Woman booked on suspicion of grand theft

Costa Mesa police are investigating if items they found in an Anaheim woman’s car they say are stolen are just the tip of the iceberg, officials said.

Authorities arrested Mia Molinari, 21, Sunday morning after stopping her on the southbound 73 Freeway onramp at Bear Street because her black BMW matched the description of a suspicious person leaving the area, said Sgt. Greg Scott.

About 6:50 a.m. Sunday a passerby reported a woman acting suspiciously in the 800 block of Paularino Avenue. The woman was walking by cars and checking their handles to see which were open, Scott said.

Authorities found sports equipment reported stolen from an apartment complex on Paularino Avenue inside the car, as well as more than $500 worth of college textbooks reported stolen in Santa Ana, Scott said. Crime scene investigators are analyzing evidence from other burglaries to see if they’re linked to Molinari, police said. She was booked on suspicion of petty theft, possession of burglary tools and grand theft for the text books.

She is scheduled to be arraigned in court Wednesday.

— Joseph Serna