Behind the Front Page: Prank or Crime?
By Maureen Robertson
A woman alone in a vehicle stopped in the turn lane at San Vicente and Gunn Stage roads, waiting for a green light so she could turn left onto Gunn Stage.
It was about 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 10, and no one else was around — she thought. As she looked to her right, out of the darkness came two figures wearing ski masks and black clothing, creeping toward her vehicle. They were about 4 feet from her vehicle, and one of them had a hand extended to open the passenger door.
“Luckily, no cars were coming, because I gunned it through the light,” she wrote in an email that was forwarded to many San Diego Country Estates residents. “I believe they pushed the crosswalk button to make sure I stopped.”
She reported the incident to the Sheriff’s Department in Ramona the next day.
Sgt. Christina Bavencoff in Ramona said deputies believe this is one in a series of pranks occurring in the Estates. Everything from egg throwing to cutting power to homes has been reported, with a smattering of graffiti plastered on fences and signs.
The pranksters likely are teenagers or young adults thinking this is all in fun. It isn’t. At least one family in one of the homes that lost power as the result of an early-summer prank thought burglars were outside. The husband owns a gun. What if a person in the home needed a medical device that required electricity?
The incident at the traffic light crosses the line. Another vehicle could have been coming when the driver went through the light. The driver could have been an older person with a weak heart.
The female driver assumes the two who came toward her were male. The Sheriff’s Department would like to know who they are.
“We want to address it so something bad doesn’t happen,” said Bavencoff. “...The acts they are doing are a danger and would scare anybody.”
Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the sheriff’s department at 760-789-1200. If it’s an emergency, of course, call 911.
We hope those responsible for this latest string of incidents think seriously about the possible consequences of their actions.