June 8-14: Weird Vandalism, Thefts and Bike-Car Collisions

Bike-car collisions, thefts big and small, and a few oddball vandalism events mark the past week reported by the Los Altos Police Department, June 8 to 14. Throw in the usual loud parties that needed quieting and a week goes by quickly.

A few thoughts (known as unsolicited advice) after reporting on some of these: Your home may be your castle, but your garages and sheds are not immune to burglaries and theft. So make sure to lock those doors overnight—and even for a few minutes. It’s amazing what walks away in a short span of time.

Friday, June 8, started out around noon with reports of a grand theft, when the jeweler, Lussori, at 231 Main Street reported a watch mailed to a Florida address did not arrive at the address (though the package did). Any item valued more than $950 that is stolen is classified grand theft. A second grand theft was reported on Mundell Way, when a car owner discovered his or her catalytic converter had been stolen from underneath the vehicle.  Such thefts are quite common now, since the metal inside catalytic converters is so valuable, said Los Altos Police Agent Neal Randles. Four-wheel drive vehicles that sit higher off the ground and are easy to access are particularly vulnerable.  Later that day, a 21-speed bicycle was reported stolen from the 400 block of Santa Barbara Avenue. At 1:46 p.m., police arrested Lisa Snow on the 1200 block of Eureka Avenue on a misdemeanor warrant.

The Packard Foundation reported a case of fraud at 2:27 p.m. Checks were cashed to its business account. Randles did not know the amount of the loss.

On Saturday, June 9 and 10, there was a pair of malicious mischief reports a block apart. On June 9, an unknown individual or individuals went down Palm Avenue bending all the windshield wipers on cars, according to a report that came in at 3:46 a.m. The following day, someone or some individuals went down Orange Avenue, removing mail boxes from their posts and throwing them about, Randles said.

Still early in the morning June 9, police were called at 7:40 a.m. to help as the Krystal Readings, the psychic parlor, on 923 San Antonio Road, was ablaze. Police provided traffic control.  

At 2:52 p.m., a bicycle was reported stolen from the 800 block of Orchard Place.  At 3:12 p.m. a business reported a burglary of a steam carpet cleaner from a shed on the business.

On Monday, June 11, an unlucky bicycle owner reported that the $1,500 bike he’d just purchased the day before had been stolen from his garage on the 1500 block of Marlborough Avenue.

On Tuesday, June 12, a person on Russell Avenue reported, for insurance purposes, that about $1,500 worth of jewelry had been stolen from her residence about a month earlier.  A neighbor dispute broke out on June 12 and June 13 and police were called to Farm Road to assist in cooling down the parties.

On Thursday, June 14, a bicyclist was injured at 8:59 a.m. in a collision with a vehicle on Fremont Road and Siesta Drive, though it’s not clear from the report whether the cyclist, who was in contact with police via cell phone, was taken to the hospital, Randles said.  Just a short time later, on Homestead Road near Foothill Expressway, another car-versus-bicycle collision resulted in only minor injuries, but the cyclist’s carbon fiber bicycle was shattered into three pieces, Randles said.

A resident on the 2000 block of Louise Lane reported that camping equipment stored in a backyard shed had been stolen. And finally, on a happier note, an individual who had been reported missing at 1:30 p.m. from the 2000 block of Campanas Court, was located in Mountain View at 12:10 a.m. on the 2600 block of El Camino Real, Randles said.