Recently in Altadena Category

From a Sheriff's Department Press Release:

Between January 23, 2010 through January 31, 2010, multiple residential burglaries of two separate locations were reported in the Altadena community. The suspect left unique apology notes at each scene, which included sexual explicit references and indicated on at least one note, that he would return.

A partial print was collected by the Los Angeles County Crime Lab, which returned to a registered sex offender, residing in Altadena. A search warrant was obtained and executed, on February 3, 2010, at Suspect Ralph Wyatt's home in the 1000 block of East Woodbury Road. Suspect Wyatt was taken into custody and conclusive evidence of his involvement in the crimes was recovered. Suspect Wyatt was booked at Crescenta Valley Station.

The facts of the case were presented, by Detective Richard Pippin, to the District Attorney's Office of Pasadena Court, and four count of residential burglary, two counts of stalking and one count of sexual battery were filed against Suspect Wyatt.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- Authorities rescued a hiker from a rugged area of Eaton Canyon early Thursday after he spent the night in below-freezing temperatures, officials said.
Shannon Baxter, 40, was rescued from the canyon about 7:30 a.m. after going missing Wednesday evening, Lt. Jack Ewell of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Aero Bureau said in a written statement.
"Mr. Baxter survived overnight temperatures in the 20s while huddling next to some logs and wearing a cotton work jacket and jeans," he said.
Baxter was visiting the area from Washington and hiking with his son on Chaney Trail north of Altadena Wednesday afternoon when the father had trouble continuing on, the lieutenant said.
The son, a Santa Clarita man, left him behind to seek help, the lieutenant said. When the father had not been found by 3 a.m. Thursday morning, the worried son called authorities.
When officials reached Baxter about four and a half hours later, Ewell said, they flew him out of the forest by helicopter and treated him for mild hypothermia and a pre-existing respiratory problem.

ALTADENA -- Two robbers held up two hikers at gunpoint Wednesday in a vehicle turnout near Eaton Canyon, authorities said.
The crime occurred about 2:10 p.m. at a turnout along Altadena Drive, just north of Roosevelt Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Angela Shepherd said.
The robbers, described only as a Latino man and a white man, used a handgun during the robbery and stole a backpack, a cell phone and an empty wallet from the victims, Shepherd said.
The victims, a man and woman, were not injured, officials said.
The robbers were last seen fleeing on foot, official said.
Deputies set up a search perimeter, Shepherd added, but the robbers were not found.

ALTADENA -- Two robbers stole $25,000 from a man at gunpoint Sunday after luring him with an Internet advertisement of a truck for sale, authorities said.
The crime occurred about 11:30 a.m. in the 100 block of East Loma Alta Drive when the victim, a 44-year-old Arizona man, and a friend, a 52-year-old La Verne man, drove to answer a posting on craigslist.org advertising a pickup truck, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Tania Plunkett said.
Once the victim and his friend arrived, they got out of their car and spoke to the robbers about the ad, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. John Caffrey.
One of the robbers "pulled out a handgun and advised the victim that this was a robbery," Caffrey said.
The second robber stood by with a large stick while the gunman went into the victim's car and helped himself to an envelope containing $25,000, he said.
No injuries were reported.
The robbers were described as two black men in their mid-30s driving a white, 1990s-model Chevrolet pickup truck with a blue tarp covering the bed, officials said.
Officials declined to release further information, including more about the actual ad, late Sunday pending further investigation, Plunkett said.
Craigslist officials could not be reached, late Sunday. Sunday's incident was only the latest in a series of local crimes that have been tied to the craigslist.org Web site.
In July, a man was beaten and robbed at an Azusa motel after agreeing to meet with a woman he contacted through craigslist.org, officials said.
Also in July, officials reported crooks were using the Web site to rip people off in rental home scams.
Another craigslist.org scam involving rental homes was reported in Covina last year.
The site has also been used this year by San Gabriel Valley law enforcement agencies to find people selling illegal fireworks.
Caffrey advised the public to avoid doing large transactions in cash, particularly with strangers. Such business can be more safely handled at a bank or other financial institution.
While crimes involving craiglist are not uncommon, Caffrey said, "We don't see a lot of this type of crime with it."
Most crimes reported in connection with the Web site involve fraud -- not violent crime -- and are for much smaller amounts of money, he said.
On the site, a list of "personal safety tips" is listed to help users avoid becoming crime victims.
"With billions of human interactions facilitated through craigslist, the incidence of violent crime has been extremely low," according to the Web site. "Nevertheless, it's very important to take the same common sense precautions online as you would offline."
Safety tips offered by craigslist include insisting on meeting in a public place, telling friends or family members where you are going, bringing a cell phone and bringing a friend.
Anyone with information on Sunday's robbery is asked to call detectives at the sheriff's Altadena Station at (626) 798-1131.

ALTADENA -- A man and woman beat and robbed a man Friday on Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, authorities said.
The incident was reported about 6:30 p.m. on Fair Oaks Avenue near Mendocino Street, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Mike Brandriff said.
A black woman in her 30s approached the victim, a man in his early 50s, and propositioned him for sex, Lt. Larry Landreth said.
A black man in his 50s then pushed the victim to the ground, causing him to strike his head, and punched him in the face, the lieutenant said.
As the injured man lied on the ground, he added, the woman reached into his pocket and stole his wallet.
The man and woman ran south on Fair Oaks Avenue and deputies searched the area with police dogs, but Landreth said the robbers were not found.
The victim suffered a broken nose, a large cut to his head and other injuries in the attack, Landreth said.
He was hospitalized but checked himself out before deputies could interview him at the hospital, officials said. The address and other information he left at the hospital did not appear to be valid.

ALTADENA -- A masked gunman held two gas station employees at gunpoint during a robbery Sunday, authorities said.
The crime was reported about 7:40 p.m. at an Arco station at Fair Oaks Avenue and Woodbury Road, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Greg Cisneros said.
The robber threatened two cashiers at the store with a black handgun and demanded money before fleeing southbound on Fair Oaks Avenue on foot, the lieutenant said.
He was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, about 165 pound, wearing a black hooded sweat shirt and black pants, Cisneros said. Because he wore a mask, the robbers race was unknown.
Officials were reviewing surveillance footage from the store late Sunday in hopes of developing leads, he said.

ALTADENA -- A robber used a note to steal cash from a bank teller early Thursday, sheriff's officials said.
The crime occurred about 10 a.m. at Chase Bank, 2333 N. Lake Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. John Stanley said.
A robber described as a black man in his 40s, between 6 feet 2 inches and 6 feet 4 inches tall, and about 200 pounds, the sergeant said. He was bearded and wore all black clothing.
He used a note to demand cash from a teller, while gesturing as if he had a weapon, Stanley said. No weapon was seen.
The robber was last seen running southbound from the bank with a "large amount" of stolen cash, he added.
PHOTO: courtesy of the FBI

ALTADENA -- A father and son were arrested early Thursday as deputies were investigating a home burglary, authorities said.
Jabari Varnado, 20, was booked suspicion of residential burglary, while his father, 55-year-old Lonell Varnado, was booked on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a stolen firearm, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Sheila Sanchez said.
While neither son nor father has been linked to other Altadena burglaries Thursday afternoon, "We have a strong suspicion the investigation will lead us in that direction," Sanchez said.
At a community meeting held earlier this month, sheriff's officials said Altadena, particularly the eastern portion of the city, has seen a significant spike in burglaries this year. The city-wide increase amounted to about 27.5 percent over last year.
Thursday's arrest came after a woman arrived home in the 1300 block of Eastlyn Place shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday an interrupted a man burglarizing her house, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement
Evidence dropped at the scene of the alleged break-in led investigators to the home of Jabari Varnado in the 2200 block of East Washington Boulevard, Sanchez said, where he lived with his father. Officials declined to give more details about what type of evidence was found.
Deputies set up a surveillance on the home and arrested both men without incident early Thursday, Sanchez said
Jabari Varnado, who was on parole for a previous burglary conviction and wanted on three warrants, was being held without bail, Sanchez said. Lonell Varnado was being held in lieu of $35,000 bail. Both are due for arraignment in Pasadena Superior Court Monday.
Sanchez said detectives were still looking into whether the father or son has any gang ties.

ALTADENA -- Sheriff's officials met with Altadena residents Wednesday evening to ask for their vigilance and warn them of an spike in burglaries this year.
More than 200 people attended the event, held at Webster Elementary School, which was hosted by commanders and detectives from the sheriff's Altadena Station.
"It's been a bad year, especially in the east half of Altadena, for burglaries (and) thefts, but especially residential burglaries," Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Richard Pippin.
Officials responded to 204 reports of burglaries as of Wednesday this year, Pippin said, up from 160 burglaries reported at the same time last year. That amounts to an increase of 27.5 percent.
Authorities added that they take burglaries, particularly residential burglaries where the crooks are more likely to encounter residents, seriously.
"It's a real violation of the sanctity of a home," Pippin said.
Detectives attribute the majority of the crimes to cliques of the Bloods street gang which call Altadena home.
The Pasadena Denver Lanes Bloods, the Altadena Denver Lanes Bloods, the Squiggly Lanes Bloods and the Project Gangster Bloods all operate in the area, Pippin said, and have apprently taken in increased interest in burglary.
"I think it's sort of a gang trend," he said.
The most common form of residential burglary going on now is that where the burglars first knock on the front door of a home to see if anyone is home, then break in through the back if they don't get an answer.
This type of burglary is most common during daylight hours, when residents are often at work, Pippin said. If someone does come to the door, the crooks will often have a story prepared, such as they are searching for a lost cat or need water for an overheated radiator.
If a suspicious person does knock at the door, Pippin said, residents are advised not to remain silent.
"Do not play possum in the house," he said, as that may lead crooks to believe no one is home and it's a good place to break in. "Don't answer (the door), but do something to let them know you're in the house."
In another scheme, officials said, one burglar will distract a resident by telling them they are some sort of worker who needs access to the back yard, while others ransack the home.
Officials offered several tips to help residence reduce their likelihood of becoming victims of a burglary.
"There is nothing more effective than knowing your neighbors," Pippin said, and being able to recognize when something is amiss.
Locks, alarm systems, security lights and dogs were all offered as suggestions, as well as keeping windows covered to prevent burglars from window shopping and making sure the entrances to homes are visible from the street.
If residents own guns, they're urged to keep them in a safe that's bolted into the floor to prevent them from being stolen in burglaries.
"None of these things will guarantee your house will be safe, but they're deterrents," Pippin said.
Sheriff's Altadena station Capt. Roosevelt Blow said he was pleased to see the meeting so well attended.
"It shows that you have concern, and we appreciate that," Blow said.
Fred DeVito, 57, of Altadena said he found the meeting "informative."
"It let's us know as residents that (officials) are concerned and trying to stop it," he said.
"When he started talking about the gangs, that kind of scared me," DeVito said, but added he's glad officials are speaking candidly with the community about local issues.
"You don't want them to sugar-coat it," he said.

There are several smoke animations on the web, including the SSD Fire Detection Map.This satellite image comes from the NOAA:

View Altadena evacuation area in a larger map

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Under Investigation
Date of Origin	Wednesday August 26th, 2009 approx 03:30 PM
Location	Los Angeles River Ranger District / Angeles National Forest
Incident Commander	Jim Hall

Current Situation

Total Personnel	751
Size	5,000 acres
Estimated Containment Date	Tuesday September 08th, 2009 approx 06:00 PM
Fuels Involved	Very heavy fuels of ceanothus, chamise, scrub oak and manzanita across the entire fire area, 15 to 20 feet in height with Big Cone Douglas Fier in the drainage bottoms. Fuels have not experienced any significant large fire activity in the past 40 years.
Fire Behavior	Friday behavior was very active to extreme, with rapid rates of spread and flame lenghts up to 80 feet. There is a potential for Saturday's fire behavior to be similar to Friday. Around noon Saturday, after the inversion has lifted, expect actively spreading fire with upslope runs. Spotting may occur from 1/4 mile up to 1/2 mile.
Significant Events	3 Mandatory Evacuations as of early Saturday morning include Starlight Crest Drive north to Green Ridge Court, including Forest Green Drive, two, Big Briar Way at Haskel, and third, Donna Maria Lane, Indian Drive, Hacienda Drive, Alta Canada Rd., North of Linda Vista, La Canada Blvd. north of El Vago Street. Evacuation Center: La Canada High School, 4463 Oak Grove Drive, La Canada, CA. Angeles Crest Highway remains closed.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Prepare and protect structures when and where necessary. Construct handlines and dozer lines.
Growth Potential	Extreme
Terrain Difficulty	Extremely steep and inaccessible
Remarks	1800 homes threatened. 27 commercial properties and 52 other stuctures threatened.

Current Weather

Wind Conditions	5-8 mph E
Temperature	80 degrees
Humidity	30%

ALTADENA - Sheriff's Search and Rescue team members are heading for Altadena neighborhods in Millard Canyon, La Vina and The Meadows warning residents to be ready to leave if the Station Fire continues to spread east.

"You can't help but be worried," said Sheriff's Law Enforcement Technician Ruby Kinkle. "We're advising people they should be ready to evacuate."

Meadows resident Lee Stapensky said it appeared to him that the fire was getting close to Gould Mesa, which he estimated is a mile from The Meadows, a semi-rural enclave in West Altadena reached by a single road.

"It looks as if it's approximately at the ridge west of Gould Mesa," said Stensky, who has been monitoring the fire since Friday morning.

Fire Service spokesman Bruce Quintelier said that, based on other hearsay reports, what Stepensky has seen "in a general fashion, may not be too far from being correct - spot on."

The fire has been burning so rapidly throughout the day that it's been difficult to keep up with mapping its perimeters, Quintelier said.

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - Residents are being evacuated in the northern part of La Canada Flintridge as the Station Fire now rages out of control.

At about 8 p.m. last night, the Station Fire was 10-percent contained and had burned 500 acres. Overnight, firefighters lost whatever containment they had and the fire has now scorched 1500 acres, spokesman with the U.S. Forest Service Gabriel Alvarez said.

"The wind shifts, the weather conditions, a lot of different factors," contributed to the increased intensity in the fire, Alvarez said.

Residents north of Vista Del Valle Road, east of La Canada Boulevard and north of Starlight Crest Drive are under mandatory evacuations, Alvarez said. About 873 homes are under those evacuations, Alvarez said. An evacuation center has been set up at La Canada High School.

There are now 750 fire personnel fighting the Station Fire, one air tanker, four helicopters and as many as sixteen engines, Alvarez said.

Highway 2, Angeles Crest Highway, is closed all the way across to Big Pines, Alvarez said.