Sheriff's Blotter: Ortega Construction Edition

Here’s a special Patch sheriff’s blotter just on calls made to complain about conditions at Ortega Highway and the I-5 interchange. We suspect there may be more of these calls in the future:

At 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, a caller reported a traffic hazard at Ortega and Rancho Viejo Road. The caller said drivers were not adhering to the traffic signals.

At 3:17 p.m. Tuesday, someone phoned the sheriff’s department to report that the traffic lights were out at Ortega Highway and the I-5.

At 9:10 a.m. Tuesday, a caller complained that Caltrans did not have proper signage for the lanes, and it was causing major congestion. The caller feared an accident would occur. A deputy reported with only one lane open in each direction because of construction that the department should expect a lot of calls and heavy traffic.

Accidents were reported 4:16 p.m. Tuesday and 10:04 a.m. Friday, but there is no way to determine whether this was construction-traffic related.

These are selected reports from the San Juan Capistrano Police Dispatch Services log throughout the past few days. The calls represent what was told to a sheriff's deputy in the field by the radio dispatcher. No presumption of criminal guilt or affiliation should be drawn from the information provided.