Archives



Police blotter: Cops at the door; bar melee; and Drunk of the Week

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Sonoma Valley Sun

Tense moments on White Briar Road on February 5. Officers making a formal probation search encountered a house with all its windows covered with sheets of paper, and video cameras trained on the front entrance. Announcements at the door brought no response, but officers said they could hear movement inside. After about 20 minutes of stating their intentions to come in – and the arrival of back-up units – officers burst through the door, and performed a room-to-room search. A man, who was the target, and a woman were located. The ensuing search found small bags of suspected meth, pipes, pot, an 11” inch knife, and other items that violated terms of the 41-year-old’s probation.

Long night for stolen car

A Sonoma man found something unexpected in front of his home on the 19100 block of First St. W. just after midnight on February 1 – an empty parking spot. Gone was the silver Infiniti G35 last seen an hour before. It had been locked, he said, but all the keys were accounted for, and there was no broken glass to indicate a break-in. The car had been purchased used about a year ago, and the previous owner of the car was contacted. He said he’d keep an eye out; lo and behold, at 8:30 a.m., the prior owner spotted the car parked in the Church Mouse parking lot in the Springs. The key was in the ignition, so he drove it back to the new owner’s house, police said, explaining that his brother may have lost a spare key at a party some time ago. Meanwhile, the car’s speakers and amp had been removed.

Hair of the dog

A deputy was taking the above stolen car report when, from down the street, there arose a clatter of a racing, whining engine. As the speeding car headed towards the group, the deputy used a flashlight to signal for a stop. The driver of the silver Lexus SUV skidded to a stop. The man, 41, said he was in pursuit of a runaway dog, but his erratic driving and manner earned a closer look, which in turn lead to a DUI.

Illegal dumpster dive

A suspicious figure, clad in black with gloves and a hoodie, was seen tampering with blue recycle cans on the 100 block of W. MacArthur. When contacted by cops at about 10 p.m. on February 2, he made for his bicycle, but was detained to discuss why he had neglected earlier warnings to stay away from garbage and recycle cans, which is against a city law. He was cited for the dumpster dive, and violating probation. What’s the big deal? Police say burglars can use the cans to stash their tools, clothes and stolen material.

E-ticket

The e-cigarette seems to be a bit of a fad among imprudent teenagers. A 13-year-old Altimira student was cited January 30 for having one on his person. Worse, a search of his backpack uncovered, in an otherwise empty bottle, a small bit of marijuana. Having such accessories to school adds serious weight to the possession charges.

Drunk of the Week

A deputy driving Highway 12 on January 30 at about 7:30 p.m. detected a strong smell of burned rubber near Pythian Road. Source: a silver Ford 1-150 in the ditch, it’s front and rear passenger tires completely gone. In fact, the driver, a 47-year-old Rohnert Park man, had burned off the tires and the rims, and was driving on the truck’s brake rotors. Slurred speech, the burpy stench of booze, the open beer can spilled on the floorboard, the inability stand or spell his own name to spell, a .2 blood alcohol level… he was booked for a DUI, his fourth.

Bar brawl

A 25-year-old man was stabbed multiple times during a fight of up to 20 people January 26 the El Verano Inn. The skirmish began in the bar at about midnight, and spilled out onto Laurel Avenue. When deputies arrived, all the combatants had left the scene. The victim was hospitalized.




Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA