Crescenta Valley Crime: Sunday newspaper theft caught on surveillance camera

La Cañada

Aug. 20

Vandalism, gate: 4500 block of Rinetti Lane. The owner of Flintridge Dental Studio contacted deputies to report that sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 15, someone had damaged the electric gate leading into the parking lot of his business. The victim said he believes a semi truck may have damaged the gate while delivering items to a nearby business. Officers observed that the gate had been bent and the metal cracked, with several fresh marks and cracks throughout its front.

Aug. 22

Vandalism, vehicle: 4200 block of Beresford Way. A man reported that sometime between 10 p.m. the night before and 8 a.m. that day, someone shattered the rear window of his 2014 Mercedes-Benz ML350 while it was parked in his driveway. No items appeared to have been stolen, and a deputy concluded that no one appeared to have entered the vehicle.

Burglary: 4300 block of Fairlawn Drive. A man told officers that sometime between 2:45 and 3 p.m. that day, while he was doing yard work at a residence, someone broke into his 1980 Toyota pickup truck and stolen several tools and pieces of equipment, including a lawn mower, chain saw and trimmers, from the back of the truck. The victim said the suspect likely unscrewed a bolt from the rear window frame of the vehicle’s camper shell to access the tools. The owner of the residence said she saw a man in his mid-30s wearing dark clothing walking down the street, but said he was not in possession of any equipment. No other witnesses could be located.

Aug. 24

Petty theft: 4500 block of Alveo Road. A woman reported that at about 7 a.m., she saw a man in a dark gray crew cab pickup truck, possibly a Chevy Silverado, stop in front of her driveway and remove her Sunday newspaper before fleeing the scene. The victim captured the act on video surveillance and provided deputies with a digital copy of the relevant footage.

La Crescenta

Aug. 20

Grand theft; 2700 block of Foothill Boulevard. Deputies responded to a 911 hang-up call to find that a hair dresser was the victim of theft at a local salon. She said at approximately 1:58 p.m., a woman about 40 to 45 years old wearing a multicolored dress entered the salon and requested a hair-coloring session. The victim said that as she led the woman to her station the woman grabbed her purse from a nearby work bench and ran out of the salon and east on Foothill. The purse contained a Samsung Galaxy 4 cellphone, cash, a driver’s license and bank card. Assisting units searched the surrounding area but found nothing. A witness, the owner of a nearby pharmacy, said he saw a woman matching the description walk into a pharmacy, roam the aisles and leave without purchasing anything just a few minutes before the purse theft. Video surveillance at the pharmacy was inconclusive, because the camera was at the wrong angle to capture the incident.

Aug. 21

Burglary: 5600 block of Pinecone Road. A woman reported that sometime between 11 a.m and 3:30 p.m. that day, someone entered her unlocked residence while she was running errands. She reported a laptop, DVD player, some clothing and several jewelry boxes containing miscellaneous gold, silver and pearl jewelry had been taken from various rooms in the house. The point of entry was determined to be a laundry room door on the north side of the house, which had been left unlocked. The suspect likely left the home through the secured front door, as its deadbolt was unlocked. No witnesses or video surveillance of the incident could be located. Conclusive fingerprints could not be obtained. Officers noted that another burglary had occurred in the area at about the same time, but information on that incident was not available at press time.

Aug. 22

Petty theft: 2900 block of Community Avenue. A student reported to his school resource officer that sometime between 10:20 and 11:10 a.m. that day, someone had taken sunglasses that he’d accidentally left on top of his locker while dressing. The student had asked a coach if anyone had found them and returned them to the office, but nothing had been turned in. No witnesses could be located.