Thousand Oaks City Watch Alert Update - April 15, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 02:19PM 
Here is the latest "City Watch" alert from Deputy Jim DeSoto of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. If you would like these updates directly from him via email, click here for more information.
Crime Fighters,
My plea in this e-mail is once again to lock-up and secure your personal effects. No sacred or hallowed place exists that the crooks will not attempt to commit their dastardly deeds. A couple returning from a missionary trip encountered two thieves who rummaged through the unlocked vehicles in the church parking lot. Thinking it was a church that donates to the community, the crooks helped themselves to some electronic equipment but not before being detained by the victims and being arrested by the responding deputy. One slippery suspect ran off prior to the deputy’s arrival.
Man’s best friend occasionally needs to be walked and that was a good factor in this scenario. In the middle of the night, the victim woke to walk his dog and discovered an illicit intruder in the kitchen who was not selling magazines or books and was not from Better Homes and Gardens. When confronted, the intruder ran out the front door, disappeared into the neighborhood, and is probably thankful that the resident did not have a large dog that could have truly welcomed him into the residence. The residents in this case retired for the evening without locking their doors—an invitation that any criminal would not pass-up.
Not all criminals, however, make their entry through unlocked front doors. Many start at the front door but make their way to the rear of the residence. This incident has a very good ending. The intruder knocked on the front door, went around and entered the backyard through the unlocked side gate. The occupant saw the burglar in the backyard, hid in the house and called the cavalry. The burglar made entry via a window and used his sticky fingers to grab a laptop. He left with residence with the laptop while the responding deputies were arriving in-force and setting-up a perimeter. A deputy saw the thief attempting to calmly walk away but the thief ran away when he saw the deputy. The deputy gave chase but the thief eluded capture. His blissfulness, however, was brief as he was stopped by another deputy but not after the thief shed an outer garment and tried to pedal his way out of the area by stealing an unsecured bicycle.
Our detectives know that this person was responsible for at least one other residential burglary in the same area and he is suspected of committing other unsolved residential burglaries. While the detectives try to connect him to the other crimes, our bicyclist will be rewarded with three solid meals a day at the local jail. An important thought to remember is, as in this case, the bad guys sometimes change clothing or rid themselves of clothing in an attempt to avert apprehension by the police and to avoid identification by victims and witnesses.
I recently gave an identity theft talk and later read an identity theft report. An elusive villain used the victim’s name and DOB for over 22 years before the victim learned about the deception. Unfortunately, the victim will be spending many hours trying to correct her personal and financial information. Always shred documents that contain any personal information and regularly check your banking and financial statements.
Take care,
Jim (DeSoto)
Reader Comments (1)
We should expect more from law enforcement then wise-cracks. "Just the facts. Maam" would suffice. These colored stories are not helpful in determining a policy change. Are These The Criminal Acts Of Foreigners? Or Not?