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.

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.

By Malaika Fraley
STAFF WRITER
ORINDA — Police are looking for a man who approached an 11-year-old boy as the child was walking to Glorietta Elementary School this morning.

“We don’t know what his intent was, but we’re concerned about what it could have been,” Sgt. Steve Andrews said.

The boy was walking on Hillcrest Drive just before 8 a.m. when a man in white truck pulled beside him and offered him a ride, Andrews said.

When the child replied no, the man ordered him to “get in the truck now.” The boy ran to the porch of the nearest house and the truck sped away.

Andrews said the child reported the incident this afternoon to his family, who then brought him to the police station. The Orinda Unified School District sent out an email notifying parents of the incident.

The man is described as white, in his 40s, with blond hair and a scar on the right side of his face. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a black cap. He was driving a white truck with a lumber rack on top and damage on the driver’s side behind the door.

The child described him as having a British accent.

Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Nate McCormack at 925-254-6820.

From the Lafayette police log:

Oct. 22
AUTO THEFT — A locked 1989 Nissan Pathfinder was stolen from an apartment complex in the 1000 block of Second Street between 10 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 a.m. Monday. The SUV’s license plate number is 2YYP927.
From the Moraga police log:

Wednesday, Oct. 24
GRAND THEFT — An officer telephoned a citizen about the theft of two solar panels. He said he went out at noon Oct. 24 and found that two of his solar panels were missing. The last time he remembered seeing them on the hillside behind his house was Oct. 19. The cost to replace the panels is around $2,000.

From the Orinda police log:

Monday, Oct. 22
GRAND THEFT — Some $3,000 in property was reported missing from a car parked in the first block of Don Gabriel Way. The victim notified police at 9:48 a.m.

BURGLARY — Some $700 in jewelry was reported missing from a house in the 100 block of Las Vegas Road after a forced entry into the house. The incident was reported at 2:06 p.m.

From the Lafayette police log:

Two burglars interrupted in the act by a Lafayette resident escaped in their gray Toyota Tundra pickup truck Oct. 15. A resident of the 1500 block of Reliez Valley Road arrived house at about 2:45 p.m. Oct. 15 to find an unfamiliar truck parked in her driveway. She walked into her house to get a cordless phone, she told police, and walked back outside to call 911. As she did so, a man ran out the front door and jumped in the truck. Another man ran out the back door and jumped in the truck. The resident banged her phone on the truck’s windows as it quickly sped off, knocking her down. At least $825 in property was missing, although the inventory of missing items was incomplete

Sunday, Sept. 9
BURGLARY — A burglar smashed the door of a house in the 1200 block of El Curtole Boulevard about 5:40 p.m., tripping the house’s alarm system. Jewelry, credit cards and other property valued at $18,725 were taken.

BURGLARY — Burglars pried open the side door of a Mt. Diablo Boulevard restaurant and dragged a large safe from the office. The safe and its contents were valued at $10,000.

Thursday, Oct. 11
BURGLARY — An anvil was stolen from the maintenance yard of the Lafayette School District. Between 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. Thursday, someone cut the fence of the yard and stole the anvil, valued at $1,000.

Sunday, Oct. 14
AUTO BURGLARY — A resident of the 1100 block of Vacation Drive reported that his unlocked car was burglarized between 9 a.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Two sets of golf clubs valued at $600, a handmade calf-skin bible valued at $600, a digital camera valued at $115 and a phone valued at $90 were taken from the car.

From the Orinda police log:

Friday, Oct. 19
GRAND THEFT — Two mountain bikes valued at $4,000 were reported missing from the front porch of a house in the 400 block of Camino Sobrante.

Some unusual items were reported to Lamorinda police in the first half of October:

from Lafayette police:

Wednesday, Oct. 3
THEFT— Checks worth $12,000, $13,000 and $2,500 were stolen from the mail box of a Hope Lane resident.

Tuesday, Oct. 9
PUBLIC INTOXICATION — A 52-year-old Orinda woman was arrested at the intersection of Moraga Road and Mt. Diablo Boulevard on public intoxication charges. She was dancing in the road and cursing at cars, according to police reports. She had two bottles of vanilla extract in her pocket, the report said, which the officer believed she drank to get intoxicated.

Fromt the Moraga police:

Friday, Oct. 12
BATTERY — An assistant principal at Campolindo High School reported a student was injured during the football game. The student was wearing the school mascot costume during the game. During half-time, an Acalanes High School student approached the student and pulled on the costume head, removing it. The student ended up on the ground with a slight injury to her neck. The student identified the responsible Acalanes student to school staff.

Monday, Oct. 15
GRAND THEFT— Officers contacted a citizen regarding a theft report.. She said she had parked her car in her designated carport on Miramonte Drive at 8 p.m. Oct. 14. She returned to her vehicle at 6:30 a.m. Oct. 15 and noticed items missing, including a toilet seat still in the box.

From the Orinda police

Tuesday, Oct. 2
ILLEGAL ENTRY — A family residing in the first block of El Gavilan reported to police at 8:47 a.m. that their home had been invaded by eight juveniles. The suspects were found drinking and using drugs inside the home. The group left when confronted.

Monday, Oct. 8
PETTY THEFT — At 2:01 p.m., a woman reported her laptop stolen while she was at a park in the first block of Orinda Way. Reports state she left the device on a bench for 45 minutes, and when she returned it was gone.

Thursday,Oct. 11
STRONG-ARM ROBBERY— A resident in the first block of El Sueno reported being attacked while in his garage at 9:05 p.m. According to police reports, a man grabbed him from behind the neck and took his wallet, containing credit cards and $800 in cash. He and two others waiting outside then took off. No vehicle was seen or heard.