True Hollywood story of poodle poaching
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, SEPT. 13, AT 7 A.M. (SEE PICTURE AT RIGHT) Santa Monica detectives gathered at an apartment complex in the 1600 block of North Poinsettia Place in Hollywood to investigate the possible theft of a Santa Monica resident’s brown toy poodle. Officers said a resident, living in the 700 block of Ocean Avenue, claimed that his home had been broken into and his dog was missing. He told police that he believed an acquaintance of his broke into his home and snatched his dog, Furo, out of spite after the two had been involved in an altercation. Officers made contact with the suspect, who denied having any knowledge of the dog’s whereabouts. While questioning the suspect at his home, detectives heard the sound of a dog scratching frantically on the roof. Detectives climbed the roof and found the poodle. They arrested the suspect for residential burglary, grand theft and animal cruelty. He was identified as Jordan David Lee, of Hollywood. Lee was transported to the Santa Monica Jail, where his bail was set at $125,000. The dog was returned to its owner.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 4, AT 2:30 A.M. Officers on routine patrol in the parking lot of the 1150 block of the beach noticed a Lincoln Navigator parked there. The officers ran the license plate and discovered that the plate belonged to a Jaguar registered in Kansas. Officers sat and waited until they saw three individuals get into the car and attempt to drive away. Officers conducted a traffic stop and questioned the occupants about the Navigator, who gave conflicting stories about how they came to possess the vehicle. Officers made contact with a car dealer in Kansas, who said they had sold the Navigator to another car dealership and did not know how the Jaguar license plate ended up on the SUV. Based on this information, officers detained the three occupants for grand theft auto. During a search of the vehicle, officers found a small amount of cocaine and charged the driver with possession of a controlled substance. The driver was identified as Rekisha Tilmon, 25, from San Bernardino. Her bail was set at $25,632. The other occupants were identified as Talmadge James Ramsey, 30, and Mario Oliver, 25, both from Arkansas. Bail was set at $25,000 for both.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5, AT 8 A.M. Officers responded to the 1500 block of Palisades Park after receiving a report about a burglary suspect in the area. When officers arrived, they spoke with the alleged victim who said that he was jogging through the park when he noticed a man wearing his sunglasses, which had been stolen from his car just hours earlier. The jogger said he went down to his car, which was parked in a garage at his apartment complex, and noticed that one of his windows had been broken and that several items were missing. While looking around the garage, he saw a homeless man sleeping nearby. He went to wake up the man, but before he could, the man jumped up and ran out of the garage. The victim said he then went for a jog, which is when he saw the same man from the garage wearing his glasses, leading him to believe that the man was the one who broke into his car. Officers arrested the suspect for receiving stolen property and for violating terms of his probation. The suspect was identified as Michael Paul Thompson, 22, a transient. His bail was set at $20,000.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5, AT 9:30 P.M. Officers on routine patrol near the corner of Lincoln and Ocean Park boulevards heard the sound of tires screeching nearby. Officers went to investigate the sound and discovered a man driving a mini-van in circles around gas pumps at a local gas station. Officers said the man was driving recklessly, coming very close to pedestrians. Officers moved in to arrest the suspect, but as soon as he saw the patrol car, he pulled out of the gas station and drove up Ocean Park Boulevard, leading police on a brief chase. Officers said the suspect eventually ditched the vehicle at the corner of 16th Street and Ocean Park. Officers closed off the area to search for the suspect. A resident told officers that they saw the suspect hiding on the roof of a nearby home. Officers surrounded the home and ordered the suspect to surrender. The suspect eventually was taken into custody and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving, felony evading and for driving under the influence. The suspect was also in violation of his probation, officers said. The suspect was identified as Ernest James Sepulveda, 41, of Woodland Hills. His bail was set at $35,000.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 6, AT 2 P.M. An officer on patrol in the 1500 block of Lincoln Boulevard was flagged down by employees at Bay Cities deli, who had a shoplifting suspect in custody. The employees said the suspect had walked into the store and grabbed a can of soda and walked out without paying. The employees said they recognized the suspect from previous encounters and suspected him of stealing other items in the past. The suspect admitted taking a can of 7- Up and was arrested for theft. He was identified as Sammy Lee Rush, 40, a transient. His bail was set at $10,000.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 8, AT 6:15 P.M. Officers responded to the 1500 block of 14th Street regarding an auto burglary that had just occurred. When officers arrived, they spoke with a security guard who said that he was monitoring surveillance cameras at his work when he and his colleague noticed a man rummaging through the security guard’s car. The guard rushed out to his car to confront the suspect. The two made contact, at which point the suspect tried to punch the security guard. He missed and then fled on foot, police said. Armed with a description of the suspect, officers were able to locate him a few blocks away from the scene of the break-in. The suspect was positively identified and was arrested for strong arm robbery because he tried to punch the security guard. He was identified as Jamie Timothy Ware, 33, of Hawthorne. His bail was set at $50,100.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 14, 2007. Read the original PDF.