Pair suspected of stealing cavity fillings

A man and a woman are behind bars today on suspicion of stealing raw precious metals used to fill cavities from 18 dental laboratories mostly in Orange County, police said. Matthew Marchman, 38, and Shawna Lerer, 29, both of Costa Mesa, were arrested early Sunday morning after a patrol officer saw Lerer sitting in a car outside a lab in the 700 block of North Valley Street near the 5 freeway, said Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez. Marchman, who was walking nearby, discarded a crowbar on seeing the officer, Martinez said. Marchman was arrested and Lerer fled in a Chrysler Sebring but was quickly caught in the industrial complex, Martinez said.

A crime spree began in late November resulting in 18 dental labs – many in Anaheim – being burglarized, Martinez said. Labs in Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Westminster, Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin, San Clemente and possibly Walnut were targeted, he said. Two vehicles were stolen during two of the burglaries and later burned, Martinez said. Burglary detectives and the department's crime analysis unit noticed the crime trend. The officer who spotted the suspects was patrolling dental labs. Following the arrests, detectives uncovered a large amount of evidence believed to be linked to many of the dental laboratories burglarized, Martinez said.