Rash of Burglaries Baffles Avalon Residents, Officials

When it comes to crime in the small island town of Avalon, stolen golf carts are about as bad as it gets. And even when that happens, a teenager on a joy ride or a case of mistaken identity is usually to blame.

So when the island’s sheriff’s deputies got word Monday night that a man in a ski mask was strolling around town smashing windows with a crowbar, they figured it was just a drunk with nothing better to do.

Sure they investigated, but thought that nothing had been stolen. The fact that he was wearing a ski mask was nothing to be alarmed at--it was unusually cold that night, and lots of folks cover their faces to keep warm down on the waterfront.

But by the next morning, 11 business owners had reported that their store windows had been smashed, and some items stolen. Then three residents called in to say their golf carts were missing.

The rash of burglaries has left residents in the tiny town buzzing over whodunit and sheriff’s deputies with the task of investigating an honest-to-goodness Catalina crime wave.

“For Catalina, this is shocking,” said Sgt. John S. Domen. “It’s very unusual for something like this to occur in Avalon, and everyone here is taking this very personally.”

Mainland folks may know Avalon for its quaint bed-and-breakfasts and glass-bottom boats, but to the estimated 3,500 people who live there year-round, it’s the sort of place where you don’t have to lock your doors at night or be afraid to walk down a dark alley alone.

But Monday’s crimes have disturbed that peace.

“Maybe I’m paranoid, but I put on the electronic lock the other night for the first time since tourist season,” said Cyndi O’Connor, who lives next door to a liquor store that was burglarized. “We’ve always felt very safe here ‘cause we figured, ‘Where would they go?’ But this time they got away with it.”

Indeed, in a town where everyone knows everybody’s business, authorities are perplexed by the fact that they didn’t catch the “masked smasher” that same night. Domen said he apparently started his binge near the boat dock, where he broke the windows of three businesses, including Catalina Express, one of the passenger service lines, but took nothing.

He then headed uptown, where he smashed several store windows and stole money and small desktop items. He also struck two businesses on Pebbly Beach Road, which is about a mile outside of town, and the pro shop at the golf course.

Domen said it is unclear whether the stolen golf carts are related to the smashing incidents or whether someone else may have been involved.

“It was a lot for one night,” said Domen. “It was pretty rapid for Catalina.”

There has been talk among some business owners about putting up a reward to catch the culprit, but nothing has been formalized so far. Many are still waiting for replacement windows to arrive from the mainland, and would rather not spend another dime on the problem.

Still others believe that the sooner sheriff’s deputies catch the guy, the faster they can put this behind them.

“Once in a while a kid breaks a window or something, but we’re pretty spoiled over here,” said Ed Fine, owner of the Dockside Deli, which had a window smashed. “I hope we have another 50 years of no crime. Catalina is real special because there’s virtually no crime. We just don’t want to see that change.”