Police Files
Vandals damage B.Candy, China Cove homes in early morning spree
Newport Beach Police are investigating after two cases of vandalism occurred early Saturday morning, August 21, at homes in China Cove and at B.Candy, located at 3100 E. Coast Highway.
At B.Candy, a woman was caught on video pulling wiring extension cords from a decorative display and throwing it into the street and parking lot, then grabbing other decorations and breaking them, according to a police spokesman.
The popular candy shop’s owner, Brandy Valdez, said the decorations included a faux lollipop and ice cream cone that were in front of the store, as well as a flower banner that adorned the shop’s awning.
Click on photo for a larger image
Courtesy of Brandy Valdez
Decorations were damaged outside of B.Candy
Earlier Saturday, police also took a report of vandalism at multiple homes near Shell Street and Way Lane in China Cove. One resident said someone during the night had removed light bulbs from the front porch and slightly moved furniture items on the rear porch. A second resident said a pot at the entryway had soil and flowers removed and thrown onto the porch and a doorbell camera removed. A third resident saw a woman, and had multiple lights pulled out of the ground with electrical wires broken.
Police did not confirm that the same woman was suspected in both incidents.
Three burglaries reported, two in homes where residents were out
Three more residential burglaries were reported this week to Newport Beach Police, two of which occurred with the victims away.
The first one occurred in the Harbor View community in the 1700 block of Port Barmouth Place on Friday, Aug. 20 between 5:30-10 p.m.
With the victims away, an unknown suspect shattered a rear glass door to enter the home. Once inside, the suspect ransacked the master bedroom and office. The suspect then used a patio chair to assist in climbing the backyard fence, allowing them to flee.
The reported loss was jewelry.
No suspect information was available.
The second one occurred in the Mariners community in the 2100 block of Windward Lane between 12 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 14 and 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 19.
Again, with the victims away, an unknown suspect shattered a window on the side of the residence and then climbed through to enter the home. Once inside, the suspect ransacked the master bedroom, office and another bedroom before fleeing the scene.
The reported loss was jewelry.
No suspect information was available.
The third incident occurred on Wednesday, Aug. 18 around 3:30 p.m. in the 4500 block of Surrey Drive in the Cameo Highlands community.
At approximately 2:15 p.m., one of the residents noticed a suspicious vehicle in front of their house. Shortly thereafter the vehicle left, and the victim then left the residence while another victim remained home.
Then, around 3:30 p.m., the suspects accessed the home either through an open garage pedestrian door or through an open bedroom door. They apparently rummaged through some of the bedrooms before discovering one of the victims was still at home and fled the scene.
No loss was reported.
However, the victims did supply the NBPD with the suspects’ identification as two black males, approximately 5’9”-6’ in height, wearing black masks. Their vehicle was a silver sedan.
No arrests have been made.
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If you see suspicious activity within your neighborhood at a home where you know your neighbors are on vacation, have gone out for the evening, or their home is for sale, please call the Newport Beach Police Department immediately at 949.644.3717.
Tips from the Newport Beach Police to make your home safer
–Always lock your windows and doors when you go out, even if for only a few minutes. Second story windows and doors should be secured as if they were on the first story.
–Use timers on indoor lamps to give the appearance that you are home. If you’re going out for the evening, leave a television or a radio on in the home.
–If your home is equipped with an alarm, always activate it even if you’re only going out for a short walk.
–Consider adding a motion sensor in your master bedroom/bathroom, which will activate the alarm if someone comes in through a glass window or door without opening it.
–Always keep your front and rear porch lights on from dusk to dawn and use motion detector lighting along the sides of your home or areas with little foot traffic.
–Make sure your utility box is secured with a padlock.
–Adjust window coverings for optimal privacy while maintaining good visibility outside.
–Assess whether or not a window can be easily accessed from a tree, balcony, roof, wall, or with patio furniture and adjust your security plan accordingly. Ladders should be stored inside or locked to a stationary object.
–If your garage door has a remote shutoff button on the wall-mounted control, located in the garage, consider locking the door nightly. This will prevent your garage door from being opened remotely.
–If you have a safe, make sure that it is properly bolted to concrete so that it cannot be easily removed.
–Always close and lock your safe and never leave a key or combination out or in an easy-to-find location (i.e. office, nightstand, etc.).
–If you return home and find your pedestrian door that leads into your home locked, and you are certain that you left it unlocked, DO NOT GO INSIDE! Call 9-1-1. Burglars often lock this door to slow down a victim, allowing the burglar extra time to get out of the home before the resident enters.
Report all suspicious activity by calling the Newport Beach Police Department at 949.644.3717.