Pair Derailed After Robbery at Train Station

So much for the romance of the rails.

A 19-year-old man from Westlake Village who was awaiting the arrival of his sweetheart was recently robbed at the Moorpark Metrolink station by a knife-wielding man and his partner, police said.

The incident is unusual because Moorpark has one of the county’s lowest crime rates, few cases occur at the train stop, and most that do are property crimes, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Bullington.

“He’s waiting in his car for his girlfriend to arrive from San Diego, and these guys come up and ask for a smoke,” Bullington said.

As the victim turned to grab a pack of cigarettes, one of the robbers put a knife to his neck and demanded money. The victim handed over his wallet and the pair fled.

After a quick call to police, two suspects were apprehended minutes later.

Parolee Daniel Diaz, 21, and Michael Gutierrez, 18, both of Moorpark, remained in jail Sunday on suspicion of robbery.

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Paul Rogers, the Ojai arborist who offered the unpopular advice that led to oak trees in Libbey Park being chopped down, had a scare recently when a suspicious package arrived at his house, authorities said.

His caution was understandable, given the furor that developed regarding the trees. Several hundred people staged protests over the removal of the trees, and one man perched in one for several hours before being talked down by police. In the end, two trees got the ax.

So on April 15, when a box arrived, Rogers called police. A card attached to the package read: “Thank you for your dedication to trees . . . “

“You don’t know what’s in there, and you think this could be something negative,” Rogers said later, still unsure what the card meant.

The trusty bomb squad arrived, X-rayed the package and deemed it safe, Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Rod Thompson said.

The box contained an altimeter, a device used for measuring the height of trees.

Rogers said it was probably meant to be a gift, but he still doesn’t know who sent it.

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There’s community policing and then there’s community policing.

A 27-year-old Santa Barbara man suspected of stealing $250,000 from four banks in three counties, including one in Ojai, is behind bars after four citizens alerted police to his whereabouts, followed him and then tackled him when he jumped a police officer, authorities said.

The fall of Benjamin Greenspon, began last week when a classmate of his from grade school spotted him getting into a car in downtown Santa Barbara, authorities said. He had been paroled in January following a six-year stint in federal prison for bank robbery.

The former classmate and his friend knew Greenspon was wanted from seeing a televised news story. They called police on a cell phone and followed him to the freeway, where officers took over, said Santa Barbara Police Lt. Nick Katzenstein.

After a brief chase, during which Greenspon allegedly clipped a car carrying two other men, he crashed on Hope Avenue.

“He comes running out of his vehicle, runs to the officer’s door as she is trying to get out and grabs her shoulders and arms,” Katzenstein said.

Officer Norma Hansen shot Greenspon in the leg but that didn’t stop him from allegedly continuing to pounce on her. That’s when the men in the vehicle that had been clipped speeded up and tackled the suspect.

Greenspon was treated and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail.

“We’re glad they assisted us in a situation that easily could have gotten out of hand,” Katzenstein said.

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You are what you wear, right?

A skinny little man in dark clothes recently robbed a Camarillo Shell station, authorities said.

He wasn’t packing a gun, but he did accessorize his demand for cash with plastic bags wrapped around his hands and feet, said Sheriff’s Det. Jim Popp.

The robber ran off, and the cashier called the police, but a search of the area by deputies and dogs turned up no suspects.

Popp said the robber is Latino, about 20, 5 feet 6, 120 to 130 pounds and has dark hair.

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Holly J. Wolcott can be reached at 653-7581 or at holly.wolcott@latimes.com