Monrovia Police: Lots of Burglaries; Truck Stolen from Dealer; Thief Downstairs Steals Keys, Then Car; Man in Porsche Points Gun at Man; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for October 30 - November 5. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Vehicle Vandalism
October 30 at 7:41 a.m., an officer responded to the 300 block of Heliotrope regarding the report of a vehicle vandalism. The vehicle was parked in the alley and sometime during the night, the passenger side window was broken out. Nothing was taken from the vehicle. Police received a second vehicle vandalism report in the 400 block of Greystone, where another vehicle had the driver-side door window broken out sometime during the night. It appears it was shot out with a BB gun or pellet. It is unknown if these two cases are related. The investigations are continuing.

Grand Theft Auto
October 30 at 11:48 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from a dealership in the 1400 block of S. Mountain. Employees arrived at work and discovered the vehicle was missing. The vehicle taken was a gray Ford F-150 truck. The investigation is continuing.

Burglary
October 30 at 5:32 p.m., officers responded to a hotel in the 900 block of S. Fifth Avenue regarding a burglary. Employees reported a male white subject, approximately 6 feet tall, large build, with a mustache, broke into the guest washing machines and stole money from them and fled. Officers conducted an area check for the suspect, but he was not located. The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary / Grand Theft Auto
October 30 at 10:55 p.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 2100 block of S. Myrtle. The residents at the location were awakened by noises in their home and the sound of the garage door opening. They went to the garage and discovered their 2017 Toyota Camry had been stolen. The suspect gained entry to the residence by breaking a window. The suspect located the car keys in the home and took the vehicle from the garage, all while the residents were upstairs. The residents heard the suspect in the home, but each one thought it was the other making the noise. The investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
October 31 at 6:50 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 200 block of E. Central. The victim parked the vehicle in front of her house in the evening. When she returned to the vehicle in the morning, she discovered the window of her car had been broken out and the door was open. The only thing missing was a makeup bag from the center console. The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary
October 31 at 6:22 p.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 1800 block of Estrella. The resident returned home and found her bedroom window was cracked open and her sliding door was ajar. The house had been ransacked and jewelry was missing. The investigation is continuing.

Brandishing a Firearm
November 1 at 1:40 a.m., officers responded to the area of Myrtle and Huntington regarding the report of a driver brandishing a firearm at another driver. The victim stated he was driving west on Huntington and stopped at a red light at Myrtle. He saw a Porsche Cayenne SUV pull up next to him. He saw the driver's window roll down and the driver/suspect pointed a gun at the victim. The suspect was talking, but the victim did not understand what he was saying. The suspect drove north on Myrtle and west on Maple. The investigation is continuing.

Commercial Burglaries
November 2 at 4:45 a.m., officers responded to an alarm activation at a business in the 100 block of S. Myrtle. They arrived and discovered the front windows had been shattered at three separate business locations. The investigation revealed all three locations had been burglarized. The businesses were searched, but no suspects were located. The investigations are continuing.

Commercial Burglary
November 2 at 6:43 a.m., a burglary was reported at a business in the 400 block of W. Foothill. The business was closed and had a broken glass window to the front. When officers arrived, they discovered someone had broken into the business. The cash register had been removed from the counter and was on the ground. No suspects were located and the investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary
November 4 at 12:49 a.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 400 block of E. Olive. The resident returned home and saw that two laptop computers, several pieces of jewelry and two purses were missing. Officers arrived and conducted an investigation. The house was not ransacked and there were no signs of forced entry. The resident said she had made sure the residence was locked prior to leaving in the evening. The investigation is continuing.

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
November 4 at 2:44 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation and contacted the driver, who displayed signs of intoxication. A DUI investigation was completed and the subject was arrested, booked, and held for a sobering period.

Domestic Violence – Suspect Arrested
November 4 at 10:47 a.m., a domestic violence incident that occurred in the 700 block of W. Foothill was reported to police. The victim reported that a few days prior, her boyfriend physically attacked her. She stated that he tried to strangle her and then threatened to kill himself. He was holding a kitchen knife up against his neck. The victim had visible physical injuries. Officers responded and contacted the suspect, who had markings on his body consistent with the victim's statement of the physical altercation. The suspect was arrested for domestic violence and taken into custody. An Emergency Protective Order was issued and a firearm was removed from the residence for safekeeping. The suspect later bonded out of custody and the victim was notified.

Residential Burglary
November 4 at 3:03 p.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 300 block of Terrace View. Officers responded and found that a door window pane had been broken and it appears that the suspects made entry into the home. It is unknown yet if anything was taken. The electrical panel appeared to have been tampered with and the electricity had been shut off. An alarm panel inside of the residence also appeared to have been tampered with. The investigation is continuing.

Commercial Burglary
November 5 at 7:35 a.m., an officer responded to a construction site in the 700 block of E. Huntington regarding a theft of items from a trailer. Unknown suspects cut the padlock to the trailer and stole hand tools and a laptop computer. The investigation is continuing.

Driving Under the Influence / Traffic Collision – Suspect Arrested
November 6 at 12:43 a.m., officers responded to the report of a traffic collision at Magnolia and Lemon. Upon arrival, they discovered a solo vehicle had hit a parked car. The female driver appeared to be extremely intoxicated and had locked herself in her vehicle. After several minutes, she unlocked the doors to her vehicle. The officers determined that she was too impaired to drive a motor vehicle safely. She was arrested for DUI and taken into custody. 

Monrovia Rotary Presents Retiring Police Chief Hunt With Its Highest Award

The Monrovia Rotary Club has presented retiring Monrovia Police Chief Jim Hunt with the highest award a Rotary Club can present, a Paul Harris Fellow Award, in recognition of his 27 years of service to the people of Monrovia. https://goo.gl/JYmtPL

- Brad Haugaard

City Council: Figuring Out How to Avoid Municipal Bankruptcy; Maybe a BIG Bond? Police Win Community Policing Award; Etc.

At its Nov. 7 meeting (agenda: https://goo.gl/13jymZ), the Monrovia City Council will ...

~ Try to figure out how the city can avoid avoid going broke. According to this report (https://goo.gl/E8qKbe) by City Manager Oliver Chi and Buffy Bullis, Administrative Services Director, "if we do nothing, current financial modeling indicates that the costs associated with the pending CalPERS UAL repayment schedule will strain our General Fund to the point of rendering the City insolvent in either FY 2021/22 or FY 2022/23."

So, how to avoid going broke? City staff proposes:

• Having employees increase contributions to their pension plans, saving the city about $300,000 a year.
•  Issuing a bond to refinance the city's unfunded retirement costs.
• Adopting a policy that (as best I can figure it out) requires city staff to annually present to the city council any unfunded liabilities, along with a proposal of how to pay them off.
• Increasing the city's Transient Occupancy Tax (basically a tax on hotel rooms) from 10% to 12%, which should raise about $400,000 annually.
• Creating Community Facility Districts, basically an additional tax on new residential developments. This could raise about $300,000 annually.

~ Authorize the issuance of a bond to pay off the unfunded liabilities noted in the previous item for (if my calculations are correct) $112.3 million. Actually, $12.6 million of this amount would not be additional debt since it would go to pay off an earlier bond. Comment: I find it really odd that the staff report (here: https://goo.gl/2o9sSm) recommends issuing the bond but does not give the total amount of the bond, so my calculation of $112.3 million is from the total amount of debt the report mentions.

~ Honor the Monrovia Police Department for winning the International Association of Chiefs of Police/Cisco Community Policing Award.

~ Swear in Alan Sanvictores as the new Monrovia police chief. This will happen at 6 p.m., before the regular meeting. https://goo.gl/5z1Jnf

~ Consider authorizing city staff to set a public hearing  to consider water fee adjustments for January 16, 2018. Here's a rather exhaustive (exhausting?) discussion of the issue: https://goo.gl/28yMpK

~ Consider changing the Monrovia municipal election date to March of even-numbered years beginning in 2020. This change is required by the state. https://goo.gl/14xEbG

- Brad Haugaard

Annie Van Dyke Named Monrovia Teacher of the Year

The Board of Education and the Personnel Commission will honor Annie Van Dyke as the 2017 Teacher of the Year at a special joint session at 5 p.m. on November 8 at the school district offices.

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Kiku Sushi

Lunch at Kiku Sushi, at the west end of the Huntington Oaks shopping center. Decided to be adventurous and got the “Alice in Chains” roll for $15.99 and an iced tea for $2.50. I’ve no idea why the roll is called that but it has eel, avocado, cucumber, tuna, salmon and albacore.  It’s also very yummy. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Businesses Part of String of 17 Smash-and-Grab Burglaries

Four Monrovia businesses were hit by smash and grab burglaries last night, apparently part of a string of 17 such burglaries the same night. The Monrovia businesses that were victimized were: Coffee Bean, Yogurtland and Noor's Indian Cuisine - all on Myrtle near Foothill -
 were hit around 4:30 a.m. Also, Rigo's Mexican Food on Foothill Boulevard. https://goo.gl/tGsnsW

- Brad Haugaard

Construction Underway for New Unity Center Office

Foothill Unity Center reports that construction is underway at its new building - the old World Vision building -  on Chestnut. Also, it is "half way to our goal of raising $6.2 million."

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia-Led Coalition Prompts Anti-Crime Proposition; Have the Bears Been Faked Out?; Car Show; Etc.

In his weekly update (https://goo.gl/aOqX7O) City Manager Oliver Chi reports that ...

~ The Monrovia-led "Taking Back Our Community" coalition has prompted the development of a proposition for the November 2018 election to modify problems the coalition sees in AB 109, Prop 47, and Prop 57. The initiative was introduced at a press conference in Sacramento on Monday, October 30, and Monrovia, as the lead agency for the Taking Back Our Community Coalition, was invited to participate. The proposition would: change Prop 57 by redefining certain crimes as "violent" felonies, and change Prop 47 so that on the third theft, that theft will become chargeable as a felony. Chi calls this " a terrific development." Here is a summary of what it would do: https://goo.gl/bBtE12

~ The experiment of changing trash pick-up times for residents north of Hillcrest to discourage trash bears may have worked as city staff has seen fewer reports of bear activity, however not a lot of data yet, so the city and Athens plan to continue the test through the end of the year.

~ John Foltz, a member of the City’s Monrovia Renewal Citizens’ Advisory Committee, passed away last Thursday, October 26.  He suffered a stroke and a heart attack a few weeks ago.

~ The Monrovia Police Officers' Association will host a fundraising car show (with food booths) as a fundraiser for Men's Health and Cancer Research. It will be held on Dec. 2, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., at Library Park. For questions email Seth Hermes at shermes@monrovia.laclen.org.

~ Captain Alan Sanvictores will be sworn in as the new Monrovia Chief of Police at 6 p.m., before the Nov. 7 City Council meeting.

- Brad Haugaard

A Tesla Halloween

Monrovian Brad Hori lights up his Tesla coil, with the sparks playing the tune of “Tommy” (aka Pinball Wizard). He might play it some more tonight. His house is on the south side of Maple, a half block west of Hwy Esplanade. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Get Free Professional Photo for Your Christmas Cards

Get a free family or personal Christmas photo with a "Winter Wonderland" background theme by a professional photographer this Sunday, Nov. 5, following the 10:30 a.m. service at Calvary Baptist Church. A full-resolution digital image will be emailed to you. Donations declined. The church is at 319 W. Olive, just west of Magnolia.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Elderly Woman Conned; Death Threats; Man Fires Gun to Get Attention; Hikers Found; More

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for October 26-29. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Fraud Incident
October 26 at 1:58 p.m., an elderly female victim was approached by a female suspect outside of a business in the 600 block of W. Huntington. The suspect told the victim if she gave her money she would be able to make more money for her. The victim drove the suspect to various banks, withdrew money and gave it to the suspect. The suspect took the money and fled. The investigation is continuing.

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
October 26 at 8:15 p.m., police dispatch received a call reporting a female subject passed out on the sidewalk in the 200 block of Foothill. When officers arrived, they found an extremely intoxicated female subject and determined she was too intoxicated to care for her own safety. She was arrested for being drunk in public and held for a sobering period.

Warrant / Possession of a Controlled Substance – Suspects Arrested
October 27 at 12:50 a.m., an officer stopped two subjects on bicycles for a traffic code violation. A computer check of the subjects revealed one of them had a warrant and a consent search revealed the other one was in possession of methamphetamine. They were both arrested and taken into custody for the charges.

Commercial Burglary
October 27 at 2:18 a.m., police dispatch received an alarm activation call at a business in the 500 block of W. Huntington. When officers arrived, they found the front door window had been smashed. They cleared the building and saw the cash register had been removed. The investigation is continuing.

Injury Traffic Collision
October 27 at 8:50 a.m. an elderly driver was attempting to park in a parking lot in the 100 block of E. Lime and inadvertently hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes. The vehicle collided into the north wall of the movie theater. The driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Critical Missing Adult – Subject Located
October 27 at 10:57 a.m., an elderly male subject with the onset of dementia did not return to a retirement home in the 100 block of S. Myrtle. Officers responded and searched the area, but did not locate the subject. Public notification was made on Twitter and a Silver Alert Notification was made to CHP and broadcast out to the Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. The subject was also entered as a critical missing into the law enforcement missing persons system. On October 28 at approximately 11:00 a.m., the Monrovia Police Department was contacted by the Los Angeles Police Department Central Division, stating they found our missing person.

Injury Traffic Collision
October 27 at 11:31 a.m., a bicyclist was traveling south along the sidewalk at Myrtle and Huntington. As he rode down the apron of the sidewalk into the street, a driver was making a right turn and collided with the bicyclist. The bicyclist was not wearing a helmet and complained of pain to his head and leg. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Criminal Threats
October 27 at 11:33 a.m., police dispatch received multiple calls from a subject who was threatening to kill people at a construction site at Primrose and Pomona, as well as at the Metro Station, if officers did not respond within three minutes. During these calls, the suspect also made statements that he was planning to kill police officers. Monrovia officers and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies responded. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department simultaneously had reports of a suspicious package on the train platform. A containment of the area was set up and a search of the construction site and Metro Station platform was conducted. The Sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau canine officers also responded to assist in the search of the large construction complex. Once officers were on scene at the construction site, no additional calls were received from the suspect. A thorough search was conducted, however, no one was located. The investigation is continuing.

Shots Fired
October 28 at 5:02 a.m., several calls were received reporting shots heard in the 300 block of North Canyon and the 300 block of Prospect. The callers also reported they heard a male subject yelling for help. Officers arrived and narrowed the search to a residence in the 300 block of Prospect. They could still hear a male subject asking for help. They yelled out to him and he said he was on the second floor and needed help. Officers forced entry, cleared the residence and located the subject in his bed upstairs. The subject didn't have a phone and needed medical attention, so he fired 4 to 5 shots into the ground from his balcony off his bedroom to get help to come. He was treated by paramedics and taken to a hospital. His gun was taken for safe keeping.

Vehicle Burglary
October 28 at 8:30 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 300 block of W. Central. The victim parked his vehicle in his driveway in the evening. When he returned to the vehicle in the morning, he found the rear sliding window on his truck had been forced open. The victim's wallet was taken from the cab of the vehicle.

Lost Hikers Located
October 28 at 6:43 p.m., two hikers were reported lost above Canyon Park. The caller was a friend of the hikers who had been in touch with them on their cell phones. Dispatch attempted to call the lost hikers and to pin point the coordinates of their phone, but were having problems locating them. Los Angeles County Fire and Sierra Madre Search and Rescue were notified. Monrovia park rangers went up on an all-terrain vehicle and eventually located the hikers on the side of the hill. The Los Angeles County Fire helicopter responded and had to hoist the two hikers to safety. They were not injured.

Grand Theft Auto
October 28 at 9:13 p.m., a pizza delivery person was delivering a pizza to a residence in the 500 block of W. Duarte and left his vehicle running with the keys in the ignition. When he came back out to his vehicle, he saw it traveling east on Duarte Road and out of sight. Officers conducted an area check, but were unable to locate the vehicle. The investigation is continuing.

Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
October 28 at 11:37 p.m., a solo vehicle traffic collision was reported at the intersection of Myrtle and Duarte. When officers arrived, they saw a vehicle had struck the traffic signal pole on the southwest corner of the intersection. Witnesses reported that the male subject who was driving the vehicle left, walking west from the scene. He was located a short distance from the scene and brought back to the location. The driver displayed signs of being under the influence. After further investigation, he was determined to be driving under the influence and was arrested and taken into custody.

Commercial Burglary / Grand Theft Auto
October 29 at 10:00 a.m., an employee from a car dealership in the 1400 block of S. Mountain called police to report the front locking system on their building had been cut and the front glass was broken out. Officers responded and cleared the interior of the building. A 2018 Mini Cooper Countryman was stolen from the location. The investigation is continuing.

Petty Theft – Suspect Arrested
October 29 at 1:40 p.m., a petty theft was reported at a business in the 400 block of W. Huntington. The theft had just occurred and the suspects were fleeing in a vehicle with the stolen merchandise. An officer in the area responded and stopped the vehicle at Cypress and Primrose. The suspect was positively identified and arrested.

Veterans’ Thanksgiving Breakfast

Free Thanksgiving Day drop-in breakfast in honor of veterans on November 11, 8-11 a.m. at Monrovia’s Calvary Road Baptist Church, 329 W. Olive Ave.  357-2711

- Brad Haugaard 

Book-y Book Return Boxes

I like the new paint job on the library book return boxes on Lime. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Trump Administration Decision May Mean More Business for Monrovia's AeroVironment

A Trump administration decision to allow local communities to set their own rules for testing drones may result in more business for Monrovia-based drone maker, AeroVironment. https://goo.gl/vLFWqB

- Brad Haugaard

Dinner at Bella Sera

Dinner at Bella Sera, on the east side of Myrtle just below the theater. Got the Chicken Marsala for $21 and a beer for $8. The meal came with bread and seasoned butter. Delicious! 

- Brad Haugaard 

Help Enrolling in Low- Or No-Cost Insurance

ChapCare will host a health insurance enrollment event On Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at its Monrovia office, at  513 E. Lime Avenue, Suite 102. Counselors will answer questions and help people enroll in low or no-cost health insurance plans. To enroll in a health insurance plan bring: identification (driver's license, state ID, passport); proof of California residency (driver's license/ID, utility bill); proof of current income (recent pay stubs, last year's tax return); proof of legal residency (Social Security card, naturalization certificate, employment authorization card, residency cards); birth date and home zip code.

- Brad Haugaard

Fifth and Huntington Apartment Complex About Done

It appears that Areum, the huge apartment complex at Fifth and Huntington, is almost complete. A sign says it is now “preleasing.”

- Brad Haugaard 

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service Planned

"Living in Gratitude with Compassion," a Thanksgiving celebration with seven faith communities sharing a program of prayer and music, will be held Thursday, Nov. 16 from 7-8 p.m. at The Parish of St. Luke - The Physician Episcopal Church, at 122 S. California Ave. Reception to follow. Donations accepted for the Foothill Unity Center. Sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Monrovia.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Pedestrian Hit by Car; Drive-Through Customer Exposes Himself; Car Abandoned After Crash

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for October 23-25. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 426 service events, resulting in 81 investigations.

Theft – Suspect Arrested
October 23 at 2:46 p.m., a theft was reported at a business in the 1600 block of S. Mountain. Officers were dispatched to the location regarding a suspect who put items into his backpack and a shopping cart, and then left the store without paying for the merchandise. He was detained by store security. The suspect was arrested for the theft.

Traffic Collision – Vehicle vs. Pedestrian
October 23 at 5:48 p.m., officers responded to a traffic collision on Mayflower, south of Huntington, regarding a vehicle vs. pedestrian. The pedestrian, a 60-year-old male, was crossing the street mid-block. A vehicle exited a driveway was traveling in the center median, merging into the number one lane, when the vehicle struck the pedestrian. The victim sustained broken bones and a head injury. He was transported to a hospital for treatment.

Hit and Run Traffic Collision
October 23 at 7:25 p.m., a traffic accident was reported at the intersection of Mountain and Huntington. One of the drivers involved was complaining of pain and was taken to a hospital for treatment. The other driver caused the collision and fled the scene. A witness was able to obtain a plate and the investigation is ongoing.

Indecent Exposure
October 23 at 10:48 p.m., a female employee at business in the 700 block of E. Huntington called police to report an indecent exposure incident. A male customer exposed himself in front of her while in the drive-thru at the location. The suspect then fled the location in a silver Toyota Prius. The investigation is continuing.

Possession of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
October 24 at 10:10 a.m., an officer responded to the 700 block of S. Fifth Avenue regarding a female subject loitering on private property. During the investigation, the subject was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and a drug pipe. The suspect was arrested for possession of drugs and taken into custody.

Hit and Run Traffic Collision
October 25 at 3:25 a.m., an officer was on patrol in the area of Genoa and Mayflower when he located an unoccupied vehicle in the middle of the road. The vehicle had collided into an electrical pole and was now abandoned. Officers were not able to locate the owner, so the vehicle was impounded. The investigation is continuing.

Cell Tower About to be Installed Near Canyon Park

This cell phone tower is ready to be installed next to the dam keeper’s old house next to Canyon Park. I think it is going to be disguised as a tree. 

- Brad Haugaard