Alert Neighbor Sees Something and Said Something!

An alert resident in the 100 block of West Palm saw a suspicious man walking out of their neighbor's property and called the police yesterday afternoon.  The resident watched the man get into a car with a license plate covered with blue tape.  Officers arrived in the area and quickly located the car. The car pulled into a driveway and the driver and male passenger immediately got out and fled on foot.  Both men were ultimately detained after being found hiding in yards. Officers confirmed a residential burglary had occurred at the Palm home where the suspect was originally seen and stolen property was found in the suspects' car. Both men were arrested and booked at the Arcadia City Jail for felony residential burglary.

The Pasadena Star News posted an article on the arrests late yesterday.  View the article at http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20131007/arcadia-burglary-suspects-caught.

Thank you to the alert neighbor who saw something not right and took the time to call the police. This case is a great example of community and police working together to prevent and fight crime.

    

Town Hall Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Stolen Dog Reunited with Owner

A three-legged dog happened to be in a car stolen from the Westfield Santa Anita Mall parking lot on Monday night, September 30, 2013.  The dog either got out, or was abandoned in the area, shortly after the car was stolen. The small furry victim was found by a good Samaritan on Baldwin Avenue, south of Huntington Drive, at about 8:20 PM.

Thanks to an article in the Pasadena Star News posted yesterday, the good Samaritan reached out to a Detective at the Arcadia Police Department believing the dog he found was indeed the same dog stolen on Monday night.  Detective Mike Hale arranged for the dog owner and good Samaritan to meet at APD Wednesday afternoon.

When the dog owner called to "Luna", the good Samaritan set the three-legged schnauzer down and Luna ran across the grass in front of APD to her happy owner.  The stolen car had been recovered within a couple of hours Monday night in Bell Gardens.  Some personal items and the keys were not found with the vehicle and no suspects were taken into custody.

Good Samaritan Robert Yantz is pictured above on the right. Owner Alberto Gonzalez and Luna are in the center, along with a friend on the left.

Thanks to Ruby Gonzales and Brian Day for the cover of Luna!

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20131002/three-legged-dog-stolen-along-with-car-in-arcadia-returned-to-owner

News Release: Former Arcadia Police Officer Charged with Embezzlement

Date & Time of Release: 10/2/2013 12:45 PM

On Tuesday, September 24th, 2013, investigators from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office obtained a felony arrest warrant for former Arcadia Police Officer Christian Blesch, 36, charging Grand Theft. The warrant was the result of an on-going criminal investigation into allegations that Blesch, a six-year employee of the department, feloniously stole money from the Arcadia Police Officers’ Association over a period of several months.

Arcadia Police Department command staff became aware of the allegations in March of this year, and soon thereafter relieved Blesch of duty, placing him on paid, administrative leave – pending the outcome of the L.A. County DA’s investigation into the thefts. As of September 24, 2013, Blesch was no longer employed by the Arcadia Police Department.

The District Attorney’s Office arranged with Blesch to voluntarily turn himself in upon issuance of the warrant and he surrendered to the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2013.

For further information regarding the criminal investigation, please contact the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation at: (213)974-3528

Robert T. Guthrie, Chief of Police

By: Captain Paul Foley

http://da.lacounty.gov/mr/pdf/10.2.13%20Former%20Arcadia%20Police%20Officer%20Charged%20with%20Embezzlement.pdf 

Helping to Improve Quality of Life

Quality of life is important to all of us in our neighborhoods. In their work day, it is not uncommon to hear an APD Officer call in a “Field Observation” to report some form of nuisance, graffiti, abandoned property, shopping carts or other problem. Dispatchers will then make notification to the proper Department or resource to correct or remedy the issue.

We encourage our residents to use City services and resources that are made available to them. “Arcadia Advocacy” is a resource available on the City website allowing residents to report problems or concerns to City Staff via the web. Arcadia Advocacy improves accessibility and is a way for our residents to share information or ask questions that may not be readily addressed on our web pages. There are also several hot lines that a resident can take advantage of when reporting some of these issues:

Abandoned Shopping Carts (800) 252-4613

Graffiti Hot Line (626) 821-4333

Street Lights/Pot Holes (626) 256-6554

Code Enforcement (626) 574-5421

If you are not sure what Department will handle your request, City Hall can be reached at (626) 574-5400. For after hours, call APD Dispatch at (626) 574-5123. We will attempt to route your request to the proper resource.

Weekly Activity Highlights for September 22-28, 2013

http://www.ci.arcadia.ca.us/docs/weekly_9.22.13.pdf

Weekly Tip - Help End Domestic Violence!

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month!  This October, let us honor National Domestic Violence Awareness Month by promoting peace in our own families, homes, and communities. Let us renew our commitment to end domestic violence -- in every city, every town, and every corner of America.

What is domestic violence?

• Hitting, punching, shoving, biting, using weapons
• Forced sexual activity
• Putting down, name calling, playing mind games
• Controlling of all your finances
• Stalking

If you have experienced any of the above forms of abuse, caused by a husband, boyfriend, or intimate partner, you may be a victim of domestic violence.  Call your local police department or reach out to the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Hotline (24 hours) at 800.978.3600.

HERE is a list of available shelters and walk-in centers for the greater Los Angeles County area.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/09/30/presidential-proclamation-national-domestic-violence-awareness-month-201