Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 26, 2015

7

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 26, 2015 

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER

SEVEN COUNCIL CANDIDATES FOR TWO SEATS?

From Arcadia’s Best

 The opening bell sounded Monday, Dec. 21, 
for the start of Arcadia’s own silly season, with 
candidates being allowed to “pull papers” to 
register to run for the two available seats on 
the Arcadia City Council in April. Five did just 
that, and two more did on Tuesday, Dec. 22, and 
perhaps more will join the fun.

 The biggest surprise to many on Monday was 
Paul Cheng, a lawyer in Pasadena who made a 
big splash in the hotly contested 2010 election 
as one of three Chinese candidates, including 
current City Council Member Sho Tay, who all 
lost to three Caucasian candidates.

 Another candidate sure to put a spark in this 
election is another lawyer, April Verlato, who is 
based in Downtown Arcadia and is President of 
the Arcadia Improvement Association.

 One of the two open seats currently belongs 
to yet another lawyer, Mayor Gary Kovacic, 
who is termed out after another coupling of two 
consecutive four-year terms. Current first-term 
City Council Member Tom Beck is also a lawyer.

 The other potential candidates include three 
former Mayors: Bob Harbicht and Peter 
Amundson, both of whom have been sitting 
out a mandatory minimum two-year period 
since sitting on the Council for eight years (two 
consecutive four-year terms), and Dr. Sheng 
Chang, who was part of the rotation of Mayors 
during the Centennial celebration year of 2003.

 Those who pulled papers must then return 20-
30 signatures of registered voters of the City of 
Arcadia who are nominating/endorsing them 
before the deadline at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 
15, with 20 valid and verified signatures required 
in order to be considered an official candidate.

 A first-time candidate in the 2014 election who 
surprised some with a strong showing, Burton 
Brink, was the first to pull papers again Monday 
for the next election. Another first-timer in 2014, 
Paul Van Fleet, did so again Monday as well.

Others may also yet consider a run for office — 
David Arvizo, who, along with April Verlato, has 
been a frequent vocal critic of mansionization 
and took specific aim at City Council Member 
John Wuo for months, is also said to be 
considering a campaign.

One of the two seats available would have been 
former Mayor Wuo’s as an incumbent for his 
second consecutive term this time around 
after a prior eight-year stint. But Wuo’s name 
became so entangled with a federal investigation 
and eventual criminal charges of fraud by the 
Securities and Exchange Commission against 
an Arcadia-based business called USFIA Inc. 
(US Fine Investment Arts) for operating a global 
pyramid scheme bilking $32 million from 
investors over the last 2 1/2 years, that Wuo 
resigned October 6. He has not been charged 
with any wrongdoing but it’s highly unlikely he 
would return to campaign for his Council seat 
at this time.

Paul Cheng spent a reported $125,000 – $140,000 
on his campaign in 2010, more than doubling 
the most ever spent by a candidate prior to that, 
and tripling and quadrupling the typical big 
spenders. His poor showing more likely reflected 
the fact that he was almost completely unknown 
at the time and had not been involved in many 
Arcadia groups or activities.

April Verlato’s name has become familiar to 
viewers of the City Council meetings, where she 
has been waging a campaign against the building 
of large homes that has spawned the Save the 
Arcadia Highlands anti-mansionization group, 
which in turn sparked a lawsuit against the City 
of Arcadia earlier this year, and has also led to 
a proposed ballot initiative that would create 
a voter-written zoning code to limit the size 
of homes built or remodeled in Arcadia. The 
petition to put that initiative on the ballot is 
pending, but most believe it is unlikely to make 
it onto the election ballot in April 2016.

Amundson, Chang, and Amundson all appeared 
last January on a first-ever Former Mayor’s 
Panel at the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce’s 
annual Planning Conference. Amundson was 
Mayor in 2010-11, and Harbicht was Mayor in 
1988-89; 1997-98; 2008-09; and 2012-13. That 
Planning Conference, which also features a 
State of the City address by the City Manager, 
is scheduled for 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 
this year at the Embassy Suites Arcadia, but 
given the election and the candidates, there will 
be no Former Mayor’s Panel this year. A much 
expanded State of the City address will feature 
department heads or representatives from most 
every city department to answer FAQs and 
address common concerns and issues and offer 
suggestions.

 The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce will hold 
its traditional Meet the Candidates Forum at 7 
p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, in the Cay Mortenson 
Auditorium of the Arcadia Public Library.

— By Scott Hettrick 

For the period of Sunday, December 13th, through 
Saturday, December 19th, the Police Department 
responded to 1,026 calls for service of which 149 
required formal investigations. The following is a 
summary report of the major incidents handled by the 
Department during this period.

Sunday, December 13:

Just before 4:01 a.m., an officer responded to an 
apartment complex in the 400 block of West Duarte 
Road regarding a suspicious subject trying to enter 
one of the units. Officers located the 39-year-old 
female from San Gabriel who stated she was trying 
to find an acquaintance. A records check of the 
subject revealed an outstanding misdemeanor 
warrant. She also admitted to being in possession 
of methamphetamine and a glass smoking pipe. The 
suspect was arrested for the outstanding warrant and 
drug charges, and transported to the Arcadia City Jail 
for booking. 

 At approximately 4:06 p.m., officers responded to 
the area of Santa Anita Avenue and Virginia Road 
regarding an attempted kidnapping report. The 
adult female victim stated two male suspects drove 
alongside her as she was walking on the sidewalk, 
asked her to get in their vehicle, and when the 
passenger exited the vehicle and approached the 
victim, she ran to safety. 

 The suspects are described as a male driver with a 
Hispanic or Middle Eastern passenger, approximately 
5’7”, with a medium build. The suspects were driving 
a small, compact silver sedan. The investigation is 
ongoing.

Monday, December 14:

At about 10:58 a.m., an officer responded to the Fish 
Boat Restaurant, 516 East Live Oak Avenue, regarding 
a burglary report. An investigation revealed 
unknown suspect(s) pried open the exterior door, 
stole a laptop and cash from the register, unplugged 
the surveillance system, and fled undetected. The 
investigation is ongoing.

 At approximately 11:20 a.m., an officer responded 
to Rusnak Mercedes-Benz Dealership, 55 West 
Huntington Drive, regarding a stolen vehicle report. 
Surveillance footage revealed unknown suspects cut 
a padlock to the gate of the location and stole two 
vehicles from the service department parking lot. 
One of the vehicles was recovered in Altadena. The 
investigation is ongoing and the second vehicle has 
yet to be recovered.

Tuesday, December 15:

Around 9:44 a.m., an officer responded to the AT&T 
Store at the Westfield Shopping Town, 400 South 
Baldwin Avenue, regarding a petty theft report. 
Surveillance footage revealed an unknown suspect 
concealed a portable speaker underneath his clothing 
before exiting the store, failing to make payment. 

 The suspect is described as a black male, 40 to 
50-years-old, approximately 5’9” tall, with a thin 
build. The investigation is ongoing.

 Just after 7:55 p.m., an officer responded to Arcadia 
Supermarket, 645 West Duarte Road, regarding a 
purse theft report. The officer discovered an unknown 
suspect stole the victim’s purse from the front seat 
while she was loading groceries into the trunk of the 
vehicle.

 The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 20 to 
30-years-old, and 5’10” tall. The suspect fled in a black 
SUV westbound on Duarte Road. The investigation is 
ongoing.

Wednesday, December 16:

Shortly before 1:18 p.m., an officer conducted an 
enforcement stop on a vehicle in the parking lot of 
the Hilton Garden Inn, 199 North Second Avenue, 
for having expired registration. A records check of 
the vehicle revealed the registration had expired; 
however, the vehicle displayed a 2016 registration 
sticker. The registered owner, a 54-year-old female 
from Baldwin Park, knowingly placed the forged 
sticker on her vehicle. The suspect was cited and 
released in the field. 

 At about 9:42 p.m., an officer responded to a 
parking lot in the 400 block of East Huntington Drive 
regarding a vehicle burglary report. The unknown 
suspect broke the passenger window of the vehicle 
and stole a backpack containing camera equipment. 
No suspects were seen and no witnesses were located.

Thursday, December 17:

At approximately 3:20 a.m., an officer responded to 
a residence in the 1500 block of South Third Avenue 
regarding a burglary report. An investigation revealed 
an unknown suspect smashed the front door window, 
ransacked the residence, and fled undetected. No 
suspects were seen and no witnesses were located.

 Around 1:35 p.m., an officer responded to the 
Westfield Shopping Town parking lot, 400 South 
Baldwin Avenue, regarding a vandalism report. The 
officer determined an unknown suspect scratched 
the victim’s car with an unknown object. No suspects 
were seen and no witnesses were located. 

Friday, December 18: 

At about 1:42 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on 
a vehicle near the intersection of Santa Anita Avenue 
and California Street for speeding. Upon contacting 
the driver, the officer discovered the 25-year-old 
male from Arcadia was driving with an expired and 
suspended license. He was cited and released in the 
field. His vehicle was left legally parked.

 Just after 11:27 p.m., an officer conducted an 
enforcement stop on a vehicle in the area of Baldwin 
Avenue and Harvard Drive during a DUI Checkpoint. 
Upon contacting the driver, the officer detected a 
strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. 
Through a series of tests, the officer concluded the 
19-year-old male from Panorama City was under the 
influence of an alcoholic beverage and marijuana. The 
suspect was arrested and transported to the Arcadia 
City Jail for booking.

Saturday, December 19:

Just after 3:23 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop 
on a vehicle in the 5400 block of Peck Road for having 
expired registration. A records check of the 24-year-old 
male driver from Duarte revealed he had a suspended 
license and two outstanding misdemeanor warrants. 
While speaking with the occupants, the officer detected 
a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. 
During a consensual search of the vehicle, the officer 
located methamphetamine and a smoking pipe on a 
19-year-old male passenger from Monrovia. Both the 
driver and the passenger were arrested and transported 
to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

 At approximately 9:51 p.m., an officer responded 
to Macy’s at the Westfield Shopping Town, 400 South 
Baldwin Avenue, regarding a petty theft report. 
Surveillance footage revealed the 41-year-old female 
from Arcadia concealed merchandise in a shopping 
bag before exiting the store, failing to make payment. 
She was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City 
Jail for booking.

MUSIC AND MEMORIES OF FRANK SINATRA

This being the year of Frank Sinatra’s 100th 
birthday, Arcadia Senior Services is having a 
two part musical presentation about the life 
and music of Frank Sinatra. The first part will 
be on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at the Arcadia 
Community Center, 365 Campus Drive, Arcadia 
at 1:15pm. Larry Maurer, educator and film 
historian in American music will take you 
down memory lane with a two part series on 
American singer, actor, director and producer, 
Frank Sinatra. Frank is one of the best-selling 
music artists of all time, selling more than 
150 million records worldwide. Sinatra was 
also the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards. 
You will learn about the early years of Sinatra 
and his road to stardom. The lecture is for 
individuals age 50 and over. Cost for this 
special musical event is $3.00. The second part 
of this presentation will be on March 1. For 
additional information, please call Arcadia 
Senior Services at 626.574.5130.


MONROVIA POLICE BLOTTER

BUSINESS PROS TO OFFER STUDENTS INSIGHT 
INTO WORKING WORLD 14TH ANNUAL CITY-
SPONSORED GROUNDHOG JOB SHADOW DAY

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events. 
To see a complete listing of crimes reported, go to the City of 
Monrovia website and click on the crime mapping link. Sign 
up to follow us on Twitter for police notifications. 

Grand Theft Auto 

December 14 at 7:17 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from 
the 800 block of West Walnut. The victim started the vehicle 
and left it running and unattended for a few minutes. When 
he came back to the vehicle, it was gone. The investigation 
is continuing. 

Vehicle Burglary 

December 15 at 6:38 a.m., an officer responded to the 
report of a vehicle burglary in the 1300 block of South Alta 
Vista. An unknown suspect entered the secured apartment 
complex and went to the carport area. The suspect shattered 
a window to gain entry to the vehicle, but nothing was 
taken. The investigation is continuing. 

Theft of Mail 

December 15 at 12:41 p.m., an incident of mail theft was 
reported in the 1200 block of South Alta Vista. The suspect is 
seen on video approaching mailboxes. He is seen removing 
an object from his pocket, possibly a key, and opening 
multiple mailboxes. The suspect then removes mail from 
the boxes and sets it on the ground. He then picks up the 
large pile of mail and leaves the location. The investigation 
is continuing. 

Traffic Stop/Warrants

Suspects Arrested December 15 at 9:58 p.m., officers were 
on patrol in the 800 block of West Colorado and noticed 
a vehicle traveling towards them without lights during 
the evening hours. The officers made a traffic stop and 
contacted two subjects in the vehicle. A computer check 
revealed both subjects had outstanding warrants for their 
arrest. The subjects were arrested and held pending their 
court appearances. 

Found Property 

December 16 at 1:37 a.m., while on routine patrol in the 200 
block of West Colorado, an officer noticed a subject crossing 
the street near Colorado and Magnolia. Due to the time and 
cold weather, it seemed suspicious for someone to be out 
walking. The officer circled the block and found a subject 
exiting the alley of the 300 block of West Colorado. The 
officer recognized the subject from previous contacts. Once 
the subject was released, the officer drove down the alley 
and located a suitcase containing over 50 vintage TV and 
radio electrical tubes and a competitive ping pong paddle. 
No victims were located and the investigation is continuing. 

Vehicle Burglary 

December 16 at 7:12 a.m. a vehicle burglary was reported 
in the 1800 block of South Peck Road. The victim parked 
his vehicle overnight in his assigned parking space in his 
complex carport. When the victim returned to his vehicle, 
he found the shell of his truck had been pried open and his 
tools were missing. Security video showed two suspects 
enter the parking area in a Chrysler minivan. The suspects 
got out and one appeared to be talking on the phone, while 
the other suspect pried open the shell of the truck. Both 
suspects then took tools out of the truck bed, put them into 
the van and drove away. The investigation is continuing. 

Mental Evaluation 

December 16 at 2:15 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 
100 block of West Duarte Road to check the welfare of a 
subject. The subject was involved in a vandalism earlier 
in the day. He called a friend and told the friend he 
wanted to hang himself because he knew he was going to 
go to jail for the vandalism. When the officers contacted 
the subject, he had a knife and a rope and told officers 
he wanted to hang himself. As the officers approached, 
the suspect tried to run. An officer attempted to stop him 
and they fell against a wall. The suspect hit his face on 
the wall and the officer sustained a contusion on his left 
forearm and strained his neck. The suspect broke away 
from the officers and, again, attempted to get away, but 
the officers subdued the subject and he was taken into 
custody without further incident. The suspect was taken 
to a hospital and held for mental evaluation. 

Petty Theft 

December 16 at 8:40 p.m., a petty theft was reported in the 
800 block of Oceanview Avenue. Two UPS packages were 
stolen off the porch of a residence. A neighbor saw the theft, 
but failed to report it to the police. The suspect is described 
as a male, wearing a grey hoodie over his head. The suspect 
vehicle is an early 2000, white Ford F250, possibly a diesel, 
with large tires and tinted windows. The investigation is 
continuing. 

Felony Vandalisms 

December 16 at 8:41, a vandalism was reported in the 
300 block of North Encinitas Avenue. The window on 
the victim’s vehicle had been shattered by an unknown 
object. As officers investigated the area, they located 
several other vehicles that had been vandalized and police 
received additional calls reporting vehicle vandalisms that 
sustained identical damage, possibly caused by a BB gun. 
The Investigation is continuing. 

Vehicle Burglary 

December 16 at 9:57 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a 
business parking lot in the 800 block of West Huntington. 
The victim parked and locked her vehicle in the parking lot 
and went into a restaurant for dinner. When she returned 
to her vehicle, she found the rear window shattered and a 
wrapped Christmas gift was stolen from the backseat. The 
investigation is continuing. 

DUARTE, CA, December 21, 2015 – More than 
100 Duarte High School and Northview students 
will have the opportunity to spend a day learning 
about a variety of jobs and careers while they gain 
valuable insight into the working world during the 
14th annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day slated for 
Thursday, February 4, 2016. 

 The program, sponsored by the City of Duarte, 
Duarte’s Promise: The Alliance for Youth, Duarte 
Unified School District and co-sponsored by the 
City of Hope, allows students to shadow adult 
mentors as they go about their normal work day in 
numerous careers including banking, healthcare, 
politics, education, and journalism, among others. 
City of Hope, Duarte Chamber of Commerce, 
Duarte Unified School District, LA County Fire 
Department, SCE Federal Credit Union, YMCA, 
Duarte Library, Public Safety, Seidner’s Collision 
Center and Foothill Unity Center are among the 
numerous, past business and industry participants. 

 Duarte’s Groundhog Job Shadow Day will kick 
off with an opening ceremony and continental 
breakfast for students and mentors at 7:30 a.m. at 
the Duarte Community Center. After spending the 
next several hours together on the job, students and 
mentors will return to the Community Center for 
networking, lunch, an opportunity drawing raffle 
and a guest speaker. 

 For more information or to become a sponsoring 
worksite, call Lupe Valerio at (626) 357-7931, ext. 
260.

About the City of Duarte

The City of Duarte was incorporated on August 
22, 1957. With integrity and transparency, the City 
provides exemplary public services in a caring and 
fiscally responsible manner with a commitment to 
our community’s future. For more information visit 
www.accessduarte.com or call (626) 357-7931. 
Follow the City of Duarte on Facebook at facebook.
com/duartecommunity; Twitter @CityofDuarte; 
Instagram @city_of_duarte and LinkedIn.


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