Probation sweep keeps local teens in check

Probation sweep keeps local teens
in check
By Sylvie Belmond
belmond@theacorn.com

SEARCH PARTY-Lost Hills Sheriff's Department Sgt. Phil Morris, right, joins another deputy at the front door of an Agoura Hills home. The house was one of six local residences visited by deputies in the early hours Monday to make sure teens on probation were abiding by the law.

The dawning of Martin Luther King Jr. Day brought a rude awakening Monday to some local teenagers and their families. It was a holiday, but they weren’t celebrating.

More than 100 officers from a joint police task force tapped on doors in a predawn sweep to find out if teens were complying with the terms of their probations.

Several agencies were involved in the effort that included 71 searches in West San Fernando Valley and the Agoura area.

At day’s end, the task forced reported 32 arrests. Targeted in the sweep were those previously convicted of graffiti or vandalism. As part of their probation agreement, all had previously agreed that authorities could search their homes.

Authorities recovered seven guns, eight gun replicas and drugs, according to Craig Levy, supervising deputy probation officer. A total of 10 grams of cocaine, 44 grams of methamphetamines, 934 grams of marijuana and $4,500 in cash was confiscated.

"The goal is to send a message that if you’re out there tagging, we’re going to check on you," Levy said.

"If the judges gave you a chance to stay at home, you need to comply with the orders," he said.

"This type of activity is not tolerated," said Levy, pleased with both the number of arrests and the number of people who were in compliance.

Although the Agoura portion of the sweep was mostly uneventful, the Lost Hills Juvenile team, headed by Sergeant Phil Morris, and L.A. County Probation officer, Steven Howell, uncovered incriminating evidence at two of the six homes they searched.

The first two homes were vacant, a move that will lead to a warrant for the young people who failed to report the move to their probation officer.

The third stop lead officers to a tidy brick and stucco home where a 16-year-old was roused from sleep.

When they searched his room, officers found a day planner that contained graffiti-like doodling and mood altering pills not prescribed to the teen.

This was a violation of his probation, but the young man wouldn’t be arrested, Morris said. The violation will be noted in his file and presented to a judge at a later date.

The boys’ parents expressed dismay over the findings and told officers they may want to send the boy to a residential camp.

When deputies arrived at the next home, they became suspicious because it took several minutes before someone came to the door. The parents were out of town but several teens were home.

When officers searched the teen’s room they uncovered two pipes, one of them a large water bong, a scale, a book about marijuana and a straw cut in half.

This teen will be charged with marijuana possession as an adult because he is older than 18, Howell said.

Added Morris, "We’ll cite him with a misdemeanor, starting his brand-new adult record."

Although he wasn’t physically taken to jail that morning, the young man was technically arrested, Morris explained. "He’ll probably do 60 days in jail as an adult because he had less than an ounce or marijuana."

The last two homes on the route yielded positive results. The room of a 14-year-old was found clean and a 16-year-old, who lived in Old Agoura, was sent to a residential living camp in Provo, Utah.

Officials said graffiti costs L.A. County as much as $10,000 a year to remove.