A man involved in acts of vandalism and inciting a riot at an Orange County surfboarding event plead guilty on October 31. Riots occurred at the U.S. Open of Surfing on July 28. Acts of vandalism and other serious property crimes happened at that event. This is perhaps shocking, considering the usual mellow associations with the art of riding a surfboard.

A 19-year-old man from Simi Valley was involved in the riots that followed the U.S. Open of Surfing. That event and the resulting riots were in Huntington Beach. The man, named Chase Scott Christman, pleaded guilty to vandalism, refusal to disperse and inciting a riot. These offenses were all deemed to be misdemeanors.

As a result of his plea, he was immediately sentenced. Christman received 80 hours of community service for his crimes. While he was placed on three years of probation, this sentence is not particularly stiff. As a result, these will be served through informal probation. The fact that he pleaded guilty may have helped to reduce the resulting sentences. Nevertheless, he might very well have also had a professionally assembled team as well that advised him on making this vitally important decision.

The services of an attorney are often considered necessary to avoid long reaching problems that might result from such a situation. Since Christman is so young, he probably considered how this kind of a record would influence his future. Legal analysts believe that Christman could have gone to prison for up to three years if he were convicted in a trial.

Nevertheless, it was not the only arrest made after the July 28 riots. Michael John Lytle, age 30, is supposed to be arraigned in court on November 19. He is a Fullerton firefighter, and lives in Anaheim. He was off-duty at the time of the riots, and now faces a misdemeanor charge of resisting police. He was placed on administrative leave from his firefighting duties, more than likely as a result of what is currently going on with his legal situation.