Crime & Safety

Martinez PD: Mail Theft and Suspicious Hugging

Martinez police reports from March 27 to April 1.

March 27

Don't light up at grandma's. At 8:39 a.m., a woman called asking police to arrest her "out of control," 13-year-old granddaughter for possession of marijuana. Police gave advice.

Lunch break. Around 11:30, a woman was seen threatening the security guard at the First Baptist Church on Alhambra Avenue. She refused to leave and, instead, sat down to eat her lunch.

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March 28

Stolen packages? At around 6:30 a.m., a dog-walker spotted what appeared to be opened Amazon and UPS packages underneath a car on Center Street.

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Too much coffee. Ten minutes later, a woman on a bike was seen and heard screaming at a man at the Main Street Starbucks. The man may or may not have had a hammer in his hand. The parties were gone on police arrival.

Odd couple. At 3:30 p.m., a man described as "heavy set" was seen sitting inside a black Honda Civic handling a gun. The car was being driven by a "skinny" woman. They were gone on police arrival.

Sharing isn't caring. Just after 9:30 p.m., a woman reported that someone had uploaded an "inappropriate" picture of her to the Internet. 

March 29

Mysterious curtain movement. At 6:30 a.m., a resident reported finding the back door open, the curtains pulled to one side and unknown items missing.

Dressed for the part. Just after 1:30 p.m., a resident of Milden Drive reported seeing a white van parked at the end of the road. The occupants were wearing bandannas, and the resident was concerned that they looked like would-be burglars.

Drive-by honking. Police received a report at 4:10 p.m. that a group of teens in a Ford van with blacked out windows were driving all over town, sounding a train horn at passersby and videotaping the reactions. Police abated the situation.

Package thief. A resident of Estudillo Street reported $400 worth of packages missing from the porch where they had been delivered by UPS, and several pieces of mail missing.

SOS? Residents of Marazzani Drive witnessed the neighbor writing "call the police" in chalk on the pavement. So they did. 

March 30

Running on Empty. Residents on Holiday Hills Drive should be aware that there is a gas siphoner in their midst, according to a report from a driver who woke up to find a loose gas cap and empty tank.

Son of a Gun. Just before noon, police gave advice to a concerned citizen who claimed to have purchased part of a firearm and shipped it to a dealer who now could not be contacted. 

Suspicious Hugging. At 2:10 p.m., police responded to a report of a man and woman hugging and then standing on the corner at Hull Lane and Muir Road. The public display of hugging and standing was found to be perfectly normal.

Planticide. A resident of Grandview Avenue is intentionally putting weed killer on the neighbor's plants, according to the offended gardener.

March 31

Dangerous Facebooking. At 3:56 p.m., a local Facebooker receiving virtual threats decided that the danger was all too real and decided to involve the police. The situation was abated.

Help needed. At 4:35 p.m., police received reports of an apparently homeless man sitting on the ground at Park N' Ride yelling, "help me." He was helped.

Not a laughing matter. Just before 9 p.m., a woman in Walgreens was opening and eating food in the store and laughing at employees. She left without paying for her food and coffee and was arrested.

April 1

Too old to drive. Just after 9:30 a.m., a woman called police concerned about her 90-year-old mother's driving.

Presumably not a love note. At around 2:10 p.m., a resident of Huntridge Ct. called to tell police that his girlfriend's mother had taken it upon herself to hand-deliver a letter to all of the neighbors. 

Not the real mail carrier. Just after 9 p.m., police received reports of a woman in her late 20s or early 30s possibly taking mail and putting it into her large shoulder bag.

More mail theft. Around 8:30 p.m., a resident of Mellus Street reported an "ongoing issue" with packages being taken from the porch. The most package had been worth $480.


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