Police Blotter: Jack-o-Lantern Gets Jacked; Jewelry Burglars Play While Homeowners Are Away

MONDAY, OCT. 24

Bike Swiped from Open Garage — At 12:13 p.m., a resident of the 400 block of Blair Avenue reported that a dark green Novara Corsa bicycle had been been stolen from her open garage sometime between 10 p.m. Sunday night and 8 a.m. Monday morning.

Meals on Wheels Participant Passes Away — A volunteer with Meals on Wheels called at 12:55 p.m. to ask the police to check on 88-year-old Anna McDonald, who the organization had not been able to get in touch with for about five days. Police made contact with McDonald's son Willie who informed them that his mother had died.

Street Cleaning Truck Hits Car — A resident of Park Way notified police at 1:24 p.m. that a city street cleaning truck had violated her vehicle earlier Monday morning.


TUESDAY, OCT. 25

Jewelry Burglars Play While Homeowners Are Away — At 9:23 a.m., a resident of the 1000 block of Rose Avenue reported that his wife's jewelry tree, with miscellaneous jewelry hung on it, had gone missing while they were away on vacation for about a month. Police suspect the burglar entered through an unlocked front door or back door; the house had not been secured before the residents left for their trip.

Smoke Testing Mistaken for Real Fire — A resident of the 800 block of Moraga Avenue reported smoke coming from manholes in the neighborhood at 10:36 a.m. Smoke testing of sewer pipes was being conducted in the area. Public Works Maintenance Supervisor Dave Frankel indicated that signs had been posted in the area advising residents of the testing.

Jack-o-Lantern Gets Jacked — A resident of the 100 block of Dudley Avenue complained at 2:06 p.m. that someone had stolen the pumpkin from his porch sometime during the previous week.

Cellphone Snagged — A Piedmont High School student reported at 8:56 p.m. that her cellphone had been taken from the school gym sometime that evening.

Multiple Parked Cars Suffer in Hit and Run — At 11:16 p.m. police received a report that four vehicles had been in a hit-and-run accident on the 400 block of Linda Avenue. The driver at fault fessed-up the following afternoon, saying that he had been texting when he struck several cars.

THURSDAY, OCT. 27

Good Samaritan Flags Down Cop to Turn in Wallet — At 8:46 a.m. someone stopped an officer on the 1300 block of Grand Avenue to hand over a wallet they'd found. Police were able to reunite the wallet with its owner.

Disabled Bus Blocks Road — A disabled bus briefly blocked one lane of Highland Avenue near the intersection of Mountain Avenue around 10:40 a.m. The bus driver was able to move it out of the roadway quickly.

Operator of Gas Blower Warned — Police issued a warning to the operator of a gasoline-powered leaf blower on the 300 block of Pala Avenue after a neighbor called in a noise complaint at 11:49 a.m.

Officer Pursues Stolen Vehicle — At 2:24 p.m., an officer was driving on Linda Avenue near Grand Avenue, when the automatic plate reader in his patrol car detected a stolen vehicle. The officer made a U-turn and tried to catch up with the 1997 Honda CRV that had been stolen out of Oakland, but wasn't able to make stop it.

High School Student Caught with Suspected Paraphernalia — At 4:11 p.m. Millennium High School Principal and Wellness Center Director Ting Hsu Engleman reported that what appeared to be drug paraphernalia had been confiscated from a student. Police did not find the stash to be illegal.


FRIDAY, OCT. 28

Stolen Car Found in Walnut Creek — At 11:43 a.m. the owner of a white 1995 Honda civic was notified that the vehicle, reported stolen from East 15th Street in Oakland on Oct. 27, had been located in Walnut Creek. The car was partially blocking a driveway in Walnut Creek and the ignition had been stripped, but officers determined it was drivable and the owner went to pick it up.

Truck Stolen — At 4:30 p.m., a resident of the 100 block of Sheridan Avenue reported that his truck had been stolen sometime in the past two weeks.


SATURDAY, OCT. 29

Thief Charges Thousands to Credit Card — A resident of the 100 block of Sunnyside Avenue reported at 12:33 p.m. that more than $5,000 worth of unauthorized charges had been applied to his credit card account.

Private Sewer Lateral Backs Up — At 1:20 p.m. a resident of the first block of Jerome Avenue reported that sewage was backing up onto a neighbor's property. A city public works official determined that the sewage was not coming from the city's main line but from the property owner's lateral.


SUNDAY, OCT. 30

Police Find Stolen Rental — An officer was cruising on the 3500 Kempton block when the automatic plate reader in his patrol car picked up a Chevrolet HHR that a rental car company had reported stolen out of Oakland on Oct. 26.

Toy Gun Mistaken for Real Thing — At 8:09 a.m. a resident of the 300 block of Pala Avenue reported finding what she thought was a firearm in a plastic bag. It turned out to be an air soft gun.

Car Vandalized — A resident of Lake Avenue reported at 1:37 p.m. that the rear window of his vehicle had been smashed.


MONDAY, OCT. 31

Oakland Man Arrested on Warrant — An officer on patrol around 4 a.m. noticed a person sitting in a vehicle near the intersection of Santa Clara and Fairmount Avenues, just over the Oakland line. After making contact with the man, a 25-year-old Fairfield resident, the officer determined he was on probation and wanted on a $50,000 warrant for evading police. The man was taken into custody without incident.