Briefly In Public Safety

Video camera is returned to its owner

Videographer Michael Taylor got his video camera back Tuesday, after it was taken from the hillside where it had been placed to capture time-lapse images of the work after the Bluebird Canyon landslide. Taylor thought the camera might be sold over the Internet, and he was right. But he was surprised when the Internet helped bring the camera back.

After losing the $2,000 camera Dec. 15, Taylor put some lenses up for sale online to try to replace the lost equipment. He got a response from a young man from Anaheim who came to Taylor’s home to look at the lenses. The young man had Taylor’s video camera with him.

Taylor recognized the camera, and the young man said he had purchased it for $400 from a 19-year-old Laguna Beach resident. After calling police but being told that no one could respond to the incident, Taylor decided to take matters into his own hands.

He called the teenager himself, offering not to prosecute if the money was returned to the man who bought the camera, and if his valuable tape was returned.

“It was a one-in-a-million thing,” Taylor said.

The teenager who had sold the camera said he had found it knocked over and didn’t realize the owner would come back looking for it.

Taylor had offered a $200 reward for its return.

Video catches alleged shoplifter at market

A Dec. 16 store video of a shoplifter stealing a alcoholic beverages from a market in the 800 block of Glenneyre Street led to a theft report filed Dec. 23 by the store owner, Laguna Beach Police Lt. Jason Kravetz said.

The owner was reviewing store video when he saw a person in the video stealing four cans of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Kravetz said. The total loss was $10. The suspect was recognized as a regular customer in the store; he stole the cans by stuffing them down the front of his pants.

Stolen bicycle returned; alleged thief arrested

A Laguna Beach resident’s stolen bicycle was returned by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which arrested the alleged thief and contacted the bicycle owner Dec. 23, Kravetz said.

The owner of the bicycle, which is valued at $200, said he had not reported the theft, which occurred between Dec. 21 and 22. Kravetz said he did not know the identity of the suspect.

Man reports assault, robbery at park

An 18-year-old man accused an acquaintance of assault and robbery at Alta Laguna Park on Dec. 18, Kravetz said.

The victim alleged that he was physically assaulted by one suspect, and then robbed of cash and personal items while a second suspect held his arms behind him. The victim came to the police department Dec. 23 to report the incident. The loss was $30 in cash, a skateboard, a backpack and a pair of shoes for a total loss of about $260.

Man held in alleged credit card spree

A 52-year-old Irvine man was arrested on multiple suspicions after officers were called to the Casa Del Camino at 1:50 p.m. Saturday for a report of credit card fraud, Kravetz said. When police arrived, a couple who had lost a purse at Brooks Street beach Christmas Day was in the lobby.

Officers located the suspect, Ronald Eric Ronneburger, at the hotel. Ronneburger had allegedly checked into the hotel using a credit card from the purse. He then had drinks at the hotel and also at the Sandpiper, charging everything on cards from the purse. The charges at the hotel were $200, and $110 was charged at the Sandpiper.

Ronneburger was arrested on suspicion of burglary, theft, identity theft and misappropriation of lost property.

He also had a warrant out for his arrest for $15,000. The warrant was for theft.

Homeless woman jailed on warrants

A 51-year-old homeless woman was taken to Orange County Jail after being arrested on warrants, Kravetz said.

Officers had stopped Anne Worth for a pedestrian crossing violation at 2:06 a.m. Sunday at Broadway and North Coast Highway. They ran a records check on her and came across four misdemeanor warrants for her arrest, Kravetz said.

The warrants were for Laguna Beach Municipal Code violations: drinking alcohol in public ($5,000); two counts of contempt of court ($30,000); and trespassing ($15,000).