Armed Home Invasion Robbery in Walnut Creek

May 7, 2012 8:25 am

From a Walnut Creek Police department press release:

Date / Time Occurred: Monday, 05/07/11 @ 0020 hours
Location: Residence on Countrywood Drive, Walnut Creek
Crime Description / Code: Home Invasion Robbery/211 PC
Suspect(s): Hispanic male, early 30’s, thin build
Hispanic male, early 30’s, large/heavy build
Hispanic female, mid to late 20’s, medium build
Hispanic/White female, mid 30’s, thin build

On 05/07/12 at 0034 hours, WCPD Officers responded to a report of an in progress residential home invasion burglary/robbery.

At about 0020 hours, two females entered the backyard of the victims’ house, contacted a resident, and asked to use the phone. When the resident turned around to get the phone, the two females and two other males who were initially out of sight, entered the house without permission. At least one of the suspects was armed with a handgun. All of the residents were contacted at gun point and ordered to lie on the floor. The suspects then ransacked the house looking for property. The suspects then exited the residence through the garage, loaded the stolen items into a vehicle and fled the scene.

No one was injured as a result of this robbery.

Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact Walnut Creek Police Officer Bruce Jower or Detective Scott Moorhouse at (925) 943-5844.

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Pipe Bomb Brought to Joaquin Moraga Middle School

May 4, 2012 6:45 pm

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From a Moraga Police Department press release:

On Friday, 5/4/2012, a 13 year old student brought a 4″ device to Joaquin Moraga School and was discovered showing it to other students by school staff. The device was taken to an office and Moraga Police were called at 2:45 PM. Upon arrival, the device was inspected, the area secured, and the Walnut Creek Bomb Squad was called to respond.

The Bomb Squad verified the contents qualified it as an explosive device. The device was disassembled and removed from campus. Possession of the explosive device on school grounds is a felony and the student was deteained by MPD after searching the student’s residence for any additional devices with none found.

The 13 year-old was released to parents and the case will be referred to the Contra Costa County DA for disposition.

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Props to the Cops – “Walnut Creek Police Arrest Burglary Suspect after Vehicle Pursuit”

May 1, 2012 7:05 pm

From the Walnut Creek Police:

On May 1, 2012 at approximately 11:35 A.M., Walnut Creek Police Officers responded to the 2800 block of Mi Elena Circle in Walnut Creek for a report of an in-progress residential burglary. The suspect fled the house in a white Honda Civic. A Walnut Creek Police Officer spotted the vehicle fleeing the scene and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect (later identified as Keith Patrick Buchanan) actively attempted to elude the officer with his vehicle and a pursuit was initiated. The officer pursued Buchanan onto Oak Grove Road and then onto eastbound Ygnacio Valley Road into Concord. The pursuit was cancelled for public safety reasons. The Concord Police Department located Buchanan’s vehicle abandoned on the 5300 block of Green Meadow in Concord and started a search for Buchanan. Citizens reported Buchanan had hopped over several fences in the neighborhood. A short time later a Walnut Creek Detective Sergeant caught Buchanan on Murchio Street near St. Dustan in Concord. Buchanan was positively identified as the suspect in the residential burglary and the evading of a police officer. He was arrested for residential burglary, evading a police officer and probation violations. He is currently in-custody with the Contra Costa Sheriff Office on a $170,000 bail.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department Detective Moorhouse at (925)943-5877.

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Walnut Creek Resident Charged with False Reporting of a Crime

April 25, 2012 9:30 am

From a Moraga Police Department press release:

On 02-28-12 at approximately 6:55 PM, Moraga Police responded to the parking lot of the Rheem Valley Shopping Center to investigate an armed robbery report. Officers met Yang Chen, a 25 year old Walnut Creek resident, who reported that he had just been robbed at knifepoint by a black male in his 30’s, reportedly wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. Chen reported that the suspect had brandished a large knife, and demanded Chen’s money. Chen said he handed the suspect $200 in cash and the suspect was last seen running north towards the intersection of Moraga Road and Rheem Blvd. Officers from Moraga, Lafayette, and Orinda Police departments responded immediately and conducted an intense, but unsuccessful, search for the suspect.

After a thorough investigation, including the creation and dissemination of a composite sketch of the suspect to all police agencies in Contra Costa, Alameda, and Solano Counties, inconsistencies in Chen’s report led Moraga PD investigators to re-interview and challenge Chen’s account. Chen eventually admitted the event was entirely fictitious, and stated that he had concocted the story to observe how police react to an armed robbery.

The initial response by three police agencies, Moraga PD’s investigative time, and the cost of a sketch artist represents a significant and unnecessary use of public funds. Additionally, the sketch of the fictitious black suspect unnecessarily caused local law enforcement to focus on any look-alike as a potential armed suspect. The false report also caused safety concerns for local citizens and, as a result, may have negatively impacted the retailers in the shopping center.

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has filed a misdemeanor charge of violating section 148.5 of the Penal Code (False Reporting of a Crime) against Chen, with an initial court appearance scheduled on May 7th at 8:30 a.m. in Walnut Creek Superior Court.

I suppose it wouldn’t be appropriate to have a horse’s ass award on this site, but if it were, surely this would warrant it.

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A Colorful Mind Drawing Studio to Offer Summer Camp in Downtown Walnut Creek

April 24, 2012 11:30 am

Back in February I noted the opening of the children’s drawing studio A Colorful Mind. They recently added a summer camp program which starts June 11th from 9am – noon. From their website:

Prices range from $250 – $310 per week. You can read a description for each class here. So while your little ones go here you can hang out in the recently remodeled Starbucks or Peet’s. Does anyone know of any other summer camps nearby?

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Diablo Ballet Fundraiser to Benefit PEEK Youth Outreach Program April 26th

April 20, 2012 4:30 pm

From an email:

Diablo Ballet of Walnut Creek mixes beauty & ballet in a fundraising event for its PEEK Youth Outreach Program. Beauty, Body, & Ballet takes place on Thursday April 26th 6 – 8 PM at SkinSpirit Spa, 1647 North California Blvd. in Walnut Creek. Admission is free for 21 years and older.

In conjunction with Walnut Creek Magazine and SkinSpirt Spa of Walnut Creek, guests are invited to walk the red carpet into an evening of fun and glamour, where they can try the latest beauty cosmetics and treatments, enjoy wine and tasty appetizers, plus enter the drawing to win great prizes such as a Napa Valley wine tour, dinners at local restaurants, and more.

Proceeds from Beauty, Body, & Ballet will benefit Diablo Ballet’s acclaimed PEEK Youth Outreach Program, which brings in-school arts education to over 5,000 elementary school students in under-served areas of Contra Costa County each year. Congressman John Garrimendi recently awarded Diablo Ballet a state proclamation recognizing the PEEK Program for its invaluable service to the community.

Beauty, Body, & Ballet happens Thursday April 26th 6 – 8 PM at SkinSpirit Spa, 1647 North California Blvd. in Walnut Creek. Admission is free. Advance RSVP is requested by calling SkinSpirit at 925-952-9200. For more information, visit Diablo Ballet at www.DiabloBallet.org.

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Man Driving White Lexus Killed in Crash on Highway 24 in Orinda

April 18, 2012 4:15 pm

photo by Flickr user kaylacasey

The Contra Costa Times reported that a Pleasant Hill man died in a crash on Highway 24 earlier today after hitting a tree. It was reported that the driver was driving erratically. A pit bull in the car survived.

I happened to drive past the accident, well after it happened but before the car was removed and couldn’t believe what happened to the car. I’ve never seen a car so smashed up before.

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Pet Euthanasia Services – Pets Eternal Rest in Walnut Creek

April 17, 2012 1:30 pm

Pets Eternal Rest is a pet euthanasia service located at 544 Ygnacio Valley Road in downtown Walnut Creek. From their website:

We, including our pets, are sensitive to our environments. Veterinary hospital environments, because they are public and can be busy, can sometimes feel impersonal and rushed. Pets Eternal Rest offers an environmental alternative for you, your family, and pet during the euthanasia process. Our environment is private, quiet, and kindhearted. This environmental choice allows families to gather and spend the time needed to say good bye to a pet that is a beloved family member.

I never realized such a service even existed.

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Plaque of the Day

April 17, 2012 11:30 am

Spotted on Croakerts St. in Walnut Creek near the new VW dealership, the plaque says:

Site of the homestead of
BERNARD CROKAERTS
1882 – 1972
Fifty-year resident of Walnut Creek
Awarded a certificate of merit by the
Walnut Creek City Council in 1972 for
his role in the early development and
growth of the city and its North
Broadway Area
Erected 1989

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Back to the Table Cooking School Opening July in Lafayette

April 17, 2012 8:30 am

Back to the Table Cooking School will be opening in July in Lafayette next to Queen Bee at 271 Lafayette Circle. In addition to cooking classes they will also offer space for local, home-based business that need extra space and equipment. From their website:

We are excited for our grand opening of Back to the Table, planned for July 2012. Sisters Leslie Pease and Lisa Evaristo had the concept of a cooking school and production kitchen space in Lafayette. Seeing a need to bring cooking and family meals back, they then discovered a need in our community for‘home based’ businesses to have the proper space and equipment to work. The brand new Cooking school and Production kitchen will provide that proper space for your culinary creations with “state of the art” and new professional equipment.

Check out the equipment they have available in their 2 story building:

The equipment that is available on the first floor cooking school:

2 Double gas ovens

6 burner gas range

Industrial refrigerator

Industrial freezer

Microwave

Food Processor

KitchenAid mixer

The equipment that is available on the second floor production kitchen:

4 Full size convection/conventional gas ovens

6 burner gas range

10 –ft x 10-ft walk in refrigerator

8-ft x 8-ft walk in freezer

Microwave

60 quart mixer

Two 8 feet work tables

Cooling racks

Food Processor

Scale

Private 2 x 5 work stations available.

Space available for packaging and staging product

Internet connection

Since the Viking store (and cooking classrooms) closed in Walnut Creek, it looks like this will be a great addition to the neighborhood for cooking classes. I look forward to seeing what kind of classes will be offered.

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