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.”

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,

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.

We keep hearing stories about rafters of wild turkeys standing in the middle of Lamorinda roadways,. stopping traffic. But so far, the critters have eluded our photographers. Kinda like Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster. So dear readers, if you see wild turkeys in these days before Thanksgiving, send us the photos as jpgs or prints. Send jpgs to lmclaughlin@bayareanewsgroup.com. And send prints to Leanne McLaughlin, Lamorinda Sun editor, 2640 Shadelands Drive, Walnut Creek 94598. Include your name and a phone number. We’ll try to run the photos before the holiday.

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.

from the Orinda police log:

Monday, Oct. 1
BURGLARY — A resident in the first block of La Cresta Road reported her home had been burglarized sometime between 7:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. while she and her husband were at work. More than $14,000 worth of items, including jewelry and electronics, were reported missing at 8:22 p.m. There were no signs of forced entry.

Tuesday, Oct. 2
GRAND THEFT — A purse containing a passport, Social Security card and driver’s license was reported taken from a inside a car parked in front of the 200 block of Camino Sobrante. Police were notified of the incident at 5:41 a.m.

From the Orinda police blotter

Wednesday, Sept. 26

IDENTITY THEFT — A resident in the first block of Roberts Road reported at 8:27 a.m. that his wife’s bank card had been used to make more than $2,000 in online music and movie ticket purchases. Police reports state the card had been taken when the family’s mail was stolen in an incident that was reported to police.

Two former Miramonte High School students have been arrested in connection with an early morning vandalism spree Wednesday in which more than dozen classroom windows were broken.
Declan Johnston, 18, of Orinda and a 17-year-old boy from Lamorinda were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism after school staff members recognized Johnston on surveillance video and tipped off police, Orinda Police Chief Bill French said.
A motive for the vandalism is unknown.
“I wish I knew,” French said. “I don’t know if they had a motive, or if it was knucklehead behavior. They did not provide a reason.”
Police received several calls about 2:15 a.m. from residents who reported two teenagers running through the football field toward the school. Minutes later, the witnesses saw the boys running along an outdoor walkway, breaking classroom windows with wooden 2-by-4’s, garbage cans and fire extinguishers, Sgt. Steve Andrews said.
Officers with five police agencies — Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, San Ramon and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office — went to the scene, and some officers chased the suspects, who got away, Andrews said.
The school maintenance staff got an early call to clean up the shattered glass and board up the windows before the start of the school day. Classes were not affected.
The preliminary damage estimate by police is $5,000.
“This is a huge cost to us as taxpayers,” Zamora said.
– Malaika Fraley and Robert Salonga

Orinda police report:

Tuesday, July 17
THEFT — It was reported at 8:58 a.m. that someone entered an unlocked vehicle at Camino Sobrante and El Ribero and stole a $400 iPod.

Wednesday, July 18
n THEFT — An Orinda Woods resident reported at 9:04 a.m. that someone entered an unlocked vehicle and stole cash and property worth $610.