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.
Sunday, Nov. 13, at 7:09 a.m.,
Santa Monica Police officers responded to the corner of Ninth Street and Pico Boulevard after receiving a report of a woman who jumped from a vehicle. When officers arrived, they made contact with the woman, who told them that she was being held against her will by a man she met in Downtown Los Angeles a few days earlier. The woman said she was homeless when she met the man, who offered her a place to stay in Santa Monica. She took him up on the offer, but after a few days of living with him, she said the man started making demands. On Nov. 13, she said she tried to leave the home and was unable to open the sliding glass door. The suspect allegedly refused to let her leave. When she tried to make a call on her cell phone, the man ripped it from her hands, she told police. After a short time, the suspect opened the sliding door and offered the woman a ride back to Los Angeles. The woman said she noticed they were traveling west on Pico Boulevard and not east, so she jumped out of the car in the 900 block of Pico, where she received assistance from several witnesses. After interviewing the suspect, he was placed under arrest and booked for robbery and false imprisonment. He was identified as Stephen Phillip Petrick, 67, of Santa Monica. His bail was set at $50,000.
Sunday, Nov. 13, at 4:10 p.m.,
Police assigned to the Santa Monica Pier were approached by a woman who said she had lost her cell phone somewhere on the pier and began calling it to see if someone would pick up. A man did, she said, but he refused to speak. The woman then sent a text and the suspect demanded $100 to return the phone. Officers arranged for the suspect to meet the victim in front of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. to get the phone back. About two hours later the officers saw the suspect approach the woman. Officers detained the suspect after he handed the cell phone back to the woman. Officers said the suspect admitted to asking for money to return the phone, but said his friend was the one who took it. The man was placed under arrest for receiving stolen property and possession of marijuana, plus two outstanding warrants. He was identified as Rolando Esparza, 21, of Arleta, Calif. His bail was set at $23,834.
Friday, Nov. 11, at 12:55 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 100 block of Wilshire Boulevard — Fairmont Miramar Hotel — regarding an employee of the hotel in custody for theft. When officers arrived, they made contact with the director of security at the hotel, who told them that there had been several thefts from rooms in which the suspect, who is a housekeeper, was named as the culprit. A day earlier, security set up a room with items to make it appear that the room was being occupied by a guest. They placed a hidden camera in the room that they say captured the employee stealing a woman’s watch. Based on the investigation, officers placed the suspect under arrest and she was booked for burglary. She was identified as Sara Mejia, 61, of Los Angeles. Her bail was set at $50,000.
Friday, Nov. 11, at 11:27 a.m.,
Officers responded to the 300 block of Colorado Avenue — Sears — regarding a report of a shoplifter. When officers arrived, they made contact with store security who said they observed the suspect walk into the store and head over to the shoe department, where he picked out a pair of boots, put them on and left his old pair of shoes in the box. He then picked out some jeans, put them on in the dressing room and then allegedly left the store without paying for anything. Security tried to detain him outside of the store, but the suspect walked off. He was eventually detained by police on the 1400 block of Alley 4. After he was identified by store security, he was arrested for petty theft. He was identified as Michael Memolo, 20, a transient. His bail was set at $1,000.
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Editor-in-Chief Kevin Herrera compiled these reports.
