Date and Time of Incident: 18 February 2012

Subject: Burglary Arrest
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18 Feb. 12, the Sonora Police Department responded to a reported burglary at a residence on the 500 block of S. Stewart Street. A large amount of property was removed from the residence including a laptop, jewelry, cell phone, collectable coins and other items.

Officers spoke with neighbors, who reported seeing Lisa Beaty, 31, who is homeless, in the area during the time of the burglary. Neighbors also reported that Beaty was carrying a large bag which appeared to be full of items.

Officers contacted Beaty at her campsite in Columbia. Beaty was in possession of a large amount of property which had been stolen during the burglary. She was also in possession of methamphetamine, controlled narcotics, methamphetamine pipes and hypodermic needles used to inject methamphetamine. Beaty also had an outstanding arrest warrant for theft.

Beaty was placed under arrest and transported to the Tuolumne County Jail and booked for; felony possession of stolen property; felony possession of a controlled substance; felony possession of a controlled narcotic; misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia; misdemeanor possession of hypodermic needles; and the outstanding arrest warrant.

What is road rage? It’s when one driver reacts angrily towards another driver. In expressing that anger, the driver might make an obscene gesture, yell, honk their horn, abruptly brake, tailgate, cut off or force a vehicle off the roadway, become physical or even display or use a weapon.

Why is road rage on the rise? Part of it is sensory overload. Our roads are becoming more and more congested just as we’re feeling more and more stressed in our lives. People may feel powerless or frustrated in their lives, but behind the wheel of their 3,000 pound vehicle, there’s an urge to vent their stress and aggression toward an anonymous driver.

While there are no sure ways to avoid becoming the victim of road rage, experts offer these suggestions;

• Be a courteous and defensive driver. Maintain a safe speed and safe following distance. Signal your moves. Use your horn and lights appropriately. Try not to offend other drivers by cutting them off, tailgating or driving slowly in the fast lane.

• Concentrate on your driving, not on passengers, cell phones, I-Pods or other distractions.

• Don’t overreact to other drivers’ errors. Don’t challenge them by speeding up, slowing down or blocking lanes.

• Don’t engage an angry driver. Avoid eye contact. Ignore rude gestures and the temptation to return them. Get out of their way, but don’t pull off the roadway and try to settle things.

• If you think a driver is harassing you or trying to start a fight call the Sonora Police Department at 532-8141 or 911. Remember, if you dial 911 from your cell phone, you will be calling the Merced CHP office, which in turn, will transfer you to the Sonora Police Department.

• If you’re being pursued, drive to a safe, well light, populated area, such as a shopping plaza, or the police department. Keep your doors locked and wait for help to arrive. Don’t drive home, as the aggressor will then know where you live.

You can’t control other drivers but you can control yourself. Monitor yourself. Most road rage involves displaced anger. If you think you have a problem, get help. If you’re tense and stressed, avoid taking it out on others on the road. Forget winning. Driving to and from work or the store is not a contest. Give yourself extra time, control your behavior and help keep rage off the road.

If you need any further information regarding this topic, please call the Sonora Police Department at 532-8141.

Date and Time of Incident: 6 February 2012, at approx. 7:09 am

Subject: Burglary Arrest
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6 February 2012, at approx. 7:09 am, the Sonora Police Department received a silent burglary alarm from Earth & Ocean Board Shop located on the 1000 block of Mono Way.

When officers arrived on scene, they located the back door to the business open and a subject getting into a vehicle, which was backed in alongside the business. Officers contacted the subject who was identified as James Werner, 41 of La Grange.

Werner told officers he had just stopped behind the business to check for boxes, as he was preparing to move. However, cash from the business was located inside of Werner’s vehicle. Werner claimed he had found the money alongside the business, so he picked it up and put it inside his vehicle.

A records check showed Werner was currently out of bail from Stanislaus County on several felony charges ranging from possession of stolen property to possession of drugs. Werner also had a large amount of burglary tools inside his vehicle, including bump keys, master keys and porcelain chips. Also in Werner’s vehicle was stereo equipment in which the serial numbers had been removed from.

Werner was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to the Tuolumne County Jail and booked for; felony burglary; felony possession of stolen property; felony committing a crime while out on bail; misdemeanor possession of burglary tools; misdemeanor possession of property with the serial numbers removed.

Date and Time of Incident: Past three days

Subject: Counterfeit update
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The investigation into the passing of counterfeit $100 bills is continuing and additional information has been learned. The suspect is operating a 2011, silver in color, Dodge Dakota P/U, 4 door, 4×4. California license 12726A1.

The vehicle was rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Modesto several days ago. The money order used to rent the vehicle was purchased with counterfeit $100 bills. The vehicle is beyond its return date and is believed to be stolen at this point.

The subjects who rented the vehicle are Timothy Ferguson, 31 of Modetso and Lori Price, 38 of Modesto. Ferguson doesn’t match the person seen in surveillance videos passing the counterfeit bills. However, the Sonora Police Department would like to speak with him regarding the vehicle.

If you have information regarding the vehicle, either two subjects, or this case in general, please contact the Sonora Police Department at 532-8141.

Date and Time of Incident: Past Two Days

Subject: Counterfeit $100 Bills
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During the past two days the Sonora Police Department has been contacted five times regarding the passing of, or the attempted passing of, counterfeit $100 bills. The bills appear to be acid washed $5 bills with a $100 bill image printed over it. Because the bills are printed on real currency paper, counterfeit pens and markers will show the bill to be good. However, the pens and markers only test the paper and not the content of the bill.

The Sonora Police Department would like to encourage merchants not to rely on the pens and markers alone and to check a few of the security features on the bills. A couple of things you can look for on the new $100 bills are;

Look for a blue ribbon on the front of the bill. Tilt the note back and forth while focusing on the blue ribbon. You will see the bells change to 100’s as they move. When you tilt the bill back and forth, the bells and 100’s move side to side. If you tilt it side to side they move up and down. The ribbon is woven into the paper and not printed on it.

Look for an image of a color shifting bell, inside the copper-colored inkwell on the front of the new $100 bill. Tilt it to see the bell change from copper to green, an effect which makes the bell seem to disappear within the inkwell.

There are several other security features on the new $100 bills and there are also several security features on the older $100 bills as well. You can learn more about the security features by logging onto http://www.newmoney.gov/currency/100.htm or to http://www.treasury.gov/services/Pages/coins-currency

The person passing the bills is described as a white male adult, with brown hair, approx. 5-10, having a medium build. He normally purchases items of low value and receives a large amount of change. If you have any information on the possible responsible or if you believe you have accepted one of these counterfeit bills, please contact the Sonora Police Department at 532-8141.

Date and Time of Incident: 31 January 2012, at approx. 7:40 pm

Subject: Stolen Property Arrest/Drug Arrest
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31 January 2012, Officers from the Sonora Police Department responded to the Intensive Care Unit of Sonora Regional Medical Center regarding a stolen I phone. Officers contacted an employee of the hospital, who related their phone had been stolen. They also related they felt the responsible was someone who was at the hospital visiting a patient.

Officers responded to the possible suspect’s residence located on the 400 block of S. Stewart St. While one officer was contacting the possible responsible at the front door of the residence, another officer stopped a second subject, who was running out the back door with the stolen phone.

The Officer at the front door could see a large amount of drug paraphernalia on a table inside the residence. The Officer entered the residence and noticed hypodermic needles, burned spoons and zip lock bags. During a search of the residence heroin was located along with more drug paraphernalia used for injecting narcotics.

The responsible was identified as Charles “Taylor” Bowers, 21 of Sonora. Bowers admitted to taking the I phone while visiting someone at the hospital. He also admitted to giving the phone to another subject when he saw an Officer at the front door. Bowers was placed under arrest and booked at the Tuolumne County Jail for; felony possession of a controlled substance; felony possession of stolen property; misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia; misdemeanor possession of a hypodermic.

Date and Time of Incident: 24 January 2012, at approx. 2:30 pm

Subject: Warrant Arrest
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24 January 2012, at approx. 2:30 pm, Sonora Police Department assisted Tuolumne County Child Welfare Services on a welfare check of a 4 month old boy. The mother and father of the boy were located at a residence on the 300 block of Hospital Road. This is the same residence Officers removed some other children from on 4 January 2012.

The Officers contacted the father, Pedro Velazquez, 32 of Sonora; and the mother Niccole Davis, 30 of Sonora, along with their 4 month old child. Velazquez originally identified himself as being someone else. The Officer speaking with Velazquez became suspicious when he ran a warrants check on the name that Velazquez gave and there was a warrant for a person with a similar name and date of birth out of Santa Ana, CA., where Velazquez claimed he had spent some time.

The Officer had the dispatcher call Santa Ana to obtain the tattoos they had listed for the person they had the warrant for. These tattoos matched the ones Velazquez had. Velazquez was placed under arrest for the outstanding felony possession of a controlled substance warrant. It was also learned that Velazquez had been arrested for the same charge in 2003 and had been deported because he was in the Country illegally.

Davis was found to be in possession of controlled substance paraphernalia. She was also placed under arrest. Their child was turned over to Child Welfare Services for protective custody.

Velazquez and Davis were transported to the Tuolumne County Jail and book. Velazquez was booked for the felony drug warrant out of Santa Ann and for being in the Country illegally; Davis was booked for misdemeanor possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.

Date and Time of Incident: 17 January 2012, at approx. 5:55 pm

Subject: Drug Arrest
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17 January 2012, at approx. 5:55 pm, Officers from the Sonora Police Department responded to the parking lot of Sonora Regional Medical Center regarding a physical fight in progress.

During the Officers investigation, they contacted Adam Hoskins, 25 of Jamestown and Ashley Reiser, 28 of Columbia. Reiser gave officers a false name because she knew she had an outstanding warrant. She was later identified and arrested on the outstanding warrant. She was also found to be in the possession of a hypodermic needle.

Hoskins was found to be in possession of a glass smoking pipe, which had narcotic residue in the smoking bowl. Hoskins was also in possession of a “hip kit,” which contained hypodermic needles, a spoon with narcotic residue and other items associated with the injection of narcotics. Hoskins was also in the possession of a stolen checkbook.

Both Hoskins and Reiser were placed under arrest and transported to the Tuolumne County Jail for booking. While Hoskins was being searched at the jail by a deputy, a couple of pills fell from his body onto the floor. A strip search and body cavity search of Hoskins revealed 26 Hydrocodone and 8 Adderal pills concealed in his anal cavity.

Hoskins was booked for felony possession of a controlled substance; felony brining a controlled substance into a correctional facility; felony possession of stolen property; misdemeanor possession of hypodermic needles; misdemeanor possession of a narcotic smoking pipe

Reiser was booked on an outstanding misdemeanor drug warrant; misdemeanor false information to a police officer; misdemeanor possession of a hypodermic needle.

Date and Time of Incident: 17 January 2012, at approx. 4:00 pm

Subject: Attempted Carjacking and Arrest
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17 January 2012, at approx. 4:00 pm, the Sonora Police Department responded to an attempted carjacking at the AM/PM mini mart on Pesce Way. The victim told officers that she was parked at the pumps preparing to pay for fuel, when she was approached by a male subject. The subject told her, “this is a carjacking, give me the keys to your car.”

At this point the victim could see that the suspect was holding a knife in his right hand. Then for some unknown reason the suspect dropped the knife to the pavement. The victim quickly stepped on the knife. However, the suspect pushed the victim off of the knife and retrieved it then he walked away from the gas station. The victim was able to give officers a clothing description of the suspect. The victim also gave a physical description of the suspect which matched that of the carjacking suspect from the night before.

At approx. 5:00 pm, an Officer observed a subject on S. Washington St. whose clothing matched the clothing description of the suspect of the attempted carjacking. The subject also matched the same physical description.

When the Officer attempted to contact the subject, he took off running and was last seen entering a yard of a residence on the 500 block of S. Washington St. Officers established a perimeter and located the subject hiding under a house.

The subject was identified as Zakary Howerton, 21 of Sonora. Howerton had in his possession the identification belonging to the carjacking victim from the 16th and the ignition key to her vehicle. Howerton was placed under arrest and transported to the Tuolumne County Jail where he was booked for felony carjacking and felony attempted carjacking. Howerton is also a suspect in a residential burglary which had occurred earlier in the day inside the City.

Date and Time of Incident: 16 January 2012, at approx. 7:20 pm

Subject: Carjacking
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16 January 2012, at approx. 7:20 pm, the Sonora Police Department responded to a reported carjacking in the parking lot of Big Lots, located in the Cross Roads Shopping Center.

Officer’s contacted the Victim who related she was sitting inside her vehicle, with the driver’s door open, smoking a cigarette, when an unknown male subject approached her and asked her for a cigarette. The Victim gave the unknown male subject a cigarette.

The suspect then told the victim that he also wanted her car. The victim felt this was a joke at first then the suspect brandished a knife at the victim. The suspected also demanded the victim’s cell phone and her purse. The victim exited her vehicle and told the suspect to take everything. The suspect then told the victim “thanks” and drove away in the victim’s vehicle.

Officers contacted the victim’s cell phone provider and were able to obtain the location of the victim’s cell phone. Officers responded to this area and located the victim’s vehicle, which was parked at Soulsbyville Elementary School. The vehicle was not damaged or vandalized.

The suspect is described as being a white, adult, male, approximately 25 years of age, approximately 6 feet tall, wearing a black beanie and a black and white plaid jacket.

If you have any information about this incident please contact the Sonora Police Department at 532-8141.