As Mercury News reports, shameful San Jose resident Sandra Lizbeth Contreras-Velazquez was arrested last week for allegedly befriending about half a dozen elementary school-aged girls in order to sneak away with their gold jewelry. more ›

Keith Brown, 21, was arrested on Tuesday at gaming company Zynga's after allegedly stealing an estimated $100,000 worth of equipment. Brown stands accused of taking company laptops, desktop computers and software. more ›

Ferry Building property manager Jane Connors wrote two letters to City Hall detailing supposed crimes perpetrated by some thoughtless Occupy SF members. An increase in shoplifting, break-ins and, ugh, reports of abandoned human feces are just a few complaints Connors has lodged against the local splinter protest group. The Occupy SF encampment, situated in Justin Herman Plaza, sits just across the street from the noted purveyor of fine artisan foods at the Embarcadero, providing a stark contrast between the haves and the (alleged) have-nots. more ›

In an act of casual midday thievery noted in yesterday's blotter, an art thief walked in to the Weinstein Gallery near Union Square yesterday and strolled out with Pablo Picasso's "Tête de Femme" - a pencil drawing by the cubist painter valued at more than $200,000. After lifting the drawing off the wall just before noon, the thief made his getaway via taxicab wearing sock-free loafers, a dark jacket and large sunglasses. Making the story seem even more implausible (how'd he managed to catch a cab in the middle of the day, anyway?), popular pastrami eatery Lefty O'Doul's may play a role in catching the Picasso pilferer. more ›

Oh, this is just plain mean. A woman had her passenger and friend carjack her while driving in the Mission late last night near the intersection of Cesar Chavez and Shotwell streets. "The victim, an 18-year-old woman, is friends with the suspect and the pair were driving in the woman's car, a 2005 gold Chevrolet Malibu," reports SF Appeal. "When the woman pulled over during the argument, the suspect forced her out of the vehicle and into the street, then got into the driver's seat and drove away." more ›

Actual Cafe in Oakland appears to have fallen victim to what might be the first reported case of parklet theft in the Bay Area. After the cafe built, installed and celebrated their new curbside seating area yesterday, the whole thing went missing in broad daylight. According to the Facebook page cafe owners set up to spread the word, surveillance footage shows the whole thing being loaded on to the roof rack of a white station wagon just before 6 p.m. The owners seem to think it was an innocent and accidental theft, as if some lucky Oaklanders were surprised to stumble upon a free patio lying in the street. more ›

Yesterday afternoon in Golden Gate Park, two SFPD officers left the keys in the ignition of their unmarked "greenish" Crown Victoria while they stepped out to assist with an arrest in progress. Apparently, these guys forgot that you can't just leave things lying around near Hippie Hill - as Bay City News reports, an unidentified man simply hopped in and made off with the vehicle. It's kind of karmic, really. Like the thief was personally delivering retribution for all those allegedly illegal searches and thefts by SFPD officers. Anyhow, if you spot a green Crown Vic with the license plate 4GQE235 around town today, SFPD asks that you kindly notify them of it's whereabouts. [BCN/Appeal] more ›

Scott Sylvester, the 27-year old man videotaped leaving the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a $23,000 violin on his back, appeared in court yesterday. Despite the fact that two witnesses have already come forward to say they spotted him with the violin and anyone with access to YouTube can see footage of him hopping a T-Third train with the case on his back, he stuck to his guns and pled not guilty to charges of grand theft, second-degree burglary and receiving stolen property. Fair enough, Violin Thief Scott Sylvester, ride out this Internet infamy while you can. [BCN/Appeal] more ›

Scott Sylvester, the man spotted making off with a $23,000 violin on Muni, was arrested yesterday. According to the Examiner, Sylvester left the violin with a Priest at St. Mary's Cathedral yesterday morning. What the Ex declines to mention is whether that was an act of penance because he saw his face plastered all over the Internet or if he was trying to encourage stringed accompaniment at the parish. Either way, the cops rounded him up by 8 p.m. last night. [SFEx] more ›

Last week a stranger strolled right in through the front door of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music at 50 Oak Street and waltzed right back out with a $23,000 violin. The instrument, a one-of-a-kind Caressa & Francais from the 1920's, was plucked out of a fifth-floor classroom where it had been left unattended while its owner checked her emails in a computer lab. According to the Examiner, two women shared an awkward elevator moment with the suspect just before the theft occurred. The man reportedly told the witnesses, "You guys are pretty white-bread here, so no one's going to take your stuff." more ›

While en route downtown via a Muni train bus last night, a man was robbed of his smartphone after two men brandished a gun. According to SF Weekly, "The two men got onto the bus and sat next to the victim, and started 'small talk' with the man, buttering him up by complimenting his phone." When the victim tried to put his phone away, the two meanies showed off their gun, which prompted the guy to hand over his phone. The two men swiftly took off after the, ahem, "iRobbery." [SFW] more ›

The Chronicle writes that 29-year-old burglary suspect, Eric Miller, successfully passed himself off as a firefighter for a few hours yesterday morning at Firehouse 19 near Stonestown Galleria. It's suspected that he sneaked into the building at around 2 a.m., either when the firefighters were out on a call or asleep. more ›

Although SFPD has yet to confirm the story -- we called them and they're still "busy with last night's World Series chaos" -- word is that the Wells Fargo Bank in Noe Valley (4045 24th Street) was robbed this afternoon. Catherine Bergstrom (@CatherineBerg) sent out the following Twitter messages: "The #NoeValley Branch of Wells Fargo was robbed earlier this afternoon. Cops are still on the scene" and "Undercover cops galore & nervous Wells employee is telling [people] that the branch is temp closed." more ›

A couple of the victims who were defrauded by Rachael Smith, the con artist who took off with several people's deposits and first month's rent after leasing the same apartment at 5631 California Street to them, are organizing a meet-up for everyone who was a victim of the scam. more ›

Obsessed over last night's Dan Noyes vs. Laguna Honda PR flack showdown? We sure are. It's uncomfortable. It's touchy-feely. It hints, but never reaches the point of, fisticuffs. It's everything we want from our local news outlets. ABC 7's Dan Noyes, as most of you know by now, got into an awkward confrontation with Director of Community Relations Marc Slavin (who, along with Hospital Director Mivic Hirose, ignored ABC 7's request for an interview, hence this surprise interview.) more ›

Patients at Laguna Honda Hospital are some of San Francisco's poorest residents, we're told. ABC 7's Dan Noyes points out they "endure a life stripped down to the barest conditions... more ›

Oh brother, how brazen. Last night a thieves broke into the garage of a Stephen Fox's Noe Valley home, stealing two bikes and (far worse) a 2003 Acura RSX. more ›

Did you happen to hear about this art theft down in Pebble Beach in which 13 paintings, totaling somewhere between $27 million and $80 million in value depending on who you ask, were stolen in potentially one of the biggest art heists on record? Well, the well-to-do victims of the theft, Benjamin Amadio and Ralph Kennaugh, are now being considered suspects by the Monterey County Sheriffs Dept., who are investigating whether the entire thing is a hoax. Amadio and Kennaugh, who both hail from Boston, are so far refusing to take a lie detector test, and they "compromised the integrity" of the investigation by leaking a ransom note to the media. more ›

Ack! Who would do this? more ›

The benevolent souls over at Mission Mission came across this jarring, albeit all too common, story. It tells the tale of Jen, who, understanding that Mission Mission is the Dateline NBC of San Francisco, asked them for help. It seems that Jen and her boyfriend had this bike that "they both loved more than anything in the world," but it got stolen outside Safeway in March. Yesterday, however, it showed up for sale on Craigslist. (The ad has since been deleted.) Anyway, the comments section is fill with tips on how to check the DNA of your bike if you ever come find yourself in a similar situation. Jen, by the way, plans on getting her bike back. more ›

Have you seen Tears of Joy Theatre's stolen puppets? According to an alert reposted at the the SF Bay Area Puppeteers' Guild, someone made off with the Japanese-style bunraku characters sometime over the last few weeks. It's a pretty devastating loss for the artists. more ›

Major - like, major! - alert from the SF Bike Coalition according to one SFist reader. It seems someone or some people are stealing bike steals "all over downtown." Check it: more ›

While doing a story on ">smash-and-grab robberies in the Western Addition, NBC 11 reporter Cheryl Hurd herself became a victim of a smash-and-grab theft. (Cue Morissette.) While waiting in her NBC 11 van, with a laptop on her lap, three dicks opened the door to the van and snatched the computer right off of Hurd's lap. Mean! We like us some Cheryl Hurd! more ›

Paul Dhaliwal--Christmastime tiger attack victim, and currently in the process of trying to sue the city of San Francisco over said attack--might be looking at some time in the clink. After Dhaliwal went on a shoplifting spree last month, which included the brazen act of stuffing of two Wii controllers down his pants, San Leandro cops are recommend seven felony charges be handed down to him. According to the San Leandro police spokesman Lt. Tom Overton (via the San Jose Mercury News): more ›