Crime & Safety
Reports of Gunfire, Loud Parties, and a Lost Pineapple Brooch
Police log reports from St. Helena, Dec. 23-25.
The weekend's weather caused several problems in St. Helena, as reported earlier. Monday and Tuesday saw lost property reports, loud parties and a reports of gunfire that proved unfounded.
On Dec. 24 at 3:34 p.m., police received reports of semi-automatic guns being fired in the neighborhood of Madrona Ave. in St. Helena. Responding officers were reminded that there was a personal gun range on private property near there, outside city limits, over which they had no jurisdiction.
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When police arrived, they discovered the noise was coming from the end of a cul-de-sac, where a man was working on a car inside his garage. The echoing backfire carried some distance and caused the confusion.
At 12:30 that afternoon, a man reported a lost brown bi-fold wallet, last seen at Safeway around 1:00 pm the day before. A more unusual lost item was reported early in the morning of Dec. 26, when an e-mailed lost item was logged from a tasting room visit that took place on Dec. 8.
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"Report of a Tiffany lapel pin lost between Whitehall and Charter Oak on Dec. 8," reads the log entry. "A gold pineapple with sapphire stones valued between $5000-$10,000."
"People make these reports of lost items to qualify for insurance," said Maria Gonzales of the SRPD. "They need to file a report with the local police department." In this case the filer was from Port Chester, Westchester County, New York - a village short one five-figure brooch.
Dispatcher Gonzales went on to say "We often have people turning things in, we have a very close community. Even if it's a lost wallet, it's usually turned in with the money intact." We've added a couple pictures of Tiffany pineapple lapel pins to this story's gallery so you know what you're looking for.
And Christmas itself? Early that morning at 4:33 a.m., following Christmas Eve, reports of a party at a residence on Main St. with "loud music going on all night long" were received, and St. Helena Police Chief Jackie Rubin and a duty sergeant showed up in response. Disposition: Abated.
