MoTown Police Blotter: Hard Partiers', 2Poor2Drive, and Wacky Tabacky at SMC

Police officers see a lot on their beats. Often, they are called on to assist elderly folks who have lost their way, to locate the occasional missing child, or handle incidents like these, culled from the MPD logbook:

"Sorry, Hon..."

An officer stopped a white 2001 Chevrolet Astro van on Moraga Road after noticing the vehicle had a cracked windshield and a 2011 DMV registration tab on the rear plate that looked a little - ragged. Routine checks determined that the van's registration had lapsed and, under questioning, the 44-year-old Pleasanton man behind the wheel admitted to using the current sticker from his wife's 1999 Mercedes to avoid paying the required DMV fees because he was short on money. This practice is frowned on by police, who cited the gentleman for numerous violations before towing his vehicle from the scene. There was no word on how his wife felt about his "donating" her tag to his car.

"Sorry, Mom..."

The next day, on Aug. 28, police stopped a 1991 Toyota 4Runner in virtually the same area and contacted the 35-year-old driver - from Pinole - about her obstructed front windshield while the driver's 51-year-old mother - from Moraga - waited in the passenger seat. A routine computer check kicked back the bad news that the driver had lost her license due to a prior driving under the influence conviction and things got worse when she was unable to provide any proof of insurance. Police made sure the vehicle was parked and locked at the scene and mother and daughter waited for a friend to come pick them up.

Dance Floor Assault

That night, police were contacted by the father of a 16-year-old girl attending the teen dance party at the New Rheem Theater. The girl told her father that while dancing an unknown male pushed her up against a wall and removed her skirt. She was wearing shorts under the skirt, apparently, and the skirt was later retrieved. Police are still looking into the incident.

Lumina Lacks License

The next morning, on Aug. 29, an officer spotted a 1995 Chevy Lumina driving west on Rheem Blvd. near Moraga Road. Again, the rear license tab did not appear to be securely attached to the car's rear plate and the computer determined that the car's registration had expired in 2008. The 27-year-old Oakland man behind the wheel, it appeared, had no license or insurance - and was not the registered owner of the car. The driver was cited for multiple vehicle code violations and the car was - towed.

Dorm Room Stash

School is back in session at St. Mary's College, most know, and the police realized it could be a long school year when they took a call at 1:14 a.m. about a "large amount of dried marijuana" and "smoking paraphenalia" found during a search of a dorm room on Aug. 30. The weed was turned over to MPD for disposal and investigation into who owned the drugs was handled "administratively."

WUI - "Walking Under the Influence"

Speaking of college, Chico State University's party image is secure, it seems, after a 31-year-old Chico resident was seen stumbling on Canyon Rd. near Constance Place, a 3/4 full bottle of Black Velvet protruding from his backpack. A blood alcohol test revealed that the wayfayer was impaired - with his blood alcohol level coming in at 0.274 percent. With that finding the visitor was arrested, his belongings placed in safekeeping, and the Black Velvet went down the drain.

Also on Aug. 30, police stopped a green 1996 Volkswagen Jetta on Rheem Blvd. and St. Mary's Road after the vehicle, which had a cracked windshield (a telltale sign, it seems), was seen failing to yield to oncoming traffic. The male driver was unlicensed, the car was deemed a "traffic hazard" and towed from the scene.

Three cars tangled at Rheem Blvd. and St. Mary's Road on Sept. 2 after two cars slowed to make a turn and one did not, rear-ending the others and causing major damage. Two cars were had to be towed away and one driver complained of pain and was treated at the scene.

Biker Down

Two hours later officers responded to St. Mary's and Bollinger Canyon on the report of a bicyclist down. They found a cyclist sitting in the bed of a Samaritan's pickup truck, with the driver of the truck reporting that he'd found the cyclist on the side of the road - apparently after a bad spill.  He was transported to John Muir Medical Center for further treatment.

Computer Thefts at SMC

At 5:30 that evening police responded to St. Mary's  to investigate a report of two computers stolen from the Computer Technology Center. The two Apple Desktop iMac computers were valued at about $3,000 and it appears computer theft remains a problem for the Gaels.

Party Hotspots

Sept. 3

300 block of Lakefield - 10:24 p.m. One hundred guests at a rental property.

100 block of Whitethorne - 11:26 p.m. Multiple guests at a rental property.

Sept. 5

100 block of Via Joaquin - 1:31 a.m., "several" intoxicated minors.