Crime Log 2012: The year of the recovered bicycle
Yes, it is once more time to pause and look back at the Sun Region crime stories that made us laugh or at least smile. This year, the best and brightest of the crime stories took place in Los Alamitos, when a child’s bike was stolen.
This week, the Sun presents part 1 of the end-of-year Crime Log for January thru June.
Los Alamitos Police officers recover little girl’s bike
Crime stories don’t usually have happy endings. Los Alamitos Police officers started 2011 by recovering a bicycle that was stolen from a 10-year-old girl.
Officers cleaned up the bike up so the owner could recognize it when it was returned to her, according to Capt. Bruce McAlpine.
This is the story, as told by McAlpine:
Police first received the report of a stolen bike on the 4600 block of Green Avenue at 8:46 p.m., Monday, Jan. 2.
Officers found the victim, a 10-year-old girl, who was too distraught to provide police with useful information.
The loss: a yellow beach cruiser bicycle—that is, yellow when the owner last saw it about two hours before the police were called in.
As it turned out, around that time another Los Alamitos officer saw two boys with a yellow bicycle. And he recognized one of the boys as someone the police had dealt with in the past.
When that officer learned about the Green Avenue theft, he spoke with his colleagues. Los Alamitos Police officers contacted the known juvenile. It turned out that he did not commit this particular crime. However, contacting that suspect led the police to another suspect.
The police went to the new suspect’s house and spoke with his mother. The boy’s parents had observed a bike in the garage that didn’t belong to them.
McAlpine said the boy’s mother gave police permission to look in the garage.
There, officers found a beach cruiser bike—recently spray-painted black. McAlpine said it wasn’t a particularly good paint job.
The officers cleaned up the bike so the victim would be able to recognize her property.
Child and bike were reunited.
As for the bike thief, he was arrested. However, he was apparently a juvenile so the police could not release his name. He entered the juvenile justice system. That part of the legal system is closed to the public, so the story ended there.
When Seal Beach Police give you advice, take it
This is the story of a man who could have easily avoided being arrested—and went out of his way to get locked up.
The Seal Beach Police Department arrested a man for public drunkenness after two complaints about him playing a guitar before 2 a.m. on Thursday, June 7. The first call came in at 1:09 a.m. The caller said a man was playing a guitar loudly. Police unit 207 apparently contacted a man matching the suspect’s description and advised him to stop making noise. According to the police log, he said he would comply.
But he didn’t.
At 1:47 a.m., police received another call complaining about a man playing his guitar. The log did not say if the complaining citizen was the same caller or another. Police unit 207 contacted the man north of the tennis courts at Marina Park. He wasn’t counseled this time. He was arrested for public drunkenness.
To make a comment on these stories at the Sun Newspapers’ Web site, go to www.sunnews.org.
Crime Log Compiled by Charles M. Kelly and Ted Apodaca
IN SEAL?BEACH
Monday, December 19, 2011
That’s an odd thing to do with a wallet—4:12 p.m.—Pacific Coast Highway—A customer saw someone throw a wallet out of a car window. The caller, relaying information from the customer, could not provide any more information about the suspect. The caller had the wallet. Report taken.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The police are trained to identify gang members, you’re not—8:47 a.m.—Seal Beach Boulevard—The caller said a group of four to six men were sitting in a parking space in the lot, smoking and making what the caller described as gang-type hand gestures to each other. The caller said they looked suspicious. Police unit 141 determined the men were construction workers. No further police services were necessary.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Parking Problem—2:41 p.m.—Main Street—The caller said there were several cars in the bank parking lot and the caller could not use the ATM as a result. However, there was nothing the police could do. The cars were on private property and there was no illegal parking going on.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Be on the lookout for a breeze—10:13 p.m.—Crestview Avenue—The caller was initially scared because her door was opening, but it turned out to be the work of the wind.
Monday, February 6
Wrong Direction—9:11 p.m.—Lampson Avenue and Seal Beach Boulevard—The caller reported a car driving backwards in the eastbound lanes.
Monday, February 13
Bees—9:24 a.m.—Avalon Drive—The caller reported a large swarm of bees on the ground by a trash can at the far end of the park. Referred to Public Works.
Thursday, March 8
There are still milkmen?—1:57 a.m.—Fern Circle—The caller said a white box van with no windows pulled up to a neighbor’s residence. Someone got out of the vehicle, but got back in the van and left when he saw the caller watching. He left westbound on Almond. Police unit 206 said the man was a milk delivery man in a milk delivery truck.
Friday, March 16
With respect, your pocket would have been a better choice—1:34 a.m.—Pacific Coast Highway—The caller was at a gas station at about 11:30 p.m., Thursday, March 15, when he drove off with his iPhone on the roof of his car. He went back five minutes later and the phone was gone. Report taken.
Wrong address—8:28 p.m.—Ocean Avenue—The caller said it sounded like someone was trying to open the door. The caller said no one should be arriving. There should be no cars in front of the house.
The caller said there were no animals inside or outside. Police unit 207 checked. It turned out the caller had heard someone trying to get in—a pet sitter tried to access the wrong house by mistake. No further police services were necessary.
Thursday, April 12
Ducks in bureaucratic limbo—5:41 p.m.—Ironwood and Tulip—The caller said a mother duck with 11 ducklings kept going across Lampson. The ducks were reportedly trying to get to the golf course. Seal Beach Police referred the caller to the Long Beach Fire Department, which in turn referred the matter to Long Beach Animal Care Services. The caller agreed to contact the police again if the ducks became a traffic hazard.
Friday, April 20
Can’t you read?—9:15 p.m.—Seal Way—The caller said a man was skateboarding and slamming up on garages and planters right under the “No skateboarding” sign.
Thursday, May 10
Fishing is apparently allowed on the bridge—9:16 a.m.—College Park and San Gabriel River—The caller said a man was fishing off the College Park Bridge. There was no signage prohibiting fishing from the bridge. In any event, the amatuer fisherman was gone by the time police arrived at the scene.
Thursday, May 17
They probably wanted to protect their loot from other thieves—8:09 a.m.—Central Avenue—The crime apparently occurred overnight. Loss: tools valued at $1,500 were taken from a locked tool shed. The thief (or thieves) apparently took the lock while they were at it.
Saturday, May 19
Your honesty is appreciated—9:50 a.m.—Seal Way—The caller’s vehicle was parked. Unfortunately, her vehicle rolled out of the spot and hit another vehicle. The caller did not know who owned the second vehicle. Names were exchanged. A business card was left on the second vehicle. Assisted.
Sunday, May 27
Patrol Check—9:22 a.m.—Lampson Avenue—The officer in police unit 141 advised four individuals that the Seal Beach Municipal Code did not allow them to fly model aircraft. They said they would comply.
Remote control aircraft are available for sale in stores throughout Seal Beach.
Tuesday, June 12
We seem to have a failure to communicate—2:54 p.m.—Hazelnut Avenue—The caller said a man may have entered a neighbor’s house. The caller said the homeowner told the caller that no one should be at the house. At 2:55 p.m., the caller reported contacting the homeowner, who supposedly said no one should be home. A second caller saw only one suspect at the location. Police unit 106 determined that the homeowner who was not supposed to be there was, in fact, there—with the man who the neighbors thought had no business being there.
Thursday, June 28
More Bees—6:38 p.m.—Green Avenue—The caller said there was a bee hive in front of the location. The caller said the bees were not swarming.
A unit was advised to report if the Public Works Department was needed that night.
A second caller reported that the bees were on city property. Public Works told police that the “Bee Busters,” were en route to the location.
Tuesday, July 10
Golf balls—4:12 p.m.—Lampson Avenue—The caller said three juveniles, all boys, were hitting golf balls at the caller’s building. The caller said they refused to stop when they were asked to do so. An employee at a business told police unit 107 that they kicked out “a couple” of juveniles at about the time of the original call to police.
IN LEISURE WORLD
Tuesday, April 3
Mixed messages—1 a.m.—Northwood Road, Mutual Unknown—The caller, relaying second hand information, said a resident reported a man coming to his door with a gun and a Bible. The suspect was last seen going into another unit.
IN LOS?ALAMITOS
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Smoking in public is not a crime (yet)– 1:17 a.m. —Los Alamitos Boulevard—The caller reported that a woman had been standing in the parking lot for the past two hours. She was described as in her 50s with grey sweatshirt and jeans, possibly transient. Patrol contacted the woman. She was just walking around on the public sidewalk, smoking a cigarette.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thank goodness the caller was wrong—5:50 p.m.—Florista and Los Alamitos—The caller reported seeing a vehicle with a white body bag inside. The caller said it looked suspicious, but could not say why she felt it was a body. The car checked out OK and the “body bag” was a Christmas tree wrapped in a blanket.
Monday, February 6
Take a bow, officers—1:13 a.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard—The caller said the alarm on a white Jeep parked on Catalina had been going off and officers had responded to the same vehicle the previous day.
A second caller reported the alarm going off on the same vehicle and also noted that it was the second day in a row.
The alarm had stopped and the lights on the vehicle were on and it appeared the battery was dying. Units were unable to make contact with the owners because of a locked gate. Mail was piled up outside a residence. A tow unit was dispatched to disconnect the battery of the vehicle and the matter was solved. Neighbors applauded.
Thursday, April 5
Next time, miss, please leave a note—2:34 a.m.—Walnut Street—The caller said he woke up to find his girlfriend gone. She was last seen when he went to bed and her car was still at the location. The caller later reported that he could not find her shoes and thought she might have gone out for a run. The female was later located. She had gone jogging.
Monday, July 16
Rendering unto Caesar—10:41 a.m.—Southshore Drive—A man was reportedly going door-to-door selling Bibles. Police unit 141 found a man passing out church literature. He was advised about peddling without a permit and said he would comply with the municipal code.
Exactly how official should a uniform look?—9:35 p.m.—6th Street and Central—The caller said a man sitting on a beach chair on the corner appeared to be some type of security guard, but the caller did not think he looked official enough. The man was dressed entirely in black. Police unit 206 determined he really was a security guard, protecting film equipment.
IN ROSSMOOR
Monday, January 30
Talk about fierce competition—10:47 a.m.—Aceca Drive and Foster Road—The caller said a woman in a vehicle was selling drinks to construction workers. The caller was upset because she was taking business away from the ice cream truck.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Door-to-Door food dealer—6:14 p.m.—Wembley Road—A woman was reportedly going door to door, trying to sell food out of a pick up truck. A deputy performed a patrol check.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Ma’am, you can have your donation picked up—8:15 p.m.—Harbor Way—The caller wanted to donate clothes to a charity—the log did not specify the charity—but she was afraid that the box would be taken if left unattended on her front porch. She demanded that an officer respond to her call. Police unit 207 provided counseling.
Wednesday, April 4
He never heard of a littler box?—3:14 p.m.—Kerth Drive and Donovan Road—The caller, reported second hand information, requested a patrol check for a man had been in a parked car for the last two hours. The man had a cat with him. The man was seen walking to a bathroom with his cat. The man then returned to his vehicle.
Wednesday, April 18
Good thing your neighbor called the police—6:06 a.m.—Katella Avenue—The caller said a man wearing a dark jumper was walking around the pool area. The caller thought he looked suspicious. The subject checked out OK and had just locked himself out of his apartment.
Sunday, June 10
Good dog—12:38 a.m.—Holden Circle—The caller reported a dog barking like it was going nuts or very alarmed and it was very unusual. Patrol located the dog across the street and it appeared as though someone may have attempted to toilet paper the house, but was scared away by the dog.
