The Name Was Familiar, but Customer Wasn’t
Winner of this month’s stupid criminal tricks competition is a woman who allegedly stole a piece of outgoing mail from an L.A. residence, removed a check and altered it so that it was made out to her for $675.
Then she took it to a bank and handed it to the teller, Horacio Lasam.
Funny thing -- it was one of the teller’s personalized checks. He lives at the residence that was victimized.
Lasam, who did not recognize the customer, excused himself to phone his wife, whose signature was on the check. She went over her records and determined that it was supposed to be a $20 credit card payment.
Authorities were notified, and the suspect was arrested.
“The police officer told me the odds of this happening were a million to one, like winning the lottery,” Lasam said.
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Making the connection: I was alerted to this story by Lasam’s son Hansel, who explained: “I was watching [entertainer] Steve Harvey on television after it happened, and I thought, ‘Hey, I should call the other Steve Harvey.” I’m flattered, I think.
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Buttergate conspiracy? “The person who stocks the dairy case at Ralphs in Irvine must be a Democrat who understands the subliminal effect of product placement,” wrote Lynn Brown (see photo). Will Republicans demand equal shelf space?
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Amphibious vehicles excepted: Rebekah Hendershot of Fullerton knew parking was difficult in parts of Orange County but didn’t know how difficult until she noticed a very wet sign near her church (see photo).
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Wide selection: Everett Fong of Rolling Hills Estates spotted a store that apparently can supply residents with wallpaper for a room or someone to rent the room (see photo).
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Food for thought: In its restaurants issue, San Diego magazine included some pet peeves of diners, including:
* Waiters who “want to be my friend. ‘Hi, my name is Chance, and I’ll be your server tonight.’ ”
* “Unkempt employees.”
* “Pouring wine too full; pushing drinks; not knowing who gets what.”
* “Servers who say, ‘you guys’ and ‘no problem.’ ” I am especially mystified by that last phrase, which I hear often. When I order, say, balsamic dressing for my salad and the waiter says, “No problem,” I feel like asking, “Why would I have thought that there would be a problem?”
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miscelLAny: A 1925 time capsule was recently found in the ruins of the former Atlantic Avenue Congregational Church, the Long Beach Press Telegram reported. The capsule contained a copy of the Poly High student newspaper, which indicated that schools were wrestling with behavioral problems even back then. The newspaper discussed an “anti-slang week,” when words such as “ain’t” and “hain’t” were strictly forbidden.
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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083; by fax at (213) 237-4712; by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012; and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.
