San Marcos crime

Local crime rates fall, county rates rise

People may have behaved badly this year, but they’re behaving a lot less badly around San Marcos, about the same around Escondido and somewhat greater around Valley Center than last year. Overall, crime rates in these three communities combined dropped this year compared to last year, bucking a trend that found overall countywide rates rising. This, according to mid-year 2016 crime statistics compiled by SANDAG and…


People (and bodies of water) behaving badly — Valley of Discovery edition

Night time was not the right time to party early Thursday at the normally quiescent San Marcos cul-de-sac in the 600 block of Helmsdale Road, off Kirkwall Drive near Palomar College. An intimate gathering of about 10 people erupted in an argument that led to gun shots, injuring a 20-tear-old female bystander as two men grappled over a loaded pistol. One man pulled out the…


Grand theft package, San Marcos: Sheriff’s Department goes viral video seeking thief

The Video UPS bandit must be stopped, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s investigators. A woman who allegedly stole two UPS packages worth $100 from a San Marcos resident fell afoul of the residence’s surveillance cameras. San Diego County Sheriff’s investigators took the unusual step Monday of releasing a kind of reality TV-meets-package-theft video as a means of bringing the alleged package snatcher to justice….


Oops, they did it again to Chito’s Taco ATM

Oops, Chito’s Taco Shop ATM, with all due respect to Britney Spears, they did it again. Thieves for the second time in less than a month hit the mom-and-pop taco shop, just off Interstate 15 by Westfield North County mall, and this time they got what they sought — the shop’s ATM machine. When last we went Britney Spears at the Del Lago Boulevard eatery…


People Behaving Badly (January roundup)

Since last we met, Escondido-San Marcos-Valley Center has been the scene of some wild time, criminally speaking and otherwise. A bittersweet tale at best, tragedy and crime, some deadly and others of the head-scratching variety have been in the news. Here are some of the highlights and — shall we say — lowlights of the last few weeks.  5-hour SD Sheriffs SWAT standoff starts with…


Police seek stabbing suspect from Sunday brawl near Bear Valley Middle School

Another whodunnit has caused Escondido Police to reach out to the public for help identifying a stabbing suspect from large fight just after midnight Sunday, Dec. 20. The brawl took place just outside Bear Valley Middle School near the intersection of Bear Valley Parkway and Canyon Drive. The fight was one for the ages, or at least young adults, in the 2800 block of Bear…


Police seek hit-and-run driver; EPD blotter: 6 new crimes reported for Dec. 6

Now, on to current incident reports. For more details click on “Map It.” CRIME ALERT! 5 new crimes Type Description Case # Location Agency Date Map It TAKE VEHICLE W/O OWNER’S CONSENT/VEHICLE THEFT (F) – 900 E BLOCK MISSION AVENUE Escondido Police 12/2/2015 10:00:00 PM Map It DRUNK IN PUBLIC: ALCOHOL, DRUGS, COMBO OR TOLUENE (M) – 1200 W BLOCK VALLEY PARKWAY Escondido Police 12/1/2015 2:46:00 PM…