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Local News in Brief : Laguna Beach : Officers Play Santa to Suspect’s Family

Laguna Beach police officers, concerned about the wife and young sons of a suspect they had arrested, Friday delivered toys, food and even a Christmas tree to the family.

“It’s the sort of thing that makes you feel good, especially at this time of year,” Police Lt. William Cavanaugh said.

Cavanaugh said Sgt. Ray Lardie and Officers George Ramos, Ron Sapp and Greg Walloch joined forces to bring food and presents to the Anaheim family of William W. Warden.

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Warden, 31, already was in custody on drug-possession charges when Laguna Beach police received a tip that he had household goods at his home in Anaheim that had been stolen, Cavanaugh said.

When Lardie and other officers went to the Anaheim house, they found the family was using furniture allegedly stolen last August from a self-haul trailer in Laguna Beach, Cavanaugh said. Officers had no choice, he said, but to seize the furniture as evidence, including an artificial tree the family was using.

“Sgt. Lardie said he couldn’t sleep last night for worrying about the mother and two little boys in that home,” Cavanaugh said. “So today, he and the other officers started the drive to collect food and toys and a new Christmas tree for the family.

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“They took it to the mother and her two boys, who are 2 (years) and 4 months old, in Anaheim. The mother was really emotionally moved by all of this.”

Cavanaugh said the officers’ wives donated and cooked the food, and that the officers brought in several bags of toys for the little boys.

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