SANTA MONICA CRIME WATCH

Hidden camera catches thief

Santa Monica Police say officers responded to a residence in the 800 block of 12th St. on May 20 after a woman told them that she had set up a clandestine camera in her house after noticing that she had been missing clothing and lingerie from her residence over the past 5 years. Lawmen report after returning from a trip the victim reported looking at the video and noticing that on May 17 she checked her video and found that the camera recorded a man in her bedroom with an empty bag. Officers say she recognized the man as a long-time, non-romantic friend. They say she watched as he rifled through her underwear drawer and put items in his bag and left. Lawmen report detectives conducted a follow-up and arrested the suspect, Michael Hoffman, on this incident. They say they also found four other victims in which the suspect he burglarized their residences for their underwear. Hoffman was charged with burglary and given a 50,000-dollar bail.

Assault suspect ends up behind bars

Santa Monica Police say officers received a call about a woman who woman that spat on someone in the parking structure at 1502 4th St. on May 26 at 2 in the afternoon. Officers say they found the suspect, Crystal Rosenberger, in the 400 block of Broadway swinging a racquet at people passing by. Lawmen report they were able to stop and detain her. They say they also met with the victim, who was a parking structure attendant, who told them that Rosenberger spat on him while he was trying to stop pedestrian traffic for passing cars in and around the parking structure. They say the parking attendant said that the woman walked out of the stopped crowd and spat on his face and then left. Rosenberger was arrested for assault and assault with a deadly weapon and given a 30,000-dollar bail.

Being drunk in public lands man in jail

Santa Monica Police say officers responded to 530 Pico, the Le Meridian Delfina hotel regarding a drunken person causing a disturbance by yelling at people. It happened on May 26 around 11 at night. Lawmen report the caller told officers that the person, who was drunk, was sitting outside of his hotel room without his pants on and was refusing to pay for his stay at the hotel. Authorities say when they arrived they also found that the suspect was talking nonsensical and incoherently and that he was drunk. The suspect Amereep Singh Johal of Santa Monica was arrested for being drunk in public and given a 250-dollar bail.