Man steals medication from animal hospital A...

Man steals medication from animal hospital

A Newport Beach man was arrested early Wednesday after forcing his

way into an animal hospital and stealing a container of prescription

drugs, police said.

Christopher Jude O’Conner, 21, allegedly walked into the Newport

Hills Animal Hospital in the 2600 block of San Miguel Drive at 11:40

a.m. and demanded phenobarbital, claiming that his cat was having a

seizure, said Lt. John Desmond of the Newport Beach Police

Department.

O’Conner then pushed past employees, went to the back of the

hospital where medications are stored, and grabbed a container of

pills, Desmond said.

O’Conner fled to a nearby park, where police struggled with him

before he was placed under arrest, Desmond said.

“When they tried to take him into custody, it was quite the

altercation,” Desmond said.

One officer was treated for minor injuries to his arm, Desmond

said.

The prescription medicine found on O’Conner was different from the

medicine he demanded from hospital employees, Desmond said.

O’Conner asked for phenobarbital, but ended up allegedly stealing

phenylbutazone, Desmond said.

“That is a drug that can be abused,” Desmond said of

phenobarbital.

O’Conner was arrested on suspicion of robbery and is being held on

$100,000 bail at the Orange County Jail, police said.

Drug possession, assault at the Wedge

Newport Beach police arrested a man early Thursday on suspicion of

methamphetamine possession after he allegedly took off his clothes

and groped a man at the Wedge, said Lt. Mike McDermott.

Police responding to a call found Julio Marquez, 33, of Santa

Monica, intoxicated and incoherent on Belvue Lane, McDermott said.

While Marquez was taken to the hospital with minor injuries,

police received a call that methamphetamine and syringes were found

at the beach, along with papers bearing Marquez’s name, McDermott

said.

Witnesses reported seeing Marquez smoking methamphetamine and

removing his clothes, McDermott said.

A man told police that Marquez groped and assaulted him, police

said.

After he was groped, the man punched Marquez in the face, police

said.

“He was defending himself from an unwarranted assault,” McDermott

said.

Marquez is being held on $20,000 bail at Orange County Jail.