School Calls Police on Unruly Student, Rite Aid Shoplifters Spotted, and More

Here is our unsolicited tip of the week – before you call the police and report your car stolen, at least check more than a hundred feet from your front door. We have to think it’s a little embarrassing when the police show up at your house to take a report for your stolen vehicle, only to spot it parked in front of the house two doors down from yours – you know, where you parked it.

One homeowner in the 400 block of Lerida Avenue got a little ticked off when contractors working on a neighbor’s apartment Friday at noon set up their trucks and equipment and blocked his or her driveway – and called the police about it. Officers responded and helped mediate the disturbance.

Not long after mediating that dispute, officers were called to on a report of an ongoing juvenile disturbance. Staff members reported that a young student was walking on and off campus at will and being “aggressive” toward staff and teachers. Officers responded and helped mediate the situation, and called it “resolved.”

Apparently a few homes were having loud parties Friday night. Officers were called to two different homes on noise complaints by neighbors after midnight. The first call came from the 500 block of Cuesta Drive at 12:30 a.m. Officers told the loud subjects to quiet down and left. The second call came from the 600 block of Hollingsworth Drive at 1:21 a.m. Officers were a little more stern this time around and “reprimanded and then released” the loud subjects.

On Saturday morning, one person woke up to an unhappy surprise. Officers responded to the 5000 block of El Camino Real shortly before 9:30 a.m. on a report of a vehicle burglary. Reportedly, a car parked in underground parking overnight had its windows smashed, and miscellaneous items belonging to the owner were stolen. Police took a report.

Saturday night, just after 8 p.m., officers responded to another call about a burglary – this time from a residence, though. Officers responded to the 1000 block of Ranchita Drive when a resident called to report a burglary that had apparently happened a long time ago, but for some reason, she was just choosing to report. Strangely, officers told Patch, the only thing the resident reported missing were a few silver trophies. Officers took a report, but said they could determine no unlawful method of entry into the home.

Parties throughout town continued Saturday night – two noise disturbance calls came in to the police. The first came in from the area of Coral Court and Springer Road just before midnight. Officers contacted the occupants of the noisy home and warned them. The second call came regarding the 400 block of Panchita Way – however, those noisy subjects had the good sense to quiet down before officers arrived on the scene. The police could not locate any noisy people when they responded to the call.

On Sunday – mother’s day – one mother got an unpleasant gift. Residents of the 500 block of University Avenue called the police to report malicious mischief just before 5 p.m. – their vehicle had been egged sometime during the night, and they had just discovered it. They chose not to file a report, but were given advice by the officers who responded.

Monday morning around 9:30 a.m., police were called to when staff members discovered that the school had been paid for unknown items – which could be anything from food in the cafeteria to prom tickets – with a counterfeit bill. Police took a report.

Later that afternoon, police were called to the 300 block of Marich Way on a report of a municipal code violation – a transient had set up camp. Officers responded and encouraged the transient to move on.

Police were called to the 1300 block of Sunrise Court Tuesday around 11 a.m. when a resident discovered that his or her very expensive camera had been stolen from his or her unlocked car sometime overnight. Police took a report for grand theft from a vehicle.

Tuesday around 2:40 in the afternoon, officers made an arrest for driving with a suspended license. The person was caught driving in the intersection of Fremont Avenue and Lisa Lane. The driver was given a citation arrest and released, and the vehicle was impounded.

Roughly an hour later, officers were called to the store at 2310 Homestead Road on a report of petty theft. Employees had just seen a group of three suspects steal a home air conditioning unit and flee in a vehicle. The alert employee managed to catch the vehicle’s license plate number as they fled, so Los Altos police detectives are following up and will likely make an arrest, officers told Patch.

Later that evening, a man called the Los Altos Police Department and requested that officers come out to his home on Del Monte Avenue to give him advice on a possible scam someone had just attempted to victimize him with. The man said he had received a suspicious phone call by someone stating he had “won the lottery.” The caller asked him to go to Western Union and send money for processing fees in order to receive his prize. The man chose not to comply, so there were no actual losses, but he wanted to report the attempted scam, just in case. Officers took his information.

Wednesday morning, one local mom, who lives in the 400 block of Lassen Street, discovered that it is not wise to leave your Bugaboo stroller - worth more than a thousand dollars - out on the street next to your parked car overnight. The mom had been unloading her car the night before and accidentally forgot to bring her stroller inside. Naturally, . Police took a report for grand theft.

One resident of the 1900 block of Colleen Drive obviously hadn’t had his or her morning coffee yet when he or she called the police around 7:30 Thursday morning to report his or her car had been stolen, after he or she walked out the front door and didn’t immediately spot it. We sympathize with how embarrassed the person must have been when, after the police showed up to take a report for a stolen vehicle, officers spotted the car, parked in front of the home just two doors down – exactly where the owner had parked it the night before.

One other Los Altan, who lives in the 5000 block of Beechwood Lane, had an actual theft to report. That person walked out the front door around 8:30 a.m. and discovered someone had stolen his or her iPod and a few other miscellaneous items from his or her unlocked car sometime overnight. Police took a report for petty theft from a vehicle.

The information in this article was supplied by the Los Altos Police Department. Where arrests are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

For questions about this police log, contact Los Altos Patch Editor L.A. Chung at lachung@patch.com.