Battery

COSTA MESA — An Orange Coast College student is due in court for a pre-trial hearing Wednesday on charges of sexual battery and lewd conduct. Brendan Douglas Copley, 20, of Costa Mesa, pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of touching an intimate part of another person and two counts of lewd conduct in a public place, according to Orange County Superior Court records. According to Costa Mesa police, Copley approached a female student on the OCC campus Feb. 8 and asked to have sex with her. When she refused and walked away, he followed her and continued pressuring her, police said.

Stuart Burr Oakes died peacefully in his home in Newport Beach, CA, on November 8, 2010, at the age of 62.  Stuart was born in Long Beach, California in 1948.  After graduating from Yucaipa High School, he attended University of Redlands, where he met his wife, Gloria.  They married in 1970.   Stuart’s love of electronics and gadgets inspired a career of developing cutting-edge battery technology programs, first at General Electric and then at International Components Corporation in Chicago.

When you set your clocks to fall back an hour Sunday, it's also a good time to change the batteries in your house smoke alarms. Smoke alarms save hundreds of people a year and cut the risk of dying in a fire by half, fire department officials said. Don't borrow batteries for the alarm from another device, and change your batteries twice a year. The easiest way to remember is to change them when the clocks change, officials suggest. Be sure to test the alarm after putting in new batteries.

Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece’s son is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail after his arrest Wednesday on suspicion of felony battery against his girlfriend and her son. Stephen Leece, 28, from Costa Mesa, surrendered to police Wednesday afternoon, hours after police said he fled from his girlfriend’s house after attacking her and her son. Attempts to reach Wendy Leece on Wednesday were unsuccessful. Police were called about 12:20 a.m. Wednesday to the 100 block of East 16th Street, where authorities said Stephen Leece and his girlfriend had gotten into an argument.

Authorities want to remind you to spring forward your clocks an hour this weekend when daylight saving time kicks in on Sunday. Fire officials say the twice-yearly routine of changing the batteries with the time changes is a surefire way to keep your home safe and save lives in case of an emergency. Smoke alarms have been proven to save hundreds of lives every year, giving people time to escape. Most residential fires happen between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when early detection tools like a smoke alarm are most important.

AREA 1 West Paularino Avenue: A prowler was reported in the 500 block at 12:43 a.m. Wednesday. Placentia Avenue: Battery was reported in the 2300 block 8:43 a.m. Wednesday. Senate Street: A residential burglary was reported in the 900 block at 9:07 a.m. Wednesday. Placentia Avenue and West 19th Street: Road rage was reported at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. Mesa Verde Drive: A commercial burglary was reported in the 1500 block at 5:46 p.m. Wednesday.

Public safety officials would like to remind residents that Sunday, when clocks are set back an hour, is a good time to change the batteries in your smoke alarm. Smoke alarms save hundreds of lives every year through simply alerting families and giving them time to escape. A majority of home and apartment fires happen between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most people are sleeping, making early detection key for your safety, officials said. Maintaining a smoke alarm is just as important as having one. The batteries should be changed at least once a year and not borrowed from other home devices.

Could the Volt be the answer to stratospheric fuel costs and environmental concerns? That is the question, but one thing is for certain: Chevrolet’s new electric sedan promises to spark plenty of interest. Unfortunately, it will take a lot more than mere interest to get the four wheels of change rolling and make them profitable. It’s going to take buyers that society calls “early adapters” whose overriding curiosity about our rapidly changing world has them quick to embrace new ideas and technology.