SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Residents of a San Francisco building that has flooded twice since June are reporting theft and people going inside their vacant apartments.

On June 10, at 2:27 a.m., Kate Sutherland received a notification. A person had been detected inside her vacant apartment at 33 Tehama.

“Opened the video and I saw a random person just wandering through my unit and taking a video on flash. It sent chills down my spine,” said Sutherland.

The eerie video caught what looked like a person moving slowly in the dark. The building had been vacant for several days after a water main broke and flooded the building. Kate ended her lease four days after this video was recorded.

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Luz Pena: “How did they explain what happened?”

Kate Sutherland: “They really know how to explain it. They just kept saying that it was unauthorized.”

Kate’s story is the tip of the iceberg. This week another resident captured a contractor using the bathroom inside one of the apartments and taking something on their way out. Hines, the real estate company that owns the building, confirmed the theft that took place Monday, saying in part:

“A contractor who was making repairs in one of the units at 33 Tehama was recorded taking items from the unit. This contractor was terminated immediately.”

In Stephanie Sunwoo’s case, thousands of dollars went missing from her bank account this morning.

“Two fraudulent checks cashed in my account. My bank account both in the amount of over $1,500 each,” said Stephanie Sunwoo, 33 Tehama resident.

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Sunwoo says her entire checkbook is inside her nightstand in her vacant apartment.

“It is really alarming to think that somebody is rummaging through my bedroom through my nightstand, grabs a box full of my checkbooks and now I have deep fears of identity theft,” said Sunwoo.

Residents are also reporting theft in the bike room.

“Our bike room was completely looted. There are remains of people’s bikes. Some people’s bikes are completely missing,” said Sunwoo.

Regarding theft, Hines said in part:

“While we haven’t confirmed the validity of these allegations yet, we have temporarily removed all contractor access to resident units while we work on a solution to increase security measures.”

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And for residents like Maarya Abbasi, these reports make them want to get all of their belongings out of the building fast. She says Hines is making it difficult.

“It just feels like the nightmare that never ends,” said Maarya Abbasi.

Hines is not allowing residents inside the building and is only letting them use movers assigned by Hines.

“That is something I also asked Tehama ‘What is the recourse if our belongings get damaged?’ All I was told was is that we would have to work through our own renters insurance,” said Abbasi.

Hines said they are providing locked storage pods to residents who have scheduled move-outs through the end of the month.

As to bikes getting stolen, they said they don’t know if any bikes have been stolen, but said a large number of bikes were abandoned.

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We also followed up and asked about the resident who said her checkbook was stolen and they said that’s a police matter.

Statement from Hines about 33 Tehama – August 16, 2022

“It has come to our attention that on August 15, 2022, a contractor who was making repairs in one of the units at 33 Tehama was recorded taking items from the unit. This contractor was terminated immediately. All construction workers at 33 Tehama are licensed, bonded, and insured, and are employees of reputable subcontractors. We have security on the premises 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the safekeeping of our residents’ belongings is our utmost priority.

There are very few allegations of other issues with security in the units. While we haven’t confirmed the validity of these allegations yet, we have temporarily removed all contractor access to resident units while we work on a solution to increase security measures. At a minimum, these measures will include a comprehensive video monitoring system to capture footage while contractors are in residents’ units to safeguard their property in an active construction site.

When we learned that the timeline for reoccupation of 33 Tehama would extend into 2023 and notified residents that they would need to find alternate accommodations, we began working with city officials and local building ownership to secure housing for our most vulnerable residents, which include residents in the 60 below market rate (BMR) units at 33 Tehama. We have had success with the city who responded promptly to the request. We continue to work with local building owners to identify housing solutions for these residents. We are hopeful that San Francisco building owners with vacant BMR units will agree to support these 33 Tehama residents at this time by offering them housing.

Given that the financial and accommodation support for 33 Tehama residents ends tomorrow August 17, we have extended the financial and hotel accommodation support to tenants who meet certain income qualifications until August 31. This is to ensure that they have the resources to secure temporary housing while we continue to work closely with building ownership and in partnership with Supervisor Dorsey and other government officials to find a longer-term solution. “

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David Gillispie, 41, of St. Petersburg (Picture: Pinellas County Jail)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, a St. Petersburg man allegedly stole thousands of dollars from a client and an employer in two separate schemes.

According to an affidavit, 41-year-old David Gillispie was painting a woman’s home when, unbeknownst to her, he obtained the customer’s checkbook and credit card.

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Officials said Gillispie forged 25 checks and made 28 credit charges on the victim’s account between October 16, 2021 and November 18, 2021. In all, he is accused of stealing $18,200.61.

Gillispie was spotted on surveillance video doing the counterfeit check transaction. According to the affidavit, his name was also on the checks as the recipient of the stolen funds.

However, the sheriff’s office said this wasn’t the first time the handyman had stolen from customers.

In a second affidavit, the PCSO stated that Gillispie illegally took payments from customers while working as a sales representative for Spray Gunner between October 2020 and May 2021.

According to officials, the thefts were discovered when the business owner noticed a sharp drop in sales and realized his customers had high balances.

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The victim traced the balances to Gillispie’s work computer, where the employer found an open PayPal account on the workstation.

The affidavit states that the PayPal account is a clone of Spray Gunner’s official account, but is used to send payments directly to Gillispie.

Investigators found that Gillispie used multiple accounts to receive these payments and provide customers with large amounts of credit.

MPs said goods were dispatched to these customers with no payment made to Spray Gunner.

In total, the company lost $14,539.74.

Officials arrested Gillispie on Friday and charged him with two counts of fraud (fewer than 20,000).

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FARGO — A West Fargo woman has been accused of stealing roughly $100,000 from a plumbing company where she worked.

Lisa Michelle Koehmstedt, 51, appeared Friday, Sept. 30, in Cass County District Court on a felony charge of theft. She could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Koehmstedt was an accountant for Riverside Plumbing in Fargo when she allegedly stole the money, according to a criminal complaint. Records given to investigators by Riverside owner Jeremy Johnson suggested the theft happened between July 2020 and June 2022, the complaint said.

A fraud audit showed $96,604 was paid to AT&T, Glitter and Tees, and Seven O One, the complaint said.

Koehmstedt was booked Thursday into the Cass County Jail.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – An 81-year-old metro woman is still trying to financially recover months after her handyman and caretaker allegedly withdrew thousands of dollars from her bank account over the course of three months.

Alice Dragoo told KFOR two of her close friends introduced her to Joseph Wisner late last year.

“A really super nice young man that I thought was honest and straightforward. I hired him to take care of me when I had shoulder surgery because I didn’t want strangers in the house. [When] I had met him, he was going through a hard time, so I thought I’d give him a helping hand,” said Dragoo.

Wisner was also hired to help out around the house and do minor repairs.

Dragoo and Wisner became good friends and often went out together, according to Dragoo.

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Dragoo said while they were out and about one day, she gave Wisner her debit card to make a one-time withdraw from her International Bank of Commerce (IBC) account.

Dragoo also gave Wisner her pin number, he withdrew money and then they went on about their day.

“But then I got a bank statement and he had been taking my bank card and drawing up to 3 to $500 a night out of my checking account, my savings, the only thing I had left pushing for this all these last few years,” explained Dragoo.

Dragoo said she hardly ever checks her bank statement, “but that’s the way it was. I didn’t catch in time. My mistake.”

During some of those withdraws, Dragoo claimed to have been in Colorado visiting family, so she knew something wasn’t right.

Dragoo confronted Winser, but she said he never admitted to taking her money.

Dragoo said the IBC had video footage of Wisner withdrawing from her account at an ATM on N. Portland.

Dragoo and her family were able to produce the video and handed it over to Oklahoma City Police, according to officials.

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Wisner was eventually kicked out of his home shortly after finding out.

“It appears that he had been stealing her ATM card, going out using it and coming back and replacing it without her having knowledge of it,” said Msgt. Gary Knight with OKCPD.

Dragoo said she is a heavy sleeper, and so while she was asleep, Wisner would take her card and use it during the nighttime.

Although Wisner never admitted to the crime in person, he texted Dragoo saying, “I’m sorry I let you down. I let a woman get the best of me and was trying to woo her is the stupid truth but I have always intended on returning what I borrowed. I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you. I never wanted to hurt you. Thank you for helping me. Ich liebe dich…”

A text Joseph Wisner sent to Alice Dragoo on April 11. KFOR Photo.

Dragoo has yet to receive that money back though.

On top of the $11,000 in cash that was allegedly stolen, Dragoo said she lost about $12,000 in family memories and tools.

“For the first time in my life, I had to ask for help for medication that my heart doctor says I have to have. I couldn’t afford it. I should have been able to afford my medicine even with my insurance paying the majority of it. I couldn’t afford the $300. That’s what it came down to. $300. I didn’t have it,” stated Dragoo.

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Dragoo has tried contacting the IBC to get her money back, but she said talking with her bank has been a dead end.

“The bank said because I was with him one time and giving the numbers to my card to withdraw money from ATM that I gave him permission. They will not honor all the times he used it without me with it,” explained Dragoo.

She said she understands her specific branch may have to go through corporate to get the money back, but she doesn’t understand why they haven’t been able to do so far.

News 4 reached out to Dragoo’s specific IBC branch, but the representative said she had never heard about the situation and took our information down to pass it along to someone else.

We have not received a call back.

An arrest warrant was issued July 27 for Wisner.

He was arrested Monday and now faces charges for second degree burglary, elderly exploitation, and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent.

Mugshot of Joseph Wisner. Photo courtesy of Oklahoma County Jail.

“I feel better that he’s going to have to pay. I mean, he’s got to grow up and face what he’s done is wrong and straighten his life up. He’s got a choice,” said Dragoo.

Dragoo wants her situation to be a lesson to others to do background research on who they’re letting into their home.

She said she feels like she can’t trust other people now, which is what she never wanted.

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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A pair of brazen garage break-ins were captured on video in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood.

One video shows Burglars intentionally ramming a garage with their car. It happened on Friday, March 4 around 5:30 pm on Franconia Street, in Bernal Heights. The driver casually gets out of the car and approaches the damaged garage. Another camera captures the passenger getting out as someone walks by with a dog across the street.

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The two burglars walk out with stolen production equipment, and even hold up traffic on the residential street.

“The idea that these people could drive a car through my garage door in broad daylight, surrounded by witnesses and casually walk out with more of my property is a clear sign that there is no consequences to that type of action here in the city,” said resident Alex Cruzvergara.

This was actually the second time in two weeks Cruzvergara believes the same crooks hit his garage.

Video shows what appears to be a Subaru Outback outside his garage on February 18 around midnight. The burglars stole $25,000 worth of production equipment.

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He said he lost nearly $7,000 worth of gear in the most recent break-in. One thief even dropped his hat in the garage, which police have as evidence.

Cruzvergara is a cinematographer and owns a small production company. He believes he was targeted.

“It was clear to me that they knew what they were taking. They knew what they had missed the first time, and wanted to come back and get the rest of it,” he said.

He’s since canceled and lost out of several jobs without his gear.

“They just didn’t really have any second thought, or anything just drove up, looked at the garage for a few minutes,” said neighbor Campbell Yore. “It’s pretty disturbing to see that.”

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Over the weekend, Cruzvergara noticed the same Subaru driving around his neighborhood and he followed it at a safe distance while he called the police. He said SFPD later found the car abandoned but identified two suspects.

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PORTOLA VALLEY (CBS SF) – A peninsula vermin fighter is accused of stealing jewelry from a customer’s home and the sheriff’s deputies believe there may be more victims.

MPs responded to a woman’s home in Portola Valley on July 2 after discovering her jewelry was missing. The woman said the suspect, a Complete Pest Control employee, was at her home earlier in the day and doing extermination services.

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The investigation revealed that the suspect was searched on parole.

On July 13, detectives conducted a parole search of the suspect’s home in Menlo Park.

Connor Timmons. (San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office)

“The search found a large amount of jewelry from his bedroom and found the victim’s stolen jewelry,” said a statement from the sheriff’s office

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MPs also said the suspect was unable to provide an answer on how he got the jewelry.

The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Connor Timmons, has been detained in San Mateo County’s Main Prison for aggravated theft and possession of stolen property. According to prison records, Timmons is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Detectives said Timmons may have stolen jewelry from victims’ homes while at work.

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Anyone who has recently done business with the company and has lost or stolen items is encouraged to contact Detective Judson Piper at 650-363-4062 or jpiper@smcgov.org.

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A Los Angeles man accused of stealing a lemur from the San Francisco Zoo this week was arrested Thursday in San Rafael after allegedly stealing a store from a supermarket and then stealing a truck, authorities said With.

Cory McGilloway, 30, has been admitted to Marin County Jail for crimes such as burglary, theft, and vandalism. San Rafael police said he stole about $ 500 worth of groceries from the Smart & Final on 935 Anderson Drive Thursday night and then stole a truck owned by Marin Sanitary Service.

San Rafael police searched McGilloway’s cell phone while investigating the thefts and found a photo of a lemur. Lt. Dan Fink said the photo aroused suspicion among arresting officers, who knew Maki, a male ring-tailed lemur, had been stolen from the San Francisco Zoo this week.

Fink said officers notified the San Francisco police, who interviewed McGilloway and charged him in connection with stealing the lemur. McGilloway will be transferred to the San Francisco County Jail after his release from San Rafael police custody for aggravated animal theft, break-ins, looting and vandalism, authorities said.

The overnight break-in at the San Francisco Zoo was reported Wednesday morning. The investigation into the incident continues, the San Francisco police said on Friday.

The missing lemur was found on San Fernando Way in Daly City around 5 p.m. Thursday, police said. Maki “was determined to be in good health and was returned to the San Francisco Zoo,” said the San Francisco Police Department in an announcement.

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