Michael Tomson, founder of Gotcha, has been arrested for suspicion of selling cocaine.
Earlier this week, Michael Tomson was arrested for suspicion of dealing drugs. According to the Laguna Beach Indy, officers discovered 52 grams of cocaine during a routine probation check. The drugs were worth around $2000. They also found a scale and baggies used to package the drug.
Back in the seventies and eighties, Tomson was one of the world’s best surfers. He was a staple in the pro circuit’s early years, leading the charge in the mid-seventies at Pipeline. The regular-footer was one of the first to prove that it was possible to surf Pipe at the same level as goofy-footers.
Then, in 1978, he moved from South Africa to Laguna Beach, where he co-founded Gotcha out of a garage. The surf wear company quickly became one of the top selling brands of the time, eventually selling $65 million worth of product in 1987.
Somewhere around 2010, Tomson began having more run-ins with police. In 2013, after getting in a car accident in the early morning hours in Laguna, he was arrested and charged with two felony DUIs and suspicion of cocaine possession. His charges carry a bail amount of $25,000.
