News

Commercial burglary

The Santa Clara County Board of Education has elected Leon Beauchman as its president for the coming year and Darcie Green as vice president.

The Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved naming the Gilroy High School choir building in honor of Phil Robb, the iconic choral director who retired June 14 after a 30-year career instilling the joy of singing to Gilroy high schoolers.

Snippets of Christmas classics delighted an audience of 400 as high school students danced in the aisles, Santa tossed out candy canes and the Christopher High School choir began to sing.  

Police chased a suspicious vehicle from north Morgan Hill to the Salinas area and arrested one of the occupants after disabling the car, authorities said. A Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on a Honda sedan in the area of Monterey Road and Palm Avenue about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday, according to Sheriff’s Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup. The Honda was allegedly speeding and the car’s registration was expired when the deputy tried to initiate the traffic stop, Stenderup said.The driver of the Honda failed to yield to the deputy and fled the area south on Monterey Road, police said. Officers continued to follow the vehicle, and the chase continued south at speeds reaching more than 100 mph, Stenderup said. Multiple agencies - including Morgan Hill Police and the California Highway Patrol - assisted County authorities in chasing down the suspect, according to witnesses. The pursuit continued onto U.S. 101 southbound, police said. Officers anticipating the suspicious vehicle’s arrival deployed “spike strips” on the freeway just south of the pursuit to puncture the Honda’s tires, Stenderup said. When the Honda reached the area of the spike strips, the vehicle became disabled and stopped in the area of U.S. 101 and Crazy Horse Canyon Road in Monterey County, police said. Officers observed a number of people run on foot from the stopped Honda, but were only able to detain and arrest one of the vehicle’s occupants, Stenderup said. Arrested was a 25-year-old Santa Clara man, police said. Stenderup did not know if the man was the driver or a passenger in the Honda. He was booked at Santa Clara County Jail. Authorities have not yet released the arrested suspect’s name because the investigation is incomplete, Stenderup said. The other occupants of the vehicle have not been identified or arrested, police said. No injuries were reported.

Local authorities responded to three separate residential burglaries on Dec. 4, including two in Gilroy and one in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County.

The Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill introduces the newest member of its educational team: A female saw-whet owl rescued in July in Aptos after suffering a fractured left wing and nerve damage that makes her permanently unable to fly.

Dear Red Phone, “Do you know why Arby’s of Gilroy closed? Any plans to reopen at another location in Gilroy?”

The Gilroy Police Department and City Council are concerned that a double-digit increase in crime between October 2011 and October 2012 is a direct result of legislation that lets felons out of prison without state supervision.

By next summer, Gilroyans will be able to stroll from the parking lot of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce to Monterey Street through the City’s newest lighted and landscaped paseo, which is scheduled for construction this spring following City Council approval.