Crime Report: Mail thefts on Commonwealth Avenue may be related, deputies say
May 23
Mail theft: 4300 block of Commonwealth Avenue. A woman reported that between Nov. 2 and April 20, she had several pieces of mail stolen from her unlocked mailbox. She estimated that about 12 letters addressed to her and her husband had been taken and said fraudulent charges to her husband’s credit card have been made. She also said she was contacted a few weeks ago by a detective regarding a check that appeared to have been stolen from her.
Identity, mail theft: 4300 block of Commonwealth Avenue. A woman told deputies that on Jan. 26, someone had fraudulently purchased items using her credit card, and that she believed it was the result of a mail theft. The victim was contacted by Chase Bank about internet purchases made at a site that sells party supplies. Deputies noted the incident may have been related to another incident of mail theft reported that day.
May 26
Forgery, checks: 1100 block of Atlee Drive. A man received a call on May 1 from a Union Bank representative telling him two checks of his had been flagged as suspicious due to their signatures not matching the one they had on file for him. The man said he didn’t know about missing checks, but the representative told him to whom each had been made out. She added that she did not know if the forger had presented identification while attempting to cash the checks.
May 31
Trespassing: 5300 block of Harter Lane. A man said he and his family were visiting a house at around 3:40 p.m. to make repairs on it before they moved in the next month, when they found a man in the backyard. Presuming he was Korean, the man shouted to him in Korean and received a reply, also in Korean. Eventually, the suspect ran toward the northwest corner of the property and out of view.
Burglary, vehicle: 1200 block of Foothill Boulevard. A man and woman left their home to pick up their grandson from preschool at 2:49 p.m. When they returned home just a few minutes later, they noticed the rear driver’s side window of their Lexus RX350 had been smashed, and the woman’s blue leather purse, containing a red wallet with several credit and insurance cards, had been stolen.
June 2
Shoplifting: 600 block of Foothill Boulevard. A loss prevention officer was working “floor surveillance” at 12:53 p.m. when he noticed a woman pushing an empty shopping cart with a reusable bag inside. She kept filling up the bag as she walked through the store and exited without paying for any items. Outside, the officer confronted the woman. She returned the items, which included a chef’s knife, tortillas, tongs, meat, two packs of shredded cheese and a pack of salt and pepper shakers, along with a 2-liter bottle of Coke.
Petty theft: 600 block of Foothill Boulevard. A loss prevention officer reported that around 6:25 p.m. a woman stole a bottle of brut champagne and a bag of ice from the store’s shelves. The officer detained her by making a citizen’s arrest. The suspect admitted taking the bottle and ice and was taken to the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, where she was later released.
Identity theft: 5200 block of Diamond Point Road. A man said he received a letter in March from the IRS stating someone had attempted to file a 2015 tax return in his name. Later, on April 27 and 29, when the man requested a personal credit report, he noticed several accounts opened in his name that he knew nothing about, and others that he was uncertain about. He was advised to issue a fraud report with the two remaining credit bureaus.
June 3
Petty theft: 1200 block of Foothill Boulevard. A woman told deputies that sometime between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. that day, someone entered her unlocked 2013 Toyota Sienna and stole a wallet containing her driver’s license, several credit and gift cards, and an unspecified amount of cash from between the front seats.
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
