Laundermat Burglary Suspects Collared

A Moorpark cop is being credited with extinguishing, or at least arresting, the infamous blowtorch bandits.

A small-change version of Willie Sutton, who said he robbed banks because that was where the money was, these bandits used a torch to break into coin machines at laundermats. Since March, laundries in Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks have been burglarized of several thousand dollars.

Sheriff’s Deputy Amy Ward was on patrol last week in the wee hours when she spotted two men in a Toyota Celica pulling in and out of commercial parking lots.

“It drew her attention because they were acting suspicious, and it looked a lot like they were looking for something,” Det. Allen Devers said.

Ward pulled the driver over for not having an illuminated rear license plate, and the suspects consented to having their car searched, Devers said.

Inside the Celica hatchback, Ward seized several items deputies believe link the men to burglaries of a dozen laundermats in the Southland, including five in Ventura County.

“I’ve had calls from detectives all over Southern California, including Bakersfield and Orange County, and they’re all looking for these people,” Devers said.

A cutting torch was stashed inside a duffel bag, and $30 worth of loose change was found in the car, authorities said. Also confiscated were bolt cutters, a screwdriver and pliers.

Some of the best evidence, according to Devers, was found under the front seat and in the back of the vehicle near the spare tire: torn-out Yellow Pages of laundermat names and addresses in Ventura County and maps printed from an Internet site showing how to get to other laundries outside the county.

Nicolas John Maiale, 32, of Ontario and James Lavern Altherr, 32, of Bloomington in San Bernardino County were jailed on suspicion of burglary. Maiale was also being held on two outstanding criminal warrants.

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It’s a crime-fighting technique that doesn’t get a lot of press--maybe because it isn’t high-tech or complicated--but local authorities say probation sweeps help solve numerous crimes.

The practice involves a team of probation officers and cops going to the homes of repeat offenders and searching for drugs, weapons and other items that violate probation, said Terry Warnock, the county’s chief deputy probation officer.

Most sweeps target the homes of frequent offenders who live in neighborhoods where specific crimes, such as drug dealing or burglary, are on the rise or whose residences are located near the scene of a recent stabbing or gang fight.

Repeat offenders agree to random searches as a condition of probation.

During a sweep conducted to help police investigate a specific case, probation officers can talk with offenders and find out where they were at a given time or whether they know someone who was involved.

Sweeps have netted stolen property, drugs, weapons and suspects who were involved in crimes, Warnock said.

“The targeted ones, the sweeps that have a specific purpose, are very effective,” Warnock said. “Sometimes we’re not making arrests, but we are finding you, talking to you and seeing if you are involved.”

Nobody knows exactly how many cases are solved using such probation sweeps, but Warnock said the practice works so well that sweeps are done several times a month.

In fact, a special enforcement team goes out every weekend in Ventura to talk with gang members on probation who are hanging out at home or walking the streets.

Not a bad idea, considering more than 13,000 county residents are on probation, and more than 3,500 of those people are adults convicted of felonies, Warnock said.

Of those 3,500, about 500 are high-risk offenders--people with lengthy criminal records that include violent crimes, drugs sales and burglary.

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Saturday was the last National 911 Day of the 1900s. The special day was created by Congress in 1986 to recognize the technology that saves thousands of lives every day.

“A lot of cries for help would go unanswered without 911,” said Karen Portlock, Ventura County’s 911 coordinator.

Each day in the county, 911 dispatchers receive more than 300 calls for service, Portlock said.

About half of those calls result in a deputy being dispatched to a scene. The rest are non-emergencies that should be phoned in elsewhere, if at all, such as power outages, requests to talk to someone in jail, pranks and inquiries about traffic jams.

County residents have had 911 access for decades, but it wasn’t until 1984 that enhanced service was made available allowing dispatchers to immediately know the location and phone number of the calling party.

“911 is critical because it expedites our ability to get emergency services to people in need,” Portlock said. “When you think about it, you can dial 911 and not be able to speak and we will know where you are.”

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It’s been a double shot of legal woes for an Oxnard man who was jailed twice in 48 hours on suspicion of drunk driving--delivering himself into the hands of authorities on the second occasion.

Oras Racicot, 64, was first taken into custody a week ago after he allegedly took a turn too wide and slammed his new pickup into a car in El Rio. Officers arriving on the scene gave Racicot a field sobriety test, which police say he did not pass.

No one was hurt, but because of Racicot’s condition his truck was towed, authorities said.

Racicot later picked up his truck and drove to the California Highway Patrol office in Ventura to ask a few questions about a temporary license he was given after his permanent one was confiscated in the earlier crash.

He was arrested again when Officer Chris Sherry smelled a strong scent of brandy on Racicot, who was given a second field sobriety test, Officer Dave Cockrill said.

The CHP’s lobby is small, so close contact is inevitable, Cockrill said.

Racicot allegedly admitted to having a small nip at home that morning, Cockrill said.

Racicot has since been released from jail a second time and is expected to appear in court for arraignment in the next couple of weeks.

“He should have taken a cab or had someone drive him over or used some other means to get here--and, of course, he shouldn’t have been doing it the first time either,” Cockrill said.