Caught In The Machine.
On Monday January 4, at 9:00 am a Public Service Officer (PIO) from the Santa Monica Police Department was in the process of conducting a routine check on Parking Structure Number one, located at 1234 Fourth Street, when he spotted an individual who was sleeping on the third level of the structure. This is in violation of a Santa Monica Municipal Code that prohibits people from sleeping in the parking structures. The PIO asked this individual for his name and birthdate and the man responded by giving a name that had a ring of suspicion to it in the mind of the PIO. The PIO quite simply doubted that the name that this person had given was the correct one. The PIO summoned the assistance of an officer from the Santa Monica Police Department and after a few moments the officer arrived at the scene and asked the individual to state his name and date of birth. The individual gave the same answer to the officer as he had earlier given to the PIO. The officer checked to see if there were any warrants outstanding on this name and that enquiry came back negative. The individual repeatedly insisted that the name he had given was his real name, that he did not have any warrants outstanding and that he was from Texas and had a driver’s license issued by that State in the name that he had given. However, when the officer produced the police issue mobile fingerprint identification machine the suspect confessed that he had been lying the whole time and that he was in fact on parole. The officer arrested this 32-year-old homeless man and he was later charged with providing false information and the municipal code violation. The officer also contacted this man’s parole agent and as a result bail was not granted.
In The Bag.
On Tuesday, January 5, at 4:00 pm officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to the 2000 block of Stewart Street in order to investigate a report of some “suspicious activity” that was taking place in the alleyway behind the location. The officers had been told via police radio that a woman and two men had been looking into parked vehicles in the area and that these people had also apparently been injecting heroin into their arms. The caller also stated that one of the suspects had been peering into a canvas athletic bag. When the officers arrived at the location they spotted three men. The officers approached these men and said that they had received a report that people had been using drugs in the area, to which the first of these men responded, “We were smoking marijuana. Hopefully, you don’t think that’s a big deal.” The officers inquired with these individuals as to whether any of them were in possession of any drugs, weapons or other illegal items. The second man told the officers that he had a knife concealed inside his pocket and so the officers conducted a search of this man and did indeed find a fixed blade knife. The possession of this kind of knife is a violation of a California Penal Code. This man added that a canvas athletic bag that was situated nearby was also his property. The officers searched this bag and discovered that it contained a modified (sawn off) shotgun, and the officers also noticed that there were several shotgun cartridges on the ground nearby. The officers arrested the second man and he was taken to jail where a more thorough search of his person was conducted. This search revealed that he was also in possession of a controlled prescription medication that had not been prescribed to him personally. This man was charged with carrying a concealed dagger, possession of a short-barreled shotgun and illegal possession of prescription medications. Bail was set at $20,000.
Head And Shoulders Above The Rest.
On Tuesday, January 5, at 1:25 pm officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to the CVS store, located in the 3200 block of Wilshire Boulevard in order to investigate a report of theft. When the officers arrived at the location they spoke with the loss prevention agent of the store who told them what had happened. The loss prevention agent said that a man had entered the store carrying a large backpack. He added that he had applied his experience and training and had deduced that there was a possibility that, given this individual’s demeanor in relation to other shoppers in the store, there was a possibility that the backpack equipped man would be worth keeping an eye on as he might have some dishonest motives circulating around in his mind. The loss prevention agent decided to follow this individual and watched from a discreet distance as the man walked to the hair care section of the store and began to take several large bottles of Head and Shoulders shampoo from the shelves and place them into his backpack. After this man had filled the backpack up with Head and Shoulders shampoo bottles he walked to the store exit whereupon the loss prevention agent attempted to coerce the man to replace the Head and Shoulders shampoo back onto the store shelves. The man refused and exited the store without paying for the bottles of shampoo. The entire incident was captured on CCTV recordings. Other officers who were responding to the location spotted the suspect nearby and detained him for questioning. The officers conducted a consensual search of this man but did not find the bottles of Head and Shoulders but did discover drug paraphernalia upon his person. The loss prevention agent positively identified this man as being the individual who had taken the shampoo and the officers then arrested this 25-year-old Hollywood resident. This man was later charged with for petty theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, and a probation violation. Bail was set at $10,000. At the time of going to press the large bottles of Head and Shoulders shampoo had not been found.
He Drove On His Own Accord.
On Tuesday, January 5, at 11:15 pm officers of the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a report of a traffic accident in the 2100 block of Pearl Street. When the officers arrived at the scene they saw that several trees and a stop sign, located at the intersection of Pearl Street and 22nd Street were damaged or completely destroyed. The officers also noticed that there was a silver-colored Honda Accord with significant damage stopped just east of the damaged trees. The driver of the vehicle was still sitting behind the wheel of the car. The officers asked this man to exit the vehicle and as he did so the officers noticed that the driver had watery eyes, slurred speech and appeared to be unable to keep his balance. These symptoms, combined with a very strong odor of alcoholic beverages, suggested to the officers that this man had been drinking and could well be above the legal blood/alcohol limit. The officers conducted a field sobriety test which, unsurprisingly to the officers, the driver of the silver Honda Accord, failed. Based upon the results of this sobriety test the officers arrested the driver, aged 24, and a resident of Los Angeles, and he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Bail was set at $15,000.
Editor’s Note: These reports are part of a regular police coverage series entitled “Alert Police Blotter” (APB), which injects some minor editorial into certain police activities in Santa Monica. Not all of The Mirror’s coverage of incidents involving police are portrayed in this manner. More serious crimes and police-related activities are regularly reported without editorial in the pages of the Santa Monica Mirror and its website, smmirror.com.
