Man ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution after driving into Fairview Park vernal pool

A Costa Mesa man was sentenced this week to three years’ probation and ordered to pay more than $6,000 to the city of Costa Mesa for driving a vehicle into a vernal pool at Fairview Park in March, authorities said.

Julio Cesar Medero-Sotomayor, 28, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of vandalism, one count of being in the park after dark and a count of riding a vehicle in a park, all misdemeanors.

He was immediately sentenced to informal probation and 20 days of community service and ordered to pay $6,065 in restitution for damage at the park, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Costa Mesa police launched an investigation March 29 after a city employee noticed damage in Fairview Park near a vernal pool off Canyon Avenue, according to police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad.

Investigators determined that Medero-Sotomayor had driven a vehicle the night before through the log barricades on Canyon Avenue and onto the grass. Authorities allege the vehicle knocked down temporary fencing around the pool basin, Fyad said.

Fyad said the vehicle got stuck on the grass and a tow truck was needed to pull the car out.

Ten vernal pools have been identified in Fairview Park, according to city officials. The pools, which are essentially seasonal wetlands, are home to San Diego and Riverside fairy shrimp. Both species are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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