Hoodlums vandalized at least 10 cars last week in a northwest neighborhood near Stoneridge Shopping Center.
Seven reports Thursday from the 7500 block of Rosedale Court and three cases Friday on the 5300 block of Brookside Court were logged by residents whose parked vehicles were doused with paint and had vulgarities scratched into their surfaces, according to Pleasanton Police Department files.
The cases are under investigation.
In other news, a too-tall truck traveling downtown under a row of Heritage trees on Santa Rita Road, knocked off a sizable branch on one and braked before clipping off the limb of another.
"The truck came to a stop just before it hit another large branch some 200 feet down the road," said a Pleasanton resident at the scene.
Ordinance-protected "Heritage trees" are, in short, trees of any species with circumferences of 55 inches or more, or 35 feet or more in height, states a city charter.
The tree clipped in the noontime Oct. 22 accident stands in the boulevard near Jensen Street across from Amador Valley High School.
Police said no one was physically injured in the incident.
And from the spooky, eerie, makings-of-a-good-Halloween-movie files, a San Ramon-Danville-area family was befuddled how, over a two-week span, several 911 calls were made from their address -- without their knowledge, while they slept or when they were not even home.
The mystery began when the mom recently was woken up at 1 a.m. by a phone call.
“911. What is your emergency?” said the caller.
Her household was asleep; there was no emergency. Why was 911 calling?
“You called us,” the 911 operator insisted.
After some back-and-forth, the operator felt comfortable that the woman and her family were safe and hung up.
A few days later, the woman pulled onto her street only to see two police cars in front of her house.
A call from inside was placed to 911, said the cops. Again, vexing -- no one was home.
And frankly, the officers added, they had been to her address four times in the past two weeks responding to 911 calls.
"I said, 'Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. I'll look into it right away,'" said the woman, who still cringes over the repeat police visits and opted for anonymity.
The house has no alarm service linked to emergency numbers, and, the flustered resident assured law enforcement, no pranksters under the roof.
After a service call from their telephone land-line provider, the 911-dialing culprit was revealed to be an old phone in a spare bedroom, which was sending out static pulses that would randomly hit on emergency number 911.
Reports of phones dialing 911 on their own are rare, to be sure, but they do happen, according to news articles, internet discussion groups, emergency-response workers, and even a phone technician's YouTube video.
In the late 1980s, a Los Angeles Times story highlighted how old, "dying" phones calling 911 by themselves was a routine headache for police.
The area family's phone -- an older model initially placed in the guest room in case the grandmother stayed over and needed to call 911 -- is now in the recycling bin.
In other area news:
Saturday, Oct. 27
- Residential burglary reported 10:11 p.m. on 3600 Andrews Drive, with access gained through unlocked garage and a ladder, suitcase and clothing valued at a combined $80 missing.
- Assault reported 1:26 a.m. on 300 St. Mary Street.
- Vandalism logged 2:37 p.m. on 7100 Corte Balboa.
- Arrest for suspected driving under the influence made of female motorist 12:14 a.m. on Mohr Avenue at Santa Rita Road.
- Male arrested for alleged failure to register as sex offender 1:45 a.m. on 5200 Hopyard Road.
- Midday brushfire near I-580.
Friday, Oct. 26
- Triple arrest 6:41 a.m. on the 3000 block of Chardonnay Drive of two males and one female for suspected marijuana/hashish possession, possession of more than 28.5 grams of marijuana and marijuana cultivation.
- Drunk-and-disorderly arrests made of male 5:32 p.m. on 5500 Springdale Avenue, and male on 4200 Tulipwood Circle 5:51 p.m.
- Bicycle theft reported 3:40 p.m. along 7200 Tulipwood Circle.
- Vandalism/property damage cited on the 5300 block of Brookside Court at 6:28 p.m., 7:09 p.m. and 7:13 p.m.
- Car break-ins reported 9:29 a.m. on 7900 Paragon Circle, and 7:31 a.m. along 2700 Lylewood Drive, where a $2,000 laptop and $200 briefcase were listed as stolen.
- Residential burglary reported 8:22 a.m. on 1900 Palmer Drive; $2,000 of electronics reportedly taken.
- Female arrested for suspected theft 9:25 p.m. on 4500 Rosewood Drive.
- Warrant arrests made: 12:07 p.m. on 4500 Gatetree Circle; of male 5:26 p.m. on 3200 Vineyard Avenue; of male 9:59 p.m. on 5100 Hopyard Road.
- Homeland Security Urban Shield drills begin on Broder Boulevard, Dublin.
- Arrested teen suspects detail robbery/murder/arson in Castro Valley.
- Multiple-vehicle crash/school lockdown 3 p.m., Livermore, following reports of stolen car/theft/police pursuit.
Thursday, Oct. 25
- Seven property damage/vandalism reports filed on the 7500 block of Rosedale Court at 8:56 p.m., 9:11 p.m., 10:03 p.m., 10:19 p.m. 10:22 p.m. and two at 10:33 p.m.
- Thefts logged: 10:17 a.m. on 7200 Johnson Drive; 10:50 a.m. on 4600 Chabot Drive; 5:51 p.m. on 4500 Entrada Court; 8:09 p.m. on 1500 Stoneridge Mall Road.
- Modesto male, 31, arrested 3:47 p.m. on 5800 Stoneridge Mall Road for suspected burglary, receiving stolen property, police obstruction; his companion arrested, as well, for alleged stolen property possession and criminal conspiracy.
- Fraud cases filed 2:01 p.m. along 3200 Vineyard Avenue, and 4:57 p.m. on 3400 Gravina Place.
Wedndesday, Oct. 24
- Residential burglary reported 4:09 p.m. along 3200 Pueblo Way, with losses including a $5,000 Rolex watch, $4,000 camera, $1,000 Gucci purse and $3,000 of electronics.
- Assaults reported 4:32 p.m. on 11900 Dublin Canyon Road, and on 4500 Pleasanton Avenue 8:21 p.m.
- Vandalism cited 11:31 a.m. on Pimlico Drive at Santa Rita Road.
- Martinez female, 40, arrested for alleged vehicle theft and receiving stolen property 10:57 p.m. along 5300 Hopyard Road.
Tuesday, Oct. 23
- Bicycle theft logged 2:30 p.m. on 1500 East Gate Way.
- Embezzlement reported 1:16 p.m. on 4800 Hopyard Road.
- Reported sex offense investigated 10:08 a.m. along 4300 Foothill Road.
- Car break-ins: 4:59 p.m. on 1000 Stoneridge Mall Road; 8:29 p.m. on 2100 Laguna Creek Lane; 11:56 a.m. on Case and Bernal avenues, with a window reportedly smashed and $125 navigational unit missing.
- Warrant served to female 8:45 a.m. on 1800 Santa Rita Road.
- Jackknifed big rig on I-680.
Monday, Oct. 22
- Stolen vehicle recovered 2:35 p.m. on 5800 Owens Drive.
- Vandalism reported 8:52 p.m. along 7600 Fairoaks Drive.
- Bicycle thefts logged on the 1600 and 1500 blocks of East Gate Way at 8:43 a.m. and 4:05 p.m., respectively.
- Pleasanton woman, 43, arrested for suspected DUI 8:35 p.m. on 3100 Santa Rita Road; DUI arrest of Pleasanton male, 19, on Hopyard Road at Owens Drive at 9:24 p.m.
- Motorist cited for unlawful display of vehicle registration 6:28 a.m. along 6800 Santa Rita Road.
- Box truck clips Heritage tree, noon, on Santa Rita Road near Jensen Street.
- Fremont Boulevard Wells Fargo Bank robbed by masked man with fake gun.
Sunday, Oct. 21
- Assault and battery reported on 300 St. Mary Street 12:16 a.m.
- Male arrested on warrant charges 3:38 a.m. on 4200 Rosewood Drive. Another individual served a warrant 6:17 a.m. on Hopyard Road at Owens Drive.
- Female motorist arrested for suspected DUI 2:16 a.m. on 6700 Santa Rita Road; man, 21, DUI arrest 10:38 p.m. on 1 Stoneridge Mall Road.
