Bear Valley Springs Child Molester Suspect Arrested in Yellowstone National Park
Bear Valley Springs, CA, 7/28/2009 - After a lengthy investigation by the Bear Valley Police Department, BVPD is announcing the arrest of ROBERT CHARLES ODENTHAL, 55, of
The investigation, which began early in the year and spanned to outside counties including,
During the investigation by the Bear Valley Police Department, the suspect became aware of the Police investigation and decided to travel to another State. He maintained sporadic cellular contact with Bear Valley Police until he was advised that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. On
ODENTHAL was brought before a Federal Magistrate in
Further proceedings are pending.
Sergeant David Watts
BVPD Investigations
661-821-3239 or 3441
Bear Valley Springs, CA, 2/11/09 - The Bear Valley Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating an individual who is the suspect in an investigation involving the theft and laundering of more than three hundred twenty-four thousand dollars. The investigation, which began in the summer of 2008, came about following a report from the Bear Valley property owners’ association (BVSA) that a financial audit had revealed a monetary loss in the hundreds of thousands. The thefts occurred over, more than, a two year period. Our investigation has determined that the crimes, which include criminal use of a computer, were the acts of a single individual. The Kern County District Attorney’s office has filed charges against, and issued an arrest warrant for, KERRY LEE BRANDT (49), last known to have resided in Tehachapi. In June of 2008, BRANDT abandoned her position as the Association’s accounting manager, a day following an office discussion about an “unusual” financial transaction. With the exception of a random reported sighting, BRANDT (who also took her daughter, who was 9 years old at the time of disappearance) has not been seen since. BVPD Investigators have developed several leads as to BRANDT’S whereabouts and have not ruled out that she may have fled to another state. The Bear Valley Police Department is asking anyone who may have information as to the whereabouts of BRANDT, or any other helpful information, to contact Police investigations by calling the Investigations Tip-Line at 661-821-1457. All credible information will be followed-up and is appreciated. ________________________________________________________________________ Identity/Mail Theft Bear Valley Springs, CA, 11/24/2008 - The Cummings Valley and Bear Valley area is being targeted by thieves who have discovered that the mail boxes in our area are unsecured. This has created an increase in mail and identity theft activity locally. Criminals continue to exploit the many ways to access your personal and business financial accounts. Some ways you can protect yourself include: It is important for you to review your personal and financial information to ensure that no financial fraud has been perpetrated against you. Below is an Identity Theft Victim checklist for your reference. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Bear Valley Police Department. Protecting our citizens is paramount and we value your comments. Identity Theft Victim Checklist 1. Call the Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union credit bureaus, and ask for a "fraud alert" to be put on your file. Ask them to include messages on your credit report indicating that no new credit should be granted without your personal approval.
Credit Bureau Fraud Departments Equifax: 1 (800) 525-6285 2. Contact the security departments of the appropriate creditors or financial institutions for all accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened. Close these accounts, and, if you wish, open new ones to replace them. Choose a non-obvious password, and ask that it be required for any and all future changes to the account. 3. File a police report, either locally, or where the identity theft took place. You may need proof of the crime when dealing with creditors, so get a copy of the report, or the report number. 4. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) collects information on ID theft. They can be helpful in solving the crime, and they can provide additional advice. Call them at 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338.)
Experian: 1 (888) 397-3742
Trans Union: 1 (800) 680-7289
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Don’t Fall for the “Star-7-2” Phone Scam
Bear Valley Springs, CA, 9/22/08 - The Bear Valley Police Department is cautioning residents: If someone calls your home telephone alleging to be the California State Police, the California Highway Patrol, any Law Enforcement agency or a phone company employee and tells you to dial star-7-2 (*72) on your phone, don't do it - it's a scam.
Several local residents recently learned about this scam the hard way when they received large phone bills for unauthorized international calls. The residents received calls from an automated AT&T operator directing them to accept a collect call from the California State Police. After accepting the call, a person pretending to be a police officer informed them of a tragic traffic accident involving their loved ones. In order to find out more information, the victims were told they needed to call another officer by pressing *72 followed by another phone number.
Pressing *72 activates a call forwarding feature on phones with AT&T service. Scammers use *72 to forward your calls to a pay phone or other involved third party, who then accept collect and third-party calls. You are billed for the charges incurred because the calls are being forwarded from your number.
Further investigation by the Bear Valley Police Department revealed that local residents are being victimized by inmates from the Cook County Correctional Facility in
One local resident immediately knew this was a scam, since the California State Police was absorbed by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in 1995. The resident said to the suspicious caller, “Don’t you mean the CHP?” The scammer say’s, “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”
Other variations of this scam involve con artists pretending be phone company technicians who need the victim to dial *72 so they can get “remote access” to check the phone line for problems.
The Bear Valley Police Department wants residents to know that no law enforcement agency would call you concerning an accident and ask you to dial a certain number for more information. If anyone calls and asks you to dial a strange code into your phone, hang up and report the call to your local police. The Bear Valley Police Department non-emergency phone number is 661-821-3239.
If you think you may have fallen victim to the scheme, dial star-7-3 (*73) to deactivate the call forwarding feature.