Police Blotter: Sting Operation Targets Contractors

Inspectors ticketed seven contractors who didn't have worker's compensation insurance for their employees and cited six others who were not properly licensed, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office reported.

The D.A.'s Office inspectors conducted a sting operation across the county Thursday to enforce laws concerning unlicensed contractors and workers compensation coverage of employees.

There had been complaints about unlicensed contractors working in Santa Cruz County and also failing to have required workers compensation coverage on employees, according to the D.A.'s Office.

Investigators from the state Contractors Licensing Board and the state Department of Insurance were also a part of the enforcement operation.

To report a unlicensed contractor or failure of an employer to carry Workers Compensation Insurance, call the D.A.'s Office at 454-2400.

Watsonville Police Log, Monday, June 13

12:57 a.m.—An 18-year-old girl said a man repeatedly called her and threatened to rape her, then kill she and her family. The man called several times during a 15-minute span and seemed to be about 20 years old. The teen was not physically harmed; no arrests were made.

Sunday, June 12

12:05 a.m.—An underage teen and Adam Monroy, 21, were stopped for having open containers of alcohol on Anna Street and Sunrise Court. The teen was arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol, violating his probation and giving cops a fake name. Monroy violated his probation, police said.

7:22 a.m.—A vandal threw rocks through the front driver's side window and windshield of a vehicle parked on the 100 block of Hope Drive. The vandalism happened in the early-morning hours.

7:47 a.m.—Another car sustained damage from rocks, this one parked on the 200 block of Martinelli Street. The right rear window was broken overnight.

3:41 p.m.—Mario Casas got a DUI after he was involved in a car accident on Bockius and Marchant streets.

6:18 p.m.—Mark Grossman reported someone tried to break into his dental office R 230 Green Valley Road. Nothing was missing but the door was damaged.

Saturday, June 11

1:21 a.m.—A teen was arrested on the 2100 block of Freedom Boulevard for allegedly violating his probation.

2:03 a.m.—Sueheidi Rosales Pineda, 22, was cited for a warrant on the 100 block of Silver Leaf Drive.

8:16 a.m.—A car burglar broke a door lock and stole a stereo from a vehicle parked on the 100 block of Miles Lane.

12:37 a.m.—Daniel Benitez Gonzalez, 21, punched a hole in the wall inside his girlfriend's apartment and was cited for vandalism.

8:05 p.m.—A teenager was arreseted on a weapons charge on the 1100 block of Main Street.

Friday, June 10

12:39 a.m.—Felipe Degante Martinez, 27, was arrested on Lighthouse Drive and Ohlone Parkway for a warrant.

3:58 a.m.—Cops shocked a half-naked man yelling and jumping around in a hotel room with a stun gun. Police thought the man, Sydney Carey, 48, may need medical attention but before they could detain him, he came after an officer, which is why he was stunned. The incident happened on the 700 block of Freedom Boulevard.

6:34 a.m.—A gunman shot at least five bullets at a closed preschool on the 100 block of Blanca Lane overnight. Police recovered the bullets and shell casings.

11:20 a.m.—A teen was stopped for riding his bike on the sidewalk on East Fifth and Jefferson streets, but had a concealed knife and got ticket.

12:48 p.m.—Police found a vehicle stolen from San Jose and turned it over to its owner.

1:48 p.m.—A home on the 300 block of East Beach Street was burglarized during the past week while the residents were out of the country.

8:51 p.m.—A 50-year-old man was badly beaten on the 200 block of Silver Leaf Drive and flown to an out-of-county trauma center. A woman at the scene, 39-year-old Sally Mae Sullivan, was jailed for public intoxication. No one would cooperate and police didn't arrest anyone for the battery.

9:53 p.m.–A robber stole money from a 23-year-old woman on the 1000 block of Green Valley Road. He was not caught.

Thursday, June 9

1:39 a.m.—A car was stolen on the 100 block of Monte Vista.

8:17 a.m.—Joe Bargado, 57, was arrested on suspicion of being on drugs on the 100 block of Roache Road. He had a glass pipe on him.

1:21 p.m.-Gabriel Quiroz, 18, and Julie McClure, 34, were arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, possessing a stolen vehicle and possessing stolen property on the 500 block of Auto Center Drive. McClure also had drug paraphernalia with her.

5;45 p.m.—An apartment on the 100 block of Martinelli Street was burglarized during the day.

6:12 p.m.—Cops found gang graffiti on an alley off Rodriguez Street. They linked it to someone's Myspace.com account and arrested the suspected vandal. That person's name wasn't released.