Crank shafted: Stuck vehicle leads to drug busts
By
At 6:25 a.m. on May 24, the Santa Monica Police Department responded to the 2600 block of the beach regarding a vehicle stuck in the sand. When officers arrived at the scene, they checked the vehicle license plate which indicated the license plate had been stolen from another vehicle. The officers contacted two subjects, and during their investigation, recovered some methamphetamine and a hypodermic needle in the subjects’ possession. Glen Michael Johnson, 24, and Arinze Udeze, 28, were arrested for possession of methamphetamine and hypodermic needle.
At 11 a.m. on May 24, the SMPD responded to the 400 block of Wilshire Boulevard regarding a theft investigation. When officers arrived at the scene, they contacted the employee who said that the suspect entered the service station, took a magazine from rack and left failing to pay for the item. The suspect fled on foot west bound on Wilshire. A short time later officers stopped the suspect at Ocean and Wilshire, and after a field show up was conducted in which the suspect was positively identified, Jerry Dwayne Wylie, 43, transient, was arrested for petty theft.
At 5:05 p.m. on May 26 SMPD vice officers went to the 1400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard to conduct a check of a massage parlor. While the undercover officer was in the massage parlor getting a massage from the employee, the employee touched the officers genital area, at which time he gave a pre-determined signal to additional officers. The officers entered the massage parlor and the masseuse was arrested for a violation of the municipal code and was taken to the police department. Jiyee Park, 30, was arrested for having no massage permit and a masseuse making contact with a client’s genitals.
At 2:17 a.m. on May 29, the SMPD responded to the 2000 block of the beach regarding an assault investigation. When officers arrived to the scene, they spoke to the victims, a male and female, who said they were approached by four female and one male and for an unknown reason the females began to punch and hit the female and male victims. During the assault, one suspect threw a bottle at the female victim. The suspects fled and were later detained by responding officers.
A field show up was conducted and the suspects were positively identified by the victims. Xiomara Elizabeth Cruz, 19, Melissa Gonzalez, 20, Yudy Perez, 25, Karen Lizette Ruiz, 19, and Luis Pedro Orellana, 18, all from Los Angeles, were arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 10, 2005. Read the original PDF.