By By Daily Press Staff
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.
THURSDAY, OCT. 25, AT 4 P.M. Santa Monica police officers responded to the 1100 block of Princeton Avenue regarding a residential burglary that had occurred. When officers arrived, they spoke with a resident who said he had come home from a long vacation and noticed that some money he had stashed away and some rare coins had been stolen. He didn’t report the theft at first because he did not see any forced entry and he thought that he may have simply misplaced the items. However, a few days later, he noticed more coins were missing. He mentioned this to a neighbor, who said that he had been approached by another neighbor wanting change for a $100 bill. The neighbor said this was unusual. Suspicious, the victim called police, who questioned the suspect. Officers said the suspect said she knew where the victim hid a spare key and had used it to gain entrance to the apartment. She and another accomplice sold the coins for money, police said. The suspect was identified as Katherine Marie Burkel, 43, of Santa Monica. Her bail was set at $50,000. The other suspect is still at large, police said.
MONDAY, OCT. 22, AT 8:15 P.M. Officers responded to the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue regarding a report of elder abuse. When officers arrived, they made contact with an elderly man who appeared to be shaken. The man told police that his caretaker was verbally abusing him and had threatened to kill him if he did not give him some money. Based on that information, officers arrested the caretaker for elder abuse. The suspect was identified as James Anthony Humphrey, 47, of Santa Monica. No bail information was available for this suspect, police said.
TUESDAY, OCT. 23, AT 3:25 A.M., Officers on routine patrol near the corner of Fifth Street and Olympic Boulevard spotted a man riding a bicycle without a light — a violation of the municipal code. Officers drove up to the man and ordered him to stop peddling. The man refused and tried to ride away. Officers continued to follow the suspect until they got to the 1500 block of Fourth Street, at which time the suspect jumped off the bike and tried to run. Officers caught up with the suspect, who tried to fight them off. He failed. Officers detained the suspect and questioned him about his bike, which appeared to be brand new and still had a price tag attached. The suspect said he bought the bike a year ago and produced receipts that did not match the bicycle, police said. The suspect was arrested for riding a bike without a light, resisting arrest and for possession of stolen property. He was identified as Jeffrey Hill, 46, of Culver City. His bail was set at $20,250. The suspect had outstanding warrants, police said.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 30, AT 7 P.M. Officers responded to the 600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard regarding a report of a burglary that had just occurred. When officers arrived, they spoke with the homeowners who said that they went to a movie and when the returned their car had been broken into. Stolen was their house keys and a drivers’ license. When the victims returned home, they found it had been ransacked. Missing was more than $5,000 worth of jewelry and a computer. There was no forced entry, leading officers to believe that the suspect or suspects used the victims’ keys and ID to find the home and gain access. A follow up investigation led to the arrest of a suspect, identified as Gregory Boylan, 31. No bail information was available for this suspect.
SATURDAY, OCT. 27, AT 1:40 P.M. Officers on routine patrol conducted a traffic stop after a driver was seen operating a car with something hanging from his rear view mirror, obstructing his view. During the stop, officers said they saw the suspect reach down as if he was concealing something. Officers searched the car and found some cocaine. The driver was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. He was identified as Michael Calvin Staley, 44, of Santa Monica. His bail was set at $15,000.
FRIDAY, OCT. 26, AT 10:45 P.M. Officers responded to the 1800 block of Wilshire Boulevard — Rite-Aid — regarding a shoplifter in custody. When officers arrived, they spoke with store security who said the suspect walked into the pharmacy to exchange some pants he purchased. He then bought some tobacco with his refund, but before leaving the store, decided he wanted to get some wine for friends to repay them for a favor. Instead of paying for the wine, the suspect put a 4-liter bottle of wine in his bag and tried to walk out without paying for the item. He was detained until police arrived. The suspect was arrested for commercial burglary. He was identified as Thomas Hubert Pick, 46, of Los Angeles. His bail was set at $35,366. Pick had outstanding warrants, police said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 2, 2007. Read the original PDF.