The Case of the Alleged Serial Panty...

The Case of the Alleged Serial Panty Thief was a strange one right from the start.

Residents on South Catalina Street near downtown cornered a man whose hobby apparently was stealing women’s underwear off clotheslines.

Police took him to Rampart Station, where he was booked for petty theft. Because it was a misdemeanor, he was cited and automatically released, pending a decision by the city attorney on whether to prosecute.

But officers didn’t gather all the evidence.

At least that’s the most likely explanation for the subsequent backup of the station’s sewer system.

Investigators fished out five pairs of panties from one toilet.

One other strange tale of law enforcement: A drug store in Saugus displays a sign with a “Customer Parking Only” warning from the “Saugus Police Dept.”

Problem is, Saugus has no police department. It has no City Hall or mayor, for that matter, because it isn’t a city. The area is patrolled by sheriff’s deputies.

But you can’t blame Saugus residents for becoming a bit disoriented. Part of the town is located in the city of Santa Clarita and part lies in unincorporated county territory. The Saugus Cafe and the old Saugus Train Station are actually in Newhall, and the Saugus Post Office recently relocated in Valencia.

Nor has Santa Clarita been immune from the confusion. When it became a city in 1988, its first batch of stationery listed the City Hall address as “Canyon Country.”

Better it should have said, “Near Magic Mountain.”

Who are the role models of the kids of the ‘90s?

Kindergarten pupils polled in Manhattan Beach showed no interest in politicians. Instead, they voted for becoming cowboys, zookeepers, police officers, movie stars, writers, pro wrestlers and ballerinas.

Two students--future Nobel Prize rivals, no doubt--said they planned to build time machines.

Some of the youngsters at Pennekamp Elementary School showed an early awareness of sexual stereotyping by listing their goals as “fire-engine person,” “mail-lady” and “pet store woman.”

But the occupation that seemed most attractive to them was. . . .

Dentistry.

Four said they plan to look down in the mouth for a living, including one who explained: “I want to be a dentist so I can fix my mom’s teeth.”

MiscelLAny:

Some streets don’t offer what their names imply. Examples:

Ocean View Avenue in landlocked Whittier and Sierra Pine Avenue in industrial Vernon. Others are more forthright, such as Venice’s Ozone Avenue.