SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2015

VOLUME 9 NO. 34


ALERT RESIDENTS HELP POLICE APPREHEND SUSPECT AND 
STOP ATTEMPTED BURGLARY - “See Something, Say Something” Helps

 
With fires raging throughout 
the state, the fear is very real 
that the next fire might very 
well be right in our backyard.

 In the last 30 days, there have 
two attempts to set the hills 
above Sierra Madre ablaze. 
The first attempt was a fire set 
as part of a suicide. The fire 
was controlled by the SMVFD 
before it could spread. The 
second attempt was discovered 
before any fire could be lit.

 On Saturday, the Arcadia 
Police Department issued the 
following statement: “Arcadia 
Police responded to the call 
of a suspicious person on the 
property of the U.S. Forestry 
Headquarters. Officers 
contacted a subject who had 
matches in his pocket and 
had gathered kindling, twigs, 
and sticks and stacked them 
underneath a large tree to start 
a fire. Officers arrested the 
subject for attempted arson and 
identified him as 59-year old 
Ronald Watson of Sierra Madre, 
who was also on parole for 
arson. Watson was booked at 
the Arcadia Police Department 
jail and is currently being held 
in custody at L.A. County jail 
without bail.”

 The suspect, is currently 
being held on $175,000 bail. 
According to sources, Watson 
has at least one other conviction 
for setting a fire in Northern 
California in the Mammoth 
National Park area. It has 
been confirmed that he was 
released from San Quentin 
prison last year after serving 
a 7 year sentence for the arson 
conviction. Because of his prior 
history an inquiry has been 
made as to why his probation/
parole has not been revoked 
with this arrest.

 Born and reared in Sierra 
Madre, Watson recently 
appeared before the city 
council recently presenting 
himself as a ‘developer’ of 
residential housing units. His 
arrest on Saturday is directly 
attributed to the someone 
who saw something suspicious 
and reported it to police 
immediately. 

S. Henderson/MVNews

From The Sierra Madre 
Police Department:

On Monday 8/17, Sierra Madre 
Officers were informed of two 
residential burglaries that 
both occurred during the 
hours of 8 am and 3 pm, both 
being next door neighbors on 
Monterey Ln. Both homes were 
ransacked and estimated total 
loss of value over thousands of 
dollars. A nearby neighbor was 
informed by a housekeeper 
that she noticed a DARK 
colored SUV parked near one 
of the victim's homes.

In response to recent events, 
the residents of Monterey Ln. 
are on high alert. Yesterday 
at around 5 pm, Officers were 
flagged down by a near by 
resident who informed them 
they had recently spotted 
a SILVER colored SEDAN 
occupied by three African 
American Males, driving 
around the street, and that the 
vehicle was unknown to the 
area. The resident reported the 
vehicle's plate being similar to 
7FJW550. Officers were unable 
to locate the vehicle. 

Shortly after, Arcadia Police 
Department notified Sierra 
Madre of an incident of an 
Arcadia resident reporting the 
same incident of a suspicious 
vehicle in the area, describing 
a silver colored sedan and 
occupied by the same subjects 
reported earlier.

According to SMPD Sgt. 
Enrique Gonzales, the spike 
in burglaries and robberies is 
happening not only in Sierra 
Madre, but also in Arcadia and 
Pasadena. 

Sierra Madre PD would like 
to advise residents to set 
alarms, lock doors, safely 
store valuables, and most 
importantly report any and 
all suspicious incidents! Please 
help Sierra Madre Police spread 
the word to be on the lookout!

Sierra Madre Police 
Department Non-emergency 
line: 626.355.1414


REMEMBERING 
CAPT. MORRISON

Please join our community in 
a celebration of Captain Chris 
Morrison’s life.

A celebration of Chris’s life 
will be held @ the Memorial 
Park band shell Sat. Aug. 22nd 
@ 5:30 pm (222 Sierra Madre 
Boulevard, Sierra Madre).

Bring blankets, chairs, & 
a picnic supper. Water, 
lemonade, & sweet treats will 
be provided. 

This is an opportunity for 
all of us to honor a legacy of 
volunteerism, friendship, 
community, and a zest for life. 
This is a casual event, please 
come comfortable. Browns, 
USA Soccer, or any other 
shirts or clothes that remind 
you of Chris’s passions are 
encouraged.

In lieu of flowers, Lori has 
requested for donations to be 
made which will be used to 
build a memorial bench in 
Chris’s memory at his favorite 
camp site.

Feel free to comment here if 
you have any questions. 

Editor’s Note:

 The Sierra Madre 
Community, including the 
Police and Fire Departments, 
as well as friends of the 
Morrison Family raised more 
than $30,000 online and 
another estimated $20,000 in 
“The Boot” for the family. 

A Vehicle similar to this was spotted by alert neighbors 

Ronald Watson

ARMED ROBBERY AT 
SANTA ANITA MALL 
PARKING LOT

On Wednesday, August 19, 2015, around 
9:24 p.m., the Arcadia Police Department 
responded to the west side of Nordstroms 
located at 400 S. Baldwin Avenue, Westfield 
Santa Anita Mall, on an unknown trouble 
call. Officers contacted the victim of a 
robbery who advised that she was hit over 
the head with a black semi-automatic 
handgun and robbed of her purse and 
cellular phone. The suspect then ran to an 
awaiting vehicle where he joined a second 
suspect. The vehicle then fled southbound 
through the parking lot out of sight.

The suspect was described as a tall, skinny, 
male, wearing a hoody. The victim was 
unable to describe the second suspect, 
however, described the getaway vehicle as a 
silver or grey, small SUV.

A similar robbery occurred in the south 
parking lot of the Westfield Santa Anita 
Mall on August 4, 2015, at about 10:11 p.m. 
A male victim was robbed at gunpoint after 
approaching his car. The suspect made off 
with the victim’s wallet and cell phone. 
The primary suspect was described as an 
African American male in his 20’s, about 
5’10”, with a thin build, with a bandana 
covering his face. He ran off with another 
unknown male, out of sight. No suspect 
vehicle was seen in this robbery and the 
victim was not injured.

Anyone with information on either of 
these incidents is encouraged to contact the 
Arcadia Police Department at (626) 574-
5151. If you prefer to provide information 
ANONYMOUSLY, you may call “Crime 
Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), 
texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to 
CRIMES (274637), or using the tip page at 
Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers.

THE NEW SIERRA MADRE MIDDLE SCHOOL OPENS

SIERRA MADRE RESIDENT, 
MEGAN McKERNAN, WINS 
NATIONAL DRAG RACE EVENT 
IN TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER


Inside this week: 

 

CALENDAR Pg. 2

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

 Pg. 3


Seattle, Washington – 
Megan McKernan of 
Sierra Madre, CA won the 
NHRA National event in 
Seattle, WA on Sunday, 
August 9, 2015 in the Top 
Alcohol Class.

 McKernan who 
manages automotive 
research for the Automobile 
Club of Southern 
California is a part-time 
drag racer campaigning 
the Jerry Darien Alcohol 
Dragster sponsored by Truck-Lite.

 McKernan is the 12th female to win a national event in this class, 
and she and Annie Whitely made history by both winning in their 
respective classes on the same day – Megan in Alcohol Dragster and 
Annie in Alcohol Funny Car.

 McKernan has been racing for several years and is currently ranked 
9th in the country in her class and 4th in the Western Region. 

 McKernan became a “gear head” at an early age attending races 
with her father. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in 
physics, and in her position with the Auto Club, performs research on 
automobile safety systems, new technologies, and the trend towards 
autonomous vehicles.

PASADENA/ALTADENA

 Pg. 4

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

 Pg. 5

ARCADIA NEWS Pg. 6 
MONROVIA/DUARTE Pg. 7

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Pg. 8

 Although construction is 
not complete, on Tuesday, 
students and staff began the 
new school year in buildings 
E and F of the new facility. 
According to Principal Garrett 
Newsome, the temporary 
arrangements provide access 
to 20 classrooms, two visual 
arts labs, and three science 
labs, wth the library soon to 
follow. The main office will be 
open as well.

 In a letter to parents Newsom 
said, “Construction is to 
continue on our multipurpose 
room, gymnasium, and 
basketball courts, as well as the 
reconstruction of our parking 
lot. The work is scheduled to 
be completed this fall, and in 
the meantime, a temporary 
kitchen has been set up along 
with an eating area for students 
during nutrition and lunch. In 
addition, while there will be 
construction traffic on the fire 
road and field during this time, 
there will also be personnel on 
duty to ensure the safety of our 
students when enteringand 
exiting the field.

 Because access to the parking 
lot is not currently available, 
the PUSD and the SMPD 
have made adjustments to our 
Drop-Off/Pick-Up procedures. 
Parents may now utilize the 
east curb on Canon to drop 
off or pickup their child. There 
will be a separate zone for buses 
south of the crosswalk, and a 
separate zone for automobiles 
north of the crosswalk. 

 Personnel will be posted at 
both crosswalks to ensure 
student safety. Drivers 
traveling south on Canon may 
drop their child off on the 
west curb ofCanon, but please 
make certain to utilize the 
crosswalks to get across the 
street.

FOOD & DRINK

 Pg. 9

BEST FRIENDS

 Pg. 10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Pg. 11

THE GOOD LIFE

 Pg. 12

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Pg. 13

THE WORLD

 Pg. 14

OPINION Pg. 15

 
LEGALS Pg. 16