Newport Man to Be Charged in Dirty Diaper Dumping Case

A Newport Coast man got himself into deep doodie when he allegedly dumped dirty adult diapers from his Lexus onto Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.

Tomoo Kawai, 68, faces one misdemeanor count of unlawful waste disposal, a sentence that could carry six months in jail if he is convicted, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Kawai is scheduled to be arraigned at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach on Dec. 17.

The famous Pacific Coast Highway, well-known for its cliff top coastal vistas and fancy sports cars, became a target for the dirty diaper dumpings in December 2011 when motorists started finding white bags containing several used diapers strewn across different sections of PCH. The dumping continued throughout the summer.

Dirty diapers were found near Cameo Highlands in Corona del Mar and they also appeared on MacArthur Boulevard. In May, the dookie-dumping spread to North Laguna Beach, where dirty diapers were dropped along North Coast Highway between Irvine Cove and Emerald Bay.

Police got a break in the case in September, when police in Laguna Beach found freshly-dumped bags of diapers in the road. According to LBPD Capt. Jason Kravetz, after looking in the bags, a police officer found an envelope attached to a diaper that was addressed to a medical office in Fullerton.

Police discovered one of the office's employees lived in Newport Coast. Police conducted surveillance on the home and on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 25 saw Kawai get into his Lexus and drive off.

When detectives initiated a traffic stop near Reef Point and Coast Highway, they saw a large bag of used diapers in the passenger seat. Kawai was questioned that night but was not arrested.