Seal Beach Man Pleads Not Guilty to Burglarizing Los Al Home

A Seal Beach man has pleaded not guilty to burglary charges for allegedly stealing credit cards and a purse from a Los Al woman’s home.

On Oct. 17, Kenneth William Nyquist, 18, also pleaded not guilty to driving without a license, registration and insurance.

Nyquist is due back in court Nov. 5 for a pretrial hearing.

He was arrested Oct. 8 about 11:38 p.m. after a Los Alamitos police officer saw a black Jeep Wagoneer “driving suspiciously in the Rossmoor Highlands neighborhood,” said Capt. Bruce McAlpine in a written statement.

McAlpine said the officer noticed the jeep’s license plate light was not working, and stopped the jeep near the intersection of Bradbury and Reagan. 

After asking what the man was doing in the neighborhood and why the light was out, the officer noticed a female’s purse in the passenger seat, McAlpine said. The officer also noticed several credit cards and papers lying on the seat, he said.

“This raised the officer’s suspicions,” McAlpine said. “Upon gaining consent to search the vehicle, the officer determined the purse and credit cards belonged to a Los Alamitos resident living on Howard Ave.”

The officer contacted the woman named on the credit cards, and she said they had been stolen. McAlpine said the victim left her purse on her kitchen table and left her sliding-glass kitchen door unlocked. The alleged burglary occurred after she went to bed.

It's unclear if Nyquist knew the kitchen door would be unlocked, but he is acquaintance of the victim’s son, who is away at college, McAlpine said.

“We do not know why Nyquist was driving in the Rossmoor Highlands neighborhood, but it stands to reason he may have been looking for additional victims to target,” McAlpine said. “This incident should serve as a reminder for all of us to secure our houses and vehicles and not to fall into a false sense of security.”

Nyquist was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary and booked into Orange County Jail.