Crime

At about 9 p.m. Halloween night, a lone suspect wearing a black ski mask entered a gas station at 601 First St. The alleged thief was holding a black bag that appeared to have a heavy item and presented a note to an employee demanding money, according to a Gilroy Police Department press release.

Police are looking for a suspect who schemed with a Morgan Hill man to defraud several victims out of a total of at least $3.5 million in a real estate scam, authorities said. Terrence Brown, 48, and Antranik Kabajouzian, 35 of Morgan Hill - co-founders of the Bay Area Equity Group - are charged with multiple felonies including grand theft and securities fraud, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. They are accused of fraudulently misusing their clients’ money in a scheme that included investing unwitting clients’ money into dilapidated homes in Detroit. Brown is currently wanted on a $3.5 million warrant, according to authorities. Kabajouzian was arrested Oct. 22 and remains in custody in lieu of $3.5 million bail. “We are looking for more victims in this case,” prosecutor Katharina Wells said. “Unfortunately, these defendants preyed on many people with promises of unrealistic profits.”Kabajouzian and Brown allegedly induced individuals to invest in out-of-state properties, representing that the properties were habitable, rehabilitated and occupied, the press release said. The suspects guaranteed the investors a 15 percent rate of return. In fact, many of the properties were located in the depressed real estate market of Detroit, Mich., authorities said. The properties had not been rehabilitated. Many were empty, uninhabitable and vandalized. Some had been condemned, and title was never transferred to investors as promised. Some properties were sold simultaneously to other investors. Anyone with information about Brown’s whereabouts can contact DA’s investigator Santiago Trejo at (408) 808-3757, or call local police. The DA’s Office has set up a hotline dedicated to receiving criminal complaints from the public regarding Bay Area Equity Group, Brown and Kabajouzian, the press release said. The hotline number is (855) 350-7232. Callers will be instructed to leave their contact information, and DA’s office staff will follow up by contacting the callers. 

Here's your weekly digest of criminal happenings in Gilroy, including a gas station robbery, assault at a local night club and a bust for possession of methamphetamine for sale.

The Gilroy Police Department responded to a variety of crimes in the last week including assault with a deadly weapon, possession of burglary tools, battery, hit and run and driving under the influence. Arrests were recorded in the GPD blotter from Oct. 22 through Oct. 29.

The Gilroy Police Department received more than 40 pounds of unused prescription pills and liquids during the Drug Enforcement Administration's drug take back initiative Oct. 26. The initiative is a nationwide effort to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

The PG&E is warning customers of a telephone scam making its way across the Bay area, where scammers demand immediate payment for electricity bills they claim are past due - or else the utilities will be turned off, according to a press release from the Gilroy Police Department.

Police throughout Santa Clara County are ready to crack down on drunken and drugged drivers this Halloween evening, as part of law enforcement’s annual “Avoid the 13” holiday DUI crackdown, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.“The scariest part of Halloween is not the spooky costumes and scary pranks, it’s the impaired drivers,” Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said. “All too often, partygoers don’t plan ahead and choose to drive impaired, but a costume can’t disguise drunk driving.” Sheriff’s deputies, local police and California Highway Patrol will participate in the Thursday night DUI crackdown, deploying extra patrols in addition to regular shifts, the press release says. The sheriff’s office will deploy extra deputies to perform DUI “saturation patrols” to identify anyone driving impaired. Halloween is one of the deadliest holidays of the year on our roadways, according to police. The National Highway Traffic Administration has reported that from 2007-2011, 52 percent of all fatalities occurring on Halloween night nationwide involved an impaired driver. Men between 21 and 34 comprised almost half of all drunk drivers who were killed in motor vehicle accidents nationwide during the 2011 Halloween holiday. It is also the deadliest night of the year for child pedestrians. “If you celebrate with alcohol, you don’t belong behind the wheel,” Smith added. “A sober and safe ride after the party is the best treat you can give yourself and everyone else on the road this Halloween.”The Santa Clara County DUI Task Force recommends the following tips to keep safe this Halloween: -Plan a way to get home safely before the festivities begin. -Designate a sober driver.-If you are impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation. -Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving, according to police. Designate a sober friend to walk you home. -If you see a drunk driver on the road, call 911.-If you know someone who is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make safe arrangements to their destination. Funding for this Avoid the 13 operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the NHTSA, according to the press release. 

A former “known Norteno gang member” living in Gilroy is seeking millions of dollars in damages for what he alleges was excessive force and violation of civil rights by Cpl. Eustaquio “Paco” Rodriguez with the Gilroy Police Department.

The YMCA child care employee who is accused of sexually assaulting multiple small children under his care at a Morgan Hill facility appeared in court Tuesday, but the hearing was continued.Nicolas Lhermine, 20 of Morgan Hill, remains in custody on charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 12, oral copulation on a child younger than 10, possession of child pornography and production of child pornography - all in relation to five victims identified since his arrest by Morgan Hill police in July. Lhermine’s hearing Tuesday at South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill was continued to Dec. 10 at the request of both his attorney, Riccardo Ippolito, and Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Stuart Scott who is prosecuting the case. Four of Lhermine’s alleged victims are age 7 or younger, and were victimized by Lhermine while they were under his care at a child care program at Paradise Valley Elementary School, according to investigators. The youngest alleged victim is 3 years old. The child care program was run by the YMCA, according to authorities.The fifth alleged victim is a 17-year-old girl of whom investigators found nude pictures on Lhermine’s mobile phone, authorities said. The girl was not affiliated with the YMCA program, but Lhermine knew her.Lhermine was arrested by Morgan Hill police July 12, when a 6-year-old girl under his care at the YMCA program told her parents and investigators that Lhermine forced her to engage in a sex act in the bathroom at the day care site, authorities said. During the initial investigation, police found the pictures of the 17-year-old girl on his phone. During a follow-up investigation which included assistance from YMCA staff to reach out to the parents of all children who had ever been under Lhermine’s care at the YMCA, authorities identified three more alleged female victims - ages 3, 5 and 7. Lhermine faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to authorities.The suspect worked as a child care aide at the YMCA day care facility during the alleged assaults, and has held numerous positions - including youth soccer coach and child care at other YMCA facilities - in his four years of employment at the YMCA, according to authorities.

Here is a list of the recent arrests recorded from the Santa Clara County San Martin substation's log.