10 Most Unusual Crimes of 2011

10.
When Christopher Faraj, 28, tried to rob a bank in Glendora, he was out of luck – the bank had closed for the day and so had the bank’s vaults. There was no money to hand over, a bank teller told Faraj, and Faraj left empty-handed. Using a description of the getaway car provided by bank employees, detectives spotted a car matching the description and pulled over the suspect. Faraj was arrested and held on $100,000 bail.

9.
Ryan Serna, 18, thought he was free when he escaped arrest after attempting to steal items from a vehicle last March. But coincidence would have the law catching up with Serna. While walking home from his attempted burglary, Serna found officers at his home investigating another unrelated incident. The officer recognized Serna as matching the description in the previous burglary attempt, and arrest him.  

8.
When Terry McCollum, 34, tried to rob two women around midnight last July, his potential victims didn’t have to run far for police help. The attempted robbery happened right on the steps of the . McCollum fled the scene when the women screamed and ran for help. Police found McCollum nearby and arrested him.

7.
The DUI suspect Glendora Police were looking for ended up finding them when the suspect rear-ended a Glendora Police officer last March. Glendora received a call from a concerned resident earlier in the night and officers searched for the driver. But Brian Castle, 42, of Folsom, gave them a little help in their search when he rear-ended another Glendora Police officer. The female police officer received minor injuries in the accident, and Folsom was arrested.  

6.
A thief sat for an hour in a car he tried to steal while trying to figure out how to get himself into the right gear. Glendora Police responded to a call in the early morning hours on March 30, 2011 from a resident who said he saw someone sitting in his car. The resident said the person had been sitting in the car for an hour. When Glendora Police arrived, they found Luis Valladres, 20, in the vehicle. He told police his car had broken down. An officer noticed the gear was set in drive and when he shifted into park, the vehicle started right up. Valladres was arrested soon after.

5.
Glendora Police arrested a man after he tried to find a Valentine’s Day gift for his girlfriend last February– the only problem is he tried to steal the gift from an store. Robert Arnett, 43, tried to leave the Albertsons store with flowers and balloons without paying for the items. A loss prevention officer apprehended Arnett before he left the parking lot.

4.
Marco Negrete, 20, of South El Monte, stole multiple items from a Lil Wayne music video shoot at in February. Negrete was arrested on suspicion of stealing a laptop, a Louis Vuitton purse, tickets to the NBA All-Star game, money and a wallet from a production staff trailer. Unfortunately for Negrete, the laptop he stole contained a GPS tracking device that led police to Negrete’s home. According to reports, Negrete stole the items hoping he’d be able to meet the rapper.

3.
An Azusa man accused of exposing himself to children at a local was committed for psychological evaluation in July by officers who found he was also a guns and ammo hoarder. Glendora Police searched the home of John Robert Steiner, 58, and found "well over" 100 pistols, rifles and shotguns, with ammunition, according to Glendora Police. Detectives were initially looking for him because he was allegedly caught on surveillance tape walking up to people and exposing himself at a local Walmart.

2.
The Glendora Police Department awarded Daniel Lewin for his hours of service to the department as an auxiliary police officer. But Lewin was caught stealing funds from the very department that honored him. Lewin was arrested May 17 for stealing $200 from the department. He was given three years probation, a one-day jail sentence, a $300 fine and 100 hours of community service – service he most likely will not be performing at the Glendora Police Department.

1.
In what was one of the most bizarre crimes of 2011, William Velasco, 25, of San Dimas was caught secretly videotaping women and children in a Glendora restroom. The recording device? A camera disguised as a nondescript plastic hook placed there by Velasco. For two days, about 45 women were taped using the restroom. Ironically, Starbucks surveillance cameras were used to identify Velasco, leading Glendora police to his home. A police search through Velasco’s home in May, yielded computers video files of women and children using the Starbucks restroom, leading to Velasco's arrest. Velasco, who was also suspected of stalking a female Citrus College student and burglarizing her home, eventually pleaded guilty to all charges. He is due for a sentencing and probation hearing on Jan. 17