MONDAY, NOV. 21
An officer responded to a local bank in reference to counterfeit money orders. Two customers had attempted to deposit the money orders to their savings account, and the bank found out that they were fraudulent before they cashed them, so no money was lost. The officer spoke to the account holders, who told him they had placed an ad on Craigs List for a roommate, and had received a response from a female who was interested in renting the room. Their only interaction with this person was through email. They received an email from this person saying that she had sent them money orders and instructed them on how to cash them, and to wire the money to an address in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The couple received three money orders in the amount of $950.99, and were informed by the bank employee that they were fraudulent when they attempted to deposit them. They said that they thought they were dealing with a person genuinely interested in renting the room.
An officer responded to a local bank in reference to a report of a check fraud. The bank manager stated that a female had cashed a check for $2,679 and that it had come back as Altered/Fictitious three days later. The check was issued to the female by LA Co. Office of Education of Los Angeles County. The officer spoke to the female that the check had been made out to. She said she had recently applied for financial assistance to begin online classes, and was contacted by a male who was supposedly helping her get ready for classes. The man told her that she would be receiving checks for financial assistance and that she would need to cash those checks and send him the money through Western Union so that he could send her books and other items needed for the classes. The man claimed to be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she was told to send the money. He contacted her through instant messaging on her phone. The female cashed the check and sent him the money as he instructed. When she was informed that the check was fraudulent, the man told her he was in Cortez and would clear it up, and told her another check was coming, and she needed to repeat the process. The second check she received was in the amount of $4,450. The female decided to hold onto the checks and asked someone what she should do about it, and was told to report the check to the bank. The second check, also fraudulent, came from an address in Riverdale, Ga. As the first check was already cashed and sent off, it was not recoverable. The defrauded female will be held accountable for the full amount of the check that was cashed.
SATURDAY, NOV. 26
An officer responded to an accident between a sport utility vehicle and a pickup truck, both vehicles having sustained extensive front-end damage. It was determined that the pickup had been parked and unattended at the time it was hit, and it had been forced up onto a curb and caused to collide with a chain-link fence at a residence. The SUV driver had left the vehicle at the scene. A short time later, two females arrived, and told the officer that they were involved in the accident. They stated that they left the scene because they did not have a cell phone, so they walked to a male friends house to get a phone. One female claimed responsibility for the wreck, although she said that she did not know why it happened, and was unable to give any details of what had happened. When confronted by the officer with his belief that she had not been driving the SUV, and that she was trying to take the blame for someone else, she admitted that was true. She said that she had been at home asleep when she got a call from the other female who told her about the accident. The female was afraid of getting in trouble because she had been drinking and driving. The female driver admitted to the information given by the other female, and said that she had every intention of returning to the scene of the accident after calling the police. She provided the name of a friend that had been in the SUV with her at the time of the accident, but claimed that this witness could not be reached. She was charged with DUI, DUI per se, and careless driving, and was left in the care and custody of jail staff.
MONDAY, NOV. 28
Officers responded to the scene of a property from a report of someone looking through the windows with a flashlight. They found a freshly-broken window on the southeast side, with some boxes placed by the window on the interior of the building. There were no lights on inside. A deputy K-9 unit joined the search, and an officer reported that there was someone with a flashlight attempting to exit the west side of the building. A young male approached the area of the garage door, and appeared to be giving up. When told to exit the building, the suspect responded that he could not get out of the building due to the doors being locked. He was taken into custody and told officers that he saw an open window near the location he was arrested and crawled through the window, and that the window was already broken. He stated that he went in because he wondered what was inside, that he did not have any means of support and that it just got the best of him. He admitted to having a couple of drinks, and said that he did not like stealing from people, and that he was just after some copper wire scraps to sell. The owner was contacted and said that the window was not broken prior to this date. The suspect was charged with felony second-degree burglary.
TUESDAY, NOV. 29
An officer was requested by dispatch to respond to district court for a report of a man with a pair of brass knuckles. He spoke with a deputy on scene who showed him a belt with brass knuckle belt buckle, and said that a male tried to go through the metal detector, but could not without setting it off. The deputy saw the brass knuckles when the male was told to remove his belt. The clasps and the ring that affixed the weapon to the belt were loose and could easily be removed. The officer then spoke with the male wearing the belt, who had purchased it at a fair in New Mexico, and said he didnt know it was illegal to have the brass knuckles. The male turned out to have a warrant out for his arrest, and was taken into custody. He was also issued a summons for possessing an illegal weapon.