Crime Report: Craigslist transaction results in threats to buyer

La Cañada Flintridge

Jan. 6

Grand theft, unlocked vehicle: 200 block of Foothill Boulevard. A woman reported that sometime between 8:30 and 9 a.m. that day, someone entered her unlocked 1999 Nissan Quest while it was parked in the vicinity of St. Bede Catholic Church and stole her purse, including a wallet containing her driver’s license, cash, a check book and several credit cards, from the front passenger seat. There were no signs of forced entry. A church employee said there were numerous surveillance cameras in the area, but she did not know how to access them. She promised to call a technician and send the information to the sheriff’s station.

Obscene language, threats by electronic device: 4100 block of Encinas Drive. On Dec. 31, a man and his wife saw a Craigslist ad for a Neapolitan mastiff dog for sale named Duke. Four days later, they met the owner, a Los Angeles resident named Leital Levy at the advertised address. She told the victims Duke had all his shots and papers, and they agreed to purchase the dog the next day. When the new owners took Duke to the vet, the doctor informed them he had not been vaccinated and had a disease that required further treatment. Angered, the victims canceled the payment of their check to Levy. The female victim texted her, by way of explanation, that the treatment cost more than the purchase price. Levy then began sending texts saying she knew the victims’ license plate and would send people to their house, adding “You don’t want problems with me.” A deputy advised they block Levy’s communications and look into seeking a restraining order against her. When the suspect was contacted by deputies, she said she was angry at not being paid.

Jan. 9

Burglary, residence: 4500 block of Commonwealth Ave. A man reported that sometime between 10:30 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. that day, someone entered his home by shattering a rear sliding-glass door. The suspect ransacked the master bedroom, closet and bathroom, stealing currency, four U.S. passports and several miscellaneous documents and jewelry pieces. The broken door was determined to be the suspect’s point of entry and exit. Fingerprints were ordered, but no surveillance cameras or witnesses could be located.

Petty theft: 2 Sport Chalet Drive. A man was shopping at Sport Chalet from 3 to 4 p.m. He set down his iPhone 5s on a display shelf while he tried on some winter boots. He then went to look at other items before realizing he did not have his phone with him. When he came back to the boot section, it was gone. The store manager said no one had turned in a phone, so the man contacted the sheriff’s station. A deputy registered the phone as stolen in the station’s database.

Petty theft, unlocked vehicle: 500 block of Knight Way. On Jan. 7, a man parked his 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe in front of his house at 3:30 p.m. When he came back two hours later, someone had taken his wallet, containing his license, cash and several credit cards, from inside the center console.

Vandalism, residence: 5200 Escalante Drive. A man told deputies that around 5 p.m. three white adult males were skateboarding in his driveway. Shortly after he asked them to leave, one of them allegedly grabbed a rock and threw it at the man’s front door, causing a glass pane in the door to crack. All three men then ran south on Escalante Drive out of view. The victim, who said he did not see the suspects’ faces or a vehicle, told officers he’d discarded the rock before their arrival.

Jan. 10

Identity theft: 200 block of Kirst Street. A woman notified deputies after receiving a letter in the mail from Sears containing a store credit card issued in her name, for which she’d never applied. A Sears customer service representative told her the account was opened on Dec. 31 at an unknown location and that three transactions at a K-Mart in Cudahy had been made. The employee advised her to file a police report, and the account was closed.

Jan. 11

Petty theft, vehicle: 600 block of Hillcrest Avenue. A man reported that between 6:30 p.m. the day before and 8:15 a.m. that day, someone entered his unlocked 2000 Ford F350 while it was parked in his driveway and stole a checkbook from the front passenger’s seat and a black Sony camera from his glove compartment. The suspect ransacked the vehicle in the process, strewing paperwork throughout the interior. There were no signs of forced entry and fingerprints could not be taken, as the victim had contaminated the scene. There were no witnesses, but one neighbor said she’d provide surveillance footage from her nearby home to the sheriff’s station.

Jan. 12

Vandalism: north of 5400 block of Ocean View Boulevard. A man contacted deputies to report that sometime between 4:30 p.m. the day before and 9 a.m. that day, someone tore and knocked over an orange plastic temporary fence on his property. The victim said he’s had an ongoing dispute with a neighbor across the street related to construction noise he makes. He said the neighbor frequently complains to him about that noise and that, usually after those complaints, something happens to the parcel of land, like “No Trespassing” signs being tossed to the bottom of a nearby ravine, or complaints made to the city’s inspectors about code violations he’s allegedly perpetrated. The victim mended the fence before the officer’s observation. A knock on the neighbor’s door went unanswered.

La Crescenta

Jan. 5

Identity theft, 4800 Cloudsdale Avenue. A woman said she received an email from Macy’s on Nov. 13 thanking her for purchases she did not make. When she called the store, the purchases for a Calvin Klein jacket and a pair of heels were canceled and not charged to the woman’s account. The victim said an estranged ex-husband living out of the country may have been involved in the incident.

Jan. 6

Unlawful display of registration; driving with a suspended license: Foothill Boulevard at Briggs Avenue. An officer on patrol noticed a 1987 Chevy Suburban on the road that had expired registration, despite the vehicle’s having a yellow 2015 registration sticker. The driver said her father usually pays for her registration and that she believed it was current. A DMV check of the driver showed her license had been suspended, and that she had a no-bail warrant, so she was arrested. The suspect’s father came to the station to pick up her purse and her dog, which was in the vehicle with her at the time of her arrest.

Vandalism: 3100 block of Evelyn Street. A woman told officers that sometime between 9 p.m. the day before and 6:30 a.m. that day, someone vandalized the wooden fence east of her driveway with spray paint. A deputy noticed the word “Spook” and several illegible markings across a 2-foot-by-4-foot area of the fence. The same tag was observed on the street in front of the victim’s house and on a nearby curb. A garden planter at a nearby residence bore the same spray-painted name. The deputy located a can of black spray paint in a brush, while the cap to another can was in front of another house. Photos were taken, and the items booked into evidence, and the deputy contacted Public Works about the cleanup. No witnesses could be located.

Jan. 7

Burglary, school: 4343 La Crescenta Ave. The principal of La Crescenta Elementary School contacted the sheriff’s department to report that sometime during Glendale Unified School District’s winter break, someone had broken into the auditorium and four classrooms, ransacking them and stealing money from inside teachers’ desk drawers. All the doors had been locked, but there were no signs of forced entry. A school secretary reported that a set of keys was missing from her desk inside the school office, which is left unlocked during school hours. No cameras or witnesses could be found, but fingerprints were ordered.