Lake Elsinore Man Among Suspects In Newport Beach Burglaries

Three people were arrested over the weekend after police caught them in possession of multiple items, including a shotgun, allegedly stolen from Newport Beach houses.

Two of the suspects were from Southwest Riverside County, including a Lake Elsinore man and a woman from Murrieta.

On Friday at about 1:40 a.m., Newport Beach police tried to conduct a traffic stop near the intersection of Dover Drive and Norfolk Lane. Once officers approached the car, they spotted a shotgun underneath the front seat, according to police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

"Further investigation revealed that all three individuals had been involved in multiple residential burglaries over the course of several hours, starting on Thursday evening," Manzella said. "In at least two cases, the homeowners were in their residences at the time of the burglaries." 

Christian William Whitaker, 21, of Lake Elsinore, Brittany Lauren Whitaker, 19, of Murrieta and Kelsea Nichole Blackburn, 20, of Oceanside were each booked for residential burglary and are being held on $50,000 bail, police reported. 

The homes believed to be burglarized by the three suspects were all unlocked, Manzella said. Officers found thousands of dollars worth of stolen property in the possession of the suspects including the shotgun, computers, cell phones, video game equipment, a purse and wallet, checkbooks and credit cards.

Anyone who may have more information about the case is encouraged to call Detective Tracy McKenzie at 949-644-3761, or the Newport Beach Police Department Hotline at 1-800-550-NBPD. Messages can be left anonymously. --Nisha Gutierrez-Jaime