Crime Watch: Detectives arrest woman for allegedly stealing checks
Crime Watch is a weekly series culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 3:05 p.m.,
Santa Monica police officers responded to a business located in the 2400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard on the report of several checks being stolen. When officers arrived they made contact with a man who said he had written several checks and placed them in separate envelopes, which he then placed in a mailbox within his office building. Several days later the man said he was contacted by Wells Fargo regarding several checks written out to someone he did not know. He later learned that someone had “washed” the checks and wrote a woman’s name on them. The case was assigned to investigators who were able to track down a suspected mailing address in Inglewood. While conducting a surveillance on the location on Nov. 30, at 2 p.m. officers saw a white Nissan Altima pull up to the location with the suspect in the passenger seat. Once the suspect entered a business, she was placed under arrest. The driver of the vehicle was detained and officers searched the car and allegedly found methamphetamine. Fraudulent credit cards and a “fishing” device used to pull mail from mailboxes were located inside the car, police said. Both were transported to the Santa Monica Jail and booked. Virna Marquez, 30, of Los Angeles was booked for obtaining credit using another’s identity, burglary, forgery, making bogus checks and a probation violation. No bail was set. David Partida, 40, of Glendale, Calif. was booked for possession of meth. Bail was set at $10,000.
Sunday, Dec. 2, at 12:52 a.m.,
Officers were on patrol along the 1500 block of Alley 5 when they saw a man lying down in the alley. Officers stopped to check on the man. Officers woke the man up and during a brief conversation officers learned the man was on felony probation for robbery and he was also required to register as a sex offender. Officers determined that he was out of compliance with his requirement to register and placed him under arrest. The suspect was booked for failing to register and for a probation violation. No bail was set. He was identified as Cody Lester Swain, 49, of Santa Monica.
Thursday, Nov. 29, at 10:19 a.m.,
Officers responded to the 500 block of Olympic Boulevard — OPCC Access Center — regarding a transient who was allegedly acting out. When officers arrived, they made contact with a case manager who told them that her client was trying to get information on a drug abuse program but was acting out as if he was currently on drugs. Officers made contact with the suspect and after learning his identity they placed him under arrest for an outstanding warrant issued by the Department of Corrections. Officers also learned that the man failed to register as a sex offender. He was placed under arrest and booked for the aforementioned charges. The suspect was identified as Daniel Lynn, 42, a transient. No bail was set.
Thursday, Nov. 29, at 1:15 p.m.,
Officers assigned to Downtown responded to the GAP store at 1355 Third St. regarding a suspected shoplifter in custody. When officers arrived they spoke with store employees who wanted the woman arrested. She was booked for petty theft and released with a citation. She was identified as Dionne Peebles, 46, of Los Angeles.
Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 4:40 p.m.,
Officers were on patrol on the 400 block of Colorado Avenue when they were flagged down by a man who was acting as if he was running from someone and attempting to hide. Officers stopped and spoke with the man, who said that his sister was coming from Georgia with a gun to shoot him. Based on all the objective symptoms the man was presenting, officers determined he was under the influence of drugs and placed him under arrest. He was booked for being under the influence and his bail was set at $2,500. He was identified as Laphair Buchanan, 19, a transient.
Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 7:53 a.m.,
Officers responded to the 2200 block of 26th Street regarding a report of a residential burglary. When officers arrived they made contact with a man who said that his neighbor was away from home for a few days and he noticed that the neighbor’s front door was open. Officers searched the residence and determined that it had been ransacked, and there were signs of forced entry. At about 9 p.m. investigators received a call from Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies who had four suspects in custody for an unrelated incident. The deputies said they found a stolen check and jewelry belonging to the Santa Monica victim. Officers took them into custody and then served search warrants at their homes and allegedly recovered evidence linking them to the Santa Monica burglary. All four were booked for burglary, possession of stolen property and conspiracy. They were identified as Darnell Clark, 20, of Los Angeles; Jerome Grissette, 18, of South Gate, Calif.; Leonard Clark, 18, of Los Angeles; and Peter Johnson, 19, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Bail was set at $50,000 for each.
Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 3:07 p.m.,
Officers responded to an office located in the 1500 block of Seventh Street regarding a report of a man who was yelling inside the office, saying that the building belonged to him. When officers arrived they made contact with the man who called police and he told them that the suspect, who was now standing outside the office, had disrupted a meeting taking place and took a metal chair and threw it against a wall, causing damage. The suspect refused to leave when asked. He was detained and placed under arrest for vandalism and trespassing. He was identified as Salvador Lopez, Jr. of Lake View Terrace, Calif. His bail was set at $5,000.
Editor-in-Chief Kevin Herrera compiled these reports.
