Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 25, 2013

7


Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 25, 2013 


TIP-A-COP NETS $4900

By Joan Schmidt

 A very special “Thank You” is sent to Law 
Enforcement raising funds for Special Olympics with the Tip-
a-Cop program! Throughout the country at many different 
restaurants beginning in April and extending into May, law 
enforcement officers put on aprons to raise funds for a special 
cause.

 I learned of this special fundraiser probably fifteen 
years ago when the Temple Sheriff’s Station sponsored this 
great event at Red Lobster in Monrovia. Monrovia Police 
Department joined the effort, and I met KZLA Radio 
Celebrity Sean Parr who also participated. Funds were raised 
and everyone had a great time.

 This year, I first went on line. I was curious. Where 
did this great program begin? Do other agencies participate? 
I learned that the Tip-a-Cop program began with a small 
police department in Connecticut. Officers joined forces with 
a local restaurant to collect “tips” as they worked alongside 
staff to raise money for the Special Olympics Connecticut. 
Since the first Tip-a-Cop event, hundreds of events have 
sprung up all across the country to benefit Special Olympic 
programs. When I went on line to find out more info about 
this great event, I was blown away! There were numerous 
events in EVERY state!

 As far as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s 
Department is concerned, it would take pages to tell each 
station/unit that participated. Just to give an example, 
Pitchess Detention Center had a Tip-a –Cop Challenge. Three 
teams competed at three different restaurants- Chile’s Grill and 
Bar, Stevenson Ranch; Chile’s Bar and Grill, Canyon Country; and 
Lazy Dog Café, Valencia! All the funds raised stay in the Santa 
Clarita Special Olympics Program and currently there are over 350 
athletes training in six sports.

 Locally fifteen members of the Sheriff’s Department 
including Station Commander Captain Nee and Deputy Chris 
Zuniga from Temple Station as well as Lieutenant Tom McNeal 
from the Training Bureau. (Tom was a hard-working deputy at 
Temple Station for MANY years and worked the MAD area, so 
my hubby and I were thrilled for him to be our waiter.) Lt. Jaime 
Alfaro and three members of Monrovia Police Department also 
participated. These nineteen fine peace officers raised $4900 for 
Special Olympics! Not bad for an evening’s work! Again, “THANK 
YOU” to all participants throughout the country who helped raise 
funds for Special Olympics, a truly great cause.

Monrovia Police Blotter

Highlighted Activity for the Weekdays of May 20-22, 2013

 

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 
475 service events, resulting in 97 investigations. To see a complete 
listing of crimes reported, go to http://www.crimemapping.com/
map/ca/monrovia for crime mapping. For Police Department 
news and information, visit our website and follow us on Twitter 
for police notifications.

 

Commercial Burglary / Possession of a Controlled Substance 
for Sales - Suspect Arrested

 May 20 at 1:48 p.m., officers were dispatched to a business in 
the 1600 block of South Mountain on the report of a fraud in 
progress. An unknown suspect fraudulently purchased a large 
generator online for over 1,400 dollars. The next day, a suspect 
came to the business to pick up the item; however, while staff 
was reviewing the purchase, they noticed the suspect was very 
nervous, and he suddenly left the store. A loss prevention officer 
investigated the purchase and discovered the credit account 
information used was unauthorized. The account holder was 
contacted, and it was confirmed that the account was compromised 
and the purchase was fraudulent.

 Several hours later, the suspect returned and attempted to pick 
up the item again. The police were immediately notified, and 
the suspect was quickly detained by the arriving officers. The 
suspect claimed he did not purchase the item and was only picking 
it up to drop it off at a construction jobsite. However, the 
suspect's statements were inconsistent and suspicous. During 
a consentual search of the suspect, a large plastic baggie with a 
white crystalline powder was found in the suspect's pocket. He 
told officers it was sugar, but it was later tested and determined 
to be methamphetamine. As the quantity was much larger than 
a drug user would be in possession of, the suspect was also 
charged with possession of a controlled substance for sales. Investigation 
continuing.

 

Outstanding Warrant - Suspect Arrested

 May 21 at 9:49 a.m., a suspicious vehicle was reported in the 
100 block of Los Angeles. An officer responded and observed 
the vehicle and contacted the occupant. A computer check revealed 
the subject had a no-bail warrant for leaving his work 
release program. The suspect was arrested for the warrant.

 

Battery / Private Person Arrest - Suspect Arrested

 May 21 at 12:56 p.m., a battery incident was reported at a business 
in the 200 block of Kruse Avenue. A recently terminated 
employee had returned to the business to confront another employee, 
who he felt had caused his termination. The suspect assaulted 
the employee, although the employee, while defending 
himself, got the better of the suspect. The victim made a citizen's 
arrest on the suspect for battery. The suspect was arrested 
and taken into custody.

 

Commercial Burglary - Two Suspects Arrested

 May 21 at 2:50 p.m., a manager from a business in the 1600 
block of South Mountain observed two male suspects concealing 
merchandise on their person and called police. The suspects 
were associated with a red Dodge truck that was involved in an 
incident at the Glendora business earlier in the day. Staff from 
that location had alerted the Monrovia store to be on the look 
out for the suspects. The suspects entered the store and pushed 
a cart with several items in it into the garden area. They abandoned 
the cart and walked out of the store with the merchandise 
without paying.

 Officers arrived and observed the suspects. The suspects 
ran south on Mountain and into a commercial property. The 
red Dodge was located and officers watched it. The two male 
suspects were located hiding under vehicles and were arrested 
without further incident. One suspect was determined to be a 
juvenile and was released on citation to his mother. The adult 
suspect was held on bail. There was a third suspect, a female 
with very short hair, who was the driver of the truck. She was 
not located. The truck was stored as evidence and an investigation 
is ongoing regarding the true ownership of the vehicle. 
Investigation continuing.

 

Petty Theft / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia - Suspect 
Arrested

 May 22 at 2:23 p.m., a business in the 1600 block of South 
Mountain reported a male suspect taking merchandise and 
leaving the store without paying. He was apprehended by loss 
prevention and returned one item, then suddenly ran, still in 
possession of additional items. Officers responded and located 
the suspect nearby. He was arrested for petty theft. The suspect 
was also found to be in possession of a used hypodermic needle, 
which was added to his charges.

 

Detective Bureau Case Follow-up

 On January 6, 2013, at 5:01 a.m., an explosion occurred at a 
residence in the 200 block of East Walnut Avenue. When officers 
arrived, they located three victims with severe burns, and 
the home was engulfed in flames.

 

The initial investigation and suspect statements revealed the 
explosion occurred due to the suspects manufacturing drugs 
in the home, using Butane, a highly flammable gas. The home 
filled with the gas fumes and an unknown ignition source 
caused an explosion. The suspects suffered burns over 50 percent 
of their bodies and were taken to local burn centers. The 
home has extensive damage, totaling more than 94,000 dollars, 
and is uninhabitable.

 

On May 22, 2013, this case was presented to the Major Narcotics 
Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. 
Multiple felony charges were filed against all three suspects 
and the case is pending trial.


STAY INFORMED THROUGH NIXLE AND 
ALERT LA COUNTY EMERGENCY MASS 

NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

 

The Monrovia Police 
and Fire Departments 
are in 
the process of implementing 
nixle 
for emergency 
alerts, advisories, 
traffic alerts, and 
community information 
sent directly 
to your cellular 
phone and/
or email. This 
service is provided 
FREE to you. 
Nixle is operated 
in conjunction 
with NLETS, 
an international 
public safety information 
network, providing secure, authenticated messaging 
sent directly from your Police or Fire Department.

 

Alert LA County is an emergency mass notification system to alert 
residents and businesses by phone, text, and e-mail of emergencies 
in their area. Alert LA County allows the Sheriff’s Emergency 
Communications Center to activate local and regional alerts by 
drawing the boundaries of the area to be notified on a computer 
map. Recorded and written alerts will provide information on the 
nature of the emergency and necessary actions, such as evacuations. 
The County’s 7.1 million landline phone numbers are programmed 
into the mass notification system, but the public must 
register Voice over IP lines, cell phones and e-mail addresses. 
Each telephone number and e-mail can be associated with only 
one street address.

 

The Monrovia Police and Fire Departments are encouraging residents 
to sign up for both nixle and Alert LA County so you can receive 
critical information during emergencies. Just click on nixle 
and Alert LA County to sign up! It only takes a couple of minutes 
to complete the forms and there is no cost to you.


MONROVIA DINNER THEATRE

Swazzle Puppets will be presenting a Dinner Theatre puppet show on Thursday, June 6 at 6:30 p.m. The whole family is invited to join 
us for a comic retelling of the classic Aesop’s Fable, The Grasshopper and the Ants located at the Rotary Club Bandshell in Library Park. 
The show features handcrafted puppets, hand painted scenery, and audience participation. Bring your dinner, a blanket and/or chair to 
sit in the park and watch a wonderful show for the entire family. 

Stop by the Youth Reference Desk, call (626) 256-8274, or visit www.monroviapubliclibrary.org for more information. The Rotary 
Club Bandshell is located at 321 South Myrtle Avenue, in Old Town Monrovia’s Library Park. 

Thursday, June 6 6:30 p.m.

Rotary Club Bandshell in Library Park Free

 
Department of Community Services 
Monrovia Public Library 
321 South Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016 
(626) 256-8274 www.monroviapubliclibrary.org 
OPENING DAY IS SATURDAY, JUNE, 22, 
2013 THIS YEAR!

Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl

Come celebrate one of the most talked about highlights of the 
upcoming summer! Join the Arcadia Recreation and Community 
Services Department as we kick off the 2013 summer season with 
our annual adult excursion to the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, 
June 22, 2013 from 6-11:30pm. Enjoy an evening with the brilliant 
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, special celebrity guests and a 
spectacular fireworks finale! Invite a few friends and bring a basket 
of picnic delights for a captivating evening of entertainment! 
Tickets are $40.00 and are on sale now online, by mail, walk-in 
or fax-in. 

Tickets will be available for early pick up beginning Monday, June 
17 from 8am to 9pm in the Community Center and continuing 
through Friday, June 21 until 5pm. Participants can only receive 
tickets with a receipt or a proper ID. On the night of the event, 
Saturday, June 22, participants should meet at the Arcadia County 
Park parking lot near the fountain located at Huntington Drive 
and Santa Anita Ave at 6pm. 

Go to the City of Arcadia’s website: www.ci.arcadia.ca.us, to 
download the registration form or stop by the office, 375 Campus 
Drive. For more information please call 626.574.5113!


MONROVIA SUNDAY 
MORNING 

FARMERS' MARKET

That's right- it's back! From 10am - 2pm 
on Myrtle Avenue, shop for fresh produce 
at the Sunday morning Farmers' Market in 
Old Town Monrovia.