Police Blotter: It's A Shrub—No, It's A Boy

It looked like a bush. It felt like a bush. But it didn't move like a bush. That's what got the attention of an informant in Rancho Santa Margarita on Monday.

A caller contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Department because of concern about the well-being of a young teen-aged boy who was wearing camouflage headgear and clothing as he ran around the lake in RSM on Monday night.

The boy—believed to be 12 to 14 years old—kept sprouting up in different places around the lake for a couple of hours.

The caller said the boy looked like shrubbery when he wasn’t moving.

The call came in around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, from Santa Margarita Parkway and Avenida de los Fundadores.

Unattended toddlers play in gutter

An informant wanted Orange County Sheriff deputies to check on three toddlers, who were seen playing unattended in a gutter on Antonio Parkway in Rancho Santa Margarita Sunday afternoon.

The call came in around 2 p.m. on Sunday, from Antonio Parkway and La Promesa.

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 November 24 to November 26.

Assist Outside Agency 8:12 p.m. Monday, on Dove Canyon Drive and Plano Trabuco Road. Animal Control needed a deputy to assist with traffic control while they euthanized an injured deer that was in the middle of the street.

Welfare Check 7:33 p.m. Monday, on Wild Horse Loop. A woman said her 22-year-old son picked up a knife and said he wanted to hurt himself, before dropping the weapon and walking out the door. According to the woman, he was upset because she told him he needed to find a new job.

Disturbance 1:47 p.m. Monday, on San Nicholas. A man was involved in an argument with an angry locksmith, who refused to leave his residence.

Suspicious Person/Circumstances 7:19 a.m. Monday, 20700 block of Mountain View Road. A woman said her neighbors were yelling obscenities at her while she attended to her horses. She also claimed that they had a camera pointed at her front door.

Suspicious Person/Circumstances 2:57 p.m. Sunday, 100 block of Montana del Lago Drive. A caller said a blonde woman in her thirties was knocking on doors and falling on the ground.

Citizen Assist 11:13 a.m. Sunday, on San Angelo. A man said a neighbor had been yelling and cursing at his wife and children.

Suspicious Person/Circumstances 2:04 a.m. Sunday, on Santa Agatha. A caller said two men were walking around his complex, asking for someone named "Jimmy."

Disturbance 11:27 p.m. Saturday, on El Vado Drive. An informant could hear three men yell at each other.

Disturbance 9:25 p.m. Saturday, 21000 block of Briarwood Lane. A caller said there was a loud party nearby, and marijuana smoke was emanating from the  party into his home.

Disturbance 5:38 p.m. Saturday, 100 block of Vela Court. A woman said her 36-year-old son told her he wanted her to die because she wouldn't give him any money.

Disturbance 5:35 p.m. Saturday, on Plano Trabuco Road and Dove Canyon Drive. A man said his 17-year-old son assaulted him.

Suspicious Person/Circumstances 6:17 a.m. Saturday, on Santa Isabel. A man was walking around, claiming to be taking photos, but didn't have a camera on him.

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.