Thursday, October 28, 2010

Highlighted Activity - Week of October 21 - October 27, 2010

During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 564 service events, resulting in 111 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Grand Theft Auto

October 21 at 8:24 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 800 block of West Duarte regarding the theft of a vehicle. The victim reported that his wife had parked and secured their vehicle on the street in the evening. He returned to the vehicle in the morning and it was gone. There was no broken glass on the street where the vehicle had been parked and they accounted for all of the keys to the vehicle. The vehicle is a red, 1993 Honda Accord.

Vehicle Burglary

October 21 at 11:04 a.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 300 block of West Foothill regarding a vehicle break-in. The victim told the officer someone had broken into her vehicle through a window and stole her purse. Investigation continuing.

Residential Burglary

October 21 at 5:17 p.m., an officer went to a residence in the 500 block of King Street regarding the report of a residential burglary. The victim reported that she secured her home and left at 6:45 a.m. and then returned a little after 5:00 p.m. When she entered the house, she saw a window was broken and her laptop, cell phone and other miscellaneous items were missing. Investigation continuing.

Outside Assist / Parole Violation - Suspect Arrested

October 22 at 8:13 a.m., officers responded to a residence in the 900 block of West Olive to assist a California parole agent with the check of a residence. The parole agent was checking up on a parolee and observed an empty high-capacity rifle magazine and thought there might be a weapon at the location. A weapon was not found; however, the parolee was found to be in possession of marijuana. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Possession of Burglary Tools - Suspect Arrested

October 22 at 4:36 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 300 block of East Palm to a possible vehicle burglary in progress. When the officer arrived, he detained a suspicious person in the alley. The officer discovered the subject was in possession of a window punch, flash light and bolt cutters that had a sling modification attached, which allowed the bolt cutters to be concealed beneath clothing. An area check was conducted, but no evidence of a vehicle burglary was found. The suspect was arrested for possession of burglary tools.

Grand Theft

October 23 at 6:20 a.m., an officer responded on the report of a stolen bicycle in the 100 block of West Lemon. The victim reported that he left his $1500 road bike near the front door of his apartment. He last saw the bike at 11:30 p.m. the night before and discovered it missing in the morning. The bicycle was unsecured.

Grand Theft - Suspect Arrested

October 23 at 9:51 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain regarding a grand theft. The suspect, a female employee of the business, was ringing up fraudulent sales transactions and issuing fraudulent store credit for the value of the merchandise under the name of a another former female employee. The corporate office discovered the suspicious transactions and alerted the Monrovia location of the business. The female employee was arrested.

Vandalisms to Vehicles

On October 23, several vehicle vandalisms were reported. They occurred in the 500 block of South Myrtle, the 500 block of El Norte, the 800 block of West Duarte and the 1800 block of Tenth Avenue. The vandalism involved windows being scratched and silver spray paint being applied to windows. The vehicle vandalisms appear to be random and do not appear to be gang related.

Mental Evaluation

October 27 at 12:02 a.m., officers responded to a location in the 800 block of East Foothill regarding a distraught female. She called a friend, who responded to her residence, then called police. The female suffers from depression. She was taken to a hospital and placed on a 72-hour hold for mental evaluation.

____________________________________________________________________

Auto Burglary in the news this week. As many of us remember too well, if you want to keep it don't leave it in plain sight. If the door isn't locked a window can be busted to get at it. Take it with you and lock the car if you want to keep it.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Highlighted Activity - Week of October 14 - October 20, 2010

Residential Burglary On October 15, a residential burglary occurred between 4:00 p.m. and 10:55 p.m. in the 300 block of Bradbury. The female victim left her residence and was gone for a few hours. When she returned, she discovered her residence had been ransacked. The victim was unable to determine the loss at the time. Entry was made through an unlocked kitchen window.

Residential Burglary On October 16, a residential burglary occurred between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. in the 200 block of West Cypress. The suspects made entry through an unlocked bathroom window. Miscellaneous jewelry was taken.

Stolen Vehicle October 18 at 6:40 a.m., an officer responded to the 200 block of East Pomona on a vehicle theft report. A red Acura Integra was stolen from the street in front of the victim's residence. No suspects were seen.

Suicide Investigation October 18 at 8:23 a.m., an officer responded to a hotel in the 900 block of South Fifth regarding a subject that had committed suicide by overdosing on prescription drugs. An adult male subject who had been living at the hotel for the past three months was found deceased in the room by his roommate. The investigation revealed the deceased was despondent over recently losing his job and he had a history of depression. A Los Angeles County Coroner's investigator responded to the scene for further investigation.

Stolen Vehicle October 18 at 12:18 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the area of Duarte and Encino regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim parked his 1991, red Honda CRX across the street from his residence over the weekend. When he returned to where he had parked his vehicle, he discovered it had been stolen. The victim had no idea who could have stolen his vehicle and no witnesses were located.

Death Report October 18 at 3:53 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Linwood regarding a death investigation. The deceased was found by a caregiver who was sent to the location at the brother's request. The brother had not heard from his sister for over two weeks. Officers arrived and located the deceased 63 year old woman. No obvious signs of foul play were found. A Los Angeles County Coroner's investigator responded to the scene for further investigation.

Commercial Burglary October 18 at 7:59 p.m., loss prevention from a business in the 500 block of West Huntington called and reported two subjects who had stolen merchandise from the store. The male suspect ran, but the female suspect was detained. Officers made an area search but did not locate the male suspect. The suspects had entered the store and put merchandise into an empty purse and backpack. The male exited without paying for the merchandise, while the female paid for two small items. She did not pay for the merchandise she had concealed in a large black bag. All merchandise was recovered. The male suspect is still outstanding and the female had no identification. Immigration was advised and an ICE hold was issued, as the suspect was found to be a prior deportee.

Stolen Vehicle October 19 at 6:49 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 700 block of East Lime. The vehicle was taken sometime between 8:00 p.m. and 6:49 a.m. The vehicle taken was a 2000 Honda Civic, black in color.

Residential Burglary October 19 at 12:27 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 500 block of Norumbega. The resident left the location at 10:45 a.m., and their housekeeper arrived at the residence at 11:45 a.m. The housekeeper noticed the dog was keeping its distance, which is unusual. She then noticed the back window was smashed and she exited the residence. The police were called. It appears the suspect sprayed the dog with pepper spray or mace to keep the dog away. The suspect fled the location with jewelry.

Residential Burglary October 19 at 12:39 p.m., an officer responded to the 900 block of Norumbega regarding a residential burglary. The resident had left the location and returned approximately two hours later. When they returned, they found their dog confined to the deck area of the house, which is separated from the yard where the suspect made entry through an unlocked window. The suspect fled the location with jewelry.

Prowling October 19 at 10:36 p.m., a resident at an apartment complex in the 700 block of South Myrtle called to report that she observed two subjects dressed in dark clothing on the roof of the complex. The subjects appeared to be making an attempt to get down to a balcony from the roof. Officers responded and set up a perimeter. The garage and roof access were searched, but the subjects were not located. No damage or loss occurred; however, it was clear the two male suspects were seeking ways to get into an apartment.

__________________________________________________________________
The two home burglaries on the 19th were the subject of yesterdays Robo-dial by MPD. As always stay safe and if you want to keep it, lock it when you leave.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

MPD Robodial about burglaries in North Monrovia

"This is a crime alert from the Monrovia Police Department. In the last few days, there have been two daytime burglaries in the 500 and 900 blocks of Norumbega. No one was at home during the burglaries, and it appears that the suspect may have used pepper spray to ward off the owner's dog in one of the cases. Entry was made to the rear of the houses. The houses were ransacked and small items of value were taken. We would encourage residents living in the area to secure your property and report suspicious persons or activity to the Monrovia Police Department as soon as possible. Thank you."

Chief Roger Johnson

Monrovia Police Department

140 E. Lime Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Highlighted Activity - Week of October 7 - October 13, 2010


Vehicle Burglary

October 7 at 12:47 p.m., an officer went to a residence in the 100 block of West Colorado regarding a vehicle burglary. The victim reported that his company's vehicle was broken into sometime during the night. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglary

October 7 at 3:20 p.m., an officer went to a park in the 1200 block of North Canyon on the report of a vehicle burglary. The victim parked his black Toyota Highlander in a lower level parking lot and went for a hike in the park. Upon his return, he found the passenger window broken out on his vehicle. His property was stolen and the investigation continuing.

Mental Evaluation

October 7 at 9:31 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 100 block of West Foothill regarding a subject who wanted to harm himself. A male subject riding as a passenger in his mother's vehicle had begun stating he wanted to harm himself by ending his life. He was detained and taken to a hospital and held for mental evaluation.

Filing a False Police Report

October 7 at 11:38 p.m., officers responded to a location in the 200 block of Aspen regarding a subject attempting to repossess a vehicle when another subject exited the residence with an assault rifle. Officers arrived and detained the involved parties. The officers investigated and discovered there was no brandishing of a rifle. Officers interviewed the parties and the investigation is continuing.

Domestic Violence - Suspect Arrested

October 8 at 12:55 a.m., officers responded to the 100 block of West Colorado on the report of a female stating she had been struck by her boyfriend. During the investigation, officers discovered a battery had occurred and they arrested the male subject.

Traffic Collision

October 8 at 4:39 p.m., police received a call reporting that a vehicle had ended up in the wash in the 1600 block of South Mountain. Monrovia Fire Department personnel responded and used a ladder to have the driver climb out of the wash. The driver was not injured. Los Angeles County Flood Control and tow service were notified.

Auto Burglaries / Search Warrant - Suspect Arrested

Since last May, there have been several auto burglaries in the 1200 block of North Canyon at the park. On October 7, officers were sent to the park regarding a suspicious vehicle. An officer located the suspicious vehicle and identified the driver. No crime was known at that time. Just after the subject was sent on his way, a call was received reporting an auto burglary at the park. After the investigation was conducted, it was determined that the person stopped by the officer was the suspect. Enough information was obtained for a search warrant. A search warrant was served on October 9, and items were recovered in the search that link the suspect to several burglaries. The suspect was taken into custody.

Grand Theft Auto Recovery

On October 5, a 1994 Acura Integra was stolen from the 1300 block of South Alta Vista. On October 10, an officer patrolling in the 400 block of Genoa located the vehicle parked on the street in front of a residence. The stereo had been taken from the vehicle. Investigation continuing.

Mental Evaluation

October 11 at 11:56 p.m., a female subject came into the police lobby, crying and asking for help. She stated her live-in-boyfriend of many years was acting crazy and was possibly suicidal. She said that when she left her residence, he was attempting to light things on fire in the rear yard. Officers responded and located the male subject in the rear yard. He had started a very small fire on top of a wooden table. Officers detained him and determined he was not mentally stable. He was transported to a hospital, where he was held for mental evaluation.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Neighborhood Watch Report 10-07-10

Highlighted Activity - Week of September 30 - October 6, 2010

During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 529 service events, resulting in 109 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Attempted Robbery

September 30 at 10:52 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a business parking lot in the 3300 block of South Peck Road regarding an attempt robbery. Two employees of a catering business reported three male suspects hit them with their fists and demanded money from them. The victims refused to give the suspects any money and the suspects then fled. Investigation continuing.

Vandalism - Three Suspects Arrested

September 30 at 5:30 p.m., an officer observed three subjects trespassing onto railroad property and tagging a wall. Containment of the area was set up and the three suspects were located and arrested; two of the subjects are juveniles and the third is an adult. They were arrested and brought to the jail for booking.

Peeping / Prowling - Suspect Arrested

October 1 at 8:49 p.m., officers responded to the report of a male suspect looking into a female victim's bathroom window. Upon arrival, officers saw the suspect at the corner of Colorado and Primrose, where they detained him. The female victim positively identified the suspect and he was arrested. Investigation continuing.

Burglary / Robbery - Suspect Arrested

October 2 at 10:35 a.m., police received a call reporting a fight in progress in the 1600 block of South Mountain. A loss prevention officer from a business was in an altercation with a theft suspect. When the officer arrived, the loss prevention officer had already taken the suspect into custody. The suspect went into the business and selected merchandise, which he placed it in a cart and then walked out of the business without paying. Minutes later, he walked back into the store to return the merchandise, where he was contacted by store loss prevention. The suspect walked out and refused to stop. He was pursued by a loss prevention officer and an altercation began. The suspect was arrested and booked for burglary and robbery.

Theft

October 3 at 4:59 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a hotel in the 900 block of South Fifth Avenue. A male suspect, approximately 18 to 20 years old, jumped the front counter in the lobby after asking the employee if they could make change. As soon as the register was open, he jumped over the counter and took money from the drawer. He jumped back over and fled. The investigation is continuing.

Aggravated Assault - Suspect Arrested

October 4 at 7:39 p.m., police received a call of an assault that just occurred between two male adults in an alley in the 400 block of West Hurstview. The victim and suspect have a long history of conflict between their two families. The victim was sitting in a crouched position, smoking a cigarette, when the suspect came home. The suspect confronted the victim and an altercation ensued. The victim received numerous punches to the face during the altercation, and other facial injuries may have resulted from his falling to the ground after being struck. The victim was taken to a hospital. The suspect had left the scene, but came to the station to give a statement approximately four hours after the incident. His statements, combined with the physical evidence and injuries to the victim, resulted in his arrest for aggravated assault.

______________________________________________________________________

Tip of the Week

How to Burglar-Proof Your Windows

Windows are a very common entry point for burglars. They are often left unlocked or wide open. Even when closed and latched, windows can easily be shattered with a rock, brick or heavy object. There are options available to help secure your windows.

One option available is laminated film that can be placed over your windows. The film bonds with the glass to make them nearly impenetrable. In addition, the film is clear so the window will remain completely transparent. A burglar won't even know the glass is protected until they try to break it. An option for homes that have windows that slide open on a track is to secure them by installing latches that make them difficult to open. You can also find bolts and locking pins for sliding windows.

Ensuring your windows are burglar proof is an essential task for every home owner, but it is important to remember that you may need to use the windows as an escape route during a fire or other emergency. Make sure you still have the ability to get out through a window if it becomes necessary to do so.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Powerline Upgrades start today with new poles.


True to their word and warning the SCE Folks are on the street working on the cranes to get them leveled and the new poles put in place. Promise completion time is 5PM, though I was warned it may take longer because the rain is slowing them down. Should I get a definitive eta for completion will publish it here.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Art Festival this weekend 10/9-10 In Library Park

Click for a bigger image...it will be a nice place to spend some time this weekend.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Street Closure to Traffic 10/6/10

Part of the ongoing power upgrade for the street SCE is going to be closing the street off to traffic on 10/6/10. They have posted the signs...threatening tow aways. Door hangings have been posted. A quick look down the street makes it look like most of Poinsettia will be affected by the parking ban.

The text from the door hanger:
Notice Road Closure
Wednesday 10/6/10 9AM-5PM
THIS NOTICE IS TO INFORM ALL RESIDENTS THAT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON WILL BE CLOSING YOUR STREET FOR A CRANE TO REPLACE A POWERPOLE AND/OR A TRANSFORMER. THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE WILL BE CLOSED OFF AND NO ACCESS IN OR OUT WILL BE PERMITTED. PLEASE REMOVE ANY VEHICLES OUT OF CONSTRUCTION ZONE PRIOR TO THE POSTED TIME LISTED ON THE "NO PARKING' SIGNS. THESE "NO PARKING" SIGNS ALSO DESIGNATE THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 562-595-7575