Orinda Police Identify, Arrest Repeat Bank Robber Tuesday
The Orinda Police Department, assisted by the Oakland Police Department, arrested 49-year-old Duane Makela of Oakland this morning in connection with two bank robberies that occurred in the city of Orinda last year. During a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Makela was identified as the suspect. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for…
Imposter Phone “Firefighters” Continue To Try And Hose Public
Few professions generate a feeling of “instant trust” as much as law enforcement and the firefighting trades – and some people are open to strange requests whenever someone purporting to be one or the other calls. According to Moraga PD, the Moraga-Orinda Fire Department (MOFD) recently learned that a citizen received a call from a…
Contra Costa Health Services, GRIP Add Homeless Warming Center In Richmond
A new, 30-cot warming center in Richmond will bring more Contra Costa residents who are experiencing homelessness out of the cold and into services to help them regain housing. The new service, a collaboration between Contra Costa Health Services’ Division of Health, Housing and Homeless Services (H3), the City of Richmond and the Greater Richmond…
Man With Shoe Camera Arrested For Allegedly Trying To Film Juvenile Girl In Walnut Creek Apple Store
Walnut Creek police, alerted by an alarmed father who had spotted a man trying to film his daughter be sliding a camera on top of his shoe under her dress, arrested the 66-year-old suspect a short distance away. Officers say they found the offending camera and other recording equipment in Jacque Bloxham’s car – parked…
Fatal Head-On Crash Closes Alhambra Avenue In Both Directions Friday
We are saddened to have to report that Alhambra Avenue between John Muir Road and Alhambra Valley Road in Martinez is currently (4:10 p.m.) closed in both directions due to a fatal accident investigation. Police and fire personnel were called to the area shortly after 2:30 p.m. Friday with readers writing of a grinding, head-on…
Sheriff’s Office Investigates Window Smash Burglary At Alamo Jewelry Store
On Monday, April 15, 2019, at about 1:38 AM, Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a report of an alarm at a jewelry store on the 3200 block of Danville Boulevard in Alamo. Deputy Sheriffs arrived minutes after being dispatched to find the store’s front window broken. The suspects entered the business stealing miscellaneous goods and items. The…
Shoplifting Flurry Gets Messy In San Ramon Wednesday – Dog Bite, Foot Races With Police At Target
In what has become an almost daily event in the 24/680 of late, a crew of suspected thieves targeting Apple Computer products at the Target Store in San Ramon were brought up short by a police K9 and gun-toting police. The incident was reported (as near as we can figure) at about 5:55 p.m. when…
Moraga Council Gets Thrifty, Passes On Passed Hat For Painted Rock
Moraga’s Town Council has passed on a request to contribute to a local effort to buy and preserve a bucolic 84-acre parcel overlooking the town and known for the paint-slathered rocks regularly christened by bands of local high schoolers. In a 3-2 decision (Korpus, Sos, Woehleke voting “nay,” Wykle and McCluer voting “aye,”), the council…
Kitchen Fire Damages Lafayette’s Postino Restaurant; Closes Mt. Diablo Boulevard
A sizable fire response is on scene or on the way to Postino restaurant on Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette this evening after a kitchen fire grew beyond staff’s ability to handle it and crept into the restaurant’s ceiling. Mt. Diablo Boulevard has been closed in both directions outside the restaurant to facilitate the firefighting…
BAIT Car Burglary Arrest Breaks Up The Party In Walnut Creek
We’ve written about the variety of new gadgets local police departments are bringing to law enforcement in their respective jurisdictions and some of them appear to be working pretty well – including a tracker and camera-equipped bait car currently in use by Walnut Creek PD. You may have seen some of the videos generated in…