LAPD officer accused in theft from Laguna hotel

A Los Angeles police officer who also worked as a security guard at the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach has been charged with grand theft and burglary from the hotel.

Jeffry Paul Quinton, 48, of Anaheim Hills, faces three years and eight months in prison for one felony count each of grand theft and commercial burglary, according to a news release from the Orange County district attorney’s office.

On Oct. 17, hotel staff logged $2,000 into its online lost and found system. Quinton is accused of accessing the system and changing the log to say it was a gold watch that was found. He then changed the room number where the money was found, falsely logged that the watch had been returned to its owner and stole $960 from the hotel safe, prosecutors say.

On Dec. 26, he is accused of blocking the view of a surveillance camera and stealing $680 from a safe deposit box in the security office, according to the release.

On Jan. 24, prosecutors allege that Quinton stole $290 in bedding from a hotel storage room.

Quinton is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.

— Kelly Parker

Twitter: @KellyParkerTCN