Man Booked for Allegedly Owning Lock-Picking Kit; Shoplifters Strike Ralphs

Man arrested for allegedly possessing lock-picking tools

An El Cajon man was arrested on May 7 for allegedly possessing lock-picking tools that are only meant to be used by locksmiths, auto repossessors, new and used car dealers and auto mechanics, deputies said.

Deputies pulled over 22-year-old Travis Patton, who was driving a white Chevrolet van, outside of the on Agoura Road for missing a front driver’s license plate, according to a police report from the

After initial inspection, the deputy noticed a strong smell of marijuana being emitted from the vehicle.

After searching the vehicle, the deputy said he found an empty water bottle that bore a strong marijuana residue and a pouch containing lock-picking tools that are illegal for members of the general public to own.

When asked about why he had the tools, Patton said, “I don’t know, I bought it from Mac Tools.”

Patton was subsequently arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing a lock pick kit.

A passenger with Patton was not arrested.

Shoplifters swipes allergy medicine

Nearly $460 in over-the-counter allergy medicine and hair care products was shoplifted from the at the , according to deputies.

The store director said he received an email from the store manager, who stated three individuals were involved in the incident.

The manager said after reviewing surveillance videos, two people, one adult male and one adult female, entered the grocery store around 9:34 p.m. on April 27 carrying a black backpack.

They proceeded to aisles two and three, where they placed packs of Allegra tablets, Prilosec tablets and hair care products into the backpack and stuffed it on a shelf.

The two individuals then exited the store.

Shortly afterward, another adult male entered Ralphs and kept his head down, avoiding having his face recorded by surveillance cameras.

The man retrieved the backpack and left the store.

The store manager claims the three individuals stole about $1,000 worth of goods, though deputies have only accounted for $460 in missing items.

The store director said he would provide a copy of the surveillance footage to the sheriff’s station at a later date.

Who let the dogs out?

A pair of Ray-Ban glasses and a Mac Book were stolen from a residence in the 26000 block of Veva Way, according to sheriff’s deputies.

The burglary occurred sometime between 10 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. on April 30, according to a police report.

The victim stated he locked the southeast garage door before leaving his house that day.

When he returned, he noticed the garage door was open and his roommate’s dogs were outside walking the streets. When he went inside, the victim noticed a pair of $200 Ray-Ban glasses was missing from his bedroom and his roommate’s $1,400 Mac Book had also disappeared.

The property was previously burglarized on Feb. 24, when the victim reported his keys missing. After that incident, he changed the locks on the doors.

Deputies did not notice any signs of forced entry.

Burglar strikes Towhee Drive

About $6,000 in personal belongings were burglarized from a home in the 4000 block of Towhee Drive, deputies said.

The theft occurred sometime between 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. on May 2, according to a police statement.

The victims said they locked all of their doors before leaving the property. Upon returning, they noticed that several rooms had been ransacked and that the contents of several bedroom drawers were emptied on the floor.

About $3,000 in U.S. Currency, an X-Box, a $1,500 Apple desktop computer, and a $500 Walther semi-automatic pistol are among the stolen items.

Deputies noted that the burglars attempted to remove a television set as numerous cables were torn from the wall.

Deputies also observed that one of the bedroom doors was forced ajar and was most likely the point of entry.