Police Log Police Log (February 13, 2004)

1/30 -- Burglary, Possession of Stolen Property, 210A Horizon Ave.

During a Jan. 23 inspection of the home of Kenneth Cardoza, 43, at 210A Horizon Ave., which had suffered fire damage, Mountain View Deputy Fire Inspector Craig Cesarin noticed a suspicious amount of construction equipment throughout the residence and a sign identifying Cardoza as a contractor working for the city of Palo Alto.

Cesarin notified Mountain View police who, working with Palo Alto police, obtained a search warrant and confirmed that much of the equipment was stolen. Police also identified a Sunnyvale storage unit rented by Cardoza, which was found to contain more stolen property. In total, 91 stolen items were recovered, and much of it was traced back to 10 victims in Mountain View, Palo Alto and Stanford who had reported burglaries and thefts over the past year.

Cardoza was arrested on Jan. 30 on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property, grand theft and probation violation and is being held at the San Jose Main Jail on a $40,000 bail.

Palo Alto police are still looking for the owners of several items of construction equipment, audio/visual equipment and DJ equipment, and encourage schools, companies, and individuals to check the crime alerts link on their Web site at www.PAPD.org to see if they recognize any stolen property.

2/7 -- Armed Robbery, 400 block Shoreline Ave.

At approximately 4:25 a.m., a man was walking on Shoreline Boulevard when a black truck drove by him and stopped. A man got out of the passenger side and ran towards the first man who fled. After a short chase, the second man caught up to him and produced a semi-automatic handgun.

Speaking in Spanish, the suspect demanded money from the victim. The victim gave the suspect his wallet, but the suspect continued to hold the gun on him. They struggled, and the victim ran away. He heard a gunshot behind him, ducked behind a concrete barrier and then heard a second gunshot. The suspect then left, presumably in the truck. He is described as a Hispanic male, aged 23-25, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a thin build, weighing around 150 pounds, and with a beard. He was dressed in a white beanie hat and white sweatshirt.

2/4 -- Vandalism Spree, 300 block Escuela Ave., 1900, 2000 blocks California Ave.

Sometime in the early morning of Feb. 4, an unknown suspect or suspects slashed at least 40 tires on at least 35 cars in an apartment complex located at 316 Escuela Ave. and on California Street. Police have no information on the suspect or suspects.

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