Woman arrested in 2 burglaries

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- A 38-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of

burglarizing at least two homes in Corona del Mar, police said Friday.

Lora Mae Balajadia of Los Angeles was arrested Thursday night while

driving on East Coast Highway with allegedly stolen goods in her 1990

Toyota, police said.

The suspect was confronted earlier by a 69-year-old woman on Daffodil

Street who told police that she saw a stranger stealing items from her

garage.

The unidentified resident said she asked the stranger to leave, and

the woman did so after putting down a wallet that belonged to the

homeowner, police said.

The resident also told police that she saw the woman get into a 1990

Toyota and drive away.

An officer in a police helicopter spotted the car heading west on

Bayside Drive near the intersection of East Coast Highway and informed

patrols on the ground.

After officers pulled the car over, they found items allegedly

belonging to an 83-year-old woman who lived near Daffodil Street, said

Lt. Doug Fletcher.

He said that woman did not even know the property was missing and had

not reported anything to police.

“We found other property in her car [that] she said belonged to her,”

Fletcher said. “But we’re investigating that.”

Police did not release the names of the victims because of their age.

Fletcher said several senior citizens live in the Corona del Mar

neighborhood.

“This person obviously knew that and targeted them,” he said.

Balajadia is being held at Orange County Jail on $25,000 bail and for

a no-bail parole violation, police said.