Sometimes, things are not the way they seem. And sometimes, the good folks who see something askew can only assume the worst before calling the police.
That was the case on Saturday morning in Rancho Santa Margarita when the Orange County Sheriff's Department received a call from an informant who reported "a shirtless woman" who was screaming while sticking her head out of the passenger side window of a moving vehicle.
A general broadcast was put out, and 15 minutes later a couple in a white Plymouth had been found.
The woman was not in danger at all. And she did have her shirt on. Unfortunately, the wailing woman had just suffered a death in her family and was having a hard time with the stress.
"It looked like some sort of crime was taking place, but there wasn't," said Lt. Gary Strachan. "She had her head out the window screaming into the wind. She was just having a hard time dealing with a death in the family.
"No crime, no suspect, no victim. We just made sure she was OK and sent her on her way."
The call was made Saturday, 10:36 a.m., from Banderas.
