Another day, another South County massage parlor stung by a fake cop.
Three days before a retired Chicago-area police officer managed to yank a free rub out of a Lake Forest spa by pretending to be an active-duty cop “inspecting” the joint, the unknown man pictured at right pulled a similar stunt at a Laguna Hills massage parlor.
Now, Orange County sheriff's deputies would like to talk with the dude, not to get tips but to possibly arrest him for posing as a member of the force.
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Just before 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 28, the fellow walked into the establishment, got a massage and, before leaving, announced he was a police officer, whipping out a badge and identification card for emphasis.
He told two female masseuses to sit down and not move before advising them he had just received an illegal massage and that he was calling backup for assistance. When one of the women asked to see his identification again, the man headed toward the front door while still ordering the employees not to move until his backup arrived.
One woman then dialed 911 and informed the dispatcher about what was taking place. When she told the man she was on the phone with a dispatcher, he quickly exited, He was last seen driving northbound in a dark, older model sedan on Paseo de Valencia.
He was described as Filipino or Hispanic, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a heavy build and a close-cropped haircut. Anyone who may have bumped into him at some point is asked to call sheriff's Investigator J. Gentile at 714.647.4110 or the department commander at 714.628.7170.
You may recall the recent Navel Gazing post on the arrest of a 47-year-old Mission Viejo resident who allegedly pulled a similar crime.
Edward Justin La Porte was arrested Feb. 2 on suspicion of burglary and impersonating a police officer following the incident at Golden Spa, 24342 Muirlands Blvd., Lake Forest.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.