Uncategorized

Stolen vehicleSomeone stole a black Ford Fusion from the area of East Dunne Avenue and San Simeon Drive. The theft was reported 8:51am June 19.A thief or thieves stole a tan Chevrolet Tahoe from a spot on Burnett Avenue. The crime was reported 8:30am June 23.A black Honda Accord was stolen from a spot on the 100 block of West Dunne Avenue. The crime was reported 9:15pm June 23.A black Mazda Protégé, previously reported stolen, was parked near the railroad tracks in the area of Larkspur Loop and Church Street “for months” before someone reported the vehicle to police. MHPD officers arrived and later released the vehicle to its registered owner. The vehicle was reported to police 3:17pm June 27.VandalismSomeone broke a vehicle’s side mirror at the Chevron gas station located at 851 Cochrane Road. The crime was reported 6:25pm June 13.Someone pried open a metal box containing more than a dozen mailboxes at an apartment complex on the 100 block of Wright Avenue, and stole the mail out of every mailbox. The crime was reported 9am June 21.Petty theftTwo female juveniles were arrested on suspicion of stealing cosmetic and hair accessories from Rite-Aid, 16000 Monterey Road. The crime was reported 3:16pm June 25.DisturbanceA man told police he was chased by a clown who was wielding a kitchen knife “the size of a forearm” in the area of Del Monte and Cosmo avenues. The man told police he had to run about five minutes to get away from the armed clown. Police responded but did not locate a clown in the area. The incident was reported 3:07am June 22.BurglarySomeone burglarized a home on Monticello Way and stole a mobile smartphone. The victim told police the suspect or suspects might have gained entry by using the spare key under the doormat. The victim noticed the spare key was missing after realizing the home was burglarized. The crime was reported 8:30am June 28.Auto burglaryA suspect or suspects smashed the window of a silver Mazda and stole a laptop computer and purse. The vehicle was parked on Burnett Avenue. The theft was reported 9:50am June 24.Someone smashed the window of a Ford Escape and stole a purse. The vehicle was parked in front of Coldwell Banker, 950 Tennant Station Way. The burglary was reported 12:01pm June 25.A thief or thieves stole tools out of a white Ford F350 parked in the area of Butterfield Boulevard and Central Avenue. The burglary was reported 7:43am June 29.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

A vehicle struck a woman crossing the street in downtown Morgan Hill the night of July 4, resulting in non-life threatening injuries to the pedestrian, according to police.About 9pm July 4, a 20-year-old San Jose woman abruptly attempted to cross Third Street, from the west side of Monterey Road, when she was struck by an SUV traveling southbound on Monterey, reads a press release from Morgan Hill Police. Police and fire officers responded to the scene. The woman was transported to San Jose Regional Hospital for treatment.The driver of the SUV, also a San Jose resident, remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities, police said. The driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.Police closed the southbound lanes of Monterey Road from Second to Fourth Street while authorities investigated the incident and cleared the scene.The female pedestrian was released from the hospital and was able to go home later in the evening July 4, according to police.Anyone with additional information about this incident can call MHPD at (669) 253-4995 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.

The Morgan Hill Unified School District for several years has annually trained its faculty and staff on their responsibilities as mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse. But officials are refusing to explain why employees failed to call police in 2014 when a student complained that Kevin Cole had touched and spoken to her inappropriately at Sobrato High School.

Most animals have a keen sense of hearing so the on going pop, boom and whizzing sounds of the Fourth of July celebration can bring on stress and anxiety causing a pet to panic and freak-out.

Eight customers of Home Depot in Morgan Hill were stricken ill by a mysterious odor in the air Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.Four of the patients were transported to the hospital for treatment of symptoms characterized by incessant coughing, according to CalFire Fire Prevention Specialist Pam Temmermand.Just before 3:30pm July 1, the fire department received a call from Home Depot, 860 E. Dunne Ave., reporting “some type of smell inside Home Depot that had made some people ill,” Temmermand said. The store was evacuated and the county’s hazardous materials investigators arrived to inspect inside.Authorities entered the store wearing hazmat suits, but were unable to find the source of the odor, Temmermand said. After thoroughly investigating, authorities cleared Home Depot to allow customers back inside.CalFire and other agencies cleared the area by 6pm, and no further response has been requested at Home Depot since the Sunday afternoon incident.“They never determined the source, or what the smell was,” Temmermand said.Temmermand said she did not know the current condition of the four customers transported to the hospital. The other four patients were treated for their symptoms at the scene outside Home Depot.Wildfire burns eight acresA vegetation fire in the area of Oak Glen Avenue and Willow Springs road burned about eight acres before firefighters extinguished the blaze Friday afternoon.Fire authorities responded to the fire just north of Chesbro Reservoir about 4:30pm June 29. No structures were burned in the wildfire and no injuries were reported, according to Temmermand.The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Anyone caught igniting illegal fireworks in Morgan Hill next week could be on the hook for up to a $1,500 ticket—or triple the fine amount normally levied for such violations.The Morgan Hill Police Department issued a press release June 27 announcing that fines for illegal fireworks will be tripled from July 1-7. During this time, a first violation could cost the offender a $300 fine, a second offense could cost $600 and the third violation could cost $1,500.The city’s press release notes that illegal fireworks can result in brush fires, burned homes, missing pets and injuries that require Emergency Room treatment.“Our hills are dry and every illegal firework poses a threat to our community,” reads the press release from MHPD. “Think of your family, friends, neighbors and pets.”The City of Morgan Hill is partnering with Independence Day Celebrations to produce a free fireworks show at the Outdoor Sports Complex, 6 to 10pm July 4.All fireworks purchased outside Morgan Hill—including “safe and sane” fireworks found in nearby communities—are illegal here and will result in tripled fines, police noted.The triple fine schedule will also be in place Dec. 30 to Jan. 2 in Morgan Hill.

When it comes to garbage, recyclables or yard waste, once the bins hit the curb, that’s it. Goodbye to bad rubbish.

Having just breezed unopposed into his third and final four-year term, District 1 Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman believes he’s just now hit his public-service stride.Los Gatos resident Wasserman, 60, represents the communities of San Jose, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.“I’m driven and compassionate,” said Wasserman, who, like other supervisors, is limited to three terms. “I have a head for numbers and a heart for the people.”Wasserman began his journey into public service as a teenager when he volunteered at Agnews State Hospital. After he earned a degree in psychology from University of Southern California, he married his college sweetheart, Kim, and dedicated his energy to his family.“You don’t have a lot of time for other things,” said Wasserman, who became a certified financial planner and ran a small business over the next few years.That’s not to say that he was laying around the couch in his spare time. Before holding public office, Wasserman spent more than 10 years volunteering as a sports coach for 300 kids on 25 youth teams. In recognition of all his community involvement, he was voted “Best Sports Coach,” Best Volunteer” and “Best Civic Minded Citizen.”Around the time that his kids had grown and left the nest, Wasserman used the Kiwanis Club to expand his personal network.He was first elected to the Los Gatos Town Council in 2002 and served until 2010, part of that time as mayor. While on the council, Wasserman championed the Youth Sports Park, helped bring the Los Gatos Library up to strict environmental standards and aggressively maintained a balanced budget.Running for supervisor in his district in 2010 seemed like a natural sequence of events, and Wasserman was able to throw all of his energy into building countywide relationships.“We have a great relationship built over many years of working on tough issues together,” said Gilroy Mayor Roland Velasco, who met Wasserman eight years ago. “He is more than just generous with his time; Mike is generous with his heart.”Velasco served on Wasserman’s staff until this spring.Wasserman said he plans to continue working on reducing Gilroy’s homeless population when his final term begins this January.“It’s the right thing to do,” said Wasserman, adding that funding comes from Measure A, which generates $950 million from bond sales. “Not only is it the right thing, it directly saves the taxpayers money.”Wasserman also directed county funding to the Morgan Hill Playground Project to build the first all-inclusive playground that’s universally accessible in Morgan Hill. Once complete, the playground will allow children and adults of all physical and emotional abilities to play together.The supervisor’s work is greatly appreciated.“Mike is very responsive and communicates well,” said Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate. “His varied interests and ever-present enthusiasm make him a delight to work with.”Wassermann finds peace by teaching his French bulldogs Cocoa, Max and Peaches agility training.“This teaches me patience,” he said. “You work and prepare, then something unforeseen happens and you have to adjust. It’s a great distraction.” By David Leland 

Temperatures nearing the triple digits on Friday and Saturday, June 22 and 23, prompted many residents to cool down at Downtown Splash, an outdoor spray pad at the Community and Cultural Center.The free feature, located at 17000 Monterey Road, offers the public a fun reprieve from the heat.Maureen Tobin, the city’s communications and engagement manager, said the city is thrilled to have the water feature, which reopened last year, up and running again.“We are just delighted to be able to have that for the community,” Tobin said. “It’s really the only free water feature available to the community, and it attracts a lot of families and children to the area to have a picnic lunch there. And it serves parts of our community that might not be able to afford to go to the aquatic center.”Downtown Splash runs daily through Aug. 19 at Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road. Hours of operation are Monday-Thursday, noon-4pm, Fridays, 10am-2pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, noon-4pm. The splash pad stays open weekends through Sept. 23, noon-4pm. For more information, visit morgan-hill.ca.gov.

Kevin Cole, a drama production technician who has worked with youth performers in Morgan Hill for several years, was convicted earlier this month of annoying or molesting a child in relation to an incident during a December 2017 dance recital at Sobrato High School.