From the Lafayette police blotter
Tuesday, Jan. 22
AUTO BURGLARY — A burglar smashed the front passenger window of a car in the 0-100 block of Moss Lane and took $1,050 in property.
Thursday, Jan. 24
BURGLARY — A burglar entered an unlocked house in the 1300 block of Summit Road and took $12,000 worth of computers and cameras.
Saturday, Jan. 26

VANDALISM — A vandal pushed out the slats of a glass window at the Diablo Valley Montessori School and threw a burning object inside around 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 29
BURGLARY — A burglar stole $300 in tools from a garage in the 1000 block of Sierra Vista Way between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. The garage was opened with the garage door opener, which had been stolen from an unlocked car between Jan. 10 and 11.
from Moraga police log
Monday, Feb. 4
AUTO BURGLARY — Officers were dispatched to make contact with the victim of an auto burglary. The Ascot Court resident revealed that her empty black vinyl computer case had been taken from the rear storage compartment of her locked vehicle, which she had parked in her assigned parking space for her residence at 3 p.m. Feb. 3. When she returned to the vehicle at 7 a.m. Feb. 4, she realized that the vehicle’s rear hatchback window had been smashed and the computer case was missing. The total loss was estimated at $1,150, which includes the cost of the window replacement.
COMMERCIAL BURGLARY — Officers were dispatched to make telephone contact with a Saint Mary’s College Administrator regarding a burglary report. The administrator reported that at 3 p.m. Feb. 1, she had left her personal laptop locked in her office in Dante Hall, and at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 4 she returned to find the laptop missing. She said there was no forced entry and no window access into the room.

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From the Lafayette police log
Monday, Dec. 24
VANDALISM — All four tires were slashed on a car on the 1800 block of Del Rey Street.

from the Orinda police log Wednesday, Dec. 26
DIRT DISPUTE — The driver of a Waste Management truck notified police at 8:22 a.m. that a customer in the first block of Rita Way became verbally abusive and threw an unknown substance at his truck after his waste container was refused. The driver said the bin was overweight and contained dirt. The resident said he has been passed by several times and the dirt was attached to the roots of plants he was discarding.

Thursday, Dec. 27
BURGLARY — At 1:30 p.m., a resident in the first block of Bates Boulevard reported $5,000 worth of gold necklaces, bracelets and watches missing from the home.
From the Moraga police log
Tuesday, Dec. 25
n STOLEN VEHICLE — Officers responded to a Miramonte Drive resident on a stolen vehicle report. She reported that she had parked her vehicle at 5:50 p.m. Dec. 24. When she came out at 7 a.m. Dec. 25 her vehicle was gone. All keys were accounted for.

Friday, Dec. 28
PETTY THEFT — Officers responded to Lynwood Place on a report of a theft. The reporting party said that one of his pre-lighted reindeer was missing from his front yard. The estimated loss is $250.

Tuesday, Jan. 1
VANDALISM — Officers were dispatched to Donald L. Rheem School on a report of vandalism. The reporting party said that about 1 p.m. someone broke a roof skylight. About the same time and date he spotted three kids skateboarding on the roof of an adjoining building. The school security camera was able to capture a photograph of one suspect. At this time, officers are unable to determine if the subject was responsible for the damage. Damage was about $150.

Tuesday, Jan. 15
FRAUD — A resident of the first block of Via Floreando notified police at 5:08 p.m. that he noticed $7,200 was missing from his bank account during the last few months. Most of the funds were used to purchase music online. There were also two unauthorized ATM withdrawals made in Lake Port.
Friday, Jan. 18
VANDALISM/GRAFFITI —Officers responded to the Moraga Commons Skate Park on a vandalism report. Upon arrival, officers noticed black graffiti spray painted in the park “bowl.” The vandalism was photographed and the clean up costs estimated to be $1,100.

Sunday, Jan. 20
GRAND THEFT — An Ascot Drive resident reported that someone stole her son’s backpack while it was left unattended at a friend’s house. The backpack contained some $1,500 in X-Box games.

Many of Lafayette’s city staff members can now add “burgeoning movie star” to their resumes.

In response to City Manager Steve Falk’s interest in answering resident questions about municipal finance, they put together a 6-minute video, which is posted on the city’s Web site.

“I think the people are asking fair questions, but we need to kind of be more aggressive about getting our message out there,” Falk said.

To that end, his staff was willing to “embarrass themselves” by acting in the film, which cost the city $4,700.

By Nargis Nooristani

ORINDA — The turkey on their plates, drenched in gravy and served alongside the stuffing, wasn’t the only one the ladies of Sison Salon encountered this past Thanksgiving.

Possibly an attempt at escaping a similar fate as its ill-fortuned brethren? Perhaps an act of protest against the November rituals that make any turkey quiver under its feathers? Whatever the reason, a turkey didn’t fly in to the Orinda hair salon — exactly one week before the national holiday of gluttony and indulgence — for a cut and color.

“We had the door propped open because it was one of those beautiful days” said salon owner Charlotte Peebles, recalling the day’s incident.

Peebles recalls sitting with her back to the door, leafing through a magazine while waiting for a client.

When the could-be Butterballbreezed past, her first thought was a dog from the neighboring pet store must have gotten loose and ducked into the salon.

Toni Mayell, Peebles sister and the salon’s co-owner, was in the middle of a haircut in a station near the back of the business.
“All of the sudden, half flying, half running, it flies right in and makes a direct b-line into the back room,” she said.

Perched atop a stack of stored beauty supplies, the bird got cozy in front of a full length mirror and didn’t move for more than an hour.

Word got out about the gobbling guest and neighbors in Village Square flocked in to take a peak, while the hairdresser and their patrons patiently waited for animal control.

All was quiet until hairdresser Marilyn Samuels showed up for work. With a client waiting for a color and the necessary tools stored in the turkey’s den, Samuels saw no way to avoid the store room any longer.

“I walked back slowly and it was just sitting up there. It was just ugly, sitting up the there with its long neck,” she said. “I walked very cautiously.”

But as she pulled open a drawer, the squeak spooked the bird.

“It jumped down, started to fly and hit the cabinet door next to me,” she said. “And I just screamed.”

The crashing and screaming echoed into the salon room, followed by the flapping of brown wings crashing into the walls and mirrors.

At that point, Mayell took charge.

Grabbing a couple of aprons, she began flapping the colorful fabrics together and chasing the bird toward the exit.

The visitor made its way to the front door and strolled out, leaving behind a few messes as a memento.

“Animal control never did show up,” Mayell said. “So it was good we took matters into our own hands.”

From the Lafayette police logs:

Sunday, Nov. 11
THEFT — A Walnut Creek taxi driver placed an Oakley woman under citizen’s arrest after she took a cab ride from Walnut Creek to Lafayette and then refused to pay. She was eventually arrested and taken to Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez.

Friday, Nov. 16
IDENTITY THEFT — A 41-year-old San Francisco man used his 81-year-old father’s identity to get a credit card. Son and father, who lives in Lafayette, have the same first and last names.

From the Orinda police log:

Wednesday, Nov. 21
GRAND THEFT — A resident in the first block of Martha Road reported a bicycle valued at $700 missing from inside her garage at 11:20 a.m.

The Moraga police log reports:

Tuesday, Nov. 6
VANDALISM — A Town of Moraga public works employee wanted to file a vandalism report. He said at 9 a.m. while walking through Moraga Commons park, he saw that someone had spray painted the skateboard park. The damage estimate is around $250.

TRAFFIC INCIDENT— Officers responded to a traffic collision on St. Mary’s Road north of Bollinger Canyon Road. Officers arrived and contacted the driver of a silver 2006 Toyota Camry. The driver said she started to drive onto the soft shoulder of the roadway and in her attempt to stop, accidentally pushed on the gas pedal. She lost control of her vehicle and struck the Town of Moraga wood sign and metal fence, destroying both and damaging her vehicle.

From the Orinda police blotter:

Friday, Nov. 9
RECEIVED STOLEN PROPERTY — A 25-year-old Oakland man was arrested after police found stolen items in his car. The man was arrested at 1:55 p.m. after police received a message about occupants of a vehicle caught looking through mail boxes. When police confronted the occupants at the intersection of El Toyonal and Alta Vista, several items were noticed that couldn’t be accounted for. Further investigation revealed the items were reported stolen and the Oakland man was on probation.

Saturday, Nov. 10
DISTURBING THE PEACE — A resident of the first block of Oak Road called police for back up after failing to disband a juvenile fund-raiser that got out of hand. Police arrived at 8:54 p.m. to find more than 300 teenagers at the house drinking alcohol. Moraga police were called for backup. The caller said the gathering was a fund-raiser for a local high school water polo team that got out of control when alcohol was snuck in.

Lafayette police arrested a man Nov. 17 after he led officers on a short pursuit, and they found stolen property in the vehicle, authorities said.

Police got a call about 12:30 p.m. from a resident in the 3300 block of Woodview Drive who reported seeing someone looking into a vehicle, according to sheriff’s Lt. Charles Skuce and Lafayette police Chief Mike Hubbard.

The resident gave responding officers a direction of travel and vehicle description, Skuce said. Officers soon tracked down the vehicle, but the driver did not respond to their attempts to stop it.

The driver led officers on a short pursuit before crashing into two other vehicles at Olympic and Tice Valley boulevards, Skuce said.

Officers arrested Fernando Veliz, 32, of San Pablo, on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and felony evading. He was being held in lieu of $120,000 bail at the West County Detention Facility.

Property in the vehicle had been taken in four residential burglaries and from vehicles, Hubbard said. Officers found a lawnmower on the front seat, an electric guitar and miscellaneous tools, including a leaf blower. The items were returned to owners.

At Tuesday’s Lafayette City Council meeting, it seemed the residents of two adjacent neighborhoods might need to be separated by a demilitarized zone.

At issue: Traffic calming measures on Stanley Boulevard and Springbrook Road, which are to be put to a neighborhood vote starting after Thanksgiving.

On one side: Residents on or near the two streets who have been clamouring for traffic calming for years to protect pedestrians heading to nearby schools and parks.

Their opposition: Residents of Bacon Court and Bacon Way, whose only way in and out is along Springbrook Road. They are concerned about emergency response times to their homes.

In the culmination of a four-year process, residents will be sent a ballot on Nov. 26 asking if they want traffic calming along Stanley Boulevard and Springbrook Road, and if so, whether they preferred a design based on speed humps or based on islands, chicanes and other road-narrowing options.

_ Paul Thissen
I

Let’s talk turkey. It seems that all of Lamorinda is. And the Friday Sun reflects that.

We solicted reader photos of wild turkeys and scores of you emailed images of a seeming wild turkey invasion: Turkeys in the road, on the roof and in back yards throughout Orinda, Moraga and. Lafayette. Check it out in the Friday Sun,