Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 16, 2013

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 16, 2013 

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER

From Arcadia’s Best:

For the period of Sunday, February 3rd, through Saturday, February 9th, the Police Department responded to 880 calls for service of which 
104 required formal investigations. The following is a summary report of the major incidents handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, February 3:

1. At about 1:15 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for expired registration on 
Live Oak Avenue and Mayflower Avenue. Upon contact with the driver, the officer discovered the driver 
had a suspended license. A consensual search of the vehicle revealed the driver was in possession of drug 
paraphernalia. The 32-year-old, Hispanic male was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, and 
transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 


2. At approximately 10:17 p.m., officers responded to the 000 block of E. Haven regarding a verbal 
argument between two subjects. Investigation revealed that one subject, and his girlfriend, were under 
the influence of a controlled substance and were in possession of drug paraphernalia. Additionally, their 
3-month-old child was in their care. The 42-year-old, White male and 39-year-old, White female were 
arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and 
for child endangerment. They were transported to the Arcadia City Jail for processing, and their child 
was released to the care and custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.


Monday, February 4:

3. At about 12:28 a.m., officers responded to the 1600 block of S. Baldwin Avenue in regard to a 
female subject walking on the roadway and harassing motorists. Upon contact with the subject, officers 
discovered the subject was irate, verbally aggressive and emotionally unstable. Officers also noticed 
objective symptoms of intoxication, and determined the subject was a danger to herself and others. The 
25-year-old, White female was transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for medical treatment and a 
72-hour evaluation. 


4. At approximately 3:38 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Fairview Avenue in 
regard to a residential burglary. Officers discovered the suspect(s) pried open a laundry room door, 
which led into the home. Further investigation revealed the bedrooms were ransacked, and jewelry was 
stolen. There were no surveillance cameras or witnesses. 


Tuesday, February 5:

5. Around 3:58 a.m., officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding on Las Tunas 
Drive and El Monte Avenue. Upon contact with the driver, officers detected a strong odor of alcohol 
and other objective symptoms of intoxication. An investigation revealed the driver was under the 
influence of alcohol. The 25-year-old, Black male was arrested for driving under the influence and 
transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.


6. At about 6:00 a.m., an officer was dispatched to Jolie Nails, 160 E. Duarte Road, in reference 
to a burglary. Investigation revealed that suspect(s) had broken the front glass door, and ransacked 
the nail salon. The business owner did not notice anything missing. There were no surveillance 
cameras at the location. 


Wednesday, February 6:

7. At approximately 11:50 p.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for not complying 
with construction road signs on Mayflower Avenue and Short Avenue. Investigation revealed the 
driver was in possession of methamphetamine and meth pipes. The 33-year-old, White female was 
arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and was transported to the 
Arcadia City Jail for booking. 


8. Around 10:26 p.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Foothill Boulevard 
and Michillinda Avenue for following too closely. Further investigation revealed the driver had 
an outstanding felony warrant. The 29-year-old, Hispanic male was subsequently arrested and 
transported to the Arcadia City Jail for processing. 


Thursday, February 7:

9. At about 2:09 p.m., an officer responded to the 700 block of W. Huntington Drive to check 
on a subject sitting on the sidewalk. Upon contact with the subject, the officer smelled a strong odor 
of alcohol on the subject’s breath, and noticed other objective symptoms of intoxication. The officer 
determined the 54-year-old, Hispanic male was unable to care for his safety, and arrested him for 
public intoxication. 


10. At approximately 4:10 p.m., officers responded to JC Penney at the Westfield Shopping Town, 
400 S. Baldwin Avenue, regarding a female suspect in custody for theft. The suspect concealed a pair 
of pants in her purse, and exited the store without paying for the item. The 32-year-old, Hispanic 
female was arrested for petty theft and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for processing. 


Friday, February 8:

11. At about 6:28 a.m., officers responded to the Pavilions parking lot, 745 W. Naomi Avenue, 
in reference to an intoxicated subject. Upon contact with the subject, officers smelled a strong odor 
of alcohol on the subject’s breath, and noticed other objective symptoms of intoxication. A records 
check revealed the subject had two outstanding warrants. The 46-year-old, White female was arrested 
for public intoxication and the warrants, and was transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.


12. Shortly after 6:00 p.m., an officer was dispatched to All Seasons Children Center, 2612 S. 
Baldwin Avenue, in reference to an auto burglary. The female victim reported her purse had been 
stolen from her car while she was picking up her children. Investigation revealed the suspect(s) 
smashed the front passenger window while the victim stepped away.


Saturday, February 9:

13. Shortly after 7:00 a.m., officers were dispatched to Spring Hill Suites, 99 N. Second Avenue, 
regarding a petty theft. Investigation revealed that a guest had stolen a television and radio docking 
station from a hotel room. There were no witnesses and no signs of the suspect(s) in the area.


 

14. At approximately 2:46 p.m., officers responded to Abercrombie and Fitch at the Westfield 
Shopping Town, 400 S. Baldwin Avenue, regarding a female suspect in custody for theft. The suspect 
concealed two cologne bottles in her purse, and exited the store without paying for the items. The 
19-year-old female was arrested for petty theft and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for processing.


THREE TRAIN BRIDGES, STATION COMING

Three significant train bridges will be built over 
three of the biggest road arteries in Arcadia this 
year, narrowing Santa Anita Avenue to two lanes 
and all but closing off access to Huntington Drive 
from Second Avenue for periods of months at a 
time.

 Work on a new Gold Line train station on First 
Avenue will also be started in a few months.

 While these projects are expected to be completed 
this year, no trains will be allowed to run 
on the tracks until late 2015 after a new transit 
center, including a two-level parking garage, is 
completed adjacent to the station at Santa Clara 
Street, train tracks are laid, and similar work is 
completed along an 11.5-mile extension of the 
Gold Line route from east Pasadena through 
Arcadia to Azusa. (This is contrary to the recent 
suggestion by Metro Executive Director, Highway 
Program, Doug Failing, that rail service 
could be opened to Arcadia as early as 2014 when 
construction work could be completed. Metro 
Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority 
CEO Habib Balian said this week that no 
segment will be open until the entire extension is 
complete in late 2015. In fact, plans now call for 
laying the track from Azusa to Arcadia, meaning 
Arcadia would be the last of the cities on the extended 
route to have rails laid, though that strategy 
is subject to change. Other Metro officials 
have said over the last year that service would not 
begin on the new extended route until early 2016 
to allow for several months of resting after work 
is complete.)

 

Above: Work on bridge over Colorado Blvd, east 
of Newcastle Park — Gold Line officials explain 
progress and plans to Mayor Bob Harbicht, city officials, 
and the media; facing east towards Santa 
Anita Avenue.

 

Officials from the Foothill Extension Construction 
Authority met with Arcadia Mayor Bob 
Harbicht and other city officials and the media 
this week at the construction site of the first of 
the three bridges to be built over Colorado Blvd. 
east of Newcastle Park west of Santa Anita Avenue. 
The single-track bridge that had sat unused 
for years was demolished and removed to make 
room for a new double-track bridge that is to 
be completed by April. Colorado Blvd is closed 
to most traffic between Santa Anita Avenue and 
Colorado Place for four months.

 

Upon completion of the Colorado Blvd overpass, 
work is scheduled to begin at the closing of Santa 
Anita Park‘s main horse racing season in mid-
April on the biggest of the bridge projects over 
Santa Anita Avenue at roughly St. Joseph Street, 
a double-track concrete structure. In addition to 
building a bridge, the entire four-lane road that 
rises in a bump to meet the current set of unused 
tracks, will need to be lowered by several feet to 
take vehicles down a dip under the new bridge.

 

During most of the off-season before Santa Anita’s 
Autumn meet begins in late September, Santa 
Anita Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic 
in each direction south of Colorado and north 
of West St. Joseph Street at La Porte Street near 
the businesses of Fasching’s Car Wash and Goldstein’s 
Bagel Bakery, among others, with some 
complete shutdowns for certain limited periods.

 Officials said the long line of cars that currently 
back up at the In-N-Out Burger drive-through 
restaurant for hundreds of yards on northbound 
Santa Anita Avenue during peak meal times will 
be diverted to line up at the restaurant’s parking 
lot entrance on Colorado Blvd east of Santa 
Anita Ave., though that is the opposite direction 
required to enter the drive-through.

 

During this same time work will begin on the station 
to be built between a new set of tracks on the 
northwest corner of First Avenue and Santa Clara 
Street, across the street from the 24 Hour Fitness. 
The station will essentially be little more than a 
platform with a canopy and benches, though it 
will be customized to feature designs and colors 
relating to the iconic and historic Santa Anita 
Park race track, thanks to the suggestion of the 
Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, which then supported 
strong efforts by staff and the Arcadia City 
Council to convince Metro authorities to make 
the Arcadia station distinct from most of the others 
along the route.

 

If all goes according to schedule, following the 
two-day international horse event called Breeders’ 
Cup in early November that will draw about 
50,000 people to the track on one day and nearly 
90,000 on the weekend, work will begin to add a 
second metal bridge across Huntington Drive at 
Second Street. The new bridge will be positioned 
next to the current bridge and carry the second 
set of tracks.

 Officials said that, at a minimum, all left turn 
lanes will be disallowed from northbound and 
southbound Second Street onto Huntington 
Drive during this construction period. Efforts 
will be made to detour all traffic on Second Avenue 
before getting to Huntington Drive.

 

The transit plaza adjacent to the parking garage 
will have many attractive design elements, including 
landscaping and custom benches as well 
as a water feature, small stage area, wayfinding 
kiosks to direct rail riders south on First Avenue 
to the Arcadia Towne Center hub, and a History 
Lives Here marker by the Arcadia Historical Society 
denoting the original rail station on the site 
and Lucky Baldwin’s distinctive Hotel Oakwood 
across the street on the 24 Hour Fitness property.

 

– By Scott Hettrick


Nomination forms are available at the Arcadia Community Center and the Recreation Department 
office for the 2013 Senior Citizen of the Year! Do you know someone who is:

- 55+ years of age

- Arcadia resident

- Actively involved in volunteer work

- Have made significant contributions to improve the community

If so, please stop by one of these locations or log onto the city website at www.ci.arcadia.ca.us and

download the nomination criteria and nomination form. Recipient of the award will be honored at 
the Arcadia Rotary Club Salute to Seniors luncheon on Tuesday, May 14, at the Arcadia Community 
Center. 365 Campus Drive, Arcadia. Nomination forms must be submitted to Dan Belling, Recreation 
Supervisor, by Thursday, February 28 by 4:30pm. For more information, please call 626.574.5130.

About the City of Arcadia

Nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Arcadia is an 11.38 square mile community 
with a population of just over 56,000. Located approximately 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, 
Arcadia is known for combining small-town charm with the conveniences and amenities of a 
mid-size city. Arcadia is a full-service charter city governed by a five-member City Council, elected 
at large. Recognized for exceptional education and recreation opportunities and beautiful neighborhoods, 
Arcadia is also defined as the “Community of Homes” and has twice been designated the “Best 
City in California in which to Raise Kids” by Business Week Magazine.

CITY OF ARCADIA SENIOR SERVICES 
NOMINATIONS FOR 2013 SENIOR 

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR