Monrovia Police: Street Racing; Handgun Robbery; Getting No Ride, Suspect Kicks a Car; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for February 6-9. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Robbery – Suspects Arrested
February 6 at 6:11 p.m., two juvenile suspects entered a business in the 700 block of East Huntington and stole markers. When loss prevention personnel confronted the suspects outside the store, one of the juveniles ran through the parking lot toward Shamrock and Huntington. The loss prevention officer grabbed the wrist of the second suspect to prevent him from running away, but the suspect opened a folding knife with his free hand and threatened the loss prevention officer. The second suspect fled southwest through the parking lot. Officers were responding and they detained both suspects. They were arrested and taken into custody. One of the juveniles was cited out to a parent and the second was taken to juvenile hall.

Felony Vandalism / Resisting & Delaying a Peace Officer / Possession of Marijuana – Suspect Arrested
February 7 at 9:45 p.m., an officer responded to the 900 block of West Walnut regarding a vandalism that just occurred. The suspect, angry over not being able to get a ride home to Baldwin Park, jumped on the hood of a vehicle. The hood was damaged and witnesses saw the suspect kick in the windshield. As officers were arriving, the suspect fled on foot. The Foothill Air Support Team helicopter was requested to help locate and contain the suspect. The suspect was arrested after a short foot pursuit. The suspect was searched and was found to be in possession of marijuana. The victim, the registered owner of the vehicle, does not know the suspect.

Hit & Run Traffic Collision
February 9 at 2:41 a.m., dispatch received a call reporting a hit and run that occurred on Montana and Myrtle. Two drivers were street racing. One of the drivers lost control and they crashed into each other. One of the drivers then removed the steering wheel from his vehicle and fled on foot. He was not located. The investigation is continuing.

Strong Armed Robbery
February 9 at 7:15 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 300 block of West Huntington on the report of a robbery that just occurred. The suspect was in line to make a small purchase. When he approached the cashier, he displayed a small handgun and demanded money. The cashier gave the suspect money from her register and the suspect got money out of the adjacent register. Witnesses described at least two additional suspects who appeared to be lookouts. The suspect(s) left the store on foot. An area check by patrol officers and the Foothill Air Support Team helicopter met with negative results. The investigation is continuing.

Critical Missing Found
February 10 at 4:40 a.m., dispatch received a call regarding a critical missing adult from a residence in the 200 block of West Colorado. A 19-year-old male subject with autism had walked away from a group home. A search of the area by staff members met with negative results. A staff member requested assistance from police. A search was begun and the subject was located in a nearby alley way and returned to the home.

Monrovia Rockhounds Gem & Mineral Show

The Monrovia Rockhounds 54th Annual Gem & Mineral Show will be held March 1 and 2, from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., at the Los Angeles County Arboretum Ayers Hall (301 N. Baldwin Ave. Arcadia). Fifteen dealers, display cases, geode cracking, Kid's Corner, Teacher's Resource Center, treasure wheel, silent auction, raffle prizes, $2 grab bags, and we will identify the rocks for you. Free tumbled stone for each guest. Hourly prize drawing. Show is free; you only pay Arboretum admission: Adults, $9; students and seniors, $6; children 5-12, $4; children under 5 are free.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia School Board: New High School Biology Course, Budget, Etc.

At the regular School Board meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. (agenda: http://goo.gl/xSu9wU ) the board will ...

~ Consider a new AP biology course at Monrovia High.

~ Receive information about the Governor's proposed budget, which would give the district $3,960,025 more.

~ Consider setting August 20 as the first day of the 2014-15 school year.

- Brad Haugaard

City Sends Letters to Property Owners as Part of Effort to Open Hillside Preserve

An article in the Monrovia Weekly - not on line - indicates that Monrovia has sent letters to property owners on Cloverleaf informing them that the city is appraising portions of their property as part of its effort to open access to the Hillside Wilderness Preserve.

Comment: At issue is that Cloverleaf Drive ends at a gate that opens to the Hillside area, or rather, doesn't open, since it remains locked ( http://goo.gl/9mpqIT ). The problem is that the road apparently goes over private property, so there is a question of obtaining an easement, an issue as yet unresolved. In my interview with city officials ( http://goo.gl/NCKNJO ), Mayor Mary Ann Lutz indicated that using eminent domain to force opening the gate/road would be a last resort if an offer by the city is rejected.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Youth Summit | Gumball Reading | Space Owls to Alaska | Old Town Townhomes

~ The Fourth Annual Monrovia/Duarte Youth Summit will be held Saturday, Feb. 22, at Monrovia High. The summit is designed to connect youth with career professionals, higher education and internship opportunities and dynamic leaders. Details: http://goo.gl/5BJAxm

~ Monrovia Library's Great Gumball Reading Challenge, for kindergarten through fifth grade. Read and receive prizes! http://goo.gl/Eddks0

~ The Citrus College Space Owls plan to travel to Alaska, where the eight-member team will launch a weather balloon and record sounds reportedly emitted by the aurora borealis, a solar storm of brilliant lights. The Space Owls are a research team of students enrolled in Citrus College's Physics and Recording Technology programs. Citrus College serves Monrovia. Source: press release

~ New townhomes in Old Town Monrovia. http://goo.gl/zl7sDp

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Tommy's Original Hamburgers

Lunch at Tommy's Original Hamburgers yesterday. Corner of Mountain and Huntington. Got a cheeseburger (upgraded to a quarter pounder) with fries and a drink for $7.10 plus tax. Comes with chili on the burger, of course. It's fast food but an attendant brought the food out to me; mighty nice of him. Messy but tasty.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's AeroVironment and Lockheed Martin Will Make Drones Together

Monrovia's AeroVironment and Lockheed Martin Corporation have agreed "to jointly pursue opportunities in unmanned aircraft system (UAS) development." http://goo.gl/y3ka2x

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Mediterranean Garden Grill to be Replaced

The Mediterranean Garden Grill, at 335 W. Foothill Blvd., will be replaced with a new restaurant called Cafe X20, according to a report from the Monrovia Design Review Committee.

There are other to Cafe X20s in the area, including in Glendora and La Verne. They seem to be a hookah bar type restaurant. Here is the company's website:  http://www.cafex2o.com/

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Kurt Scoby to Play for Fresno

According to a tweet by Star-News sports reporter Fred Robledo, Monrovia football player Kurt Scoby said he is committed to play at Fresno State, but won't sign until March.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Restaurants Raise Money for Cancer Relay Event

Participants line up to step off at a previous American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Monrovia.

Two Monrovia restaurants, The Loose Teas and The Peach Cafe have announced February fundraising days during which a percentage of their proceeds will be donated to the upcoming American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Monrovia in April.

On Monday, February 10, The Loose Teas, 666 W Huntington Drive, will donate 20% of all sales from 4 to 8 p.m. to the Relay, including food, teas and gifts. The shop will also donate 20% of all gift set sales from February 10 through 14 to the event. Customers must bring a copy of the flyer (http://tinyurl.com/looseteasflyer) to validate the donation.

On Thursday, February 27, The Peach Cafe, 141 E. Colorado Boulevard, will donate a percentage of all purchases to the Relay. No flyer is needed. The restaurant is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is a 24-hour fundraising event that brings communities together to honor cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. Teams camp overnight and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have at least one member on the track at all times. The Monrovia event will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, at Recreation Park, 500 S. Shamrock Ave. Closing ceremonies will be Sunday, April 27, at 9 a.m. Highlights include an 8 p.m. Saturday Luminaria Ceremony. For details and team sponsorship and signup forms, visit relayforlife.org/monroviaca .

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Burglary from Vehicles; Driving Without Tire ... While Drunk; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for February 3-5. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 330 service events, resulting in 57 investigations.

Petty Theft from a Vehicle
February 3 at 6:05 p.m., a theft from a vehicle was reported in the 200 block of Violet. The victim left the vehicle unlocked and unknown suspect(s) entered and took a radio and a set of keys that were left in the vehicle. The investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
February 3 at 11:50 p.m., a security guard in a parking lot in the 200 block of East Huntington saw three subjects wearing hooded sweatshirts walking away from his vehicle. He went to his vehicle and discovered someone had broken into it and had taken a GPS. He called police and an area check was made for the suspects, but they were not located. The investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
February 4 at 6:30 p.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 500 block of West Huntington. The victim parked his vehicle in a restaurant parking lot, locked the doors, and went into the restaurant to eat. When he returned to his vehicle, he discovered one of the rear windows was shattered and his backpack containing school supplies had been taken. The investigation is continuing.

Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested 
February 4 at 8:45 p.m., an officer observed a vehicle heading south on Alta Vista that failed to yield for traffic on Foothill. The officer followed the vehicle and saw it swerving into the opposing lane of traffic. He immediately stopped the vehicle, approached the driver and could smell a strong odor of alcohol. The officer conducted field sobriety tests and determined the driver was intoxicated. The driver was arrested and taken into custody.
 
Hit & Run Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested 
February 5 at 7:23 p.m., a solo female driver was traveling west on Foothill and made an unsafe left turn onto Violet, striking an oncoming vehicle that was traveling in the opposite direction. That vehicle spun out of control and struck another vehicle. The female driver fled the scene in her vehicle, heading south on Violet; however, she was now missing a tire and her vehicle was grinding its metal wheel into the pavement. She made it all the way to Violet and Colorado, where she was stopped by police. Field sobriety tests were conducted and it was determined that the female was too intoxicated to drive a vehicle safely. She was arrested for Hit and Run and Driving Under the Influence. No one was injured in the collision.

Monrovia Councilman Tom Adams: Why Are Our Roads so Bad?

Monrovia City Councilman Tom Adams writes on Facebook:

Interesting read for Monrovia! [ http://goo.gl/0mHy9Q ]! This link tells you how much everyone makes at City Hall in Monrovia and the overwhelming majority of these folks are good honest people doing their best. The real question, why can't we seem to get our roads in better condition? After years of complaining about it we have no idea of how bad things are and we have no plan on how to make it better! As a matter of fact, the plan is to "fix things when we can". 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Hazardous and E Waste Roundup - March 1

For your calendar: Household Hazardous and E-Waste Roundup, Saturday, March 1, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Myrtle Avenue Park and Ride Lot at the corner of South Myrtle and Pomona Avenues. http://goo.gl/R2J52g

- Brad Haugaard

Snags Slow Construction of Myrtle Commercial Building

There is a building under construction on the east side of Myrtle Avenue, right across from the fountain at the Library, but there does not seem to be much progress. I asked Monrovia Planning Division Manager Craig Jimenez. His response:

"The good news is that the project is not dead and construction is moving forward, albeit very, very slowly.  The owner and contractor have run across several unplanned challenges that have caused delays.  While not unusual for an old building, it is sometimes difficult to plan for.  The project is on the staff’s radar and we stay in contact with the owner to facilitate when we can.  I anticipate that we should start seeing some more activity within the month."

- Brad Haugaard

Triple-Drunk Driver Arrested in Monrovia

Woman driver arrested in Monrovia for hit and run. Police say she was triple-drunk. http://goo.gl/xkMCqg

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia VFW Hosting Flag Retirement Ceremony

Arcadia-Monrovia VFW Post 2070 will be hosting a Flag Retirement and Dignified Disposal Ceremony on Presidents' Day, February 15, at 5:00 PM

Girl Scout Gold Award Candidate Vienna Smith-Murillo will be conducting the ceremony, including incineration of worn and soiled flags.  The public is invited to come participate in the ceremony, or to drop off flags at the Post ahead of time.  The ceremony is expected to take about 30 minutes, and food will be available afterwards.

Post 2070 is at 825 S. Magnolia Ave, on the corner of Chestnut Ave. in Monrovia.  For more information, log on to http://www.vfw2070.org .

- Brad Haugaard

Highest Priced House in Monrovia

A house at 921 E. Graystone has the top asking price of any house for sale in town: $1.988 million. 7 beds, 8 baths, 6,419 square feet on almost an acre of land. http://goo.gl/g7qc6g

- Brad Haugaard

Water Wise Landscaping Workshop | Rain Thursday?

~ Free water-wise landscape workshop Feb. 21, 6-9 p.m. at Upper San Gabriel Valley Water District, 602 E. Huntington Drive, Suite B. Details: http://goo.gl/icMozY

~ Rain possible tomorrow. 70% chance of rain Thursday, 20% Friday: http://goo.gl/a5gJqt

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's CODA Energy Gets UL Approval on Energy Storage System

CODA Energy, of Monrovia, has just received Underwriters Lab certification for its CODA 40kWh high-voltage system, which it says is "the first commercial scale energy storage system specifically targeted for behind-the-meter use to be subjected to UL 1973 and pass." http://goo.gl/Gy3fVj

- Brad Haugaard

Who Wouldn't Want a Trader Joe's? Portland | World Vision Helping Indonesia

~ I thought everybody wanted a Trader Joe's in their neighborhood. Well, not so for some folks in Portland, who persuaded the Monrovia-based grocery chain not to open a new store on an empty lot. Why? It would be "gentrification" ( http://goo.gl/OJKZ0w ). Comment: Sigh. If people move out of a poor part of town they are baaaad people because they are "abandoning the city." If they move back into town they are baaaad people because they are "gentrifying" the city. Sometimes you can't win.

~ Monrovia-based World Vision reports that multiple disasters in Indonesia, including flooding and a volcanic eruption, are making it difficult to scale up its relief efforts. http://goo.gl/VM5JNU

- Brad Haugaard