Teaching aide arrested A Huntington Beach...

Teaching aide arrested

A Huntington Beach resident and teaching assistant at Pegasus

Middle School was arrested Saturday in Yorba Linda for allegedly

having sex with an underage girl whom he met on the Internet, Brea

police said.

Brea police arrested Charles Shinji Aizumi, 28, at 4:15 a.m. in

the parking lot of the Yorba Linda Continuing Education Center, Sgt.

Jack Conklin said. The center is at 4175 Fairmont Blvd.

Police spotted Aizumi’s 1992 Acura in the lot and found the Surf

City man with a 15-year-old Yorba Linda girl.

Police determined that they had been having sex and arrested

Aizumi for suspected lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor. Some

evidence was recovered at the scene, Conklin said.

Aizumi is a teacher’s assistant at Pegasus, a private school in

Huntington Beach. On Monday, he was placed on permanent leave until

the police investigation is resolved, principal Laura Hathaway said.

Aizumi supervised students during recess and during classroom

sessions for the past nearly year-and-a-half, Hathaway said.

On Saturday, Brea police released Aizumi after he posted $50,000

bail.

He is scheduled to appear Feb. 26 at the North Justice Center in

Fullerton.

‘Fu-Manchu’ robber hits Edinger bank

A man described by police as sporting a “thin fu-Manchu” mustache

robbed a Cal Fed Bank branch on Edinger Avenue on Monday, police

said.

Sgt. Gary Meza said the man was white, in his mid-30s, 5 feet 10

inches tall, 180 pounds, had short hair and was wearing a black

pullover sweater and black pants.

At 1:37 p.m. Monday, the man entered the east side of the bank,

which is at 7772 Edinger Ave., approached a female teller and

demanded that she “Give me the 100s and 50s,” Meza said.

After the teller handed over the money, the suspect fled by the

same door he entered and headed eastbound on foot.

He was not seen with a weapon and did not appear to use a vehicle

during the robbery, Meza said.

Police conducted an search of the area after the robbery, but have

not found the man. The investigation is ongoing, Meza said.

Police seek senior volunteers

The Huntington Beach Police Department is now accepting

applications from residents 55 and older for its Retired Senior

Volunteer program.

Volunteers perform duties for the department, including checking

on vacation houses, taking down illegally posted signs, citing

illegally parked cars and assisting with public relations duties.

Volunteers also participate in community special events and assist

police personnel within the department.

Anyone interested in the program should contact the police

coordinator at (714) 536-5246. Training is set to begin in February.

Chief addresses Downtown issues

Police Chief Kenneth Small spoke to a group of Downtown merchants

Tuesday afternoon at the Huntington Beach Art Center. The Huntington

Beach Restaurants Assn. and Downtown Merchants Assn. sponsored the

event, which began at 5:30 p.m.

Small discussed foot patrols, the “homeless problem,” late-night

fighting, parking structure safety, traffic control issues, loitering

and code enforcement violations such as loud music, unwanted fliers

and trash.

Several members of the City Council also attended the talk.

The art center is at 538 Main St.

Police chief honors two employees

Huntington Beach Police Chief Kenneth Small recognized Lisa Hunter

and Melissa Watkins as employees of the month for January.

Hunter and Watkins, who are assigned to the detective bureau

reception desk, were chosen for the outstanding jobs they’ve done

dealing with the public and assisting detectives.

During a recent high-profile case, Hunter and Watkins displayed

their professionalism by handling a large number of calls from

concerned, and sometimes irate, citizens by calming them down,

reassuring them and explaining department policies when needed.

Firefighters give MD the boot

Firefighters fought for charity over the holidays by volunteering

their time as part of the annual “Fill the Boot” event.

Firefighters from Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and the Orange

County Fire Authority helped earn more than $17,000 for the Muscular

Dystrophy Assn. in only five hours.

They collected the money from passing motorists, who filled their

fire boots with cash.