CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Member of Group Seeking Solicitors Permits Arrested, Police Say

A group of people arrived at the Newport Beach Police Department headquarters earlier this month seeking applications for solicitors permits — but instead one member was arrested on a warrant and the others in the group dispersed, police said.

The Jan. 3 incident came a few days after a series of complaints were lodged to police about illegal peddling in Corona del Mar. Police received five calls of illegal peddling within a few hours on Dec. 29, prompting a reminder to residents to renew their registration with the city’s Do Not Solicit online registry; read our story here.

At the time, police said it seemed likely that the number of calls indicated a group working the Corona del Mar area. It is not clear if the same people were part of the Jan. 3 group that arrived at the police department’s front desk for permits.

“As part of the process we verify the identity of the applicants,” said Kathy Lowe, a police spokeswoman. “None of the applicants had a valid form of identification available, therefore a records check was completed.”

The records check showed that one of the would-be solicitors, a 35-year-old Phoenix man, had an outstanding warrant for driving without a license, Lowe said.

“He was subsequently arrested,” she said.

The front desk staff spent several minutes discussing identification with the members of the group, who claimed their ids had been destroyed by hurricane, were unavailable or non-existent.

Police officers said that when the man was arrested, the rest of the group left the station quickly.

To sign up for the city’s Do Not Solicit registry, click here.