Local News in Brief : Costa Mesa : 2 Held After Spree in Stolen Corvette

“For a prank, they certainly turned it into a nightmare for themselves,” Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Sam Cordeiro said.

He was referring to two Orange County men who were in jail Tuesday in lieu of $50,000 bail on suspicion of armed robbery, burglary, grand theft auto and conspiracy.

According to Cordeiro, Scott William Thompson, 21, of Tustin and Mark Sterling Yates, 20, of Mission Viejo decided to steal a Chevrolet Corvette and shoplifted a realistic toy pistol for the job.

At about 8:40 p.m. Monday, Thompson went into Connell Chevrolet on Harbor Boulevard and persuaded a salesman to accompany him on a test drive, Cordeiro said. Within a few blocks, however, Thompson drew the fake pistol and forced the salesman out of the car. He then picked up Yates and drove to a motel room in Tustin.

Yates then took the $40,000 convertible to Mission Viejo to demonstrate it to a friend, Cordeiro said. “He just got a brand new Corvette to drive, and he was out hotdogging it and attracting a lot of attention.”

One of those attracted was a sheriff’s deputy, who stopped Yates at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday for erratic driving, Cordeiro said. A check of records showed that the car was stolen, and Yates and his friend wound up at the Costa Mesa police station. The friend was soon released as an innocent bystander.

Yates’ motel key led police to Thompson, who was arrested at 9 a.m. Tuesday when he answered a knock at the motel room door, Cordeiro said.