La Cañada Crime: Driver pulled over for improper lane change admits to “small warrant”

La Cañada Flintridge

March 11

Driving on a suspended/revoked license: 5000 block Angeles Crest Highway. An officer on patrol pulled over a driver after observing him commit an improper lane change. The man reported not having his driver’s license, but did produce a California ID card. He also said his license was suspended, adding, “I may also have a small warrant.” A computer search revealed the suspect was driving on a suspended/revoked license and had a $30,000 warrant. The driver was arrested.

March 12

Petty theft, vehicle: 4400 block of Hobbs Drive. A man contacted police at 6:50 a.m. to report his unlocked vehicle had been entered sometime after 7 p.m. the night before and that three pairs of sunglasses had been stolen. When he awoke, the victim noticed the driver’s side door of his car, which had been parked in his driveway, was open and the interior of his car had been ransacked. The stolen items had been stored in the glove compartment but were missing. No one in the area reported witnessing the incident and fingerprints were not taken because the victim said he needed to use the car to get to work.

Petty theft, vehicle: 4400 block of Hobbs Drive. A woman called police at 7:45 a.m. to report that her unlocked car had been broken into sometime after 7 p.m. the night before. The victim, a medical doctor, reported the following items stolen: a doctor’s coat with her name on it; a red leather briefcase containing medical books and files; a triplicate form prescription pad; a CD of the New Testament; and a Richard Pryor Collection CD. The victim was concerned the suspect could illegally use the prescription pad for his or her own personal use. No sign of forced entry was observed, and fingerprints were not taken, as the victim needed the car for work.

Petty theft, vehicle: 4400 block of Hobbs Drive. A woman contacted police at 8 a.m. to report her unlocked Toyota Camry had been entered sometime after 9:15 p.m. the night before. She’d left the car on the street in front of her house, and returned the next day to find the car’s front passenger side door open. The glove compartment and center console had been ransacked, and two backpacks and the vehicle’s owner’s manual had been thrown on her neighbor’s lawn. Also on the lawn were two backpacks identified as belonging to other victims. The officer discovered a California driver’s license with a La Cañada address and an insurance card inside the backpacks and attempted to contact the owners with a visit but was unsuccessful. The backpacks were logged into evidence. Fingerprints could not be taken due to the condition of the surfaces.

Petty theft, vehicle: 800 block of Salisbury Road. A man called police at 8 a.m. to report that his locked vehicle had been broken into after 8 p.m. the night before, and that his wallet had been stolen. When the victim awoke the next morning, he found his driver’s side door ajar. His glove compartment had been ransacked and his wallet was missing from the center console. The officer saw no signs of forced entry and determined the vehicle was likely left unlocked. A search for witnesses turned up no information. Fingerprints were not taken, as the victim reported needing to use his vehicle to get to work.

March 14

Burglary, residential: 300 block of Madison Road. A woman called police to report that, between 10 and 11:45 a.m., someone had broken her bedroom window and entered the residence while she was out. When she came home, she saw a dog kennel by the window that the suspect had placed there and a rock on the floor that was likely used to break the window. Her personal items had been strewn about the bedroom, but the victim could not determine if anything was missing. The suspect appeared to have exited via the front door, as it was found open upon the victim’s return. The woman also said she’d seen a man standing at the opening of her driveway facing the house when she arrived at the property. When the man saw her, he walked southbound on Hampstead Road toward a late model green Jeep Wrangler, though she did not see him get into the vehicle. The victim described the man as appearing to be in his 60s, about 6 feet tall and weighing 220 pounds, with short, straight, gray hair and a finely trimmed beard, wearing a blue and white plaid shirt.

March 17

Vandalism: 2000 block of Lyans Drive. A man contacted police to report an act of vandalism to his vehicle, and met with a deputy at around 1 p.m. Someone had scratched his 2001 Chevy Suburban with a sharp object, from the front passenger door to the rear quarter panel. The victim said he suspected his neighbor of causing the damage, because they’d been fighting a court case over property lines for a long time and the ultimate ruling one year earlier favored the victim. Since the ruling, the victim’s neighbor has allegedly been seen throwing trash onto his property in retaliation. There was no surveillance footage or eye-witness account of the incident.

La Crescenta

March 10

Identity theft: 3100 block of Harmony Place. A woman visited the sheriff’s station at 2:30 p.m. to report someone had used her social security number to illegally file her 2013 taxes. The victim, who’d been contacted by her tax preparer, said he’d not yet filed her taxes and did not know who would have filed using her name. The officer advised her to contact the three major credit bureaus to report the fraudulent activity.

Identity theft: 3100 block of Los Olivos Lane. A woman visited the sheriff’s station to report after being told by a credit company that a “freeze” had been placed on her account, due to a purchase made at a department store in Texas. The victim said she had not been in Texas and had not made any such purchase, positing that a stranger had a duplicate card issued. A check with credit bureaus located no other fraudulent activity. An officer advised her to call her credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on her social security number and personal information.

Identity theft: 2700 block of Brierhaven Drive. A woman visited the sheriff’s station to report she’d received a letter from the IRS informing her the agency was investigating her 2013 tax return, though she had not yet filed her taxes. An IRS representative told her the information on her return did not match information on file from years prior, which had prompted the investigation. The agent also said the return had been e-filed online. The victim called all three major credit bureaus and placed a fraud alert on her social security number.

Vandalism, graffiti: 2900 block of Community Avenue. A deputy working as school resource officer at Crescenta Valley High School was notified by a security guard that graffiti had occurred on campus over the weekend, March 7-10. A black spray paint stick figure had been tagged on a stucco wall outside the main gymnasium. More indecipherable marks were found on a metal support beam in the teachers’ parking lot. A third tag, the word “NITROS” was made on a different support beam in the same lot, as was the phrase “Bitch’s Parking Spot” on a concrete retaining wall in the teachers’ parking lot. Nearby, a last tag reading: “GHS RUNS GU$D” was found on a retaining wall on the lot. No witnesses could be located, and the officer contacted the head custodian and an assistant principal. A report memo was not issued to Glendale Unified School District (GUSD) as they have their own tracking system.

March 17

Identity theft: 400 block of Ramsdell Avenue. A woman visited the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station at around 3 p.m., stating that she’d attempted to file her 2013 taxes the day before and was informed her filing had been rejected because it had already been filed. The victim, who said she’d only submitted her forms one time, ascertained someone else had used her name and social security number to file fraudulently. That person had filed as married, while the victim herself is single. The woman contacted her three major credit card bureaus to report the crime, and was advised to file a police report.

Angeles National Forest

March 13

Possession of concentrated cannabis: Big Tujunga Canyon Road, Angeles National Forest. While conducting a patrol check in the Big Tujunga Canyon area at around 6 p.m., officers noticed a white Honda Civic parked at a turn out at mile marker 1.72. The vehicle’s two occupants were slumped down in their seats, and deputies approached to conduct a welfare check. The driver and his girlfriend both smelled of marijuana, causing officers to ask if any illegal substances were in the car. The driver admitted to having “wax,” a concentrated cannabis substance, that he’d thrown in his girlfriend’s purse upon the officers’ arrival. Two green and black plastic containers were found, each with a waxy substance inside determined to be cannabis. The driver admitted it was for his personal use. When asked if he knew possession was a felony, he replied, “Yes, sir. I am sorry.” The driver was arrested, and his car was towed and stored at his request. The girlfriend was released.
-- Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com

Follow on Twitter: @SaraCardine.

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