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, April 17, at 4:55 p.m.,
Santa Monica police officers responded to a home on the 1800 block of Seventh Street regarding a report of a naked stranger in one of the bedrooms. When officers arrived, they made contact with the owner of the home who said she had just returned from the beach when she saw a naked man in one of her bedrooms. She yelled for the man to leave the home. He did, but remained in the backyard until police arrived. He told officers that he had made friends with the homeowner’s father many years ago and had done odd jobs at the property. Police said the suspect was in possession of property from the home and placed him under arrest for burglary. He was identified as Jeffrey Glenn Cooke, 44, a transient. No bail was set.
Tuesday, April 17, at 1:45 a.m.,
Officers responded to the 1300 block of Second Street —Parking Structure 4 — regarding a report of an auto burglary in progress. When officers arrived, they made contact with an on-site security guard who said he saw three men break into a car parked in the structure. The guard said one of the men ran north on Second Street while two others went to the top of the structure. Armed with a description of the suspects, officers detained a man walking on Arizona Avenue. They searched him and said they found burglary tools in his possession. While placing him into the police car, officers noticed a suspicious vehicle circling the area. Other officers ordered the driver of that vehicle to pull over. That’s when he allegedly gunned it. Police said the driver then crashed into two cars parked on the 200 block of Montana Avenue. Two men in the car were seen running away from the scene. A perimeter was established and both suspects were found hiding in a backyard. They were taken into custody without incident. All three suspects were booked for various crimes. Ulices Malfavon, 19, of Simi Valley, Calif. was booked for burglary, leaving the scene of a traffic accident and resisting arrest. Eduardo Ocampo, 29, of Canoga Park, Calif. was booked for burglary, resisting arrest and a probation violation. No bail was set. Alberto Carlos Rodriguez, 19, of Canoga Park, Calif. was booked for burglary and possession of burglary tools. His bail was set at $20,000.
Tuesday, April 17, at 3:05 a.m.,
Officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress on the 700 block of Grant Street. When officers arrived, they saw a man who appeared to be hiding behind some bushes. Officers made contact with the man and learned that he was on parole for burglary. Officers then spoke with the person who called the police. Officers said she was crying and scared. She told them that she was awakened by the sound of an animal scratching on the window in her home office. When she went into her office she immediately saw a man standing outside of her window. She screamed and yelled that she was calling the police. The stranger was startled and ran off. Officers looked at the window and said the screen had been removed. Because the suspect was hiding in bushes and admitted to being at the scene of the crime, officers placed him under arrest for burglary and a parole violation. The suspect was identified as Freddie Leslie III, 24, of Santa Monica. No bail was set.
Wednesday, April 18, at 7:24 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 2300 block of Pico Boulevard where they made contact with a security guard from Rite-Aid who said that a man in a nearby alley was drinking wine that he stole from the store. Officers placed the man under arrest for shoplifting. Police said the suspect admitted to stealing the wine and apologized for it. He was identified as Fatu Fatu, 39, a transient. $1,000. His bail was set at $1,000.
Thursday, April 19, at 11:15 a.m.,
Officers responded to the 1800 block of Wilshire Boulevard — Rite-Aid — regarding a shoplifter in custody. Officers made contact with store security who said the suspect entered the store and concealed a tablet computer in between two black gym bags he was carrying. He then allegedly discarded the packaging and left the store without offering to pay for the tablet. Security confronted the suspect and detained him without incident. Police searched the suspect and said they found two baggies containing methamphetamine. The suspect was booked for theft and possession of narcotics. He was identified as John Allen Green, 46, of Torrance, Calif. His bail was set at $10,000.
Saturday, April 21, at 9:34 p.m.,
Officers on routine patrol were stopped at the corner of 11th Street and Pico Boulevard when they said they saw a man enter the crosswalk against the light. A van turned onto 11th Street and almost hit the man. The man then ran across the street and out of traffic. Officers stopped him to talk with him. He was apologetic for jaywalking and asked for a break. Police said the man had an outstanding warrant for narcotics and another for driving under the influence. After being placed under arrest, officers patted him down and allegedly found several containers filled with opiates. The suspect was eventually booked for the warrants, drug possession and jaywalking. He was identified as Vincent Michael Verr, 49, a transient. His bail was set at $95,000.
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Editor-in-Chief Kevin Herrera compiled these reports.
