Bike Recovered From Burglar Claimed by Owner

Remember This Guy

 

And This Bike..with the snazzy seat & tires

 

The guy in the picture is Egmidio Anderson.  He was arrested Thursday morning after skulking around a neighborhood on National Street.  He was found in possession of a stolen skateboard and he had a backpack with burglar tools.  He is also on probation 5x over for theft related charges.  He also had the pictured bike.  

The rightful owner of the bike claimed his bike from the police department today after seeing it on our blog.  He had proof of ownership and shared how the bike was stolen the day before.  Another case in point for registering your bicycle and not leaving it unlocked and unattended. 

Bike returned to owner.....another possession of stolen property charge for our suspect!  And the beat goes on......

Tough Night For Burglars - Three Arrested by Patrol Team

A great night for the graveyard patrol team means a tough night if you are a burglar.  With the help of alert neighbors…the patrol team scooped up three burglars last night all in different areas of town.

Burglar #1 – Noah Crisp

At about 2:10 in the morning, Mr. Crisp was out checking door handles on cars near Water and Market Street.  An alert citizen called in the activity and a description of Mr. Crisp.  Patrol officers found him hiding in some bushes a few block away.  Not only was Mr. Crisp checking car handles, he was also found in possession of burglary tools like bolt cutters and a red lens pen light.  Mr. Crisp is 39 years old and lists his address as transient.  He has a substantial history of contacts and arrests.  He had a warrant for his arrest and for theft related charges and is also on active probation for theft and burglary related charges.  Mr. Crisp was booked into county jail for his warrant, possession of burglar tools and for tampering with cars.

Burglar #2 – Brian Erdelyi

At about 4:45 in the morning, Mr. Erdelyi was contacted by the newest member of our department, Officer Nick Kramer. Mr. Erdelyi was causing a disturbance near Laurel and Chestnut.   In the contact, Mr. Erdelyi was found to be in possession of a lock pick and a meth pipe.    Mr. Erdelyi is 22 years old and lists his address as transient.  He is on active probation 3x over and has a significant history of arrests, mostly for drug related offenses.  Mr. Erdelyi was booked into County Jail for possession of burglary tools and possession of narcotic paraphernalia.

Burglar #3 – Egmidio Anderson

At about 7:15 in the morning, neighbors called about a suspicious person on National Street.  Officers arrived and located Mr. Anderson.  Turns out, Mr. Anderson was in possession of a skateboard stolen from the neighborhood earlier that morning.  He was also hauling around a backpack with burglary tools like bolt cutters, wire cutters, gloves, flashlight.  Mr. Anderson is 31 years old and lists his address as transient.  He too has a long history of arrests for theft related charges.  He is a probation allstar as he is on active probation 5x over.

Mr. Anderson was in possession of a blue Peugeot bicycle with thin racing tires and a snazzy new seat.  Serial # Y00237217.  

We’re not convinced he owns the bike.  If you do, and can prove it, call our investigations unit (831) 420-5820.

Call us if you see these guys in your neighborhood....They are Burglars.

Thanks to our alert neighbors and calling in that suspicious activity….no telling how many victims you helped prevent! 

School is Back in Session......Please Drive Safely and Courteously

 

Yep....It is that time again.....School is back is session and parents are left wondering where our summer went.  

 

Most elementary through high school campuses in Santa Cruz County are now in session.  In just a few weeks, UCSC will be starting classes too.  What this likely means to you is that you will experience more traffic in your morning and afternoon commutes.  This increased traffic comes in all varieties; vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.  

 

Traffic safety and safe school commutes are a priority issue for the Santa Cruz Police Department.   Our traffic officers are dedicated to ensuring school zones safe from aggressive and unsafe driving practices.  

 

To help ensure our school commutes are safe, we will have increased presence around the school zones during the first month of school operations.  Here are a few common violations we see around the schools:

• Speeding (parents late for drop off or pickup)
• Illegal parking (parents late for drop off or pickup and not willing to walk from a distance)
• Illegal turns (parents trying to get that coveted up-close drop off/pick up location)
• Stop Sign Violations
• Not yielding to pedestrians
• Pedestrians crossing unsafely

 

It is our hope that commuters engage in safe and courteous habits to avoid experiencing an enforcement action.  Some tips to help your commute:

• Leave in plenty of time and anticipate heavier than usual traffic
• Be aware of school zones and traveled routes to school
• Be courteous and respectful to all traffic
• Be respectful to neighbors of schools avoiding parking in their driveways or parking lots without their permission

We encourage all commuters to develop safe and courteous habits and help us ensure this school year is a safe one.  If you have any questions or concerns about traffic safety in your school zone, please contact our Traffic Unit Sergeant @ (831) 420-5850. 

6 Months Later We Still Mourn for Butch & Elizabeth

Today marks 6 months since we lost Sergeant Butch Baker and Detective Elizabeth Butler.  We still feel the sting of that wound left on our hearts and souls here at the Santa Cruz Police Department.  In some ways it feels like this happened just yesterday, while in others it feels like a long time ago. 

Each day we are moving forward.  The men and women of the Santa Cruz Police Department are the finest anywhere.  They are strong and resilient.  They understand that each day they will honor the legacy of Butch and Elizabeth in the service they bring.

 

As a community, we will continue to heal together as we move forward and learn from this tragic event.  We will not let it defeat our spirit, but rather use the lessons to make us stronger. 

We are grateful and inspired by the community members that have stood by us and shown their support in immeasurable ways….Thank You! 

We have started the plans for a permanent memorial here at the Police Department to properly honor Butch and Elizabeth.   They may not be here physically, but they will forever remain with each one of us, every time we hit the beat. 

Several Arrested in Gang Street-Level Drug Sales Operation

Over the past 3 months the Santa Cruz Police Department in conjunction with the Santa Cruz Anti-Crime Team, Santa Cruz County Sheriff, and The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have conducted an enforcement operation designed to target street-level drug sales by gangs in the Beach Flats neighborhood.  The objective was to disrupt the gang’s ability to control the neighborhood streets through drug sales and intimidation as well as impact a significant funding source for the gang.

We all understand the concept of going after "the supplier", but in reality, you need to combat the problem from both ends.  "The supplier" gets his money from the street-level sales.  If you can choke off their money at the street-level, then it becomes less lucrative for the the mid and high level dealers.

A variety of techniques were used in the investigation to include undercover drug buys, surveillance and informants.  The investigation identified 7 people who were instrumental in the street-level drug sales.  Four of the seven individuals are known and confirmed Sureno gang members.  While the remaining three were not gang members, they were part of the network of street-level drug sales and neighborhood intimidation.  The arrested individuals are: 

Juan Armando Silva – 26 yrs, Santa Cruz resident

Drug Sales

Sureno gang member

 

Manuel Huerta Silva – 27 yrs, Santa Cruz resident
Drug Sales, Drug Possession
Sureno gang member

Andrew Villa – 18 yrs, Santa Cruz resident
Drug Sales

Sureno gang member

 

Jeremy Ochoa – 32 yrs, Aptos Resident
Drug Sales

   

Rene Perez Mendoza – 31 yrs, Santa Cruz Resident

Drug Sales

Edward Lujan – 43 yrs, Santa Cruz Resident
Drug Possession with Intent to Distribute, Firearms Possession

Additionally, an unnamed 17 year old juvenile, confirmed Sureno gang member on drug sales charges. 

The suspects have been arrested over the last two months of this program.  In addition to the drug sales charges, appropriate gang enhancements were added.  Their cases are currently winding their way through the Santa Cruz County courts.

This is part of an ongoing strategy to impact gangs and their funding sources.  You can expect to hear from us about similar operations in the future.  

A Great Afternoon with Oak Tree Villa

Here’s the best news of the month for us here at the Santa Cruz Police Department.

A few weeks ago, the amazing seniors at Oak Tree Villa in Scotts Valley got together and held a yard sale.  They raised $1,500.  They called on Monday and wanted to meet with us to donate the money to the families of Sergeant Butch Baker and Detective Elizabeth Butler.

Chief Kevin Vogel, Deputy Chief Steve Clark and Officer Joe Hernandez drove out to meet the group in our 1961 Chevy Biscayne classic police car.  They literally rolled out a red carpet for us as we drove in.

What a great afternoon we spent with these fine men and women.  We stayed and chatted with everyone and took photos with the big presentation check.

Chief Vogel and Deputy Chief Clark talk with 105 year old Beulah Sutton

The Chief and Deputy Chief enjoy a laugh with Patricia Weiss

Deputy Chief Clark even toured several of them a ride around the lot in the classic police car, while Chief Vogel escorted them in and out of the car.  WHAT A BLAST!!!!

Francis Morrill gives a send-off to her friends

Bob Horton thoroughly enjoying the old siren during his ride

We are very honored by this generous gift.  We were also honored to spend time with amazing seniors and learn a little bit of their story.  We so enjoyed our time at Oak Tree Villa.  It was the best part of the month for us…..maybe even the last 6 months.

If you have some time to give….our recommendation is that you get to know the seniors in our community, they are great people with great stories!

Thank You Oak Tree Villa 

The great staff at Oak Tree Villa