Thursday, May 17, 2012
A 33-year-old San Rafael man was booked in Marin County jail on charges of battery.
San Rafael police arrested a suspect accused of breaking the nose of another man during a fight, according to police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher. San Rafael resident Robert Keith Bonge, 33, was booked in Marin County jail on Wednesday on charges of battery and violation of probation. His bail is set at $50,000. At approximately 6p.m. on May 15, Bonge and a 29-year-old male were fighting near the 400 block of Merrydale Road on the railroad tracks. During the argument, Bonge allegedly struck the victim in the face, breaking his nose. The victim suffered lacerations to the face and had to be treated. The report did not say if either of the men were intoxicated, Rohrbacher said. The victim reported the incident to the police and officers …
In their latest report, the Marin Grand Jury said that the red-light cameras reduce intersection accidents and are worth the price.
Do you think San Rafael should have more red-light cameras? A new report from the Marin Civil Grand Jury finds that San Rafael's red-light cameras reduce intersection accidents and are worth cost. Released on Monday, the report titled "Red Light Cameras: Big Money, Big Brother or Big Safety?" stated that the rate of intersection accidents in San Rafael decreased by 12 percent in the first year of their operation, and that the cameras work best when “used in conjunction with creative city planning, constant reviews or traffic flow and continued use of other innovative traffic distribution options.” {Find the Grand Jury report on the right.} The report also states that opponents’ claims that the red-light cameras violate their rights to …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Ever wonder where our police officers get some of their equipment?
Ever wonder what happens to surplus military equipment once the Defense Department doesn't need it? According to California Watch, some of it ends up in Marin County as well as thousands of other agencies nationwide. More than 17,000 local agencies in the United States take advantage of the Defense Department’s equipment giveaways, when they can snatch up items like M16 rifles, helicopters, microwaves, survival kits, workout equipment, bayonet knives, ammunition cans and more. While other local police agencies have stocked their equipment shelves, Marin law enforcement has not participated in the program since 1999 when they received 16 5.56 millimeter rifles, valued at $7,136, according to the California Watch data. Dating back to 1993, …
Monday, May 14, 2012
A man is accused of attacking a motorist after hitting him with his car on Friday evening.
California Highway Patrol officers arrested a man who allegedly attacked several people after a car accident on Friday, according to CHP spokesperson Eric Hohmeister. Santa Rosa resident Joshua Fowler, 30, was booked in Marin County jail on two counts of assault and battery, as well as driving while intoxicated. Around 6:51 p.m. on May 11, CHP received reports of a collision on southbound Highway 101, just north of Lincoln Avenue. Fowler, driving 2001 Mazda Tribute at high speed, sideswiped a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am, according to Hohmeister. The impact caused the Mazda to careen out of control and hit the concrete center divider several times, he said. Both vehicles pulled off on the right shoulder, and Fowler allegedly attacked the male …
Driving while texting can even interfere with law enforcement, CHP says
- POLICE & FIRE
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Monday, May 14
Cell phone calls, texts and other distractions on the road earned approximately 5,900 Bay Area motorists citations from the California Highway Patrol last month, the CHP announced Friday. The 5,900 citations to drivers throughout the region came during the CHP's "It's Not Worth It" campaign to remind the public of the dangers distracted driving poses as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, according to CHP officials. "We were overwhelmed with the support here in the Bay Area," CHP Chief Teresa Becher said in a statement. "Our allied law enforcement agencies as well as many other public and private entities in the community stepped forward to make a difference." Last month, the CHP issued roughly 30,000 citations statewide …
Two boys get separated from their families during a Mt. Tam hike, sparking a frantic search. But it all had a happy ending.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Max Wade, of San Rafael, has been charged as an adult with seven felonies, including two counts of attempted murder and commercial burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle for Guy Fieri's Lamborghini.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Thursday, May 10
A 17-year-old boy suspected in an April shooting in Mill Valley and the theft of celebrity chef Guy Fieri's yellow Lamborghini from a San Francisco dealership last year made a brief appearance in Marin County Superior Court this morning. Max Wade, of San Rafael, has been charged as an adult with seven felonies, including two counts of attempted murder for the shooting, and commercial burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle for the Lamborghini theft. He appeared in court at the Marin Civic Center this morning, although he did not enter a plea, and will return to court June 20 for a hearing requested by his attorney, Charles Dresow, on whether the case should proceed in adult court or be moved to juvenile court. “I want to encourage the …
Three were injured in a DUI accident that occurred early Thursday morning.
Police arrested a woman on suspicion of drunken driving after she was rescued from a burning car on Point San Pedro Road this morning. San Rafael resident Guadalupe Pantoja, 20, was booked in Marin County jail Thursday on the felony charge of driving while intoxicated and causing bodily harm. At approximately 1:25 a.m., Pantoja was traveling at high speed eastbound on Point San Pedro Road near Summit Avenue when she lost control of the vehicle and rear ended a 2004 Porsche Cayanne that was parked on the right shoulder, according to California Highway Patrol spokesperson Eric Hohmeister. Pantoja’s car struck a fence and trees at 320 Point San Pedro Road. The Porsche was forced forward, rotated 180 degrees until it impacted a parked 1995 …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Police found a suspect rummaging through the back seat of a car at downtown parking structure.
Police arrested a man suspected of stealing from cars in the parking garage at Fifth Avenue and Court Street, according to police spokesperson Margo Rohrbacher. San Rafael resident Michael Leon Bryant, 31, was booked in Marin County jail Tuesday on burglary charges. His bail is $15,000. At approximately 4 p.m., a witness told a downtown bike cop that a man was entering cars in the parking structure. When the officer approached, he found Bryant rummaging through a car’s back seat, Rohrbacher said. “He put his arm through the crack in the window and unlocked the door,” she said. A rash of car thefts occurred in the Gerstle Park neighborhood at the end of April, but police do not suspect that the incidents are related at this time.
Police arrested a man suspected of ransacking his ex-girlfriend's apartment.
Police arrested a man suspected of ransacking an ex-girlfriend’s apartment after she broke off their relationship, according to police spokesperson Margo Rohrbacher. Corte Madera resident Justin Charles Blanchfield, 29, was arrested at the Cheese Cake Factory Tuesday on suspicion of burglary. On April 30, the 34-year-old female victim came home to find her apartment on North Avenue had ransacked. Thousands of dollars worth of valuables were broken and destroyed. Police officers determined that the suspect entered with a key, according to the police log. The victim told officers that her boyfriend threatened to vandalize her place if she broke up with him, which she did the previous Thursday. A framed picture of the couple was missing among…
RC
10:53 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012
Sickening to the stomach...how a 17 year old can contemplate such crimes. more ›