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Top Stories: Oct. 22, 2009'Clean-Piping' Scam; Fruit Thieves; Body Found After Fireby Staff on Oct 22, 2009County Crime Lab Under Water The water came cascading in, flooding all four floors of Santa Clara County's new crime lab. The problem seems to be a cracked seal on a rooftop pump, but the damage that the crack caused is estimated at $600,000. County DA Dolores Carr reports that no evidence in pending cases was damaged, but that is hardly any consolation, considering that the lab, which cost $75 million dollars to build, is only four months old. Just last month, the lab sponsored an evening tour and inspection to inaugurate the modern new building. Among the highlights were its reinforced, mesh-lined walls and state-of-the-art electronic security system. While they might have protected the lab from attack, they didn't do enough to protect it from the rain. The County is currently discussing with the builders who should make the repairs. Once an agreement is reached, it will take six to eight weeks to get things finished. Meanwhile the police will have to wait for their evidence to be processed. Even they must succumb to the forces of nature. Read More at KCBS. ‘Clean-Piping’ Sting Shuts Down Car Shops Mayor Chuck Reed can be rightfully proud that his Green Vision initiative for the city was named the best in the nation, but he should tell local car dealers about it. In a sting operation conducted across the county, technicians at five local automobile shops were found to have swapped readings from clean cars to dirty cars, to help the owners pass a smog check. The price for the swap: as much as $200—which is quite a bit considering that the official test costs only about $30 to $50. District Attorney Dolores Carr announced that at this point, she plans to go after the owners and technicians who made the illegal swaps, called "clean piping." Nevertheless, she recognizes that the car owners are as much to blame. According to her, they knew exactly where to go to get the results they wanted. Perhaps this is a warning to people who paid for the service that they have one more chance to fix the problem before the county comes after them. Read More at ABC 7. Keep Your Hands off My Persimmons! In some places thieves break into people's homes to steal cash, art, or electronics, equipments. Always ahead of the rest of the nation, Mountain View has added a brand new target to aspiring thieves: persimmons. Residents are reporting that people are breaking into their properties and raiding their fruit trees—especially persimmons, but peaches and citrus too. And they're not just after "low-hanging fruit." According to reports, they are coming in groups, parking outside homes, and sending one person up the tree, often with a ladder, to get as much fruit as they can. It's not just kids stealing an apple anymore. Mountain View police are downplaying the incident, and say that they have no intention of prosecuting the thieves. But with persimmons selling at $1.89 a pound, local residents are not happy about this. "We will be watching like hawks," says Mattie Scott, whose own tree has won awards. "Why wouldn't they come into our houses next? asks fellow resident Gretchen McPhail. "One piece of fruit, no big deal. Stripping the trees, that's a big deal." And there are still a few weeks left to harvest season. Read More at CBS 5. Body Found in Vacant Home after Fire When firefighters were called to a vacant home in Almaden Valley to put out a fire, they immediately suspected arson. Now police spokesman Ronnie Lopez is not ruling out murder too. When firefighters searched the basement of the home yesterday morning, they found an unidentified body, though they have yet to give the cause of death. "It could mean an accident, it could mean a suicide, it could mean a homicide, it's just virtually too early for us to tell," said Lopez. The entire incident is troubling to neighbors in this otherwise peaceful neighborhood. There are reports that the house was covered with "anti-police grafitti," and some are wondering whether the home, which has been abandoned since its owners died, was the focus of drug-related activity. Read More at The Mercury News. Read More at ABC 7. Santa Clara Police Investigating Allegations against Teacher When Edward Slate, 41, a teacher at Santa Clara's Wilcox High School, was arrested in August for inappropriate behavior with a 17-year-old student, it seemed as if the problem had been resolved. Now police are investigating whether Slate was involved with several other students, whether these allegations were brought to the attention of principal Tab Taber, and whether Taber misled police and The Mercury News by claiming that no previous incidents involving Slate had ever been brought to his attention. Students, parents, and even a vice principal claim to have informed Taber about the ongoing problems with Slate. According to state law, allegations of abuse must be reported to Child Protective Services or the police within 36 hours, but obviously this did not happen. Now, Santa Clara Unified School District Superintendent Steve Stavis is cooperating with the police, and says that once the investigation is completed, he will make the necessary recommendations to the school board. Read More at The Mercury News. by Staff on Oct 22, 2009 |
 The County's four-month-old, $75 million crime lab was flooded after a rooftop pump malfunctioned. |
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