Myrtle Drive, Concord CA

Myrtle Drive Auto Burglaries

2010-03-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

On March 7, 2010 around 3:45 AM, not being able to sleep, I got up and went to our outside fridge in the back yard to get a cold drink when I thought I heard voices. I got our dogs up and sent them outside to do their neighborhood watch duty. They both started barking loudly (what a surprise!) at our front gate by the garage. I came back inside dragging both of them with me and locked up. Since I was wide awake by then I started watching the surveillance cameras and found three young men on Shadywood Court going from car to car trying to get in. I ran to the back gate while dialing 911 and started yelling at them, telling them they were being filmed and that the police were on the way. The police were here pretty quickly but as far as I know didn’t catch them. The police did call me while they were patrolling and told me if they did find anyone they would call me back.

I checked the backup tapes around 4:30 and found that the three had indeed been on Karas Court before going to Shadywood and spent 7 minutes going through any unlocked cars on our court. It seems they did get into at least one of the neighbors cars on Karas and one on Shadywood Court.

These three young men came down Myrtle, on foot, from the direction of Kirker Pass, entered Karas and then headed to Shadywood Court. I don’t know if anyone further up Myrtle had anything stolen from their cars but if so you need to call the Concord Police and make a report no matter what was taken.

On March 3rd a house on Ayers was broken into between 8:00 and 9:00 AM. The owner came by on the 4th to see if we had any footage of the white El Camino that was involved but the car did not come down Myrtle. The thieves took the families 5 foot gun safe which contained all their personal information, money and guns. It could have been someone who knew they weren’t home but they lost quite a bit. It looks like we have to start keeping our guard up again.

‘Tis the Season to be more Careful and Observant!

2009-12-14T12:38:00.001-08:00

The last couple of months have been pretty quiet in our neighborhood but now the Holiday Season has arrived and so have the strangers on our doorsteps.

I received the following email from our neighbor across the street:

“hi susan......this is frank across the street........I have something to report that happened last night (Friday, Dec 11th).......around 6:30PM Lupe called me to say that there was a disorientated (or drunk) African American guy pounding on our front door....I was driving home from work, and was already only about a mile away. By the time I got there, he was gone...

She saw no car, and yes, should have called 911, but didn't.

Don't know if this is worth posting or not, but thought you should know anyway....”

Earlier in the week a woman approached our front patio gate and could not enter because we keep it locked. I opened the garage door to see what she wanted. She asked if I was “The Lady of the house” to which I replied “No, I’m the housekeeper (which is really not a lie)”. She then wanted to know when would be a good time to come back. I told her the owners did not open the door to strangers and that none of the neighbors on the court did either. I also informed her that she was being filmed. She left. I too should have called the police but didn’t.

We all know that the holidays are the time when more homes, cars and people are robbed. This is especially a good time to take extra precautions when arriving home, answering the door to strangers and being aware of our surroundings while out holiday shopping. Here are a couple of security steps that we should all try to remember:

Remember these important security steps:

Install solid core doors, heavy duty locks, and window security devices
Lock all doors, windows, and garages at all times
Use four three-inch screws to secure heavy duty lock strike plates in the door frame
Use the door peephole BEFORE opening the door
Use your porch light to help you to see clearly outside
Never rely on a chain-latch as a barrier to partially open the door
Never open the door to strangers or solicitors
Call the police if the stranger acts suspicious
Alert your neighbors to suspicious solicitors
Hold a family meeting to discuss home security plans
Set the home perimeter alarm at night, if you have one

Have a safe and wonderful Holiday Season and look out for your neighbors!

Subpoenaed to Testify as Witness against Kelvin Simpson

2009-07-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

This week I received a subpoena for the criminal action of the Mail Theft I've been posting about for the last few months. The subpoena stated:

YOU ARE COMMANDED TO APPEAR BEFORE THE JUDGE OF THE ABOVE DESIGNATED COURT ON THE DATE AND TIME INDICATED BELOW AS A WITNESS IN A CRIMINAL ACTION PROSECUTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

KELVIN SIMPSON CASE: 5090595-0 F DATE: 08/04/2009 TIME: 8:00 AM

Please report to the District Attorney’s Office 900 Ward Street, 3rd Floor, Martinez.

You have been subpoenaed as a witness. Your attendance at court is required by law so that both the accused and the prosecution have a fair and impartial trial. A subpoena is not a request; it is a court order telling you to be present at the time and place stated.

There were over 300 people who had their mail stolen and I'm wondering how many others have been subpoenaed. Anyone else out there?

Doing Drugs on Myrtle Drive

2009-07-16T09:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM I spotted this metallic brown SUV (Explorer I think) parked outside of my kitchen window. There were two Caucasian males inside, mid twenties perhaps, sitting in the shade of our trees. The passenger had reddish-brown hair and one of those little tufts of hair under his lower lip and I believe a mustache. I couldn’t get a clear description of the driver.

Parking along Myrtle wouldn’t normally be unusual when Ayers Elementary is in session but on the average day there are no cars parked along Myrtle outside of my kitchen. As I watched from the window the driver of the car shoved a straw or some other white cylinder-shaped object up his nose and proceeded to snort something from the center console between him and the passenger. When he was though with his snort, he dampened his fingers and licked the remaining drug (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t allergy medicine) until he got it all.

As fast as I was I couldn’t get outside to take a picture of the license plate but rest assured I’ll be on the lookout for this SUV again. We don’t need drug usage on our streets and this driver should never have been driving under the influence! This is a family neighborhood with lots of children, pets and people walking along Myrtle Drive.

Bail Set at $550,000 for Kelvin Simpson

2009-04-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Update on the arrest of Kelvin and Honey Simpson in the mail theft case. I received another email from Detective Leonard stating:

“I just wanted to let you know that your case was filed with the District Attorney late last week.

The female was charged with a felony count of possession of stolen property and now has a $20,000 warrant for her arrest

The male was also charged with a felony count of possession of stolen property and now has a $550,000 warrant. His bail amount is much higher because of past criminal history.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, and thank you for being so thorough in helping us out.”

This email gave me great hopes that our problems were solved; however I have received a couple of other emails that indicate mail has been stolen since the arrests of Kelvin and Honey. Yesterday I received this email and it appears we are not out of the woods yet and that others may be involved in stealing mail.

“The other day another mail theft occurred on the area of Ayers and Myrtle. It was in the Sheriff Dept's jurisdiction, the area between Ayers and Bailey on Myrtle. I just wanted to let you know, there seem to still be people out there invading the mail boxes. Luckily this case the resident followed the bad guy, got a license plate number and the car was found, unoccupied. The Sheriff dept is investigating this latest caper. So just beware that even though 1 or 2 were arrested, sounds like there are more involved, don't let down your guard.”

As I get more information about the case against the Simpsons I will keep you posted.

Secret Service Turns Mail Theft Case over to Contra Costa County

2009-04-07T16:10:00.001-07:00

Arrested in mid-January for the Mail Theft in our neighborhood were Kelvin Simpson 40 and Honey Simpson 37, both from East County. Originally the Secret Service was handling the investigation due to the possibility of Identity Theft. The investigation has now been turned over to Contra Costa County to be resolved. Detective Brian Leonard of Pleasant Hill Police Department has been working directly with Detective Phelan of the Concord Police Department to resolve this case.

Kelvin and Honey Simpson are responsible for stealing mail from approximately 300 people going back as far as seven months ago. Kelvin is still in custody for parole issues.

If any of you feel that you have had your identity jeopardized due to this mail theft please contact the Concord or Pleasant Hill Police Departments to advise them of your concerns.

Thanks to Detectives Leonard and Phelan for helping our community and taking the time to communicate their findings.

Mail Thieves Arrested in Pleasant Hill!

2009-04-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

In January I posted the Myrtle Drive Mail Theft. Those of us who left our mail in unlocked mail boxes took a lot of heat at that time. Today I have some great news for you. The mail thieves have been caught and arrested in Pleasant Hill!

I received a call from Detective Brian Leonard of the Pleasant Hill Police Department yesterday telling me that a man and woman were arrested at a motel in Pleasant Hill. The clerk on duty at the motel noticed that the identification presented at registration didn’t correspond with the persons checking in and called the Pleasant Hill Police. When the police arrived and searched the couple’s room they found some of my mail and that of about 300 other people. Detective Leonard has been reviewing my surveillance videos with the Concord Police. I have a call into Detective Leonard to let him know that I have additional footage of the man in question coming back in December and attempting to steal the mail again. When he contacts me I will try and get the name of the man and woman involved and pass that information on to you. Right now all I know is that they are from “East County”. I will update you with more information once I talk to Detective Leonard again.

The old videos are on the sidebar if you want to see them again.

Caught Dirty-Handed!

2009-03-22T16:30:00.001-07:00

Since posting last Tuesday about the Dumpster Diver on Myrtle Drive, I received the following email on Friday from Anne:

“This man was in the garbage at 4515 Melody Drive about 2:30 p.m. today. He was driving a white truck. When he was told to get out of the garbage he said "I've got two kids." It took telling him twice more to get out of the garbage before he left.”

It appears to be the same man! We know stealing recyclables is illegal and we also know that he’s roaming the neighborhoods at night. Tomorrow starts another day of garbage collection for many of us. So here’s the question; Turn him in or let him go? Let me know what you think! If you decide we should turn him in then I will personally take the pictures and license plate number to Concord Disposal and speak to a supervisor since I've had no response to my online report.

Ann has furnished his license plate number to me but it has been removed from the above picture until you let me know what your thoughts are.

Myrtle Drive Car Break-Ins Update

2009-03-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks we’ve had several car break-ins in our neighborhood. I’ve been communicating with neighbors on both Shadywood Court and Oakridge Court. The picture of the “suspect” vehicle involved in the Oakridge incident was sent to the Concord Police Department on Monday. Today we received an email from the CPD officer saying “Thanks for letting me know! I appreciate being in the loop and ALL the efforts that you have undertaken! The communication between the neighborhood and the police department is truly stellar and very much appreciated.”

Pam of Shadywood emailed Monday saying “I took the video footage of the suspicious car down to the Detective today. Thanks Susan for getting this for me. He said the suspects are in jail at this time for parole violations, but does not think we will get any of our stuff back. He appreciated having the video to look at, it may be another way to connect the suspects to the robberies that took place that night.”

By working together as neighbors and in conjunction with the Concord Police Department we are making some progress in making our neighborhood a safer place to be.

I am not including the CPD’s names for their own privacy.

More Mail Theft Reported!

2009-03-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

As posted in January the above video shows mail theft along Myrtle Drive.

Once again our neighborhood is having problems with mail theft. I recently received this email from a Myrtle Drive resident who says “Just an FYI, I had a check stolen from my mailbox on Myrtle on March 10, in the afternoon. It was cashed on the 12th and the bank is investigating. Not looking for much to happen there, but wanted others to know that mail theft (again) is occurring on Myrtle. Thanks”

A friend of ours from Laurel informed me at dinner Sunday night that he too was missing a check from his mail box. He has since had it replaced.

This is just a “heads up” that this is still an ongoing problem in our neighborhood. Also, do not place any outgoing mail in your box but rather drop it off at the Post Office.

Please report all mail theft to the Concord Police and the Postal Inspector. Stealing mail is a federal offense!

Dumpster Diver on Myrtle

2009-03-17T09:09:00.001-07:00

Update: I just went to the Concord Disposal Website and found that recycle theft is illegal. You can file an online complaint by clicking on: REPORT RECYCLE THEFT

It's garbage day for a lot of us along Myrtle Drive today. Early this morning around 1:15 this truck was spotted at my neighbor's house and was seen going through their garbage can. He then proceeded into our court checking for garbage and the last I saw of him was on Shadywood Court. He pulled into Shadywood Court and when he found no cans curbside he backed out and headed in the direction of Ayers.

If any of your garbage cans were disheveled this morning this is the guy you're looking for!

Oakridge Court Car Break In

2009-03-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Marianne who says "We live up in Oakridge Ct. and our daughter's car was broke into last night, the second time in about 2 months."

Our back gate camera is not able to pick up Marianne's street but I did find the car in the picture above who came from her direction at 5:57 AM on 03.14.09, entered our court staying for several minutes and then leaving on Myrtle towards Kirker Pass.

We have forwarded a picture of the car in question to the Concord Police Department and Marianne has filed an on-line Police Report.

If anyone recognizes this car please let us know or call the Concord Police Department!

Selling Your Home in a Crowded Market

2009-03-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

Two years ago we found ourselves in a predicament. We had been remodeling a house for almost a year, used up most of our savings and found that the market value of the home had dropped $100,000 since the previous year. Not Good!

I noticed that many people look at houses without their spouses. They leave with a brochure on your house and maybe a website where there is a virtual tour. They look at many houses and after a while they all start looking the same and nothing much is setting them apart.

Before the first open house I decided to make a DVD of the house to be given to Real Estate Agents and all interested parties. After two weeks of passing out DVDs we had three offers and during week three we sold the house! Did the DVDs help? They didn’t hurt!

So try something creative yourself when selling your home. It's not only fun, you’d be surprised what a difference it will make.

Click on this link for 7 tips to sell your home in a crowded market

If you're having trouble viewing the video at the top of the post click on this link: 5299 Pine Hollow Road

Myrtle Drive Online Garage Sale

2009-03-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

Update: Almost everything has sold as of 03.16.09!

Like many of you out there we have tons of "treasures" to get rid of. I suggested to my husband that we have a garage sale. He wasn't too keen on the idea and told me to try and find another way to sell some of the things we have in storage and in our home that we no longer want or need.

I thought I'd give this a try. A Myrtle Drive Online Garage Sale! If this works out maybe I will be able to help some of you get rid of your "treasures" too. It's worth a try anyway!

There is a slideshow on the sidebar of current items for sale. Email me if you are interested in anything.

Mayor of Claycord's New Laptop!

2009-03-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

As all of you faithful followers of Claycord.com know, the Mayor's Laptop finally gave up the ghost a couple of weeks ago. His very dear friend has set up a PayPal account for anyone who chooses to donate for the purchase of a new laptop. This of course will be the laptop of his choice, not the picture above (just used that as an example).

Your donation does not have to be large, any amount will help towards the purchase. The Mayor has given us so much and this is a great way to give a little back. Please consider donating.

By clicking on the title of this post you will directed to the PayPal donation site. Thanks to all of you in advance for anything you can donate.

THANK YOU Mayor for all you do for us!

Update: Received an email from the Mayor's Friend who says the Mayor has been really touched by the outpouring of kindness from everyone. Let's keep it going even if you can only contribute a few dollars it will greatly help in the purchase of his much-needed laptop!

Concord Disposal Will NOT Pick Up!

2009-03-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago my green waste was not picked up. Not a big deal because the can wasn't full and I thought MAYBE I didn't get it out in time for pick up. Last week my husband was outside when the Green Waste driver showed up and he passed our house without even stopping. My husband dragged the can across the street and waited for him to come back out of our court. When asked why he didn't stop at our house the driver replied "your cans have to be 3 feet apart or we don't pick it up". The driver then suggested we move our cans to the other side of our driveway in front of the mail box. My husband (he has a lot of tact) told the driver that if we did that the mail carrier couldn't deliver and that maybe our entire court should just wheel all of our cans out to Myrtle so the driver wouldn't be inconvenienced driving through. Well the driver took our green waste but he wasn't a happy camper!

I've measured all three of our cans and added in the "3 Feet" requirement for a total measurement of 12.75 feet. Most of us do not have the luxury of this much space on either side of our driveways because of cars parked on the street. That leaves placing the cans in front of our driveways. Can any of us block 12.75 feet in front of our driveways and still back out? I think not!

Here are the requirements as per Concord Disposal:

Q: How should the new garbage, recycling and yard waste containers be placed at the curb under the new 2008 service?

A: Under the new service, you will no longer have to carry heavy recycling bins or green waste bags or cans to the curb for collection. You will have an all-wheeled set of three containers that can easily be wheeled to the curb on the evening before or by 5 a.m. on the day of your garbage collection service. All wheeled containers should be placed at the curb, three-feet apart from one another – not obstructed by or close to any parked vehicle or any other object.. This will allow Concord Disposal’s new automated trucks to pick-up and empty the containers without damage to any property.

I appreciate that Concord Disposal has automated their service, cutting back the number of employees manning the trucks while increasing our costs (sarcasm) but what I don't appreciate is having these trucks speeding through the neighborhood, NOT picking up when it isn't convenient to them and lastly, leaving garbage on my street that I have to pick up at the end of the day.

If this is happening to any of you too I'd love to hear about it!

Rash of Car Break-Ins

2009-02-21T06:33:00.000-08:00

Update and Apology! It seems that the car in the first picture belongs to one of the neighbor's kids who is a night owl. Don't worry, I will get to know your street and your habits just like I do on our court. My sincere apologies!

As reported in the previous post, Thursday morning proved fruitful for thieves who broke into several cars located on Shadywood Court as well as a couple of other courts nearby.

While reviewing Friday's videos I once again caught a car entering Shadywood at 3:40 AM. This car stayed on the court for approximately 4 minutes, plenty of time to do their dirty work. The first picture listed is the car in question.

This morning I got up early and caught this second vehicle at 4:52 AM cruising through our court. When I went outside to get his license plate and call the Police he took off quickly onto Myrtle in the direction of Kirker Pass.

The third picture was taken this morning of one of our Concord Police Officers patrolling our court. Concord PD has been extremely visible on Myrtle for the past few nights and hopefully this will deter some of the criminal activity we've been experiencing.

We are grateful for the Concord Police Department's help. It is my understanding that they have already lifted a print from one of the vehicles that was broken into and have made a "hit" on that print. Hopefully they will be able to catch someone soon.

Myrtle Drive Thieves Are Back!

2009-02-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

Update: Since this morning's posting we've determined that the theft took place between 3:10 AM and 3:19 AM. There is a slideshow on the sidebar of the vehicle in question. If any of you recognize this vehicle please contact the Concord PD with the information.

Well things have been pretty quiet on Myrtle for about a month now so it was just a matter of time before the thieves returned.

This house located on Shadywood Court had their SUV broken into sometime between 11:00 PM last night and 5:00 AM this morning. We're having some difficulty determining the exact time because of the wind and the motion-sensor camera located on our back gate but with some determination I will review every minute of the evening until I can come up with a more exact time. The windows in the vehicle were not broken but everything inside was stolen. It is their son's SUV and contained everything he needed for school.

After visiting with this neighbor and sharing our concerns about the neighborhood, my husband moved our back-gate camera. From now on all activity entering and leaving Shadywood Court will be filmed.

If anyone from the neighborhood reading this had property stolen last night as well, please email me with specifics and I will get the word out to the rest of the neighborhood. The only way we are going to stop these crimes is to work together to prevent them. Please remember to report ALL thefts and suspicious activities to the Concord Police Department. They do care and want to know!

Concord Pd ePolice Report Online

2009-02-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

For those of you who would like to file a Police Report online, the Concord Police Department has online filing for non-emergency crimes and crimes limited to $400.

After completing the necessary information you will receive an actual report id and you will be able to print the report for your records. A valid form of identification and an email address are required to complete this form.

The following types of incidents are reportable online.

Harassing Phone Calls
Unsolicited phone calls of an annoying, harassing or threatening nature.

Lost Property (Limit $400)
When property is missing or lost.

Theft (Limit $400)
The act or an instance of stealing; larceny.

Theft from a vehicle (Limit $400)
The act or an instance of stealing property from an unlocked vehicle.

Vandalism (Limit $400)
The act of changing, modifying or defacing public or private property.

Vehicle Tampering (Limit $400)
The act or instance of tampering with a Motor Vehicle

Only incidents that occurred within the city limits can be reported. This includes interstate highways that pass through the city, unincorporated areas, other surrounding areas, and county locations.

This seems like a great way to help the Concord PD, as well as ourselves, by eliminating the need to use the PD's resources that could well be used to protect us from more pressing crimes. I myself plan to use this the next time rather than call in with the information, AND you get a printed report for your files.

Click on the links to learn more or to file a ePolice Report online!

Installing Motion Sensor Lights

2009-02-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

Although it's impossible to protect your home and valuables 100% against thieves, there are still things you can do to make their jobs harder.

Install weather-proof deck, patio and yard external lights with motion sensors to activate when an intruder walks into their sensor zone. These lights can replace your existing outdoor lighting or you can install them as stand-alone lights (this requires additional wiring). They come in many styles and most of these lights are inexpensive and can be purchased at our local Home Depot, Orchard Supply and Ace Hardware.

For instructions on how to install these lights yourself, click the title of this Post and you will be directed to the HGTV website for a video on replacing your existing outside lights.

Myrtle Drive Incorporated, Unincorporated

2009-02-05T12:19:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I received a post from Kay who lives on Myrtle drive near Bailey Road. Her concerns are for the insane traffic cutting through our neighborhood, cars parked or cruising waiting to make drug drops and the empty field at the corner of Bailey and Myrtle. Hey, we’re on the same page here!

I started thinking about that empty lot and wondering who owns it, what their plans are for it and what we can do as neighbors to have this property fenced in or blocked somehow to prevent the trespassing that goes on at all hours of the night.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, my husband and I found a man lying in the ditch at Bailey and Myrtle a couple of weeks ago and stopped to find out if he needed help. My husband and I thought about calling the police and reporting him. Now after re-reading Kay’s post it has come to my attention that 1/3 of Myrtle Drive is unincorporated. While Kay calls the Sherriff with complaints, a few blocks from her we call the Concord PD with complaints.

For those of you who obviously know more about how the Sherriff and Concord PD work together than I do, who do you call if you have crime at the border line of the County and City which appears to be the Ayers and Myrtle intersection? If these “gangstas” hit my street I call the Concord PD. A few minutes later they could hit Kay and she calls the Sherriff?

Help me understand the process please!

Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program

2009-01-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

I did some research over the weekend regarding speed limits and from everything I’ve read there are a couple of things we can do on Myrtle Drive that might help. In the eight years we’ve lived here I’ve never seen a Speed Display Unit on this street; however I have seen them in other areas. Most of you have seen these I’m sure but here is a description of the Unit and what it does:

Speed Display Unit

Description: The speed display unit is a portable trailer equipped with a radar unit that detects the speed of passing vehicles and displays it on a reader board, often with a speed limit sign next to the display.

Application: The primary benefit of speed display units is to discourage speeding along neighborhood streets.

The other thing I found was that if 5 (five) neighbors feel there is a problem with speed in their neighborhood a Community Action Request Form can be filled out and submitted to The City Of Concord Transportation Division.

Community Action Request Form

The purpose of this form is to enable neighborhoods to request the possible initiation of a traffic study in accordance with the City of Concord’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program. The form must be filled out in its entirety, including a short description of current problems, and the names of residents and/or property owners from at least five different residences within the affected area.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this form you can email me and I will forward one to you or you can read the report in full by clicking the title of this post.

I’m sure there are more than 5 of us out here that would like to have this study done. If you would like I would be happy to bring one of these forms to Ayers Elementary for those of you who have the time to sign before or after school when picking your children up. Let me know your thoughts on this.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

CPD & Chris Timmer - THANK YOU!

2009-01-20T05:31:00.000-08:00

On January 19th at 12:48 AM a a white vehicle that did not belong on our court pulled in and parked between two of our residences. At 12:49 Chris Timmer, a recent graduate of Clayton Valley High, returned home and reported this car to his mother Laura and asked what the Neighborhood Watch was supposed to do about "suspicious vehicles". His mother Laura immediately called the Concord Police.

When I awoke yesterday morning I reviewed the videos from the night before and found a scene that looked like something you'd see on TV. Three CPD’s arrived and pretty much blocked off our court. No way out for these guys!

To quote Laura Timmer, "I’m so glad that my children’s late hours help our neighborhood…. It does wonders for my insomnia….I spoke with the police about 1:45am and they said that the people in the car were supposedly eating and all they could do was run them off the court. I did snoop though, and heard a lot of yelling between the police and the suspects… something about giving them attitude… Chris made me come in because he was afraid they would see me. Anyway, the police were great." Thank you Concord PD!

This is the second time Chris has caught suspicious activity on our court. The first time was last year when he looked out a window at 1:00 AM and found someone valdalizing a neighbor's car. Thanks so much Chris! Do you need a job watching video surveillance cameras at night?

Anyway, this does prove that the Neighborhood Watch program works. It also shows that maybe we should involve our children more in these meetings, making them aware of how important noticing your surroundings is at all times.

Speed Bumps On Myrtle Drive

2009-01-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

I've added a poll asking whether or not you would like to see speed bumps on Myrtle Drive. With Ayeres Elementary School located on Myrtle I'm surprised people speed the way they do. The comments I've read on Claycord.com indicate that I'm not the only one concerned with speeding.

Please take a moment to vote. The poll is located on the side bar.

Thanks,

Susan

Another Possible Mail Thief?

2009-01-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

Another concerned citizen commented the following on Claycord.com and I have included some new photos on the sidebar that MAY have been the truck involved.

"At 2:30 am i was just getting back from picking up my daughter from a going away to collage party and a truck came driving up our court off of myrtle slowing down by the mail box then seen me and drove off. a white pick up truck with loud rattling noise (piece of shit) older model. im on the look out...."

KPIX CBS5 Eye on Blogs

2009-01-14T05:46:00.001-08:00

A huge THANK YOU to Brittney Gilbert who posted our latest clip of the attempted mail theft as well as a link to our blog on the KPIX Eye on Blogs website. You can check out this website by clicking on the link provided on the sidebar.

The more exposure we get of our awareness of these crimes will hopefully deter these criminals in the future.

Thanks Brittney!

Truck on Myrtle/Karas 01.06.09

2009-01-13T05:52:00.001-08:00

This truck was seen on Myrtle/Karas January 6th at 2:12 AM. A neighbor's vehicle was vandalized during this timeframe.

My Question is WHY is it in our neighborhood if they aren't looking for something to steal?!

Claycord.com Comments on Video

2009-01-11T15:42:00.001-08:00

There have been many comments made on the Mail Theft Video I posted. Lots of these comments were about how it was my fault for leaving my mail in the box. YES, I do understand that but the point I'm trying to make is that Myrtle Drive has a lot of crime. Until we installed the surveillance cameras even I wasn't aware of how much goes on during the wee hours of the morning along Myrtle Drive.

Yesterday I posted this comment so for those of you who didn't read it here you go:

The Mail Theft is NOT the point here. I understand that I deserved to have my mail stolen. The reason I posted the Mail Video is because it's a Federal offense. Also, other people on Myrtle Drive need to be aware of what's happening in our neighborhood. Mail is just the tip of the iceberg. 99.9% of my bills, etc. are online so not much could have been taken. I will post the video of my car being broken into but nobobdy cares about cars.

We moved to Myrtle Drive almost 8 years ago. Since that time:

Our daughter's car was vandalized in our driveway, on OUR property.

My car was vandalized twice in our driveway.

My husband's truck vandalized once and his work truck had one attempt in our driveway.

We spent three years putting in landscaping and as soon as the lighting was installed on the propertay facing Myrtle it was stolen. Apparently someone thought they needed it more than we did.

Our daughter's car was stolen on Holly Drive.

Our friend's car was stolen in the driveway of their home on Myrtle.

Our next door neighbor was burglarized at 12:00 PM when everyone was working.

Another neighbor had his dashboard ripped out for his stereo system.

I could go on and on but the fact remains that Myrtle Drive is a stomping ground for crime and most of it occurs "While you were sleeping". At least once a week I catch cars on camera that do NOT belong on our street between the hours of 1:00 and 4:00 AM. I'm just sharing what I find.

This morning my husband and I were going out to breakfast and took Myrtle to Bailey Road. As we turned left on Bailey my husband noticed a man laying in a ditch on the left hand side of the street. We turned around to see if he needed help. The man's response was "What the F**k do you want". I told him we wanted to know if he had been hit or needed help. His response: "I don't need no F**kin" help". OK, goodbye!

We moved to Myrtle because we thought it was a great family neighborhood. I'd like to see it become one again.

Myrtle Drive Mail Theft

2009-01-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of months we've been having the mail stolen during the very early morning hours.

The first known theft was November 1st (not caught on tape), the second was November 13th (that's the video), the third unsuccessful attempt (no mail in the box) was December 21st at 4:20 AM. It appears to be the same car but not sure about the person.
Yes this has become a huge problem in our neighborhood along with car burglaries. In the last year my husband and I have had our cars successfully burglarized three times and one unsuccessful. I am making a video of the second one to distribute to my neighbors as they too are experiencing the same things of course. The last car attempt was November 30th. We now park in the garage and back yard. When family visits they too have to park in the back behind a locked gate if they are planning on spending the night.

In the last couple of months I have stayed up many nights between 1:00 AM and 6:00 AM to try and catch someone. We added the video surveillance cameras a year ago, have added extra motion lights and front porch lights as well. The police come by occasionally but not enough to keep these people out of our neighborhood.

I know it's hard to believe but this is actually a great neighborhood and that could be the reason we're having so many problems. I was hoping that getting the video out to more people would possibly help stop the insanity.

Links to the U Tube Videos are posted on the sidebar.