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A mugging at a park — a rarity in Pleasanton — was quickly solved with the help of a police dog, according to a police report.

The incident took place just before 1 a.m. May 11 at Creekside Park in the 5600 block of West Las Positas Boulevard, when a man approached a woman and demanded money, the report said. The victim turned over an undisclosed amount of cash, then called 911.

Police arrived minutes later and the dog led them to a man hiding in the bushes across the street from the Gale-Schenone Hall of Justice in the 5600 block of Stoneridge Drive, according to the report. Stephen Jones, 45, of Pleasanton, was arrested at about 1:47 a.m. on charge of robbery.

In other police reports:

* As much as $20,000 may have been embezzled from the Apple Store at the Stoneridge Shopping Center. The incident was reported at about 9:01 a.m. May 14, but the embezzlement might date to December 2011. Police have a suspect, whose name has not been released, and the case will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office.

* A home, a business and a storage facility were all reported burgled on May 14.

Jewelry worth an estimated $5,500 was reported stolen from the 6200 block of Stoneridge Mall Road. Taken was a white gold and diamond tennis bracelet worth $4,000, a $1,000 gold and ruby ring and a $500 gold and sapphire ring. The theft occurred between 7:30 a.m. May 10 and noon May 14.

Electronic equipment was stolen from Latex Global in the 5900 block of Stoneridge Drive. A $1,000 flat screen TV was reported stolen, along with a $1,000 laptop, a $600 iPad, a $300 computer monitor and a $200 charging station. The incident was reported just after noon; an office door had been pried open.

The manager at Public Storage in the 2500 block of Santa Rita Road noticed an unlocked gate at about 6:10 p.m. One unit had its lock cut but the manager was unsure what, if anything, was stolen.

* A Danville woman was arrested May 10 on a felony grand theft warrant and additional charges. Chanel Padilla, 27, was taken in custody after police received a call of a theft in progress at Safeway by someone attempting to return items that had been shoplifted.

* A May 9 traffic stop led to the arrest of a Hayward man on an outstanding felony embezzlement warrant. Upuia Wongsee, 29, was stopped at about 3:37 p.m. near the Hacienda Drive onramp at I-580.

Under the law, those arrested are considered innocent until convicted.

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48 Comments

  1. Good response time and nice bust.

    This next one, though. . .

    “Chanel Padilla, 27, was taken in custody after police received a call of a theft in progress at Safeway by someone attempting to return items that had been shoplifted.”

    Maybe there is more to this story, but shouldn’t that be, “Chanel Padilla, 27, was thanked by Safeway management for having done the honest thing by returning the shoplifted items”?

    Mike

  3. Mike,

    Did you consider that she wasn’t having a change of heart but in fact trying to return them for a refund?

    Even if your version were the case, she still stole, and would safeway want to (or be legally able to) re-shelf stolen grocery product?

    No thanks from safeway management necessary here either way.

  4. Shouldn’t your name be UNION Thief? We all know that Safeway is in bed with union thugs and that posters like Thief are making big bucks defending the undefensable. I’m appaulled.

  5. The female caught at Safeway has been arrested/detained before for shoplifting and other actions(public information)and has also been caught with drug paraphernalia. I doubt there was a ‘change or heart’. Users pull this stunt in order to get cash for the shoplifted items and then go buy drugs.

  6. I wouldn’t rule out the possiblty that this is a scam set up by Safeway and the union. The union shoplifts, takes the items back, and then uses the refund to pay off the exzorbitant union boss salaries. This one probrobly just back fired.

  8. Steven,
    Try reading the article. The guy they arrested was from a local. As in FROM Pleasanton. Or are you suggesting that he was hiding until he could catch BART from WEST Dublin/Pleasanton to the Dublin Pleasanton station?

  9. Anybody can lie about there address. We’re living in the time of King Barack Hussein and Queeny Michelle the big spender, no morels, everybody lies, because our so-called president (communist tyrant) lies all the time. Think about Solindra. Then think about BART. Then think about HIGH Speed trains. Now, we conclude with criminals doing exactly what King Obama does.

  12. Maybe they should hire the canines at the Apple store – it took 3 years to figure someone was embezzling? sheeeeeesh!

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