10 a.m. from someone at the site. Crews arrived on scene and ordered occupants to exit the building, while they investigated the area.

“They were able to locate the storage closet where the chemicals had been mixed,” Carey said Friday afternoon. “The fumes had gotten into the HVAC system, so, out of an abundance of caution, the building was evacuated.”

City officials warned residents of the closure on social media, indicating the incident involved a “chlorine spill.”

Five people on scene complained of symptoms, such as headaches and dizziness, and were evaluated but not hospitalized, Carey reported. The library was closed for approximately 90 minutes, while the air was cleared.

Costa Mesa police announce fentanyl bust

CMPD announced Friday its Special Investigations Unit had confiscated $138,000 and 60,000 fentanyl pills, arresting three.

Costa Mesa police announced Friday that three individuals were arrested earlier this month, after members of the department’s Special Investigations Unit made contact with someone attempting to sell fentanyl on the black market.

While the investigation is still ongoing, CMPD reported that SIU detectives seized approximately $138,000 in cash along with 60,000 illegal fentanyl pills. The suspects’ names are not currently being reported.

Man accused of child abuse, assault in Newport Beach

A 21-year-old Fontana man was charged Friday with multiple felonies, including child abuse, assault with a deadly weapon and leading police on a chase in Newport Beach earlier this week, City News Service reported.

David Raymond Duane Jr. allegedly attacked one woman with a vehicle, along with two other unidentified male victims on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint filed with the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Newport Beach police spokeswoman Heather Rangel told City News Service that Duane was arrested Tuesday shortly before 10:30 a.m.

An online prison inmate locator maintained by the sheriff’s department indicated that Duane, whose occupation is listed as caregiver, was released on bond Friday at 2:37 p.m.

He is expected to appear in Newport Beach’s Harbor Justice Center on July 10 for a pretrial hearing, according to CNS.

Huntington Beach woman charged with embezzling $121K

A 49-year-old Huntington Beach woman is facing six felony charges, along with multiple sentence enhancements, for allegedly stealing more than $121,000 from Yorba Linda design-build firm Conscious Environments, according to City News Service.

Marni Mathews Wilson was charged May 26 with three felony counts each of grand theft by embezzlement and making false entries in records or returns, as well as a possible sentencing enhancement for property damage exceeding $65,000 and aggravated white collar crime between $100,000 and $500,000.

Huntington Beach police arrested Mathews Wilson on Tuesday, and she was being held in Orange County’s Central Women’s Jail but was released Thursday at 8:45 p.m., according to the sheriff’s inmate locator. No reason was given for her release.

— Daily Pilot staff