8 Thursday, December 12, 2013
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Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Halos Pitchforks
A reader sends a halo to Chris Riley for saving the jettisoned phone during the Holiday Lights Tour. “Dude! You’re a guardian angel.” A reader sends a halo to Mrs. Claus for reading Coastal View News to find out what the kids want Santa to bring for Christmas. A reader sends a halo to all of the wonderful staff at Señor Frogs Restaurant for helping with Mr. Levy’s birthday celebration and for accommodating a large group on a short notice. “You guys are the best!” A reader sends a halo to Crazy Good Bread for its amazing customer service. “Thank you for finding one more loaf of challah in the back for our special needs daughter. You made her day!” A reader sends a halo to Millie Stauffer who I’m sure is in heaven for all the years she spent cracking jokes on the Peace Corner. A reader sends a halo to Eric Gregg, a CUSD Special Education aid, who has integrity and cares about his students. A reader sends a halo to everyone at Uncle Chen Restaurant for always being so kind to the reader and her daughter. “We both agree a bowl of soup is the best way to end a busy day.” A reader sends a halo to everyone that came out to support Summerland School at the Holiday Gift Fair. Another halo goes to Curious Cup and the Carpinteria Toy Company for hosting the fair. “We are so thankful for our local businesses and so appreciate their support for our school!” A reader sends a halo to the Carpinteria family that adopted a kitten named Fred from the Cats Cradle in Ventura on Dec. 1. “I was his foster dad. Fred is trained to come to a whistle and loves Temtation treats. I will miss him. Thank you for being a caring family.” A reader sends a halo to Rudy’s Mexican restaurant in Carpinteria for its excellent breakfasts. “The burritos are huge and delicious, and the omelets are to die for.” A reader sends a halo to Juanita at Union Bank who opens the walkup window by 8 a.m. sharp. “Thanks. You don’t make me late.” A reader sends a halo to those leaving an anonymous note on our doorstep telling us our Christmas lights are the best lights in Carpinteria. “That was better than a trophy. Merry Christmas to you too!” A reader sends a halo to Richard, who took his precious time at the library to put a “for sale” car ad on Craigslist for the reader. “Carpinterians are great people.” A reader sends a halo to Nelson Mandela, whose humanity and legacy of forgiveness moved the world forward. A reader sends a halo to all the wonderful people and businesses that support clean neighborhoods and parks by sponsoring and/or adopting doggie poop bag dispensers. “Thanks for helping to keep our city clean and healthy.” A reader sends a pitchfork to a local business in Carpinteria who hired the reader and then refused to pay invoice. “Freelance does not equate free work. Pitchfork!” A reader sends a pitchfork to the local retailer who refused to accept a gift card because it was “more than one and one half years old.” “There was no visible date on the gift card or the card enclosure.” A reader sends a pitchfork to the front end manager at a local store for losing her temper with her co-worker. “I felt embarrassed for you; I won’t ever shop at that store again. You literally yelled in my ear.” A reader sends a pitchfork the local law enforcement for failing to handle a situation appropriately. “A well known local thief stole my property, and officers refused to act. After taking matters into my own hands, I was made to feel like the thief. Thanks for nothing but a huge headache.” A reader sends a pitchfork to people who allow their dogs to poop in yards or misbehave off leash. “May I suggest dog poop DNA matching and fines for off leash dogs. Carp has more than a few bad apples when it comes to dogs. Step up, city council.”
Submit Halos & Pitchforks online at coastalview.com. All submissions are subject to editing.
If it looks like a criminal and smells like a criminal...
A deputy spotting some suspicious activity on Dec. 2 at 12:48 a.m. on Via Real investigated to confirm his hunch. The allegedly shady behavior centered around a vehicle parked on the roadside with its interior light on but a jersey draped around it to dim the glow. Two men occupying the vehicle were immediately recognizable to the deputy as parolees. The next red flag came in the form of falsely affixed registration tags on the vehicle. A search of the parolees yielded multiple shaved vehicle keys, which are used to access vehicles to which the keys don’t belong. Also one of the subjects had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The two men, ages 42 and 24, were arrested for possession of burglary tools. A woman who was with them was driven to downtown Carpinteria and released.
Under the influence of lyme disease
A man pulled over at 8th Street and Walnut Avenue on Nov. 30 at 3 p.m. for a burnt out center brake light was probed for being under the influence of drugs and was eventually cleared. The deputy immediately noticed the man’s dilated pupils among other symptoms of being under the influence of a stimulant. The man, 19, had his heart rate clocked at 134 and was escorted to the sheriff’s station for a urine test. The man denied any drug use and attributed any glitches in his physiology to his lyme disease diagnosis. His clean urine sang the same tune. He did however inform deputies upon his release from the temporary detention that he was prescribed a pharmaceutical cocktail by doctors trying to find the right combination of medication to treat his disease.
Pacifistic peeper
A man accused of slashing his neighbor’s tires categorically denied committing the crime of tire slashing, which he stated is violent and against his pacifistic principles; however, he reportedly admitted to peeping in the neighbor’s windows. The victim reported that all four of her tires had been slashed on Ash Avenue overnight between Dec. 1 and 2, and she suspected the neighbor, with whom she had a history of disagreement—likely related to him looking in her windows. She also had reported a similar vandalism just a few weeks ago. The accused said he was in bed at the time of the reported crime. He had just returned from a Thanksgiving getaway and hit the sack immediately. The victim pressed the peeping issue, which happened many months ago. She had brought it up with deputies when she reported the first vandalism and wished to press charges. The man reportedly admitted to looking in windows, and deputies filed the report with the district
attorney’s office but made no arrests.
Frame game
Following an investigation into an alleged watch theft on Arbol Verde Street on Nov. 26, deputies believed that the party reporting the theft had actually attempted to frame the accused. The resident had reported that workers from a cleaning agency had stolen a watch. According to the resident, the workers had arrived and were photographing rooms of the home in order to assess the situation, and sometime over the 15-minute period a valuable watch among a collection in the home’s bedroom was missing. A review of the photos revealed that the watch had in fact been in the bedroom only minutes before it went missing. The resident had gone back to the bedroom in order to collect the watches and take them because he was leery of leaving them behind with the cleaning crew. Deputies questioned the workers and they reportedly all came across as genuinely bewildered and miffed by the crime accusations. The manager stated that the crew has worked in sprawling Montecito estates and had never been accused of theft. He stood by the workers. He was suspicious of the resident’s obsession over and odd boasting about all of the valuables in the home. He had never seen anything like it, he said. A deputy searched the work truck and discovered the missing watch hidden among tools, a discovery that reportedly stunned the workers. A worker said he had seen the resident near the truck. The worker entered the truck to retrieve some tape, and when he exited the resident was curbside and startled the worker. At that point, the deputy turned the tables and questioned the residents. The deputy also informed them that making false accusations was a crime. Asked if he’d been outside during the 15-minute window, the resident reportedly said he could not recall. And the deputy noted the resident was not astounded by the new direction of the deputy’s questions. The resident said the issue of who was outside and when could easily be resolved by viewing surveillance footage positioned at the front of the home. The deputy said he’d be eager to have a look too. The residents attempted to access the footage but stated the system had not been recording. The deputy concluded that he believed the residents, for unknown reasons, had tried to set up the cleaning crew, possibly to get a discount. The report was forwarded to the district attorney’s office, but the deputy did not recommend pursuing charges.
Other reports:
Possession of synthetic narcotics: 7th Street Public intoxication: Via Real Under the influence of a controlled substance: Via Real Vandalism: La Tierra Lane Weapons violation: Bailard Avenue