Crime report: Cars parked in front of homes overnight targeted; Flintridge home broken into, ransacked
Aug. 28
Vehicle burglaries: 5000 block of Indianola Way, 600 block of Houseman Street and 600 block of De Nova Street. Four residents reported items stolen from their cars that had been left parked overnight. A fifth victim, a Houseman Street resident, mentioned to an investigating deputy there had been a petty theft of sunglasses from his own vehicle as well, but he declined to have a report written about it. One woman said the items stolen from her car included an insurance card, vehicle registration card and a remote control for her garage door. A flashlight had been left behind by the thief. A man reported that a Louis Vuitton briefcase, Ray-Ban sunglasses, men’s Ferragamo shoes, a Hewlitt-Packard laptop and a dozen Nike golf clubs were among items taken from his vehicle, which he believed he’d left locked when he parked it in his driveway. A third victim reported that missing from an unlocked vehicle were a blank check, a $20 bill and a transponder. The De Nova Street victim said someone entered her locked car and ransacked it, but she couldn’t say that any property was missing from it. However, someone did leave on the ground near her car a pair of sunglasses that were unfamiliar to her.
Aug. 30
Burglary: 500 block of Dartmouth Place. A woman left her home at 9 a.m., speaking to her gardener on the way out. The gardener said he’d be working there until about noon. When the woman returned to her home at about 10 p.m. she found it had been ransacked. A door leading to her backyard was slightly ajar and appeared to have been pried open. Upstairs, a bathroom window had been shattered. The victim told the responding deputy that she believed it likely that jewelry was taken, but she could not immediately specify what else might have been stolen.
Aug. 31
Vandalism: 400 block of Meadow Grove Street. Someone threw a can of Spam at a Mercedes SUV that had been parked on the street directly in front of its owners’ home. The SUV’s windshield was cracked in several places during the incident.
Theft by credit card: 4700 block of Rockland Place. A woman reported that someone used her Target MasterCard to make fraudulent purchases.
Forgery: 200 block of Starlane Drive. A woman studying one of her checking accounts discovered that there was a check pending to her account that bore a signature similar to hers. She said she had neither signed nor assigned the check to anyone. Additionally, the number on the check was out of sequence from the numbers she’s currently using.
Sept. 1
Theft by access card: 4300 block of Shepherds Lane. A man told deputies he applied for a Home Depot credit card in January, simply to receive a discount on a single purchase. But while reviewing a credit report sometime later, he noticed he had a larger balance on the card and discovered multiple charges had been made between March and June. The victim was unable to determine whether the purchases were made in store or online, as he did not have the valid credentials to get the information, and said he believes the suspect may have changed the credentials to keep the fraudulent activity from being discovered. Deputies noted the account was not past due, though the victim had not made any payments, possibly indicating the suspect was making minimum payments to keep the victim from being contacted.
Sept. 2
Identity theft: 5100 block of Ocean View Boulevard. A man reported receiving a letter in the mail from a collection agency advising him of an outstanding bill from DirecTV, for service he never used. When he called the collection agency, a representative told him the account was opened using his address and Social Security number and advised him to file a sheriff’s report.
Twitter: @CarolCormaci
