BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Man pleads not...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Man pleads not guilty in auto theft

A 26-year-old Costa Mesa man on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to

two felony charges in connection with stealing a woman’s 1986 Toyota

Corolla when she was visiting her disabled child in the hospital,

officials said.

The Orange County district attorney has charged Pedro Meraz with

one count of unlawfully taking a vehicle and one count of receiving

stolen property.

Meraz was arrested by Huntington Beach police when he was driving

into a strip mall at the intersection of Golden West Street and

Garfield Avenue on Monday, Deputy District Atty. Susan Schroeder

said.

“Officers found the ignition punched and a screwdriver in the

ignition,” she said.

The car was stolen Aug. 18 after the owner had parked it at

Children’s Hospital of Orange County and gone in to visit her child.

Meraz was arraigned on Wednesday at the West Justice Center in

Westminster. He is being held in Orange County jail in lieu of

$10,000 bail.