Arrest is a day at the beach for a new Costa Mesa detective

A new Costa Mesa police detective got a beach assignment for at least one day this week.

Det. Monte Peters, who recently transferred from the Police Department’s patrol division, had to pull a wanted man out of the waves in Newport Beach on Wednesday.

Peters, on his third day in his new post, arrested the swimsuit-clad man near Prospect Street in Newport.

Costa Mesa police Sgt. Stephanie Selinske said the man was wanted on suspicion of possession of stolen property.

Police declined to release the man’s name or explain how they tracked him to the beach because detectives are still investigating an incident that may be related to the case.

Peters is one of three officers in Costa Mesa who are newly assigned to detective work. They are some of the first to be transferred into specialty assignments since the department began rebuilding its ranks after cutbacks prompted it to focus on basic functions like patrol.

“He’s very excited,” Selinske said.

-- Jeremiah Dobruck