Jolted awake - Los Angeles Times
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Jolted awake

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Deepa Bharath

“It’s not everyday that you see a car in your living room.”

Those were the words of Costa Mesa resident Ellen Roberts, who

actually got to witness that rare event at about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday

morning.

Roberts and her husband, Ken, were jolted from their beds when an

18-year-old Huntington Beach man crashed his car through their living

room window barely missing their guest who was sleeping on the couch,

she said.

Police arrested Wiley Joseph Orrison on suspicion of driving under

the influence of alcohol, hit-and-run and reckless driving, said

Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney.

Birney said an officer first tried to stop Orrison for a traffic

violation at the intersection of Adams Avenue and Fairview Road.

But Orrison did not stop and continued to drive eastbound on Baker

Street to Coolidge Avenue and then on Paularino Avenue, Birney added.

“He was traveling quite fast and hit six parked cars on

Paularino,” he said.

Then, Orrison lost control of his vehicle, went off the street and

crashed into the Roberts’ home in the 1100 block of Paularino, Birney

said.

On Thursday, Ellen Roberts said the hole the car made has been

boarded up, but she still has dirt, glass and rubble piled up in her

living room. She and her husband have been spending the last two days

calling insurance companies about fixing the house and their cars

that were parked in the driveway, which she said Orrison also hit.

“Our television was dragged about 3 feet and is probably broken,”

she said. “It’s going to be strange, just eating dinner and going to

bed.”

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