Mill Valley
March 31 – April 7, 2022
Harassment: The parents of a 16-year-old girl reported to police that a 40-ish man harassed their daughter, pestering her for her phone number, etc., while she was at the grocery store. Parents think the guy may be following her, too. Police assisting.
Fraud: The daughter of elderly parents notified police that she suspects the caretakers of her parents may be committing fraud. Police have assigned the complaint a case number.
Bike Fall: A woman fell from her bike on Miller Avenue after a car making a right hand turn nearly hit her. Police assisting.
Yeller: A man carrying a guitar case yelled at everyone, according to witnesses. He threatened to kill people. He got on a bus and left town.
Home: A woman sitting on the ground on Throckmorton Avenue appeared to be out of it and whimpered to police that she just “wants to go home.” Police gave her a bus pass to San Rafael, which she accepted.
Hogtied: A resident told police that her daughter was kidnapped and found in Oakland hogtied. The suspect was not arrested and she wanted some advice on how to protect her daughter from the guy coming around. Police advised.
Sausalito
April 11 – 18, 2022
Quite A Sight: A man sat in an office chair for half an hour in front of a deli on Caledonia Street. He wore sweatpants, slippers and carried an umbrella. He randomly blurted out words to passersby, generally weirding-out all who passed. Police responded to complaints about the man and moved him along to some other place where he will repeat the behavior.
Found Purse: A black purse was found April 12 on Bridgeway and turned into police. Working to return.
Prowler: Security footage showed a prowler April 12 on Glen Drive.
Tent Life: A man in the homeless Tent City was seen on the tennis courts with blood on his hands and throwing chairs. Police resolved.
Up To No Good: A woman driving a car periodically through the West Street area was reported to police. The driver has gone through people’s trash and checked out boxes on porches. Police handling.
Door to Door: Two men appearing to want to sell something approached a home on Glen Drive. Resident told them to beat it and never come back. She thinks it a ruse to scope out places to rob.
Grunt: A weird man on Litho Street grunted at people as they came near. Police handling.
Recovered Car: Police stopped a car on April 13 that was reported stolen. Driver was arrested.
Raincoat Man: On April 14, a man wearing a red/orange raincoat stood in traffic on Marinship Way. He harassed traffic, yelled at drivers and flipped them off. Caller told police that “he’s not all there.” Police responded and calmed Raincoat Man down. He left without further incident.
Facebook: A citizen called the police because he received a strange message on Facebook. The writer said he was “sorry for shooting his horse.” Police gave the citizen advice whice, and we only speculate here, was “welcome to social media.”
Homeless: A bus driver called police because a homeless man was perpetually riding the bus. When he finally did get off, he yelled at people.
Assault: A man reported being “jumped” by two men on Caledonia Street. One assailant wore a white shirt and the second wore a black shirt. The man refused medical treatment.
Car Banger: A man slammed his fist on a car, starting the woman driver. He then yelled: “Are there showers available.” The man then tried to get in the car. She drove away and called the police.
Novato
Busy Times: Over the past couple weeks our patrol teams and detectives have been very busy. We thought we would share some of the arrests made over the past two weeks. We cannot solve crime without your help, and we are so appreciative of community members who help alert us to suspicious activity when it is occurring.
Felon: On April 7 around 1:16 p.m., officers responded to the 400 block of Alameda Del Prado on the report of a man who was present in an apartment complex parking lot holding a firearm in his hand. Officers made contact upon arrival with a person matching the description initially provided to them. The man identified himself as Erick Cambron, a 33-year-old Marin County transient. When the officers arrived on scene, they attempted to detain and search Cambron to determine if he possessed a concealed firearm on his person, Cambron fled from the officers on foot, eluding capture.
Two days later, a man matching Cambron’s description was spotted by NPD officers at a convenience store on Diablo Avenue. Officers were aware of the prior call for service in which Cambron was reported as being in possession of a firearm. Officers established a perimeter around 7-Eleven and safely detained Cambron. A search of his person produced a Glock pistol, concealed on Cambron’s body, which was recently reported as stolen to San Rafael PD. Cambron was also in possession of drug paraphernalia. Cambron was arrested and booked in the Marin County Jail for being a Felon in possession of a concealed firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Burglary: On April 9, at 3:30 a.m., NPD responded to an alarm activation call in the 300 block of Bel Marin Keys Boulevard. Prior to NPD’s arrival, the owner of the business notified NPD that they observed someone had cut a chain link fence securing the property. The owner suspected that someone was preparing to burglarize their location. While responding to the call, NPD Officers were informed that the property owner observed several males on the premises through a video surveillance system. On arrival, officers established a perimeter surrounding the business.
Two male suspects fled on foot. The officers on scene began a foot pursuit and the two male suspects were arrested. Shortly thereafter, a female suspect was contacted in a nearby pick-up truck. The truck contained stolen property and the investigation revealed the woman was acting as an accomplice.
Further investigation determined the involved suspects burglarized a van parked in the immediate area and stole a considerable amount of construction tools which were recovered at the scene. Matthew Lovette, a 26-year-old San Rafael resident, Connor Massey, a 20-year-old Corte Madera resident and Nancy Turcios, a 36-year-old Novato resident were booked into Marin County Jail for burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and possession of stolen property. Lovette was also arrested for drug possession charges.
In the days following this arrest, the NPD Investigations Section conducted extensive follow up. Detectives learned the SMART train maintenance yard on Roblar Road was also burglarized the same night, as well as a construction site in the 300 block of Bel Marin Keys Boulevard was broken into and rummaged through.
Thanks to the Detectives’ efforts, Massey and Lovette were determined to be responsible for the additional two burglaries and were both charged with the other crimes that occurred earlier that evening.
Firearms: On April 19, 2022, around 4 a.m., NPD officers stopped a stolen RV in the 300 block of Ignacio Boulevard. Two Novato residents, Garret Koapua and Julian Jory, were detained and searched. Koapua was reportedly in possession of suspected fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Jory was reportedly in possession of suspected cocaine.
Officers conducted a search of the stolen vehicle. Inside the RV were four realistic air-powered firearms. Officers also located two real firearms and associated high-capacity magazines. The 9mm pistol and .223 short-barreled rifle were unsterilized, commonly referred to as “ghost guns.”
Koapua was arrested and booked at the Marin County Jail for being a Felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of a short-barreled rifle, possession of drugs and paraphernalia, and operating a stolen vehicle. Jory was arrested and booked at the Marin County Jail for possessing drugs and a stolen vehicle.
In all of these cases, the suspects were taken into custody safely as a result of great teamwork and communication. We are extremely grateful for our community members who provide accurate and timely information, ultimately leading to arrests like these.
As a reminder, we can help reduce crime in our community together. When suspicious activity arises, give us a call day (415-897-4362) or night (415-897-1122). As always, call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Stay safe Novato!
Drug Arrest: On April 13, at approximately 4:37 PM, NPD officers observed a black Nissan Sentra parked suspiciously in front of a grocery store on Nave Drive. The vehicle was parked outside the front door, in a red zone, and the vehicle had no license plates. Officers contacted the sole occupant, seated in the driver’s seat, identified as Lemar Harrison. While speaking with Harrison, officers observed what was believed to be a firearm inside the vehicle. Harrison was ordered out of the vehicle and detained. A records check revealed he was on CDC Parole out of Contra Costa County for murder. During a search of the vehicle, multiple glass smoking devices were located, and it was determined the firearm was a replica, however the gun had the same appearance as a Glock handgun. CDC parole was contacted and placed a parole hold on Harrison. Harrison was transported and booked into Marin County Jail for violation of parole and drug charges. Novato Police kindly reminds our community members to stay vigilant and be aware of your surroundings. In California, it is a crime for a person to display an imitation firearm in public.
Bomb Threat: On Friday, April 15, at 11:44 a.m., the Novato Police Department received information directly from a School Resource Officer that a written bomb threat was found on the Novato High School campus and reported to Novato High School administration. The note indicated that there was a bomb on campus in a school gymnasium. The school gymnasium was immediately evacuated, and students and staff were asked to shelter in place while the threat was investigated. Novato Police Officers responded to secure the campus and investigate the threat. A search of the gymnasium, surrounding buildings and open areas of campus was conducted with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol Explosives Detection canine. No suspicious devices were located during the search. Investigators learned that earlier in the morning there was an Easter Egg Hunt on campus for students where candy and free prom tickets were hidden inside of Easter eggs. The note located was found inside of an Easter Egg hidden on campus, which was not part of the school planned event. Ultimately the threat was determined to have no merit and no explosives or suspicious items were located on campus. Students were released from the shelter in place upon conclusion of the campus search. During this incident, we worked closely with Novato Unified School District Staff to resolve this incident. We work in partnership with the Novato Unified School District to ensure safe campuses for students and rely on diligent reporting of suspicious incidents to ensure the safety of students and staff. We appreciate your patience while we worked through this incident. If you have any information regarding the origin of this threat, please contact the Novato Police Department and reference case NP22-1327.
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