Murrieta Man Accused of Child Annoyance

A Murrieta man suspected of following a 15-year-old girl down a San Jacinto street and then staking out a restaurant where she tried to hide was free today on $3,500 bail.

Scott Richard Lovell, 34, of Murrieta was arrested Monday afternoon and booked on suspicion of misdemeanor child annoying, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The victim told sheriff's investigators that she noticed a man in a pickup truck driving slowly behind her as she walked on the sidewalk in the 1000 block of Idyllwild Drive around 4:30 p.m. Monday.

The teenager became frightened and darted into a fast-food restaurant, where she called her family for help, sheriff's officials said.

"The suspect followed the victim to the establishment and parked in the parking lot, never exiting the vehicle," according to a sheriff's statement. "When the victim's parent arrived to pick the victim up, the suspect fled the location in the truck."

The teen's family called 911 and provided a description of the suspect and truck, which deputies quickly located. Lovell was arrested without incident and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. He was released Tuesday after posting the bond.

Lovell is due in court April 30 on the misdemeanor charge.