A 30-year-old man pleaded not guilty Thursday of committing burglaries and other thefts authorities say netted him about $200,000 in valuables in a July crime spree in Laguna Beach.
Edward David Torrison of Oceanside was charged with single counts each of second-degree burglary, grand theft and receiving stolen property, all felonies.
He also faces sentencing enhancement allegations of property damage exceeding $65,000.
Torrison pleaded not guilty Thursday and was ordered to return to court Oct. 6 for a pretrial hearing.
Torrison was arrested Tuesday in Oceanside, where he lives with his girlfriend, according to Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jim Cota.
Torrison tried to run from police when they went to arrest him, Cota said.
Police found about $500,000 in stolen jewelry and two loaded guns in the suspect’s residence, according to Cota.
Police were called on July 26 about burglaries at the Shops at the Cliffs shopping center that netted thieves more than $200,000, Cota said.
There was a second suspect pictured in a surveillance video of one of the burglaries that police still seek to find, Cota said.
The thieves stole loot from four stores on July 26, Cota said.
Police suspect Torrison was involved in other burglaries, Cota said.
“We’re getting phone calls galore” from other law enforcement agencies, Cota said.
Investigators from two different Orange County cities called Laguna Beach Thursday because they suspect Torrison may have burglarized a store there, Cota said. Laguna Beach detectives suspect Torrison may have been involved in a break-in in the north side of Laguna Beach, Cota added.
–City News Service