Rally Brings Little Criminal Activity
Hollister – Police officers breathed a sigh of relief as the 2007 Hollister Motorcycle Rally passed without any serious crimes.
Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller, who heads security for the rally, said the 2007 event ended peacefully Sunday, with vendors moving out and the city resuming its normal business. The chief said Friday night was more mellow than in previous years.
Sheriff Curtis Hill said the rally was quieter than in previous years.
“I think it somewhat had to do with the layout,” Hill said. “It presented a different feeling downtown.”
Citing preliminary numbers, total arrests for the Hollister Police Department were down from 2004 and 2005, Miller said.
There were 75 arrests in 2004 and 65 arrests in 2005, according to police records. Preliminary figures show the Hollister police department arrested 48 people in 2007.
“It seems like a fair percentage of the arrests were for substances, either alcohol or drugs,” Miller said.
During the 2007 rally weekend, 84 people were booked into the San Benito County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office. Alcohol- and drug-related arrests accounted for 52 of those arrests, deputies said.
VTA Joins Transit Watch
San Jose – The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has joined Transit Watch, a new public awareness and outreach campaign patterned after the successful Neighborhood Watch Program.
Transit Watch asks transit employees, passengers, neighborhood residents and business communities to help keep VTA safe by being actively involved and work together to maintain a safe and secure transit environment.
Beginning this month, the public will see signage strategically placed throughout VTA’s system. The campaign encourages everyone who works for, lives near, or rides VTA to be aware of their surroundings and alert to activities, packages or situations that seem suspicious. If something out of the ordinary and potentially dangerous is observed, it should be reported immediately to the proper VTA or law enforcement authorities.
The program message is simple but effective: we all have a responsibility to look out for the safety and security of ourselves and our fellow citizens. If we make a commitment to get involved and watch out for each other, everyone will benefit, making our already safe community an even better place for everyone.
Transit Watch is part of a nationwide initiative developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA). In developing the program, the FTA worked with industry partners, including the American Public Transportation Association, the Community Transportation Association of America, the Amalgamated Transit Union and the Transportation Security Administration.Â
Details: (408) 321-2300, (TDD) (408) 321-2330. Or visit the VTA’s Web site at www.vta.org .
Stabbing Under Investigation
Morgan Hill – A Morgan Hill man suffered deep cuts to his left arm after someone attacked him as he sat parked in a friend’s driveway 5:13pm June 26, on Fisher Avenue. The attacker opened his car door and hit the man with a beer bottle, then stabbed his arm with the broken bottle. Sheriff’s investigators have yet to name a suspect, and no one had been arrested for the crime as of press time Wednesday.
Man Arrested for Indecent Exposure
Morgan Hill – A Gilroy man was taken to Santa Clara County Jail for probation violation and alleged lewd or obscene conduct or indecent exposure after an incident near Central Avenue and McLaughlin Avenue Monday evening.
Erwin Pacheco, 28, was arrested after a report that he was attempting to convince two young girls two lift up their shirts, according to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing.
Pacheco, who works at a business on Central Avenue, was allegedly flashing a light into a bedroom window where the 12- and 14-year-old girls were, attracting their attention. Then, Swing said, when the girls looked out the window, he would lift his shirt up and down, as if suggesting they do the same. At some point during the incident, he put his hands in his pants and masturbated.
The girls told their mother, who called police, Swing said. They also told her they had seen him months ago and thought he was strange.
