Police Blotter

Burglary, Forcible Entry, May 18, 9:28 p.m., 3400 Block of Judah Street
A police officer responded to a burglary call. Upon arrival at the house, he met the residents, who told him they discovered the side gate, leading to the backyard, open when they came home. Although the front door was locked, some items had been stolen, according to one of the victims.

Also, a window pane in the victim's office had been popped out of the frame and placed on the floor. The officer determined the window to be the point of entry. The door leading to the backyard was determined to be the exit point.

Two laptops and a stereo were missing and a few things had been knocked to the floor.

According to the victims, it looked like someone had been searching through things - a cabinet in the basement, for example.

The victims told the officer about a possibly-related suspicious incident that took place about a week before the burglary: One evening, an unknown white male in his 50s, standing in front of the house, approached one of the victims and told her he works for AT&T. He said he needed to check the house for a phone line. The victim let the man check the house, garage and backyard. He didn't do anything to the phone lines and told the victim that the work would be finished from his office. The man had no official uniform or official car, which the victim found to be suspicious, but the man did have a large yellow phone on his waistband.

Malicious Mischief, Breaking Windows, May 18, 11:36 a.m., 1400 Block of 18th Avenue
A witness saw an unknown man pick up several rocks and throw them at the windows of several homes on 18th Avenue. The witness then called the police.

Upon arrival, an officer interviewed the homeowner, who told him he first heard a loud crash and then realized his living-room window had been broken with rocks. After the incident, the suspect began to yell at the victim, uttering mostly incomprehensible things. The victim did hear the suspect say, however, that he once lived in the house.

According to the victim, the suspect said he would pay for the window - which is estimated to be $500. A nearby woman's house was also vandalized, and she too estimated the amount of damage to be about $500. The suspect was placed under arrest for vandalism and transported to the Taraval Station.

Robbery with Force, Trespassing, May 18, 5:25 p.m., 2900 Block of Noriega Street
A police officer responded to the area of Ortega Street and 31st Avenue to investigate a report of a grocery store security officer following a shoplifting suspect. As dispatch continued to update the officer on the suspect's location, he saw a man matching the suspect's description. The officer recognized the suspect from previous arrests and stopped him.

Two witnesses ran up to the police officer and said, "That's him."

One witness said he observed the suspect stealing steaks from the grocery store. He followed the suspect outside and told him to stop. But the suspect started running, causing the witness to grab the suspect's jacket. According to the witness, the suspect then punched the man, spun out of his jacket, and fled. Upon further questioning, the officer learned that that witness was actually not a store security officer - he was just a customer.

The store's manager said that the suspect was near the meat department getting ready to steal some steaks. The manager then approached the suspect, escorted him out of the store, and told him not to come back anymore. But when the witness began to run toward him; the suspect became nervous and started to run, with four steaks falling out of his jacket in the process.

The manager was new, so he thought the witness was a store security guard. Had he known he was only a customer, he would have urged him not to pursue the suspect.

False Personation to Receive Money or Property, May 16, 3:30 p.m., 700 Block of Scott Street
A man came into the Taraval Station to report that he received a collection notice from a collection agency requesting payment for a telephone bill. The $3,000 bill was for telephone service in an apartment the man claimed never to have lived in or even visited.

Seven years ago, he was working as a carpenter remodeling a house. One day, an unknown suspect entered the site and stole the wallet from his backpack. Just to be sure it was stolen, he searched everywhere, but when he was unable to locate it, he cancelled all of his credit cards.

After receiving the collection notice, he contacted the collection company to inform it that he never lived at the stated address and had never opened an account. The case is now under investigation.

Disrupting School Activities, May 18, 12:13 p.m. 1800 Block of Ortega Street
A police officer was dispatched to a school because a student had allegedly attacked a teacher. On arrival, the officer met with the student in the principal's office. The officer noticed the student was a special needs student, had trouble enunciating words and seemed to be under stress. The student eventually relaxed and told the officer he had trouble with his choir teacher in the library that day; he didn't want to follow the teacher's instructions and he "didn't like her."

The teacher, when speaking to the police officer, confirmed the story. The teacher gave the student multiple warnings and then a referral, after which the student tore up the referral and refused to obey her. When she tried to use the phone to call for assistance in handling the student, he hung it up.

Then another student came to the teacher's aid, but the suspect pushed the student away. Finally, another adult who was working in the library came to help the teacher control the suspect; she then called for help.

The police officer, according to the report, admonished the student, who after the incident appeared calm.