Sex offender arrested after he’s found naked on a porch, Costa Mesa police say

Costa Mesa police say they arrested a convicted sex offender Thursday morning after residents found him naked on their porch at about 6:15 a.m.

Police identified the man as Jeffrey R. Smith, 43, of Costa Mesa.

Detectives were investigating Smith before he turned up nude in the 2100 block of Orange Avenue, according to Costa Mesa police spokesman Lt. Greg Scott.

They suspected Smith might have been tied to previous early morning reports of sexual battery, indecent exposure, peeping, prowling and trespassing on Costa Mesa’s Eastside, Scott said.

Police declined to release more information about those incidents but did say that Smith has a history of arrests in Costa Mesa.

In April, Smith was sentenced to 60 days in jail after he failed to register with Costa Mesa police as a sex offender. In May, Costa Mesa police arrested him for battery and trespassing.

In July, he was arrested again for failing to register as a sex offender, but he was released after court staff reviewed the case, according to Scott, who did not explain further.

Police arrested Smith on suspicion of indecent exposure and disorderly conduct in connection with Thursday’s incident. They also held him on charges of burglary and sexual assault based on previous incidents, Scott said.

Smith was booked into Costa Mesa Jail and transferred to Orange County Jail where he’s being held in lieu of $150,000 bail, according to sheriff’s department records.

Police did not explain what crime Smith committed that required him to register as a sex offender, but according to Orange County court records he pleaded guilty to felony sexual battery and nine misdemeanors including peeping and false imprisonment in 1999. A judge sentenced him to two years in prison in that case.

Smith also has a recent history of drug-related and other misdemeanor arrests in other nearby cities, court records show.