Crime & Safety

Portola Hills Burglaries Rattle Residents

The neighborhood is forming a crime watch group in response.

A rash of daytime burglaries has unnerved Portola Hills residents and spurred the formation of a local crime watch group.

The number of break-ins has increased noticeably in the past two months, said Lt. Patrick Higa, who heads up Lake Forest's police services.

In one of the most recent incidents, early on Nov. 25, a thief stole the tailgate off of a truck belonging to resident Michael A. Lagasse.

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"I have lived in Portola with my wife and daughter for nine years and have never experienced anything like this before in this neighborhood," Lagasse said.

Since early October, residents in the quiet community have reported 12 daytime burglaries to police, Higa said. Seven were residential burglaries; five were thefts from vehicles.

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The incidents, unusual in both frequency and timing, are under investigation, the police chief said.

"We're throwing everything we can at this," he said. "We're taking this seriously."

In the meantime, as of midday Thursday more than 70 people had joined a recently formed Facebook page—Portola Hills Crime Watch—to organize residents and share their outrage at the crime wave.

"Thank you for creating this page for community awareness," resident Steve Robinson wrote. "I own and live in one of the condos located in the Bella Palermo development ... On 11/23/11 a person or persons broke a window in my vehicle and stole everything within reach."

The group is working with police to host a forum for residents interested in forming a community watch group, according to Neighborhood Watch coordinator Melisa Cavazos, with Lake Forest Police Services.


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