LAPD Officer Jeffry Quinton Charged With Stealing $300 Bedsheets on Hotel Night Watch

Surf and Sand Resort

Perks of the nightwatch.

Not only did the 48-year-old cop take up a job as night security for the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach, but -- according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office -- he used his exclusive access to the lost-and-found bin to reap the leftovers of loaded O.C. vacationers.

Quinton's alleged damage:

• On Oct. 17, 2011, hotel staff recovered $2,000 from a hotel room, secured it into a lost and found safe, and logged in the information. ... The following day, the defendant is accused of accessing the electronic system and changing the $2,000 to list a "gold watch" in its place. He is accused of changing the room number where the money was found, falsely logging that the watch was returned to its owner, and stealing $960 out of the safe.
• On Dec. 26, 2011, the defendant is accused of covering the surveillance camera in the security office with tape for several minutes. While the camera's view was blocked with tape, he is accused of stealing $680 out of the safe deposit box in the office.
• On Jan. 24, 2012, Quinton is accused of disappearing for over an hour during his shift, stealing $290 in bedding from a locked hotel storage room, and storing the items in his car.

Kind of chump change, in the end -- though by the pattern of alleged thefts, it looks like Quinton may have just been getting started. (Next thing you know, god forbid, he would have gone in for the $1,000 seashell arrangements.) And the charges were enough to net him felony counts of grand theft and commercial burglary, punishable by a maximum of three years and eight months in state prison.

Over his two-decade career, Quinton has been "commended by the community" twice in the official LAPD newsletter: once in 2000, and once in 2008.

So maybe this was more a crime of the 99 percent? Robin Hood-style? A perfect revenge plot, given the bougie pitch for Surf and San Resort:

"All 167 guest rooms and 16 suites at Surf & Sand command spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Part of a recent $3 million renovation, guest rooms have been refreshed with a new California coastal design that's both timeless and elegant. A palette of ocean colors can be seen in textiles and custom furnishings. Original artwork, luxurious linens and new modern lighting provide comprehensive contemporary comforts, while private furnished balconies extend the coastal experience further."

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]