Laptop

Greg Risling NEWPORT BEACH -- They can be disguised as property managers or maintenance workers casually going about their business. But their work really involves cunning and deception. Police have noticed a rash of thefts at various businesses around John Wayne Airport since the beginning of the year. The hot items are laptop computers, which are easy to conceal and fetch a good resale price. "It's a target-rich environment up there and the crooks know that," said Newport Beach De. Darcy Andelin.

A German man accused of molesting an 8-year-old girl at a Newport Beach aquatic park was being brought to Orange County to face charges, authorities said Tuesday. Michael Roeder, a 27-year-old resident of Augsburg, Germany, was staying at the Newport Dunes on Aug. 23 while on a 17-day road trip through Nevada and California, authorities said. Roeder was arrested Saturday while returning a rented RV in Oakland. Roeder was being held on $250,000 bail at the Alameda County Jail and will be taken to the Orange County Jail, Newport Beach Police Sgt. Bill Hartford said.

Police are investigating the connection between 14 stolen laptops from Newport Beach homes along the Balboa Peninsula since the beginning of the year, police said Tuesday. Authorities reported that since Jan. 1, at least 21 homes from the end of the peninsula to Walnut Street on the other end have been burglarized, many of them in similar ways. Many of the crimes occurred during evening or overnight hours, in some cases while the victims were home sleeping. The burglar or burglars typically enter through an unlocked door or window, which serves as a reminder for residents to secure their homes when they leave or before they go to bed. In two-thirds of the cases, a laptop was stolen, but in others people lost cameras, wallets, backpacks or an iPod.

BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Home invasion robbers get laptop No one was hurt during a home invasion robbery early Wednesday morning when three men forced their way into a Costa Mesa home and robbed its owner of a laptop computer, officials said. The men entered the home in the 3000 block of Federal Avenue and ordered the homeowner and another woman into a room in the house, Lt. Dale Birney said. "They then removed a laptop computer from the home and left," he said.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of robbing a man they met on Craigslist at an Irvine park, police said. Xavier Austin Parnell, 24, of Canoga Park, and Matthew Erick Davis, 22, formerly of Irvine, allegedly met a Huntington Beach man trying to sell a laptop Sunday night, the Irvine Police Department said. During the transaction, Parnell allegedly reached inside his coat, seemingly for his wallet, but displayed a handgun and demanded the merchandise instead, running to a car police believe was being driven by Davis.

A German man accused of molesting an 8-year-old girl at a Newport Beach RV park also had a laptop computer containing hundreds of child pornography photos and a narrative story about an adult having sex with a child, authorities said Thursday. Michael Roeder, 27, pleaded not guilty to charges that he committed a lewd act on the girl while he was helping her onto a floating buoy in the bay at the Newport Dunes resort on Aug. 23. An Orange County Superior Court judge ignored the requests of Roeder's attorney and denied bail to the German citizen.

Rep. John Campbell?s office is encouraging residents to check out the congressman?s newly revamped website, which includes changes he hopes will improve constituent access to legislation, services, and state and district information. ?Our new website provides visitors with information they need about Congress and the latest happenings in Washington,? Campbell said in a news release. Constituents can now view video of Campbell?s floor speeches, interviews with reporters and some of the congressman?

Estancia High School sophomore Ashley Peters is only about 5 feet tall, but she has a great big golf swing. The 15-year-old varsity golfer whacked a golf ball from the rooftop of the 162-foot, 16-story Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa on Tuesday morning onto the 18th green at the Newport Beach Country Club, where it landed only 6 feet and 7 inches from the pin as part of the 2009 Toshiba Classic Shot from the Top. The event teams up...

Summer’s almost here, so it’s that time of the year for parties and celebrations. From graduations to proms to weddings there’s always one person on the invitation list — the DJ. So we thought we’d catch up with Newport Beach disc jockey Clark Chuka to ask what’s new in his world.   What do you think is going to be the hot single this summer? Unless there’s a smash hit that hasn’t hit the airwaves, I think “Low” by Flo Rida will stay the top song for this summer.

WEDNESDAY Beach Street and Forest Avenue: A vehicle was reportedly broken into and sunglasses and a radio were stolen at 2:51 a.m. TUESDAY Bluebird Canyon Drive: An injured opossum was reportedly in a yard at 4:32 p.m. in the 1500 block. Main Beach: An orange bag was reportedly stolen from the shower area at 5:12 p.m. in the 100 block. Ocean Way: Surfboards were reportedly stolen from a garage at 6:55 p.m. in the 1800 block. SUNDAY Caribbean Way: A man told police that a neighbor cut down his trees without permission at 12:15 p.m. in the 1500 block.

Preschool teacher Peggy Williams doesn't talk as if she's just had her car stolen. "It's almost gotten to the point that I feel like I don't deserve all the amazing things that are happening to me," the Costa Mesa resident said Thursday. On Tuesday, her 1999 Honda Accord, with more than 200,000 miles on the odometer, was taken out of Lighthouse Community Church's parking lot in Costa Mesa, she said. When the 25-year-old and her fellow teachers left the church's preschool, called Lil' Lighthouse Preschool, the car was gone.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of robbing a man they met on Craigslist at an Irvine park, police said. Xavier Austin Parnell, 24, of Canoga Park, and Matthew Erick Davis, 22, formerly of Irvine, allegedly met a Huntington Beach man trying to sell a laptop Sunday night, the Irvine Police Department said. During the transaction, Parnell allegedly reached inside his coat, seemingly for his wallet, but displayed a handgun and demanded the merchandise instead, running to a car police believe was being driven by Davis.

Several Costa Mesa schools are now plugged into a $428,400 federal grant to teach science writing and technology skills to local students. The federal Enhancing Education Through Technology grant was given to the district through the state, after a highly competitive process. The district’s grant application received full funding, district spokeswoman Laura Boss said, a rare achievement for any district. “Our application was rated the No. 1-received submission in our region,” district Educational Technology Services Director Steven Glyer said.

Police have been unable to stop nearly 40 residential burglaries on the Balboa Peninsula since the first of the year, and residents with unlocked doors and windows continue to be the victims. In the latest “Crime Alert” distributed by the Newport Beach Police Department, authorities said since June they have seen 17 more burglaries on the peninsula where laptops or other expensive items were stolen. More than a dozen laptops were stolen from June 6 to Aug. 28 in homes on the peninsula; most of the time the burglar got in through unlocked doors, sliding glass doors or open windows.

Newport Beach police said they have little evidence on how at least one person burglarized eight businesses out of thousands of dollars in electronics in a medical complex on Superior Avenue without forcing their way in. “There were no signs of forced entry to the exterior of the building as well as no signs of forced entry into any of the victims’ suites,” Sgt. Evan Sailor said. “One can only assume that a passkey was used or some type of device that allowed a suspect to defeat the locks.

Police are investigating the connection between 14 stolen laptops from Newport Beach homes along the Balboa Peninsula since the beginning of the year, police said Tuesday. Authorities reported that since Jan. 1, at least 21 homes from the end of the peninsula to Walnut Street on the other end have been burglarized, many of them in similar ways. Many of the crimes occurred during evening or overnight hours, in some cases while the victims were home sleeping. The burglar or burglars typically enter through an unlocked door or window, which serves as a reminder for residents to secure their homes when they leave or before they go to bed. In two-thirds of the cases, a laptop was stolen, but in others people lost cameras, wallets, backpacks or an iPod.

Estancia High School sophomore Ashley Peters is only about 5 feet tall, but she has a great big golf swing. The 15-year-old varsity golfer whacked a golf ball from the rooftop of the 162-foot, 16-story Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa on Tuesday morning onto the 18th green at the Newport Beach Country Club, where it landed only 6 feet and 7 inches from the pin as part of the 2009 Toshiba Classic Shot from the Top. The event teams up...

While the big action for the golf world at the Toshiba Classic is on the green, a different kind of achievement was recognized back at Toshiba headquarters, as local students won top honors in the 2009 Toshiba Classic Scholarship Awards. Twelve students, including four from Newport-Mesa Unified School District, won new Toshiba laptops in front of a crowd of their parents, company employees and Hoag Hospital Foundation members. The program picks one student from each high school in three local school districts, including Newport-Mesa, to honor for academic achievement, community involvement and character.

Summer’s almost here, so it’s that time of the year for parties and celebrations. From graduations to proms to weddings there’s always one person on the invitation list — the DJ. So we thought we’d catch up with Newport Beach disc jockey Clark Chuka to ask what’s new in his world.   What do you think is going to be the hot single this summer? Unless there’s a smash hit that hasn’t hit the airwaves, I think “Low” by Flo Rida will stay the top song for this summer.

Rep. John Campbell?s office is encouraging residents to check out the congressman?s newly revamped website, which includes changes he hopes will improve constituent access to legislation, services, and state and district information. ?Our new website provides visitors with information they need about Congress and the latest happenings in Washington,? Campbell said in a news release. Constituents can now view video of Campbell?s floor speeches, interviews with reporters and some of the congressman?