Crescenta Valley crime: Two separate, methamphetamine-related arrests

La Cañada

May 1

Throwing an object at a vehicle: 1400 block of Descanso Drive. A man took a left out of the Descanso Gardens parking lot and was driving westbound at around 11 a.m. when he noticed a 2009 Mazda sedan that had also pulled out of the lot following close behind him. Believing the car wanted to pass, the man pulled off to the side of the road. As the Mazda passed, the driver threw an orange object, appearing to be a full bottle, at the driver’s side door. The victim managed to take a photo of the Mazda’s license plate. When he reached Verdugo Boulevard near the 2 Freeway, he saw the suspect’s car and sidled up to it to take a picture of the driver. As he did, the suspect looked at him, smiled and flashed a “peace” sign. The victim tried to pass the suspect but, as he did, heard something hit his door and make a sound like shattering glass. He stopped as the suspect drove off and noticed a dent in his door and a broken bottle surrounded by an unknown liquid on the ground, which he photographed. Later, the victim returned to Descanso Gardens asking if anyone knew the person in the photo he’d taken, and the café manager said she recognized him as an employee of the café. Police called the manager, but had not heard back at the time of the report.

Petty theft: 400 block of Foothill Boulevard. A man contacted police to report that at around 6 p.m., someone had stolen his cellphone from a store counter after he’d set it down to pay for smoothies. The victim left the store, but returned to find his iPhone 5s gone. The store’s security camera captured a woman placing her wallet over the phone before picking up both items and exiting. The woman was reportedly driving a white Honda Passport. Police advised the victim to contact his phone service provider to put a stop on the service.

May 3

Possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine): Casitas Avenue at Woodbury Road, Altadena. Just before midnight, an officer was monitoring traffic at the intersection of Linda Vista Avenue and Oak Grove Drive when a black Volkswagen Passat approached the intersection heading east on Oak Grove. When it failed to stop, the officer followed. Noticing the registration had expired in February, the officer conducted a traffic stop on Woodbury Road. The driver, a man in his 50s, confessed he was on probation for a narcotics offense, and was also unable to locate his driver’s license. A search for the license around the dashboard area turned up a white wrapping in a sunglasses compartment, and also the license. When the officer ran the suspect’s name, no probation results appeared. The suspect was transported to the Sheriff’s station and booked, while his car was stored by police.

La Crescenta

April 28

Under the influence of a controlled substance (methamphetamine): Foothill Boulevard at Sharon Avenue. An officer was parked on Sanborn Avenue and noticed a woman in her 40s in a black car traveling south on La Crescenta Avenue appearing to talk on a cellphone, so decided to follow her. After making a lane change without signaling, she was pulled over by the officer on Foothill for a warning/citation. During the conversation, the deputy noticed the woman picking at her shorts and fidgeting with a cigarette pack distractedly. Her speech was rapid, disjointed and incoherent and her pupils seemed constricted. When asked the last time she’d used a controlled substance, she said she’d smoked meth that morning. After a series of performance tests, the officer arrested the suspect for being under the influence. Her car was left legally parked at the location at the suspect’s request.

April 30

Vandalism: 2600 block of Willowhaven Drive. A woman contacted police to report that, sometime between 5 a.m. April 29 and 11:30 a.m. the following day, someone had smashed in the rear driver’s side window of her 2000 Ford Windstar as it was parked in front of her house. A deputy noticed nothing in or around the vehicle that may have broken the window, that the doors were still locked and nothing was missing. An attempt was made to contact neighbors, but no one was home at the time.

May 2

Petty theft: 2900 block of Community Avenue. A deputy working as a school resource officer at Crescenta Valley High School was contacted by a student who said his watch was stolen during his fourth-period PE class. The student had placed his watch in his backpack and put the pack into his locker. The locker did not have a lock, as the student said his lock had been broken on three occasions. When the victim returned to his locker after class, he noticed his watch was missing. No witnesses could be located.

Montrose

May 5

Petty theft: 2500 block of Hermosa Avenue. A man got into his car at 6:30 a.m. and heard a loud noise coming from under the vehicle. When he looked under it, he noticed his catalytic converter was missing. Although he hadn’t driven the car for three days, the victim believed the part was stolen sometime between midnight and the time he discovered the theft. No witnesses could be found.

-- Compiled by Sara Cardine.

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