Persistent thief saw the light -- and it became his downfall
When a thief stole a box containing a $1,400 chandelier from the rear entrance of the Three French Hens boutique, owner Brenda Monahan hatched a plot to catch him.
She set out a less-valuable chandelier and other items in the same area and trained the Claremont building’s surveillance cameras on it. Sure enough, a middle-aged man with gray hair scooped up those objects, but he got away.
Several days later, when no one was looking, the same character made off with a couple of items, including a small chandelier, that were left in the rear of the French Hens, so to speak.
So, Monahan set out yet another ceiling fixture as part of her sting operation, still confident that she would trap the thief before her store ran out of items.
By now the police were involved. Noting that the guy usually struck around noon at the end of the week, they were waiting Friday when he showed up again. They nabbed him after he walked away with the chandelier.
A search of his Whittier home recovered the previously stolen chandeliers, throwing plenty of light on the case.
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It couldn’t be in the City of Angels: Nope, it was in Long Beach where Susan Silvera saw a graduation announcement for a school that might have a devil of a time finding commencement speakers (see photo).
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Hell H.S. (continued): Actually, it’s the name of a play appearing at the Found Theater in Long Beach.
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San Diego or nothing: In Del Mar, Bill Grenard uncovered a plot to keep people from visiting L.A. (see photo).
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But if a driver got as far north as Garden Grove ... : Marge Williams of Orange points out there’s an impediment in the area that she has never heard of (see photo). Nor has spell check.
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Couldn’t leave well enough alone: “Chivalry may have been the reason” that a driver in possession of marijuana grabbed his girlfriend’s beer as police approached, the Coastal View News of Carpinteria theorized. “But the modern woman in the passenger seat wasn’t having any of it. ‘Give me back my beer,’ she demanded. ‘I’m not getting out of the car.’ ”
Yes, she was, and police arrested her for resisting arrest and possession of an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, among other things.
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He earned his spots: Buddy, a Dalmatian who served with the L.A. Fire Department’s Station 69 in Pacific Palisades for 12 years, is retiring, the Palisadian-Post reports. No mere mascot, the hound has a personnel file that lists such incidents as a rattlesnake bite on the nose, a case of bleeding paws, a bruised side after he misjudged the height of a wall, a near-drowning when he tumbled into the L.A. River, a sore front shoulder from “ball chasing,” two knee replacements and an operation for a urinary blockage.
The newspaper noted that Buddy also participated in several training courses, “including sexual harassment training.”
Good boy!
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miscelLAny: Susan Tellem of Malibu noticed that Gardenburger, a brand for meatless dishes, is represented by a public relations person named Zoe Hamburger.
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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.
