Crime Report: Suspect steals television, money from La Cañada High School; alleged repeat shoplifter caught in the act
Nov. 22
Petty theft, groceries: 500 block of Foothill Boulevard. A store manager reported that at around 1:45 p.m., a store employee saw a customer allegedly steal a shopping cart with groceries in it. The manager followed the suspect, a 55-year-old female resident of La Cañada, to the parking lot and confronted her. The woman said she’d forgotten to pay for the items but when offered a chance to pay, she refused, saying she had to get home to her elderly mother, and forfeited the groceries. The manager told her she had to stay until authorities arrived, and the woman attempted to leave in her vehicle, grazing the leg of the manager in the process. The suspect apologized, saying she hadn’t seen the manager there, and they waited for deputies to arrive. Several store employees said the suspect has repeatedly stolen groceries, even plants, from the store. The suspect told deputies she was getting groceries for Thanksgiving, and wanted to look at the plant selection outside the store. She claimed she’d ultimately forgotten to pay and had a lot on her mind lately. The manager told deputies she was desirous of placing the suspect under a private person’s arrest due to repeat incidents of theft in the past and signed a statement. The suspect was given a notice to appear in court. A deputy ran the suspect’s license plate and found her license had been suspended in March for an incident of drunk driving. The suspect said she believed her license had been reinstated six months earlier. Her vehicle was left at the store, and the suspect made arrangements to walk home and have a family member retrieve the vehicle at a later time.
Nov. 27
Burglary, school: 4463 Oak Grove Drive. A security officer for La Cañada High School reported that sometime between 2:50 and 5:18 a.m. on Nov. 24, someone broke into a staff lounge by damaging a door lock and stole a 75-inch Samsung television from inside. A vending machine at the school was also missing its card reader and cash receptacle. Surveillance footage showed a suspect wearing a light-colored jumpsuit or painter’s suit driving a newer model Ford pickup truck with chrome rims enter the south parking lot entrance at around 2:50 a.m. The person entered campus at around 3:30 a.m. About 20 minutes later, the suspect is seen in their vehicle, colliding into a light post and possibly damaging their tailgate or rear bumper. They return to the parking lot and at 4:32 a.m. are seen at the vending machine and shortly after 5 a.m. are seen near the staff lounge area. At 5:18 a.m., the suspect loads the television into the truck and drives away.
Burglary, vehicle: 5000 block of Westslope Lane. A woman left her home for vacation on Nov. 17, parking her locked 2011 Acura RDX in her driveway. On Monday at around 6 a.m., she noticed the vehicle’s front driver’s side door was ajar and its interior ransacked. A tool kit in a black bag was missing from the trunk. Deputies observed there was no damage to the vehicle. A neighbor’s surveillance camera footage is being reviewed.
Dec. 1
Attempted burglary: 4600 Palm Drive. A woman left her home at around 9 a.m. At around 11:40 a.m., she received a notification from her security company that an alarm at her back patio door had been activated. She called the company, believing she’d left the door unlocked and it was opened by accident. But when she returned home at around 2:38 p.m., she saw someone appeared to have pried open the patio door. Deputies observed a broken piece of a screwdriver next to the door and pry marks on that door and another back bedroom patio door.
Theft by access card: 600 block of Knight Way. A woman told deputies she was checking her Chase Visa credit card statement when she discovered several unauthorized purchases. A bank representative advised she close the account. She contacted Postmates, a courier service, and found out someone had opened an account there using her information.
Compiled by Sara Cardine.
Twitter: @SaraCardine
