Police Files
Laguna Beach resident arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of family member
Tyler Robert Fowler, 25, of Laguna Beach, was arrested by Newport Beach Police on Monday, July 11, on suspicion of attempted murder and the attempt to commit a felony crime. The arrest took place just after 2 p.m. in the 1500 block of Quail Street.
According to a NBPD spokesperson, “the incident was the result of a family dispute. Two family members were in an argument and Fowler attempted to choke the (other) victim unsuccessfully. Fowler may have been suffering from a mental health episode.”
He was booked for PC 664/187, which actually is attempted murder. The victim was released at the scene and Fowler was booked at Orange County Jail.
Fowler’s bail was set at $500,000.
Burglar accesses residence, alarm and dog scare him off, NBPD arrests suspect nearby
Around 12:45 a.m. on Friday, July 8, a suspect accessed the backyard of a property in the 1700 block of Port Abbey Place. While the victim was sleeping, the suspect attempted to enter the house through a backdoor. After opening the door, an alarm was set off, causing the dog at the residence to begin barking which made the suspect flee.
The victim called the Newport Beach Police Department. Officers located a suspect nearby at MacArthur Boulevard and Bonita Canyon Drive and took him into custody.
Arrested was Anthony Nayib Vargas, 34, a construction worker from Long Beach. He was charged with residential burglary with no forced entry, for possessing unlawful paraphernalia, for a parole violation and for the attempt to commit a felony crime.
His bail was set at $50,000.
Editor’s Note: An arrest contains allegations that a suspect has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Burglar enters home and encounters house sitter, forcing him to flee
A residential burglary took place in the Newport heights community in the 400 block of Holmwood Drive. On Tuesday, July 12, while the victim was away, a house sitter was staying in the residence.
While the house sitter was upstairs, an unknown suspect accessed the property through a rear gate. The suspect then located an open window on the first floor, proceeded to remove a window screen and climb through the window.
The suspect then began removing property from the master closet and then entered another room, discovering the house was not vacant. He fled through the front door.
The reported losses included handbags.
The suspect was identified as a male, approximately 5‘8”, wearing a grey hoodie and possibly a dark colored mask.
No arrest has been made.
NBPD working closely with Irvine Terrace concerns, Zoom scheduled for neighborhood next week
The Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD) makes it a priority to constantly monitor crime to ensure they have timely information. Their Crime Analyst, Detectives, Area Lieutenants and Command Staff (Deputy Chiefs and Chief of Police) review crime statistics and trends on a weekly and monthly basis in an effort to quickly address issues as they may arise.
That information is then disseminated to their Patrol Officers to keep them informed and assist them in prioritizing their patrol patterns and activities.
The NBPD is very much aware of the reports of residential burglaries in Irvine Terrace and has been directing an increased amount of attention and resources to the community. Even with more proactive patrolling (in marked and unmarked vehicles), they have a limited number of officers who are also responsible for handling calls throughout the city. They ask that residents do a couple of things to help them address this trend:
1. If you or one of your neighbors sees something that appears unusual or suspicious, please call NBPD Dispatch immediately at 949.644.3717 (or 911 in the event of an emergency) and an officer will be sent to investigate. No call is too small. They would rather have you call them even if it turns out to be nothing than miss an opportunity to prevent a crime or catch a burglar.
2. Ensure that you are taking measures to protect your home.
~Most of these burglaries are occurring at what the burglar thinks is an empty house, so you should take steps to make your home looks “lived in.” Use timers so that lights, radios and televisions go on and off throughout the house, to give the appearance that someone is home.
~Secure your doors and windows and set your alarm every time you leave your home.
~Add motion sensors to your home security system to set off your alarm or send you an alert if there is unwanted activity around or inside your home.
~More Home Security Tips are available here: www.nbpd.org/what-we-do/information/crime-prevention-and-safety.
3. Get to know your neighbors and keep an eye out for each other.
~If you’re heading out of town, ask your neighbors to keep an eye on your home while you’re away and offer to do the same for them.
A community meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, July 19 at 6 p.m.
All Irvine Terrace residents are encouraged to join the meeting to get more information directly from the Police Department and learn more about what you can do to make your home a more difficult target for a burglar. If you have questions about the meeting or securing your home, you can contact their Crime Prevention Unit at 949.644.3699.