A Los Angeles Police Department officer moonlighting as a security guard was convicted and sentenced on Monday, July 30, for stealing from the Laguna Beach luxury hotel where he worked.
Jeffry Paul Quinton, 47, Anaheim Hills, pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to an offer from the court to one felony count each of grand theft and commercial burglary. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail, three years of formal probation, and ordered to pay restitution. Prosecutor Andrew Katz advocated for a one-year sentence in custody.
Quinton, who has 21 years of service with the LAPD, was assigned to Central Division. He was placed on administrative leave by the department after his arrest in March. An internal affairs investigation is still underway, spokeswoman Sara Faden said Monday.
Laguna Beach police set up surveillance cameras in the Surf and Sand Resort after its staff reported irregularities last year, Lt. Jason Kravetz said in March. Police investigated three different theft allegations involving Quinton, who worked a second job as a security guard.
Last October, hotel staff discovered that Quinton falsified information in the hotel’s online “lost and found” system, enabling him to steal $960 in cash from a safe. Quinton accessed the system and changed log information about $2,000 secured in a safe after its recovery from a room into a “gold watch.” He falsely logged that the watch was returned to its owner and took half the currency.
On Dec. 26, Quinton used tape to obscure the surveillance camera in the security office and pocketed another $680 from the office safe, the prosecutor said.
On Jan. 24, Quinton disappeared for more than an hour during his shift and stole $290 in bedding and stashed the linens in his car.
