Police Blotter: Passerby Spots Something Suspicious in Bushes

You never know what you might find when you keep your eyes peeled.

An observant informant was shocked on Sunday morning after she walked past a Rancho Santa Margarita restaurant because she spotted something very suspicious. The woman spied a gun and a blue ski mask buried inside a flower-covered bush.

She called the Orange County Sheriff's Department and deputies rifled through the thorny plant. They determined that the firearm was, in fact, a BB gun.

The call came in Sunday, about 11 a.m., from Santa Margarita Parkway and Antonio Parkway.

Man receives threatening call from "federal agents"

A man said federal agents called him at his Rancho Santa Margarita residence late Monday evening, informing him that he was going to spend time in jail for participating in a sex talk line. The man wanted deputies to know that the agents knew his last name.

The call came in around 3 a.m. on Monday, from Pomelo.

Daughter finds ketchup, dog feces on her father’s vehicle

A girl awoke early Saturday morning and noticed that someone had spread ketchup all over her father’s vehicle. The suspects had also left several bags of dog feces all over the front yard of her Rancho Santa Margarita home, as well as on top of the condiment-covered car.

The call came in around 3 a.m. on Saturday, from Pomelo.

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The following is a summary report of calls from Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Trabuco Canyon and Las Flores to the Orange County Sheriff's Department from January 12 to January 14.

Suspicious Person/Circumstances 7:26 p.m. Sunday, on Stonetower Drive and Pinnacle Drive. An informant was concerned about two men who unloaded "big wheel" toy vehicles from their parked full-sized trucks. The men began riding the small cycles down the hill which, according to the informant, was "an accident waiting to happen."

Citizen Assist 6:21 p.m. Monday, on Wild Horse Loop. A woman needed to speak with a deputy about her child’s father, who she thought might flee the state with the minor.

Citizen Assist 3:33 p.m. Monday, on Via Pausa. A woman received several threatening e-mails from her ex-boyfriend’s new wife.

Suspicious Person/Circumstances 1:17 p.m. Monday, on Buena Suerte and Via de Colores. A caller said he found a purse and other belongings in a bush, and thought they belonged to a nearby man who was pushing a shopping cart full of items.

Petty Theft 7:20 p.m. Sunday, on Glen Abbey. A man said someone had nabbed his gardening bench.

Disturbance 3:07 p.m. Sunday, on Via Amistosa. A woman said her roommate’s friend was smoking marijuana in her apartment, and she wanted him to leave. The man claimed to be in possession of a medical marijuana card.

Disturbance—Music or Party 11:37 p.m. Saturday, on Plano Trabuco Road and Las Amigas. An informant noticed several men partying in a church parking lot.

Vandalism Report 5:58 p.m. Saturday, on Santa Margarita Parkway and Melinda Road. A caller said someone had fired a BB gun at a vehicle parked on Melinda Road.

Disturbance 10:57 a.m. Saturday, 100 block of Timbre. An informant said a man and woman were fighting alongside his residence, and their brawl was upsetting the children in the neighborhood.

You can read about more incidents on the Orange County Sheriff's Department blotter.

These reports are culled from the Orange County Sheriff's website. Not all facts in each report are made public; the outcome of the report may differ from the original blotter item. There should be no assumption of guilt based on this limited information.