Theft: December 2008 Archives

Sometimes, this job's got its perks. Occasionally, news reporters get to do something they might not otherwise do. Some of my colleagues, in recent years, have done exciting things like take rides in luxurious new airplanes, experience zero gravity or view the South Bay from the Goodyear Blimp. Once in a while, we'll have a reason to brush closely with greatness - watch a dignitary make a speech or interview a V.I.P. These aren't the reasons we do what we do, but these little moments kinda make up for the other days when you feel like you're working in a stagnating industry.

My moment came last week. The e-mail landed quielty in my inbox from a U.S. Army public information officer. He had seen my story several weeks ago about thieves thwarting Torrance Army mom Linda Ferrara's efforts to collect clothes and blankets for wounded soldiers overseas. And, he wrote, so had actor Ricky Schroder.

Without giving away too much about my age, you have to know that my mind immediately flipped to the old flower wallpaper-covered wall of my preteen bedroom. It was the early 80s, and most the frilly bouquets were covered up by ripped-out pages from Tiger Beat and Teen, showing photos of the usual suspects: Tom Cruise, Simon LeBon, C. Thomas Howell and, of course, The Ricker.

So, without revealing my excitement, I calmly called the Army back and said, yes indeed, an interview with Ricky Schroder would be JUST the thing for my follow-up on the theft (which, coincidentally, I was already planning to write for the weekend).

Here's one from Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Bob Higgins:

Suspect:  Christopher Brown Porterfield
            44 Years old, white male
            Hermosa Beach resident

Charge: Grand Theft- 487 PC
            Possession of Stolen Property- 496 PC

Bail:  $20,000   

Suspect Vehicle: 1997 White Volkswagen Vanagon


Synopsis:
The suspect claims to be a delivery man while attempting to steal a package from a resident's porch.  The suspect leaves without the package.  The suspect is later stopped in the area by HBPD officers.  Other stolen packages are discovered in his vehicle.
    
Details:
On 12-19-2008 at approximately 10:30 a.m. HBPD officers responded to a possible theft of mail packages in the area of Circle Drive in Hermosa Beach.  According to a witness, the suspect was loading an unattended mail package from the porch of a nearby residence.  When confronted by the witness, the suspect said he was a contract delivery man.  The suspect fled without taking the package.  Witnesses were able to obtain the license plate off the suspect's vehicle. 

HBPD officers stopped the suspect in the area near his vehicle a short time later.  Officers discovered other stolen packages inside the suspect's vehicle.  The suspect was arrested and booked at the HBPD jail without incident.  The suspect is currently out on $20,000 bail.

The holiday season increases the number of package thefts.  Many times, these thefts go unreported to the police.  This suspect may be responsible for a series of package thefts that have been occurring in the South Bay Area.  Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Mick Gaglia at (310) 318-0360. 

A Westminster man has been arrested on suspicion of theft for allegedly stealing
outdoor holiday decorations from about 16 of his neighbors.

Westminster police Officer Cameron Knauerhaze says Vuong Pham, 48, was arrested when police were called to his home in response to a disturbance and saw an unusual number of decorations inside and in the backyard.

Investigators said that there had been many reports of theft in the area of
Newland Street and Heil Avenue, which borders Westminster and
Huntington Beach, Knauerhaze said.

I received this letter from Andrew Minassi of Rancho Palos Verdes in response to my story about vehicle burglaries at cemeteries.

I knew that theft and robbery are some of the largest crimes that occur on a day to day basis. However, before reading your article I have never even imagined that criminals would act so low as to break in citizen's cars and steal when they are mourning with their lost loved one. I was taken aback when I read the story of the young woman and her mother who visited the grave of her father and realized her car
has been broken into.

As a child, my parents taught me to always have respect for anyone, let alone the dead. Ever since my grandmother passed, I too visit her resting ground at Green Hills Memorial Park, and not once have I ever thought of our car being broken into. While visiting a grave or burial ground, I believe the visitors are in a state of peace, reconnecting with their loved ones while everything is off their mind except the deceased family or friend. 

However you feel about the U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bottom line is there are young men and women over there sacrificing life and limb for the cause. Just over a year ago, on Veteran's Day 2007, we learned about the death of South Torrance High School graduate Matthew Ferrara, who was posthumously promoted to captain in the U.S. Army. That day, I went to the Ferrara home and spoke with family. A couple days later, I attended his memorial service. I learned a lot about a brave, funny, adventurous and smart person I never knew, and felt nothing but gratitude to him and his very nice friends and family.

So when I got a call this week that his mother's efforts to collect clothes and blankets for wounded soldiers in Germany was thwarted by thieves, I knew I wanted to do all I could to get the word out. I spent some time with Matthew's family again at their bakery - his dad, mother, sister and 2-year-old niece, where I learned that, in the year since Matt's death, the family has received a huge outpouring of support from friends and family. Most of that contact has come from within the military by those touched by Matt and his brothers. Linda Ferrara was collecting the items to support these people that remain overseas, fighting the fight. "Those guys are over there putting their lives on the line, even for the thieves," she said. Here's today's story.

This is one of the blankets Linda Ferrara and other volunteers made, along with a thank-you note they signed:

Here is Linda Ferrara (front row, second from left) and other volunteers working on the blankets.

They are donating the items through Soldiers' Angels Germany. Check out that link for a blog with more information about the soldiers the organization helps, how you can help and more about the Ferrara family. Also, there is a Nov. 9, 2008, post called "Heroes Remembered" that documents about four minutes of the more than 30-hour rescue and extraction operation performed for Matt and his troops on a treacherous mountainside. A search of Matthew's or Linda's name will lead you to more information on the Soldier's Angels Germany site.

A Redondo Beach man, whose nefarious business dealings likely made him the victim of a brutal home-invasion robbery, will spend more than three years in prison. William Spalding's Torrance Superior Court trial was about to begin on Nov. 20 when he pleaded no contest to felony counts of grand theft and obtaining money, labor or property under false pretenses, prosecutors said Monday.

Spalding, 44, was then sentenced to three years and four months in prison. A self-proclaimed movie producer with criminal convictions for fraud, Spalding was attacked Nov. 6, 2007, in his home in the 700 block of Irena Avenue. The invaders beat him and taped him, naked, to a bed post before leaving with a television, digital cameras, a computer, his two Mercedes-Benz cars and other items.

Two people, Amadi Zaid and Paula Hattar, are charged for the alleged crime. They return to court Jan. 28. During their preliminary hearing in February, there was evidence that the two were ripped-off by Spalding, who lied about his Hollywood connections and success.

A man who collected rent for a Torrance apartment he didn't own was sentenced Monday to more than three years in prison.

Steven Michael Kelley, 32, of Torrance, previously pleaded no contest to two theft charges.
He was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison, according to a court clerk.
Kelley was arrested Oct. 14 for collecting a $1,275 deposit from someone who answered his rental advertisement on Craigslist for a unit in a complex in the 2100 block of West 182nd Street, according to police.