Malibu man arrested for local burglary
A Malibu man was arrested Friday on suspicion of the Aug. 6 burglary of a Malibu residence, law enforcement officials confirmed. Daniel Kraft, a 21-year-old Malibu resident, was arrested on suspicion of felony burglary, attempted burglary and a parole violation.
Sgt. Mark Bock of the Sheriff’s Department said the home that was burglarized was located on Pacific Coast Highway. Detectives reportedly served a search warrant and uncovered leads at a Malibu residence that led to Kraft’s arrest on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica Aug. 12.
HOWS Trancas Market closing
Malibu’s HOWS Trancas Market will reportedly close by Thursday. A HOWS Market employee told The Malibu Times that the store’s last day open would be Wednesday, Aug. 17.
It was rumored that the local market was facing closure in December 2010. At that time, the store’s manager, Eric Sustin, told The Malibu Times that the branch was up for sale, not closing. He added that there was no way to know when the store would be sold, saying “It could be two weeks, could be three months, could be two years.”
Sustin also speculated that if the grocery store closed, another grocery store could take its place. “If it’s sold it will most likely [become] another store,” he said.
Last year, the Torrance and Granada Hills locations of HOWS closed.
The HOWS Market chain was founded in 1999 by an heir of the Hughes family supermarket dynasty, along with three other partners. The Malibu and Pasadena branches are the only two stores currently in operation.
Local office building burglarized
An office building adjacent to the Malibu Country Mart was burglarized between 8 p.m. Saturday night and 9 a.m. Sunday morning, Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station officials said. Detective Bureau Sgt. Derrick Alfred said about eight items of computer or electronic equipment worth roughly $5,000 were taken from the office building at 23440 Civic Center Way.
Alfred said deputies do not know how many people took part in the burglary or how they gained entry to the building. Alfred said three individual offices in the building were burglarized after their doors were forced open. Deputies do not know if the burglary is related to recent burglaries of residences on Point Dume. Deputies are waiting for surveillance video from one of the offices for evidence, Alfred said.
Anyone with information related to the burglary is encouraged to call the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at 310.456.6652
Malibu Pier catches fire
A small fire broke out Monday afternoon on the Malibu Pier, Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Quvondo Johnson confirmed.
Firefighters were dispatched at 1:46 p.m. after a call came in about a small amount of smoke. The six-foot by six-foot fire had already been put out when the units arrived.
The cause of the fire is still undetermined and there were no injures.
This is the second fire on the pier since May. That fire, which occurred over Memorial Day weekend, was started by a cigarette and damaged 200 square feet of decking and stringers (pier supports) at the westernmost side.
LAPD memorial ride to come through Malibu
The West Valley Area of the Los Angeles Police Department will be coming through Malibu during their Memorial Motorcycle Ride Aug. 27, according to a press release from the City of Malibu. The ride raises funds for the Randal D. Simmons Outreach Foundation, the Los Angeles Memorial Foundation and the West Valley BOOSTERS.
The riders will come through Malibu Canyon from the 101 Freeway before heading east on Pacific Coast Highway toward Santa Monica. They will be escorted by the LAPD, the CHP and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Law enforcement officers will assist with traffic movement, but motorists should expect a possible 10 to 15 minute delay along the route.
DUI checkpoints planned
The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station will be conducting DUI/driver’s license checkpoints in the cities of Malibu, Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s station between 26 and 30. The Malibu checkpoint will take place Aug. 30, in Calabasas, Aug. 26, in Agoura Hills, Aug. 27, and Westlake Village Aug. 29. All checkpoints will be conducted between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is continuing its ongoing campaign to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes,” the release states. “DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as bring awareness to our community of the dangers of impaired driving.”
West Nile virus found in Calabasas
A dead crow that tested positive for the West Nile virus was found in Calabasas Aug. 10, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County West Vector and Vector-Borne Disease Control District. There have been no reported cases found in Malibu or other surrounding cities this year.
According to the control district, mosquitoes become infected with the West Nile virus when they feed on infected birds. The bugs can then transmit the virus to humans and animals by biting them.
To reduce the risk of becoming infected with the virus, the control district advises people to stay indoors at dusk, dawn and early evening. It also encourages people to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants while outdoors, and spray clothing and skin with insect repellents containing permethrin or DEET.
More information can be obtained and mosquito complaints filed by contacting the Los Angeles County West Vector and Vector-Borne Disease Control District at 310.915.7370 or www.lawestvector.org.
flecting the reorganized Environmental Sustainability and Planning Departments.
The city’s budget can be viewed online at www.malibucity.org.