Arrest Warrant Issued for Son of City’s Police Chief

Huntington Beach police have issued an arrest warrant for the police chief’s son, Robert Edward Lowenberg, who served prison time for setting a fire in the Cleveland National Forest in 1987.

The $25,000 warrant was issued last month after a security guard at an apartment complex said he saw Lowenberg, 27, carrying a semiautomatic handgun.

The felony warrant marks the first time that the department, led by Chief Ron Lowenberg, has taken direct action related to the son’s troubles with the law, police spokesman Lt. Dan Johnson said.

“The chief loves his son unconditionally, but he doesn’t love the things his son has been involved with,” Johnson said.

The security guard at the complex in the 4900 block of Heil Avenue said he stopped the younger Lowenberg armed with the pistol, but Lowenberg fled before police arrived.

Because Lowenberg was convicted of a felony--arson--in connection with the 1987 forest fire, he is prohibited from owning firearms, and any violation of that restriction is a felony.

Prosecutors said Lowenberg admitted to setting two small fires after “drinking and getting high” in the forest with a friend. The fires spread to become a blaze that took two weeks and 1,100 firefighters to extinguish.