Newly hired employee shuts, loots store

An employee who had only been working at a business in the 17000 block of Highway 12 for a week, apparently took advantage of the situation when the owner stepped out for a couple of hours.

On Friday, Feb. 6, the owner stepped out at around 11 a.m., and when he returned at around 1 p.m., he found the front door locked and the lights out. Assuming his new employee had gone to lunch. But when the owner entered, he discovered that not only was the new employee gone, but an estimated $6,000 to $7,000 in cash and another $12,000 in merchandise was also gone.

The owner checked the security tape and discovered that evidently the new employee had two cohorts who helped loot the store. Deputies from the Valley substation responded and viewed the video that showed the three going through the cash register. A deputy called a contact person that the employee had listed as an emergency contact and was told the suspect had been homeless for a year.

The tape was turned over to the Sheriff’s Property Crimes Unit.

In other incidents reported recently to Valley law enforcement:

Monday, Feb. 9:

1:07 p.m. – More fishing. Exchange Bank, 435 W. Napa St., reported someone had been fishing in its night deposit box and apparently got some checks. The seven missing checks totaled $1,436.66. Apparently, someone used the same trick that same night in Petaluma.

Thursday, Feb. 12:

1:17 a.m. – Two beers and a shot equals .16? A Valley substation deputy pulled over a driver on First Avenue and East Thomson for driving under the influence and called for a Sonoma officer to administer tests to the 47-year-old Springs resident. When the officer arrived, he found the motorist sitting on the bumper. The officer asked how much the man had to drink and he replied that he was probably over the legal limit. He admitted to having two beers and a shot of tequila. He fared poorly on the field sobriety test and on a preliminary alcohol screening, he blew a .16. The man was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and taken to the Sonoma police station where on a breath test, he blew a .16 and .17. He was transported to county jail.

Friday, Feb. 13:

1:30 a.m. – Two minors were cited and a 26-year-old Sonoma man went to jail for a felony warrant after Sonoma police stopped the car in which they were riding. The vehicle, occupied by five people, was pulled over by police on Arnold Drive and Fremont. As the officer approached the car, he could smell marijuana wafting from the car. During a search, the officer discovered a pint bottle of whiskey in the backpack of a 17-year-old male, and a small bag of marijuana in the pocket of a 15-year-old female. The male juvenile was cited for minor in possession, the female minor was cited for possession of marijuana and 26-year-old Steven M. Perez went to jail for the outstanding felony warrant.

Saturday, Feb. 14:

2:46 p.m. – Sonoma police were flagged down by a woman in the parking lot in to 500 block of West Napa Street. The woman told the officer that she parked her car in the lot when she went to work at 9:30 a.m., but when she came out at 2:40 p.m., the car, a 1998 Honda, was missing. All keys were accounted for. Shortly thereafter, the car was discovered on a street about 40 yards away. The car had been ransacked and the ignition had been tampered. Police theorize that the thief abandoned the vehicle when they discovered it was almost out of gas.

Sunday, Feb. 15:

8 a.m. – A 42-year-old El Verano woman was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of drugs after she reportedly hit another vehicle in the 400 block of Third Street West. When the police arrived, the woman was sitting in her car with the motor running. The motor wasn’t the only thing running as the woman spoke and moved rapidly. The officer asked her when the last time she used meth, and she told him only an hour earlier. She was arrested on charges of DUI and transported to county jail.

Monday, Feb. 16:

9:23 a.m. A Sonoma resident reported that on Jan. 28, she had received a letter declining their request for a credit card. She also received a second letter from Academy Sports notifying them that they had been OK’d for a credit card with a $15,000 limit. The problem was the resident hadn’t applied for either card.

1:15 p.m. – A woman went to the police department to report threats to kill her that her estranged husband had made. She said the couple had filed for divorce and that he was using methamphetamine and alcohol. Even though they were separated, she moved back into the residence. She also discovered that there was $1,000 missing from her business account. She told officers that she was afraid of her estranged husband. Officers went to the residence and arrested the 49-year-old Sonoma resident on charges of felony making terrorist threats and felony theft by use of an access card. The estranged hubby denied everything, but was transported to county jail nonetheless.

Wednesday, Feb. 18:

10:20 a.m. – Two sisters, one of whom was intoxicated, got into a public altercation in the 100 block of West Napa Street. It started while the two were in a car and the one sister pulled a bottle of vodka from her purse. The driver tried to take the vodka away from her intoxicated sister, but the intoxicated sister pulled her hair and ripped her blouse. The 52-year-old intoxicant started walking west On West Napa Street where the police found her asleep on a bench. When the officer woke the woman up and asked her to stand, she almost fell on her face. A preliminary alcohol screening was performed and the woman registered a .19. She was arrested on charges of battery on a person and public intoxication and was given a chauffeured ride to county jail.

7:30 p.m. – A laptop computer was reported missing from a group home in the 100 block of First Street West. The caretaker had placed some property in the living room and later discovered his Dell laptop, with $1,000, was missing.

To contact Sonoma Police – 996-3602

To contact the

Sonoma Valley Substation – 996-9495