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Costa Mesa police search for flasher

Deepa Bharath

Police are looking for a man who reportedly exposed himself twice and

tried to steal women’s underwear from a home -- all on the same day,

officials said Thursday.

Detectives believe the same man was involved in all three

incidents, which were reported on Nov. 22 between 3:40 and 7 p.m.,

Lt. Dale Birney said.

At about 3:40 p.m., the man, said to be between 20 and 30 years of

age, walked into the laundry room of an apartment complex in the 700

block of Shalimar Drive, nude, Birney said.

“He confronted a female in the laundry room,” he said.

Police said the same man also accosted another girl less than an

hour later, again in a laundry room of an apartment complex in the

700 block of West 18th Street, and exposed himself to her.

The third incident happened at about 7 p.m. in the 1700 block of

Newport Boulevard, when he was seen inside a home stealing women’s

underwear from the bedroom, he said.

No one was touched in any of the incidents, Birney said.

“He doesn’t seem to be violent, based on what occurred,” he said.

“But we don’t know if he’s wanted for something else. And with anyone

who is brazen enough to do something like this, we never know for

sure.”

The two incidents in which the man exposed himself happened in

broad daylight, Birney said.

“The person may have experienced the thrill or excitement he

sought with what he did or he may not have,” he said. “There may have

been drugs or alcohol involved. It’s hard to tell, and we don’t know

at this point.”

The incidents have made neighbors on Shalimar Drive nervous, said

Yareli Lopez, who lives in an apartment building near the complex

where one of the incidents reportedly happened.

“Police were in cars that night looking for the guy,” she said.

“And they didn’t find him, which for us is pretty scary.”

Lopez said such incidents are rare in her tightly-knit

neighborhood where “everybody knows everybody else.”

“We’re all taking precautions,” she said. “Parents are asking kids

to stay at home and not talk to strangers. We’re all hoping they

catch him soon.”

Police are describing the wanted man as someone who is 20 to 30

years old, about 5-foot-6, weighing 135 to 155 pounds, with black

hair and brown eyes. He is also said to have a tattoo of a skeleton

on his left arm.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Ed Everett at (714)

754-5360.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].

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