Dana Sternthal
News Editor
The Manhattan Beach Police Department arrested 28-year-old Jonathan Peter Shereston on charges of child annoyance and stalking on Jan. 14 after he followed two female Mira Costa High School students in his yellow Mercedes sedan.
The first student was walking home from school at approximately 3:30 p.m. when she noticed the sedan following her. The car pulled over and the student hid at her neighbor’s house, where she called the police. Responding police units were unable to find the car in the residential area.
Approximately a half an hour later, another female student called MBPD, describing similar circumstances. She was followed by a male driving a vehicle matching the previous description provided.
“I applaud the students in this matter for reporting the incident immediately and for being aware of their surroundings.” Manhattan Beach Unified Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews said in an e-mail to MBUSD parents on Jan. 16. “It is always a good time to talk with our children about safety and about reporting anything that happens that is out of the ordinary.”
An MBPD officer was monitoring traffic on Manhattan Beach Boulevard later that day when he observed a vehicle and driver matching descriptions provided by both victims. Officers stopped the vehicle in the 1900 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard, where they identified the driver as Shereston. He was booked into MBPD’s jail and released on citation to South Bay Court for an appearence on March 10.
“We live in a safe community, but we cannot forget that crimes can be committed anywhere, at any time and to anyone.” School Resource Officer John Loy said.
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