Catalytic Converter Theft, Recovered Stolen Vehicle, Christmas Lights Contest

AT&T parking lot on Kings Way, November 29th, 2011 as reported by a resident

11/29/11 at around 3:50pm I was walking from my office at work to go to the post office and I heard someone working on a vehicle in our company parking lot. I assumed it was someone at work getting help starting their car. It sounded to me like they were having problems with a starter and I noticed a young woman, 20ish, pacing behind an older, light gray volkswagen bug.

I went on to the post office and thought about what I had seen in the parking lot and the more I thought about, I wondered if the woman was a lookout for something. I hurried back to work, gone six minutes max, and the VW was gone. Found the owner of the truck parked next to the VW and the catalytic converter had been cut out, right there, middle of the day, our work parking lot. Building is at 3540 kings way.

Called the Sheriff and an officer came out and took a report. He said he hadn't heard of catalytic converters being stolen for some time, but I told him that I continue to hear of such reports in the area from our neighborhood watch. Amazing this happened in daylight with people in and out of our office all the time, but it was so bold that I didn't initially question it. If I had gone with my gut instinct, they would have been caught. Young woman had long, medium brown hair, about 5'3-5'4, maybe 150 lbs. Didn't see the guy. Older toyota pickup is the vehicle that the catalytic converter was stolen from.

Stolen Vehicle Recovered, DPM Brick Plaza

The vehicle that was stolen from Claire Court has been recovered and returned to the owner

Also, the del paso manor brick plaza has had children from the school damaging the lettering. A resident caught the children in the act, and contacted the office. However, the school hasn't tried to repair the damage. Any PTA parents that can help?

Del Paso Manor Homeowners Association

Christmas Lights Contest

Judging will take place between December 11-17

Rules:

1. Homes must be within the Del Paso Manor neighborhood boundaries: Maryal/Ione on the south, south side of Marconi on the north, Eastern on the east and Watt on the west.

2. A home at any one address cannot win in two consecutive years, unless during the calendar year the home has changed ownership or, if a rental, tenants.

3. Awards with prizes will given out to three homes in the neighborhood that exhibit the spirit of the holiday season with lights and decorations. Please review the criteria for each award.

The Awards are:

The Elf Award: Since elves toil in Santa’s workshop making toys and other presents by hand, this award will go to the home that has the best display of “homemade” decorations complimented by lights.

The Rudolph Award: Rudolph used “his nose so bright,” to lead the way for Santa, so this award will go to the home that has the most and best use of lights to display the holiday spirit.

The Santa Award: Santa loves decorations of all kinds, so this award will go to the home with the best Christmas decorations, whether commercial, homemade or a combination of both, complimented by lights.

Vehicle Theft, Suspicious Activity

25th or 26th of November: A vehicle was stolen on Claire Court. No details are available at this time.

November 27th: suspicious vehicle/activity 2500 block of Andrade

Last night around 9:45, I heard a vehicle drive by our house with very loud music. I looked out the window and was surprised to see that it had stopped (with the music turned off) and a large man was getting out of the car and walking up to a neigbor's house. This was obviously odd, so I watched him walk up to the porch and peer through the front window and then he walked down the porch and jumped in the passenger's side of the car that was waiting. The car was an older model Ford Taurus or something that was very round and oval in the back window. The Sheriff's Department was called and responded quickly, stating that they had already been suspicious of another vehicle in the area. I believe that they targeted this house because the resident had just put up their Christmas Tree....

Just a note to all those decorating for Christmas, we have had several decorations stolen in the past couple of years (usually the inflatables). Try to secure them the best you can, and be aware.

Burglary, Catalytic Converter Thefts

11-14-11

A burglary occurred last the evening of Sunday, November 13th, between 7:30 and 8:00 PM on the 2800 block of Avalon at Marconi. A resident left at 7:30 PM and when a second resident returned home at 8pm, a neighbor informed him that there were two people, "messing" with the front door. The resident went around the house and then in the front door, Two individuals jumped the rear fence, and ran north on Norris. The Sheriff's department was called and a report taken, but no discernable fingerprints were obtained.

Three catalytic converter thefts have been reported recently, all of them single thefts. All were unbolted, not cut off, as in the past. Chuck guesses it could be a person on a bicycle, (low profile, and can carry very little)....just a thought

From Sherri, with the sheriff dept:

Burglary Detectives arrested 3 black male adults this week who were driving a light blue Toyota Camry and have charged them with 5 separate residential burglaries in the communities of Antelope, Fair Oaks and Carmichael.

Fatal Shooting in our Neighborhood

As reported by the Sacramento Bee:

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department deputies have canvassed an Arden Arcade neighborhood as part of an investigation into the fatal shooting of a man Monday [11/07/2011] evening in a supermarket parking lot.

Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said deputies responded at 7:18 p.m. Monday to a report of shots fired with a man down in the Raley's supermarket parking lot at the southeast corner of Watt and Marconi avenues.

He said deputies arrived within a couple of minutes and found an African American man, who appeared to be in his 30s, face down in a parking stall. He had suffered two gunshot wounds to his upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Ramos said deputies currently have very little information about the shooting. A witness reported a light-colored pickup truck speeding from the parking lot just after the shooting.

However, no further description of any vehicles or suspects was immediately available.

Anyone with information may can call the sheriff's homicide bureau at (916) 443-4357.

Vandalism, Solicitators, Paintball shooter

Vandalism

2500 block of Catalina- The back window to a Tahoe was smashed out on Halloween night. It happened about 11:40 P.M. A silver Toyota with a dark stripe pulled up across the street from the house with the headlights turned off and a young man got out, walked to the rear of the truck and threw a sparkplug, smashing the window. He then sped South on Catalina, across El Camino without stopping or turning on his headlights

Solicitor

Neighborhood wide, if you had posted to your door, a sticker saying "energy infraction," this is a contractor soliciting business. the same thing happened roughly a year ago. They look at your house and if you have old windows WW3601 is entered in the lower left. If you have newer windows KB3601 is entered, meaning kitchen/bath remodel. The person is not an energy expert, just someone trying to get business for Landino Enterprises, (Weather Rite).

state contractor license board info:

https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/LicenseDetail.aspx?LicNum=452865

Person shooting paint balls at passing vehicles

This happened on Wednesday the 2nd of November around 6 pm.

The shooter was a dark haired, stocky male with a dark complexion. He was estimated to be in his mid 20's to early 30's.

He was in a dark, black or maybe navy, F150 Ford pickup, CA license 7V65008 with a black rack on the back. It has a sticker in the back window that says "Bad Religion." The pickup has a Raiders frame around the license plate.

[Editor's note: I'm really working hard to not make Raiders jokes here.]

He was parked behind the old Gottchalks store.

911 was called, and information was given to the dispatcher.

[Note: Checking the penal code I found that a paint ball gun is not considered a firearm despite firing a projectile of more than 6mm in diameter. It's considered a paint marking gun. However, the effect on motorists may well cause a responding officer to consider it a dangerous weapon.]

Theft, Suspicious Vehicle, Follow Up

Tuesday, October 11th:

Suspicious van, Jogger Stroller Theft

I was walking back to my truck at 4:45 PM when I observed a dark green Dodge
Caravan parked in front of 3941 Kings Way, and a white male adult running
towards it pushing a blue jogger stroller. The side door of the van opened,
and another white male helped load the stroller into the van. The van then
pulled out and turned left on Lasuen, driven by a third white male adult in his
mid to late 30's with shaved head, small beard, baseball cap and sunglasses. I
contacted the Sheriff dept to report the theft.

The van's license plate # is CA 3EMM316 [note: follow up indicates this plate is either close, or does not belong to this van], be aware of it in your area, they are
apparently are looking for targets of opportunity.

again it is a

Dark green, Dodge Caravan, CA license 3EMM316 [plate may not be exactly this].

At this sighting, it had 3 White male adults in their mid to late 30's.

Saturday, October 15th

Update to Jogger Stroller Theft, Marijuana Theft, Alarming Alarm Salesman

Update on the jogger stroller theft: Sherri with the Sheriff dept. said that the plate came back to a Geo, not a Dodge. she tried a program that will search through plate variants, and didn't find a match. so, if they dumped the plates, we are still looking for a dark green dodge caravan, with mid 30's white males, cruising the neighborhood.

Marijuana Theft

Monday or Tuesday this week there was a theft from a house in the Del Paso Manor neighborhood that resulted in collateral damage to a neighbor's vehicle, (totaled).

The theft was of marijuana plants. The reportedly 13 plants were being grown under California's medical marijuana law, and according to news reports this time of year is harvest time. Over the last month or so, I had noticed the odor of marijuana, but couldn't directly tell where it was coming from. If I could smell it, others could. Details are not all in, but apparently, the thieves were stealing the marijuana, when the grower caught them at it, and started chasing them. During the chase, the thieves' vehicle slammed into the neighbor's car parked in their driveway, "totaling" it.

California law enforcement cannot do anything about cultivation of marijuana. Growers should note that Federal authorities seem to be making an example of California dispensaries at this time, and they may take interest in growers in the future.

If you notice suspicious vehicles or persons loitering around the area and you suspect that marijuana is being grown in your neighborhood, call the Sheriff dept and inform them of this. persons growing more than legally allowed. The police informed me the legal limit is 8 mature plants or 12 immature plants. Grow operations, even small ones, are inviting more disruption and threats to the neighborhood. No matter how you feel about cultivation of medical marijuana, it is clearly an attraction to thieves, so growers and neighbors must be extra vigilant.

Vandalism (Vehicle egging)

A vehicle was egged last night on the 3800 block of Lasuen. This seems to be the time of year for that. If you notice a vehicle with occupants committing this type of act, get a license number and call the Sheriff dept. Property damage (egg can ruin a paint job) might be recouped through civil channels with a police report.

Alarming Alarm Salesman

There is an individual working for the home alarm monitoring company Select Security canvassing the neighborhood. He has been in the neighborhood for a couple of days. I saw him yesterday and got an email about him last night. I talked to him today and explained to him that when he starts asking personal questions about your home security it puts people on guard. I gave him my email address and told him to send me all the information about his company and their promotion and I would include it, in an alert and allow you to contact him.

After I had talked to him, I got a call from another resident about, this person.

His name is Gus Mcguire and he drives a dark grey Infinity, CA lic 5ZXX040.

He wears a white Polo shirt and has an ID hanging around his neck. He is a white male with a tanned complexion, 5'8", 160 lbs, 30ish, clean shaven, and dark hair. He has sent me an email, but I need more information from him before I send it on, like business license number, picture and such. That information will be included in a future alert.

Note: even people doing legitimate business can sometimes use information you provide in a criminal manner later. It may be best let him know you don't give out personal security information but would be happy to listen to his offer.

Burglary

Last Thursday (September 16th) to the East of your neighborhood (in Carmichael) we had a burglary on our street. What took place is very similiar to past burglaries in the Del Paso Manor area. The following took place on Leoleta just off Mission Avenue near Marconi.

My husband witnessed a maroon CRV pull up in the neighbor's driveway and thought perhaps she was having some work done on her house. The passenger got out and walked to another house and knocked and when the lady answered the door he asked if she had any cans or bottles to recycle. When she said no he left and returned to the house where the CRV was parked. The individual then went to that front door and when no one answered he went to the gate and entered the backyard. My husband then became suspicious and went down to the neighbor next door to where the CRV was parked and asked to go look over the fence. Unfortunately, by now the maroon CRV had driven off. However, when they looked over the fence the sliding glass door had been shattered. Since the individual never came back out front we believe he jumped the fence into the apartments on Marconi and the CRV picked him up there. Unfortunately, they got a jewelry box, Wii, and other misc. small stuff.

Unfortunately, my husband didn't react first by getting a license number on the CRV. The vehicle wasn't more that 2-4 years old and the passenger was white and in his 20's. After speaking to another neighbor on the street we found out that this individual was working the street and also went to another door asking for cans and bottles prior to making his way to the house he eventually broke into.

Theft

Friday, September 16th, on the 3800 block of Duran Circle, some fishing equipment was stolen from an open boat parked in a carport. The resident heard someone rummaging through the garbage can but didn't pay any attention as it was recycling day. (Note: law enforcement has asked us to report recycling looters using the non emergency Sheriff's number.) The equipment had been in the boat for several days prior to the theft.

Theft

Friday, September 16th on the North side of Marconi, near Montclaire

Sometime after midnight, early Friday morning, a window sample was stolen out of the back of my truck in my driveway in the 2900 block of Burnece (off Darlene/Valkyrie, across the street from Raleys and AT&T on Marconi). I suspect it was the garbage diggers as it was garbage night, or the tweekers in the known meth dealer's duplex near the southwest end of Valkyrie. This was done under full lighting. (Please note, law enforcement has asked us to report recycling looters using the Sheriff's non-emergency line.)

Mail theft

Sunday, September 18th

We were walking our dog this evening around 7pm on Montclaire and found some discarded mail. Upon looking over the bank of the chicken slough creek we saw what seemed to be torn up paper. I climbed down the rocks and recovered opened and torn up mail from two addresses, three people. One address on Stonesiffer Ct. and one on Woodcrest. We returned the mail to the addresses and spoke with people at both residences. Some of this mail was obviously outgoing and had contained checks. I suggest a locking mailbox for incoming, and if you are gone during the day, drop off your outgoing mail.

Theft

Monday, September 19th

At approx noon on Monday a blue backpack containing a laptop computer and an iPad was stolen from the bed of a pickup truck on the 2800 block of Verna Way. The resident had put the backpack in the bed of the truck and was shuttling two young children and a dog back and forth to the truck. Apparently someone had observed the activity and the placing of the pack and waited until the resident re-entered the house to steal the pack.

The backpack is described as slightly darker than sky blue and completely blue including zippers and buttons.

Graffiti

On the afternoon of Friday, September 16th, four youths participated in "tagging" the top of the brick plaza sign, at the intersection of Kings, Marilona, and Maryal. A sheriff's deputy hired by mission oaks park district ran them off as loiterers, but was informed of the tagging by a neighbor. They were then detained on Kings Way near Butano, and one of the four was identified as having gang affiliation. Below are pictures of the subjects, and of some of the graffitti.

If you happen to see these or any other people loitering, in an area where they seem out of place call the sheriff's non emergency number, 874-5115.

Click for full pictures (this will open the full picture at the hosting site, Photobucket)

Burglary, Pickpocket at Sam's Club

From Chuck:

Thursday night, I heard on "radio reference.com," Sac Sheriff North Ch1, that deputies had apprehended some individuals at 3410 Marconi Ave. attempting to strip a vacant house of its copper.

If you have a vacant house near you, and there is activity at odd hours or it appears that that the people are removing anything at any hour, call the sheriff dept. Some of these looters are brazen enough to play on a neighbor's inattention.

Want to listen to the Sacramento County Sheriff and City Police radio? Listen here. It can be useful for figuring out why the helicopter is up.

From a Neighbor

On Saturday, Aug 27, at about 4pm, my wife and daughter were at Sam's Club at Country Club Mall. My wife was standing sideways next to the shopping cart. My wife turned and noticed that her wallet was gone from her purse. She saw an African-American male disappearing around an aisle, carrying her wallet. She yelled and him and chased after him and he dropped it. She stopped to collect her wallet and he escaped out of the store. The manager saw him leave on a bicycle with a backpack.

Just wanted to let you know. Hopefully, Sam's Club will watch for him to see that this doesn't happen again.

There was a discussion on Arden Manor Neighbors about the pointlessness of reporting crime (the gentleman who didn't think reporting did any good had a rather anti-police attitude). Our crime prevention specialist disagrees:

Why to call law enforcement and report crime.

Call to inform of their crime and find out how not to be a victim

All crime reports are read by a Detective Sergeant.

Staffing levels and budgets in Division are based in part on reported crime.

Patrol officers recover stolen identifiable property, which can be returned to the victim.

Suspects can be charged with additional counts of stolen property.

Crimes in a series are pieces of a puzzle that can be linked together. A small piece may tie it all together.

Property without serial numbers/driver’s license numbers may sometimes be identified and returned.

You have very little chance of recovering the property or arresting the suspect if the report is not made.

Call to provide statistical support.

Your call validates why resources are targeted to particular areas.

Your call presents a picture that prompts discussion, better enabling all community partners to contribute, rather than following the view of one single partner.

Your call provides a base to monitor, analyze, predict and measure targeted responses.

Helps to profile types of crime in your area, and establish if these crimes are connected or if we have connected suspect information.

Always report any type of crime, no matter how small.

Deterring Burglary:

SECURITY LIGHTING

Security lighting is a deterrent if you or your neighbors are watching. Decorative yard lights are not security lighting. Lighting is for you to see what’s in your yard and driveway, not your guests or burglars. Point light downward and point it from your house, into your yard, toward the street and driveway. Light does you no good if you can’t see what is in your yard and driveway. If you light up an area and no one is regularly there to watch that area, (neighbors should be able to see your property) it does not benefit you.

ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNICATION

The more information that you share, the more you are aware of each other and what is happening on your block. Keep the email and phone lists up to date. Apprise new neighbors of Neighborhood Watch and get them involved.

Keep the group informed if you have a series of crimes, concerns or questions. Provide updated rosters to members when needed. Have a party. Hold an event. Take time to talk with each other. Be good neighbors. Watch out for each other.

SECURITY SYSTEMS DETER BURGLARS

Security systems prevent high dollar loss in the event of a burglary. Alarm window or yard signs are of high value as well.

REINFORCE DOOR FRAMES

One method of doing this is to replace one screw in each of the hinge plates with a 3" screw. This will reach past the door frame into the 2x4 studs behind the door frame. I firmly believe that plywood/pine frames are the easiest frames to kick in. Check to see what kind of door frame that you have.

SECURITY STRIKE PLATE

A strike plate is the metal piece on the door frame that the deadbolt "throw" goes into. It should be 4 or more inches in length and be mounted with two or more case-hardened screws at least 3 inches long.

DEADBOLTS

Deadbolts are excellent and are recommended on each of your exterior doors. Just remember that deadbolts are only as strong as the material they are installed in. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security just because you have a deadbolt installed.

SINGLE CYLINDER DEADBOLT

This type of deadbolt has a keyway on the outside and a turn knob on the inside. It is recommended on all exterior doors. (If there is glass within 40 inches of the door lock, it should be covered with a security grille to prevent reaching through the glass area to unlock it.) The throw bolt should extend at least 1 inch from the edge of the door, and it should have a hardened steel pin inside the throw bolt. The lock should be installed with at least two 1/4 inch case-hardened steel fasteners, and should have a tapered or rotating guard around the key section so that it cannot be compromised with a pair of pliers.

DOUBLE CYLINDER DEADBOLT

This type of deadbolt is keyed in both the inside and outside, requiring a key to unlock it. It is the same as the single cylinder deadbolt, except the keyway on both sides of the door.

ALWAYS LOCK YOUR HOUSE

Make sure your doors are locked; even if you plan to be gone for only a few minutes. Even the best locks won't protect you if they aren't used. Most crooks are not professionals. If they can't open the door and walk in then the next best thing to do is smash a window or kick the door in...or go some place else.

PIN HINGES

Pin hinges are recommended for exterior doors that open out. A hinged door that opens out has the hinge pins on the outside, making it possible to remove the pins and open the door from the hinge side. To prevent this, remove one of the screws of the hinge (on the door frame side) and drive a nail into the hole, leaving the nail exposed 1/2 inch. Then cut off the head of the nail. Remove the matching screw from the other half of the hinge. The nail should now fit into this second hole when the door is closed, connecting the two parts of the hinge and securing the door from being opened by removing a hinge pin from the outside.

INSTALL A 190-DEGREE VIEWER or a "peep hole." It should be installed in all exterior doors where there is no visibility from inside to see who is at the door.

DOUBLE DOOR ENTRANCES that have two swinging doors that close in the middle should have flush bolts installed on one of the doors. These bolts extend up into the frame at the top and down into the floor at the bottom, providing a base to lock the other door to.

REPLACE OLD OR WEAK EXTERIOR DOORS

If a door has hollow core construction, or that is in weakened condition due to age or weathering, it should be replaced with a strong door with solid hard wood construction.

GRILLE OVER WINDOW IN DOOR

Doors that are half wood/half window should be replaced or have a security grille installed over the glass part. Install this grille on the inside of the door, or use tamper resistant fasteners, such as round-headed thru-bolts, if installing the grille on the outside. (An alternative to replacing the door would be to install a security wrought iron door on that entrance.)

SLIDING DOORS

Install pan head screws in the upper track of the movable panel of all sliding doors. The purpose is to prevent the sliding door from being lifted off the track and removed from the frame when it is in the closed position. These screws have rounded heads and should be installed about 2 feet apart. They should be screwed in so that the door can just barely slide by, while preventing it from being lifted up out of the track. Also cut fitted doweling in the tracks. It should fit snugly. Never use ‘something’ else to keep the door snug. Get fitted doweling on your next trip to the hardware or lumber store.

USE A CHARLIE BAR OR A DOWEL

A Charlie bar is a commercially available device that mounts to the frame opposite the sliding door and swings down behind the door to stop it from sliding. A stick or dowel inserted snugly into the bottom track can be used in much the same way.

PIN DOORS

With the door in the closed position, drill a small-diameter hole from the inside center frame through into the outside frame, but not through the outside frame. Insert a nail or other sturdy pin. To be most effective the hole should be made at a slight downward angle to prevent the pin from falling out if someone tries to lift the door up out of the frame. Caution: When drilling holes in the frame great care should be taken to avoid drilling into or striking the glass. Tempered glass will frequently shatter on contact with the drill bit.

Door to Door casing of homes, robbery

Resent by Chuck, incident also reported at the Arden Manor Neighbors FB group by a Mayfair resident:

Everyone needs to keep an eye out for 2 husky built men going door to door together, one Caucasian and one African American. Yesterday the mail man told me that a resident down Mayfair witnessed an attempted robbery by these men. They are going door to door in the middle of the day seeking unattended houses. This morning I noticed an early 90's model light brown Toyota(?) truck that I have never seen before parked out front of my house. A large African American male with a bald head walked up towards my house with a phone book in a ripped orange plastic bag. My house looked like no one was home because the cars were gone but when he heard my dogs and saw me he tossed the bag and hopped in his car and drove off. He may have been just a delivery man but why did no one else on my street get a phone book? How random and very suspicious. Everyone needs to take extra precautions while they are away from their homes. I notified the police right away.

Two houses on Mayfair got broken into recently, one through a bathroom window. I compared what I witnessed with another neighbor and the description seems to be the same man. I was checking out my house to see what could of caught his eye, I had my front window wide open. This neighborhood used to be safe.

Attempted Abduction behind Whole Foods

A grown woman was nearly abducted behind Whole Foods on Monday around 8:30 PM. There is an alley behind the shopping center that is commonly used by neighborhood residents. She was headed toward the alley after a visit to Baskin Robbins.

She was approached by a man in a white vehicle (she was too scared to remember a good description of the vehicle, though she remembers it was white and was either a car or small SUV). She described him as having a buzz haircut, of mixed race with facial pockmarks and wearing glasses. She said she wasn't interested in whatever he was saying and he forced her up against a wall, but she was able to escape. He was not armed.

The incident was reported to the Sheriff's Department. Due to negative feedback last time I sent to the e-mail network, this will not be sent via e-mail.

Suspicious Activity, Burglary, Aggressive Scavenging

Suspicious Activity (possible casing for burglary)

Reported by the Cowan neighborhood watch group:

Last night at 3:15 AM there was an older white Honda that should not have been in our neighborhood.

It was not the paper delivery, there were four grown men in the car.

They were parked on Brookwood by North Edge and Regent snooping.

A neighbor went out to see what was going on and the sped off.

I have no plate # to share, but please be on the lookout.

This happened because a neighbor heard something and checked it out.

Please pass this on.

Vehicle Burglary

7-11 2800 block Verna way (reported by resident/victim)

Wanted to let you know that my car was broken into last night 2800 block of Verna Way. The thieves took my daughters black Tory Burch diaper bag and inside it had a very sentimental watch. They also left at the scene 3 other purses that were not ours. Appears they hit a few other folks as well. Sheriff took the items left that did not belong to us.

Aggressive Scavengers

7-11 Carrisa, Loreto and Kings Way

Around 10-1130 AM two individuals pulling a cart, one male adult possibly Hispanic or Asian with a shaved head and dark chin hair, and a white female adult with sandy blonde hair in a pony tail and missing teeth wearing a white shirt, were approaching houses and going through not only recycle cans, but all waste cans as reported by a resident. The sheriff's dept was called and a unit was seen in the area within 15 minutes. It is unknown whether the deputy made contact with the trespassers, as it was last seen driving in the opposite direction from the individuals were headed (they were going toward Watt Avenue).

The scavengers were told that they were trespassing by stepping on the property of the homeowner to retrieve anything from the waste cans and that they sheriff's dept had been called.

The male said thanks for the warning, but reportedly continued to walk up to houses and rummage through cans as they headed for Watt avenue.

[Note: Why do we care about scavengers? The Sheriff's department has asked us to report them. Their presence in your neighborhood lowers your property value. Their theft of county revenue will eventually lead to higher taxes for you. They're a crime risk--if you've tossed bills in your garbage can and they retrieve them, they may steal your identity, and when they get more aggressive they can commit burglary. Finally, they don't always limit themselves to your recycling or garbage. Some will steal any metal they can remove from your property.]

Recent Incidents

Commercial Burglary

Emigh hardware was burglarized monday night/tuesday morning, between 12 midnight and 2 am. The thieves cut the lock on a fire gate between the Kensington apartments and gained access to the rear buildings. Approx 2-3 individuals were involved as shown by video surveillance, and they got away with approx $5000 in merchandise.

Car Burglaries

Shortly after 2am, the Kensington apartments courtesy patrol discovered that three vehicles had windows broken and most likely had been burglarized.

Church Burglary

Those of you that live in the north part of the neighborhood probably found a booklet with a flyer in it on your porch. A week and a half ago, the Church or Scientology building, located at 3825 Marconi was burglarized, (as reported by the sheriff cyberwatch). The staff are reaching out to try and establish a neighborhood watch program. I met with one person, explained what we have, and told them to ask if they wanted any help.

Vandalism

I just wanted to let you know that my car was vandalized about 4:00am this morning. Big rocks were thrown through my rear windshield and it looks as if they either hit the back of it or they were smashing the rocks as my tailgate, etc. were heavily damaged. I’ve filed an incident report and was wondering if you heard of anyone else having problems last night? Or possibly someone saw a green car racing thru the neighborhood? A neighbor saw a green car speeding out of the court, heard the noise but couldn’t see anything as it was dark. The car then came back and drove thru the court really fast.

A Victory for our Neighborhood

We've had a victory in our community. It has a bit of a back story.

At nearly 1:00 Am on June 21st, one of our community members was once again targeted by thugs for his efforts to help keep criminals out of our neighborhood. His household was awakened by two loud bangs.

On examination, he found an improvised explosive device made from a Simply Lemonade bottle. He was able to determine the basic composition of the bomb, but we won't repost here to avoid imitation.

A check of the security cameras the resident maintains showed the 4-door sedan turn onto Ione Street from Eastern Avenue, make a U-turn, and drop the bomb near his vehicle before speeding off southbound on Eastern.

This was a deliberate act of terror meant to intimidate a member of our neighborhood watch.

Videos were made available through the mailing list, but are not shared here to help protect the victim of the attacks.

Fortunately for us, these guys decided to try it again, but this time didn't get away. The press release is here: http://www.sacsheriff.com/media/0629_explosives.cfm

June 29, 2011

Two Arrested for Explosive Devices in Carmichael

Earlier this morning, Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men in connection with the explosion of a device at a private residence in Carmichael. Scott Barney and Phillip Fernandez, both 23 years old, were booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for charges including vandalism, conspiracy, possession of a destructive device, and felony child endangerment.

Just after midnight today, an audible alarm sounded at a home in the 4300 block of Vulcan Drive. The resident of the home also called the Sheriff’s Department, reporting what sounded like a loud explosion moments earlier. An additional call from a neighbor stated that he observed someone place an unknown object in the victim’s mailbox before getting into a vehicle that left the scene. The neighbor also reported hearing the explosion just after he witnessed the suspect place the object inside the mailbox.

Within ten minutes, a deputy observed a vehicle matching the description given by the witness at Arden Way and Eastern Avenue. An enforcement stop was conducted on the vehicle, which was occupied by suspects Barney and Fernandez, and two other juvenile males, ages 8 and 13. Inside the vehicle, deputies observed what appeared to be four plastic bottles with a white powdery substance inside. At that point, deputies detained the occupants of the vehicle, and initiated a call-out to the Sheriff’s Explosive Ordnance Detail (EOD).

EOD detectives responded and rendered the improvised devices safe. The two juveniles inside the suspect vehicle were determined not to be criminally liable, and were returned to the custody of adult relatives. In addition to the residence on Vulcan Drive, patrol deputies found another residence in the 1800 block of Saint Anne Court where a similar device had been placed inside a mailbox.

Barney and Fernandez are each being held on $1,000,000 bail and are expected to be arraigned later this week.

Deputy Jason Ramos,
Sheriff's Spokesman

Scott Barney (03/16/1988)

Phillip Fernandez (02/13/1988)

Several Incidents

3700 block of Duran Circle (Auto Theft)

On Sunday, between the hours of 12 midnight and 4 am, Sunday, a car was stolen. The residents had left the doors unlocked. The Sheriff's department made them aware by calling at 4:10 AM. Apparently the thief took the car to a vacant house on Kentfield near Watt Avenue to syphon gas out of the tank. When a neighbor noticed the activity, they called the sheriff dept. Some items were stolen, including a garage door opener, but the car was recovered and a thief was arrested.

3700 block of Kings Way (Breaking in and Entering)

At approx 10:30PM Sunday night, a very thin person cut the screen to an open window leading to the garage. The opening is small, roughly 16X16 inches and faces Kings Way. The intruder moved things around, but according to the resident nothing was taken.

2800 block of Alamitos (Vehicle Vandalism)

At approx 12:30AM-1AM on Monday morning, a crash was heard. When the resident went out to investigate, she observed a newer, silver SUV speed away. She then noticed a rock in the driveway and the window of their truck (parked behind a gate) had been broken.

Kensington Apts. on Kings Way (Vehicle Burglaries)

During the Sunday night/Monday morning period, several vehicles had “window smash” burglaries.

Below is a flyer of a missing teen from the Del Campo High School area. Clicking on it will bring up the full sized flyer with phone numbers to call if you see her.

Carmichael Theft

From Chuck

This was taken from the FB Carmichael watchgroup site and occurred on May 30. Updated info with photos came up, so I thought I might post them and the info.

Just as in the Lapaz burglary a couple of years ago, the more eyes out there the more information that can be gathered.

05/30/2011: Memorial day. Landis Ave. This Guy stole our garden equipment out of our shed. Security cameras witnessed him checking our curbside mail box to see if we were home. Then he looked in our windows and checked around the house for unlocked doors. He found our gas powered lawn equipment and loaded it into his cherry red hummer. He was careful not to trigger our alarm system, but he was unaware of our cameras. There is not doubt that if he saw something he wanted when he looked in the windows he would have broken in…it took him 9 minutes from arrival to departure.

This is the Cherry red hummer that the guy drove who took our garden equipment. (see previous posts) Heads up to everyone who has rural style mailboxes in Carmichael. This guy seemed to have a theft routine down that is triggered by unclaimed mail in mail boxes.

Home invasion robbery, Shots fired incident

COWAN NEIGHBORS ~

Monday, JUNE 13, 2011 5:30 a.m. -6:00 a.m. on VALKYRIE WAY (cross of ROBERTSON/MONTCLAIRE)

As reported on the news - A male, light skinned, 5-11 to 6-1, slim build, wearing black hooded sweatshirt entered the backyard of the neighbors home. The neighbor & family were sleeping, family dog home. The male ransacked the house, piling up the personal belongings of the neighbor before going into the masterbedroom where the homeowner was sleeping. The male kept the neighbor and her son in the house while he continued to "collect" their property.

The entire burglary was interrupted (around 8:00 a.m.) when concerned co-workers arrived at the home to check on their very punctual co-worker who never showed up for work. The co-workers interrupted the male who ran out of the house. The neighbor and her son survived unharmed along with the co-workers who scared off the bad guy. He fled on foot towards GREENVIEW (towards Watt Avenue).

I know this is a frightening e-mail. This incident was reported on the news also but it hits so very close to our homes. Neighborhood Watch does work-watch out for each other and phone 9-1-1 the minute you think a situation is "weird" or "unusual".

From Chuck:

Just for information, to the greater DPM area, (I've limited previous emails to the area concerned to gather more info) on Friday evening around 6PM, a male Hispanic was walking west on Lasuen, when a white van (possibly an Aerostar), pulled up to him, in the opposing trafic lane. Screams and yelling were heard, and then a loud "bang". The van then peeled out, and the hispanic male continued to walk towards Butano. 911 was called but no sheriff has responded to date. Bullet fragments were recovered and appear to be from a .25 auto. (It seems the "walker" fired a shot into the floorboard of the van, and scared them away. The "walker" was wearing a black shirt, and of stocky build.

This occured near the corner of Lasuen and Catalina.

Multiple incidents

Car burglaries which may lead to home burglary; stolen items may be pawned:

06/06/2011

From Julie: My Toyota Highlander, parked on my driveway (Cresta at La Sierra), was entered last night and rifled through thoroughly, taking the box of quarters for meters, 2 pairs of ladies sunglasses, current vehicle registration, and several house keys (no identifiers on them and not for this residence). The car was not damaged. Perhaps I forgot to lock the car last night; I usually re-lock it when I turn out the lights. I have filed a report with the sheriff's office. So the thieves are out there; beware.

From unknown: Julie, my husband’s car was also broken into. (Cresta Way, right next to the park, a few houses down from you) He discovered the break in this morning, but we got home late last night from a week-long vacation, so we weren’t sure when it might have happened. He thought he has locked his car, but the car was unlocked this morning and it had been rifled through. All that was missing was some change and an envelope including his registration and insurance paperwork. We are just glad there wasn’t more in the car for them to steal. Not sure what they are planning on doing with the registration though....that is a little concerning. It is unnerving that break-ins like this are happening in the neighborhood. He is also going to file a sheriff’s report.

From unknown regarding the above: Please make sure you didn’t have a garage door opener in your car. Thieves have been known to break into cars and steal the opener and registration (so they have the address) and come back later to burglarize the house.

That being said, a young man who committed a number of car burglaries last fall. He usually sold the items to Capital City Loan & Jewelry, a pawn shop on El Camino near Watt, across from Wal-Mart. You may want to check there in a couple of days for your stolen items.

Car Crash (potential drunk driving?), Catalytic Converter Theft

Cowan NW area, 06/06/2011

This incident happened late Sunday night, little after 1 AM Monday morning on North Edge.

Please spread the word and let's see if the car comes back into the neighborhood.

Thanks Laura for getting me the info.

This car did a lot of damage to the decorative fence in front, and went flying through the neighborhood.

Here is the info:

I just wanted to pass on information about an incident that occurred on North Edge Drive. At 1:18 I heard a car screeching through the neighborhood and then a loud crash. We got up and looked outside and the car had knocked down a front yard fence and row of rose bushes in our next door neighbor's yard. Another neighbor that lives on Whitney followed the car, but couldn't catch the guy. He said it was a white male, about 200 lbs. and around 30 years old as far as he could tell. The neighbor said the driver was in a dark blue Chevy compact with a Paul Blanco ad where the license place should have been. We called it into the CHP, but they did not investigate until today when our neighbor made a report. The driver didn't appear to know our neighborhood because he pulled into Canna Court, probably thinking he could leave the neighborhood that way.

My neighbor's catalytic converter was stolen today June 8, 2011 at 4:45 a.m. His truck was parked in his driveway on the 2100 block of Maryal Drive. The truck alarm awoke us and 2 guys were seen getting into a silver car and driving off.

Update on the Wee Haul incident

From a member of the Carmichael watchgroup:

I just called Greg, the owner of Wee Haul and he told me what happened. He was doing some foreclosure work and he has a set of master keys to vacant houses. He was given the wrong address and told the neighbor what had happened. Also, he spoke to Better Business Bureau and let them know also.

From Brenda: A suggestion for my neighbors...

Years ago, a Highway Patrolman spoke to our work group and he recommended that we NOT keep our car registration and even Insurance paperwork in our vehicle. Nothing with our home address on it. He said carry it on your person. He stated that if yu are at work, shopping or whatever and your car is broken-in-to the thief has your home address and knows you are NOT at home.

Since then, I carry a copy in my wallet/purse of the necessary paperwork. I never leave it in my car.

Potential Pedophile / Abductor in the area

I have just heard by word of mouth from a friend in the "Garden of the Gods" neighborhood (behind the Whole Foods shopping area) that 2-3 times in the last 4 weeks a man in a cream-colored older sedan beckoned children playing in their front yards to approach the car. The children fortunately knew not to approach a stranger's car!

Please let your families and neighbors know of the potential danger. If you see a person doing this, protect the children first, and get a plate number and make a report if you have the opportunity.

More info on the "Hauling Service" attempted burglary

Around 9:00am today (Friday 5/27), an older brown pickup backed into the driveway of a home in Carmichael. The pickup had plywood sides and the name of a hauling company on the side. The license plate was muddy and unreadable. The sign on the side of the truck read: Wee Haul (916) 470-7977 (more on this at the bottom).

Attached is a picture of the truck.

Two men got out: one was a white man, yellow/white hair, approximately 60 years old wearing glasses, jeans, and a green t-shirt. The other was a hispanic man in his thirties with dark skin, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

The older white male went to the front door and attempted to open it (he did not knock or ring the bell). He appeared to put a key in the lock. A relative of the homeowner was in the house and called out "who is this?" The man was clearly surprised and said something about the address and hastily headed to the truck.

A neighbor who had been suspicious upon seeing the truck back into the driveway came over to investigate and confronted the older, white man who said, "tell the lady I'm sorry I tried to open her door." They then took off, heading south on Eastern past Whitney.

----

While it is possible that this was an honest mistake, there are two burning questions:
1. If they had really just gone to the wrong address, why didn't he just say he was there to do a job?
2. If they had misread the address, why did they leave the area completely when confronted?
3. In what instance would a hauling company open a front door without knocking?

I looked up Wee Haul and found them listed through several different services. Their address is listed as 5008 El Camino Ave, # 1, Carmichael, CA. I drove by 5008 El Camino and it's a Stop N Shop store on the south side of El Camino near Walnut. #1 appears be the building behind Stop N Shop, which looked like a house. I even looked at the Google satellite image for that address and there is a brown pickup with wood bed sides parked behind the Stop N Shop (link to satellite image)

The BBB has the contact person for Wee Haul listed as Mr. Gregg Sparkman (Owner).

http://local.yahoo.com/info-36133038-wee-haul-carmichael
http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/us/ca/carmichael/wee-haul-reviews-3837116.aspx
http://www.bbb.org/northeast-california/business-reviews/hauling/wee-haul-in-carmichael-ca-47026784
http://www.superpages.com/bp/Carmichael-CA/Wee-Haul-L2060726394.htm

"Hauling Service" Attempted Burglary

This incident happened today (Friday) at 9am not far from Arden Park, sending it out to the group so we can keep an eye out.

This morning on Eastern Avenue in Carmichael, a brown pickup with the name of a hauling company on the side backed into the driveway of a home. Two men got out and attempted to enter the house (they did not knock or ring the bell first). A family member of the homeowner was in the house at the time and called out "who's there?" and the two men ran back to the truck and took off.

The Sheriff's Department was called and is investigating.

Theft and Solicitors

May 12, 2011 (sorry for the delay on this one):

Catalytic converter theft, (Raley's parking lot), Marconi and Watt

The catalytic converter from my 03 Nissan Frontier was stolen from the parking lot at (Watt and Marconi) last night around 8:30pm. I was only in the store for about 10 minutes.

(This is the first time I have heard of a “non-toyota” getting a CC stolen) ALL NEWER CARS HAVE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS, BE AWARE.

[Note: All cars have catalytic converters. The newer, larger ones are probably just more desirable.]

12 May 2011 Italian leather parking lot scam, (Bel-air), Arden and Eastern

Yesterday, I was approached by an "Italian guy" in a small SUV at Bel Air on Arden and Eastern who called me over to his vehicle claiming he was high end clothing supplier who was headed back to Italy tomorrow. He gave a cheezy business card that claimed his name was Vincinzo and that he was a seller to major retailers. Immediately recognizing a scam I played dumb to get as much info as possible. This guy was really good, his accent was perfect and spoke enough to play the part with out missing a beat. He said he had a show at Cal Expo in a couple of weeks and needed help unloading some samples so he didn't have to pay to take them back to Italy. He produced several nice looking "REAL" deerskin jackets that he said he could give me, even putting them in a bag. All had matching tags and packaging and everything looked real. Then right on que came the hard luck story. He produced his passport and a rental car reciept and said that if he didn't pay the bill he would lose his job with his company. All he asked was to have me buy one jacket for $1,100. When I said no it became a what will you give me for all the jackets. Once again, this guy was slick. He had me going even though I knew it was a scam. After letting him drag it on I finally broke it off and told the manager. Please be on the look out for this guy because he is going to con somebody good. This is a well known scam and the jackets he sells are pleather and not worth nuch. They look great and feel nice but you can tell by the stiching that they are fakes. You can read more about the scam here:

http://italian-style-clothing.pissedconsumer.com/ga-milano-leather-jacket-scam-20110320227680.html

Holiday Preparedness

Sherrie Carhart, Crime Prevention Specialist asks:

Do you have a list of items that might be stolen?

Is your property protected before you go away for the Memorial Day weekend?

From nearby areas:

2 Teenage Boys Selling Magazines - No ID - Shawnee Ave

Wednesday May 18th at 5:15pm. 2 Teenage boys going through neighborhood saying they were raising funds for school orchestra - one saying he lived down the street. When I asked for ID (showing he was in fact a neighbor) he refused - and got a bit belligerent. The shorter of the two is wearing a green sports jersey; the other taller boy, blond with an orange shirt. When I told them I had to be careful because of several break-ins in the area, they became even ruder...and then left.

The only ID they were will to show was a wallet with a bunch of dollars and a list of magazines they were selling.

Updated:

Neighbor on Hans Engel had similar encounter with guys. When she said she was calling the sheriff they started to run - continuing south on Kenneth and west on Winding Way .

Deputy Weinstock responded to the call (6:45pm); confronted the 2 guys; found them to have criminal records, but no cause to arrest; found a check in their possession that someone used to pay for a subscription.

The Deputy called the person (who had written them a check) and informed her that she had just given out personal information (name, address, phone number, signature and checking account number) to strangers who, in fact, have a criminal record. Please learn from this and do not give checks to strangers.

And from another few streets:

They were just at my house on Kewanee at the end of the street. Said they lived down Hidden Valley and were raising money for Chico State . They also became pushy when I said we don't contribute to solicitors.

Catalytic Converter Theft (2800 block Marilona), Arden Park burglary (cause for concern)

Sometime after 1 AM on 04/29 or 04/30, two catalytic converters were stolen from a newer v-8 Toyota pickup, in the 2800 block of Marilona.

On Monday, 05/01 at approx 12:45 in the afternoon, an older Toyota Camry or Corolla with black spray painted writing (all over the car) ran into a street sign at the east end of Duran Cirand Kings Way. The woman tried to physically remove the signs from the post and when observed returned to the vehicle, and ran over the post lodging it under the vehicle. It finally came loose at Marconi and Carrisa. The vehicle had no plates and an expired temporary registration with the number 2 on it.

AN ARDEN PARK BURGLARY 05/03/2011

05/03/2011, at about 1:45 PM, my friend came home to a burglary in progress. She lives on Arroyo Grande near Berrendo Way. The man was slight build, Caucasian, 5/10” and about 30. His hair was not visible under his Giants cap. He was dressed in black jeans and a black tee shirt. She opened her garage door and saw her TV’s and other items in laundry baskets. She called 911 and waited in the driveway. He ran out her side gate, passed her in the car and headed down Las Pasas, where a witness saw him get into a car. We don’t have any information about the car. She wishes she had run him down, but she stayed to guard her house thinking others might have been inside.

She recognized this man from a previous exchange. Several weeks ago he knocked on her door around noon. She did not open her door but talked to him through a window. He held up a cell phone to show her a picture of a dog, who he said was lost. She said she could not help him and he went away. Her neighbors across the street were robbed that day and he made away with lots of items. These guys are bold. He broke a window in her French doors and came in through her bedroom. Beware, the police think he has been working Arden Park for a year. Don’t open your door to these guys, tell your family not to open the door, call the police as soon as you get a solicitor like this. They are staking out homes and want to know who is home during the day.

If you have any information, questions, or saw anything around the area today, shoot me an email. My friends is trying to get the word out to all neighbors in this area, since they will probably be back. It sounds like the same group that was on Los Molinos earlier this year knocking on doors.

Burglaries at DPM Elementary, Attempted Vehicle Burglary, Strange Solicitor

From Chuck:

I had heard by word of mouth about break-ins at DPM Elementary School but hadn't gotten details until now:

DPM has been broken into several times over the past two weeks. On the weekend of 4/1 a white truck (same description below) was seen casing the neighborhood prior to the school’s silent alarm being set off. We have had over $10K worth of technology stolen (5 imacs, 8 flip cameras, and 2 projectors). The computers were bolted to a workstation and had a bicycle cable attaching all of the computers. There is some speculation that students attending El Camino may have been involved. Last weekend, 4/8, an annex window was broken at 7:20 AM which allowed the suspect entrance into the main office. DPM was an open campus on the weekend which meant the alarm was disabled from 6 am-6 pm. The suspect an African American male of small build, roamed the main office and hallway for almost 3 hours (until 10:00 am). We are extremely fortunate that no community members, faculty members and/or students encountered the subject. He returned Sunday, 4/10, at 11:15 PM. Responding officers/K9 unit missed apprehending the suspect by minutes. As a result, DPM is now a closed campus on the weekend. (THOSE THAT LIVE AROUND DPM, AND THOSE THAT WALK THEIR DOGS, PLEASE NOTE THIS. Mr BOB, who drives a short bed dodge pick-up, may be at the school on weekends, to allow faculty/maintenance, access to the school, any other activity noticed within the school buildings, call 911.) Security footage has been given to the detective investigating the burglary. It was disturbing to watch as many community members were walking their dogs around campus and the front of school while the suspect was in the main office and hallway. Thank you so much for your continued support. Shana & The DPM Faculty The below link is with regard to an arrest at DPM on 04/19. http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/04/19/two-juveniles-arrested-in-connection-with-school-burglary/

On or about 04/17, an attempted vehicle “window smash” occurred in the 3800 block of Duran Circle. The window was laminated, so did not shatter. The apparent tool used was a spring loaded center punch.

On Saturday evening (04/23), a white male with short sandy brown hair, red flannel shirt, black “skinny jeans," was soliciting the sales of magazines on the 2800 block of Avalon. When asked who it was for, the individual refused to say and started taunting the residents. When the residents started to exit the house, the individual, warned them, "It wouldn’t be a good idea," as he exited the area.

If you have someone soliciting “anything” door to door, request an ID to be shown through the peephole or security door. Do not open your door to anyone you don't know. If they cannot provide ID, advise them that you are going to call the sheriff.

Coordinated Burglary

Between 11:45 am and 12:10 pm on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 a home was burglarized in the 2100 block of Eastern Avenue, on the west side frontage road. between Ione and Burrell.

At least four people and three vehicles were involved. A midnight blue Chrysler 300 with no front plate with two people initially scoped out the house. The person scoping out the area was wearing dark pants and a light colored shirt. A few minutes later, a white Nissan pickup and a dark minivan arrived. The Chrysler kept moving around the area and did not stop at the house during the burglary. The pickup and van pulled into the driveway of the victim's house.

Entry was gained by kicking in the front door. The Chrysler came from westbound Ione Street (twice) and the other two vehicles came from northbound Eastern Avenue.

Anyone with information about this crime should contact the Sheriff's Department regarding report #11-76882.

The below photographs are large. Click for the full version (this will access the Photobucket account where they are stored).

For Burglary Victims

Two different people near our area have found some of their stolen items at the same place: Capital City Loan & Jewelry, a pawn shop on El Camino near Watt (across from Wal Mart). Both crimes took place last August. In both cases, the stolen items were sold by Patrick Heater.

Pawn shops keep a record of every item sold to them. If you had items stolen in the last six months, I encourage you to check to see if your stuff was sold to this business. If so, please report this to the Sheriff's Department.

3409 El Camino Ave
Sacramento, CA 95821
(916) 487-2274

Under California law, all pawn brokers must file reports containing information on daily transactions---whether buying items outright or loaning money and holding property as collateral to a pledger---to the local chief of police or sheriff on the next working day after the items were received. These reports must contain the name and address of the pledger, a copy of information from a valid form of identification. If the identification presented is not currently valid, then it must have been issued within the last five years.

From a second concerned neighbor:

I wanted to know what Patrick looks like just in case I see him in our neighborhood.

I Googled Patrick Heater at Rio Americano and was able to find his MySpace page which shows his picture. Click on photos and you will see various pics of Patrick.

Thanks, Brenda. For those who don't trust searching, I've grabbed three pictures of him. He very politely provided both direct and profile pictures for us.

Robbery

On Friday, April 8th at around 10 AM, the Patelco Credit Union at Kings Way and Watt was robbed. The robber was caught approximately 40 minutes later near Sam's Club. Around noon, many may have noticed several sheriff's cars near DPM school, 2800 blocks of Ione, Barbarell, and Verna. Three males were arrested at a house in the 2800 block of Verna that has been an issue for the nearby residents for many months.

[Note: If anyone has an idea what sort of issue the residence has been, please comment so we can watch for trouble behavior.]

On March 21 or 22, a catalytic converter was stolen from a Toyota 4 Runner on the 2800 block of Barbarell.

I don't have a date yet, but approximately 2-3 weeks ago a homeowner new to our neighborhood had their residence burglarized. Also, one of their vehicles stolen from their garage. The criminals entered their property from the apartments on Kings Way by hopping the fence. The vehicle was recovered.

One last note: some of you received an email from Chuck about a "weird email." He has received several emails with unusual content from people in his address book who don't normally contact him via e-mail. If you receive an email from someone in your address book which seems like they are trying to sell something, don't open it. Delete it and contact them to see if they actually sent it.

Pool sweeper theft (2500 block of Catalina) and spam mail

From Chuck:

Two days ago, a pool sweeper (the sort that looks like a manta ray) was stolen from a pool on the 2500 block of Catalina. The house has been vacant for a few months, but now as it is being prepared to be occupied, the pool sweeper is stolen.

SPAM MAIL alert. If you receive an email that does not have a subject, or otherwise does not seem right, it may come from a stolen email list that sends out links. I have received 3 of these in the last week from different people, some that have this email address, and some that have my personal address. If it seems wrong, delete it, and by all means, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. (you may be the next one sending out spam).

Note: a better alternative to clicking links sent to you is to google the subject matter if you're interested in the information. Many of these messages will come with text that just doesn't sound like your friend at all. Be especially aware of these scams on facebook.

Suspicious Activity, Theft, Burglary, Scavengers

SUSPISCIOUS PERSONS Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 6:50PM Del Paso Manor Elementary School

I just wanted to let you know that something odd and a bit creepy happened on my early evening walk with my dog last night. It was about 6:50 pm last night as I was circling Del Paso Manor Elementary school with my dog. We were walking on Avalon and approaching one of the school yard entrances. Mind you, the schoolyard was dark and appeared empty. There was no function going on at the school. Two middle aged (appeared to be) men crossed the street from Annette Way. They barely glanced at me as they entered the schoolyard. For whatever reason, I felt a bit off all of a sudden. I continued walking but noticed they were heading straight through the school yard.

As I turned onto Marilona and kept walking, I could see their shadows walking. As I got closer to the school buildings, all of a sudden, they turned right and in my direction. I immediately crossed to the other side of the street and slowed down. There were no people or cars out, and I felt uncomfortable. I could see their shapes stop all of a sudden behind a smaller building, like a larger tool shed. This is located not too far from the sidewalk. I stopped immediately and turned around. I walked about 30 feet and looked back. Cars started coming, so I resumed my walk in the direction of Kings Way. As I got closer, the men finally stepped out of the shadows and came onto the sidewalk. I was still across the street and quite frankly, I glared at them. They had their heads down and never glanced at me. They quickly started walking back on the sidewalk but in the direction where they came from!

I have no idea what they were doing but I will tell you, it was not a good feeling. There are times I can see teenagers sitting in the dark in that schoolyard. Anyway, I wanted to pass that along. It could have been a harmless occurrence but my gut tells me otherwise.

Note: Trust your instincts. They've developed for a reason. The Gift of Fear is a book that explains this in greater detail.

PROPERTY THEFT Friday, January 21, 2011 10:30 PM 2500 block of Cambon

Just wanted to let you know that I had some of my solar lights stolen tonight. Sometime before 10:30 pm. They took the ones on the North side of my front porch, when they move closer to the center the porch light comes on.

RECYCLING SCAVENGERS Friday, January 21, 2011 (morning) 2800 block Alamitos

Noticed a man going through my recycling can this morning. Was a little frightened to yell at him, but I was hopping mad. Then he went on to neighbor’s house. I left a message for the recycling coordinator just now. Any more we can do? He was by himself dressed in all black with a hood over his head. Didn't see anyone or any other car with him. After I got off the phone I looked towards Marconi and didn't see him.

Thought you would want to know.

Note: scavenging is going to happen, however, I have seen these people, actually go up to the house, (not on a garbage day), and go through the trash, and recyclables. Call the Sheriff's department. ANYTIME they approach your house. Non emergency dispatch may be reached at (916) 874-5115.

PACKAGE THEFT Friday, January 21, 2011 3800 block Kings Way

3 packages were stolen of of the porch of a house on Kings Way. Each one weighed approx 30 lbs, and were left by Fed Ex. The recipient was home, but did not hear a knock at the door.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY Saturday, January 15, 2011. 8:30 AM 2800 block of Barbarell (reported by the Sac Sheriff Cyberwatch. No further details at this time.

Catching up--multiple events

Sorry for the delay in posting these. Several events have happened since last post.

December 18th:

A vehicle was ransacked on the 2500 block of Catalina last night. The intruders gathered together a GPS and a garage door opener, but were left on the passenger seat. The owner thinks that they left the car unlocked. No explanation for the items being left behind.

December 19th:

Another car was ransacked on Cambon. An unsecured ladder and power washer were stolen from a carport on Kings Way in the last days.

Also, a child's yellow rocking chair was stolen from the front porch of a house in the 2500 block of Andrade. It had faded paint, and designs on it. this occurred last week, unsure of which day. (Note: This one is odd and reminiscent of things I've heard from the U.K. where if an item is on your porch and not affixed, someone will steal it even if it is not of any value.)

December 20th:

From Andy, whose truck was stolen: They found my truck! I just got it back from the towing yard. It had been abandoned over on the corner of Verna and Avalon on the other side of El Camino from us. I sure wish I had checked over there….I looked almost everyplace else. The battery was stolen and the gas tank emptied with the gas cap missing as well. They took some change and a few incidentals from the inside but otherwise the truck appears to be fine. There is a dent in the tail gate where it appears they may have pushed the truck possibly to get it out of ear shot of my house. I mention this because I have heard of cars being stolen lately by a “tag team” effort with two other vehicles. One vehicle pulls up behind the car to be stolen and the other is a truck with a tow dolly. The vehicle behind the car to be stolen pushes the car onto the tow dolly and they drive away with their loot. This can be prevented with more careful parking as this method does not work if your car is in a driveway, or if another car is parked behind it. Thanks to everyone for keeping an eye out for it. Luckily enough this one has a pretty happy ending.

December 28th:

After posting the last alert, I was informed that another catalytic converter was stolen from a Toyota pickup. on Cambon during the same period. The Toyota pickup which was stolen and later recovered from Duran Circle was apparently almost stolen again last night. A resident, on Kings Way happened to be awake at the time, noticed a small white or light blue sedan pull up across the street and turn out its lights. The occupant, a white male, was able to unlock the pickup, but the kings way resident, using a laser pointer, let the criminal know that he was being observed and the criminal fled the area. There is no further description at this time.

January 4:

On New Year's Eve, a green Honda was stolen from the 2800 block of Avalon. CHP has recovered the vehicle with a broken window and damaged ignition. No further info available.

January 5th:

Sometime Monday night (January 3, 2011) someone stole the American, California, and a special award flag, for Del Paso Manor School from the flagpole. The cable was locked, but the thief was able to get them anyway. Video cameras captured an image of the thief, and I am working to get a still picture. There have been many incidents at the school over the past few months, and I usually get the info too late, but I connected with the principal today and will be adding her and the school to this network.

Hi Chuck-

Please pass this on to the network.

About 3 weeks ago as I was leaving Macy's at Country Club Plaza, two women pulled up in a small 2005 or newer Honda or Toyota (metallic beige or tan) and asked me for gas money to visit their father in Elk Grove who had just had a heart attack. They said people were laughing at them and noone would help them. I agreed to follow them to the Valero station and gave the attendant inside 15 dollars for their pump. They thanked me profusely and seemed sincere.

Two days ago as I was leaving Sam's Club the same women drove up and were about to ask me for gas money and use the same story, but I turned and said to her "I helped you before." She said "I have a bad memory and even worse luck." This time they had two children in the back.

The driver is a short, heavy-set Philipina or Pacific Islander in her late 20's early 30's, and the passenger looked to be Hispanic with shoulder length hair, thinner build, and also short.

The license plate # is 6CWV936 (at least by my memory juggling a 5 year old and groceries)

They are obviously disingenuous and taking advantage of people.

I made an online report with the Sherriff's dept.

January 5th Announcement:

Many of you may have noticed her in the neighborhood in her blue van with a surgical mask on her face, and many of you have asked how they could help.

Terri Lynn Davis 1/7/1950 - 1/5/2011

Terri was a lady that did not rent or own a home in the Del Paso Manor neighborhood, but was a resident just the same. She passed away peacefully this evening, at the UCD med center. Terri had been struggling with cancer for several years, and just wanted to be her own person and independent.

She took care of her own arrangements, so no help is necessary, but thank you.