Sonoma Police: Biking Under the Influence, Credit Card Fraud, 'No Sir – It Was My Girlfriend'

Selected calls from the :

Friday, April 27

Health and Safety Code Violation: A deputy was driving by on the 400 block of Fifth Street West at 11:07 p.m. when he spotted Socrates Giannis sitting in a lit window, playing video games. Giannis has previously been kicked out of the residence, which was closed after the water was shut off . Giannis was charged with contempt of code enforcement, violating probation and violating the health and safety code, and was booked into Sonoma County Jail. 

Stolen Credit Card: A man reported his wallet stolen; he had the wallet when he was at Home Improvement, but over the course of a day's errands he noticed the wallet missing. Several charges were made to the man's Visa card, including $708.43 worth of goods from Napa Home Depot.

Police located a video of the incident and found an image of Chuck Bauer, a 48-year-old Sonoma resident making the charges. Police located Bauer in a home on the 800 block of Broadway. He had 600 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket, but denied knowledge of the victim's wallet. He told officers that his girlfriend purchased the goods at Home Depot and he had no idea that the card was stolen.

Bauer was arrested and charged with burglary, possession of meth, conspiracy, theft by use of access card and violating probation. 

Drunk in Public: At 7:53 p.m., Police arrested a 52-year-old transient who was panhandling in the parking lot of Whole Foods. The man was staggering, drunk and unable to hold his head up, according to police. He was booked into county jail. 

Saturday, April 28

Cycling Under the Influence: At 6:27 p.m. a deputy spotted a man riding a bike through the Plaza – a municipal code violation. The man rode south through the park, entering the three-way intersection at West Napa street on a diagonal, cutting off a motorist turning left.

The deputy caught up with the cyclist, a 47-year-old Sonoma resident, after he rode onto the sidewalk. The deputy said the man smelled of alcohol; the cyclist said he'd split a 24-oz beer with his dad at 5 p.m. The man registered a .175 blood alcohol ratio on a breath test. He was charged with cycling under the influence of alcohol and was booked into Sonoma County Jail. 

Battery: Police were called to Vintage House at 9 p.m. after two men got into a physical altercation. A 43-year-old Agua Caliente resident told police that he had exchanged words with another man at a wedding, when the man, a 31-year-old Agua Caliente resident, had swung out and punched him in the face.

Police caught up with the alleged aggressor, who denied punching the other man – he told police he had put up his hands to defend himself, then gathered his children and drove away. The man was charged with one count of misdemeanor batter. He was cited and released.

Property Lost: A women reported that her husband set their Apple iPad on top of their car before she drove to the Plaza. The iPad's gps traced it to an address on the 17,100 block of Hwy. 12. Police checked the residence but were unable to find the iPad.

Sunday, April 29

DUI: A Marin Sheriff's deputy spotted a driver weaving in and out of traffic, while driving down Lubick at 12:18 p.m. The man followed the car and phoned in a report to the Sonoma Police Department, who sent a deputy to lie in wait on Lubbock Ave. at Fryer Creek. The driver, Marin Brown, a 43-year-old Sonoma resident, had bloodshot eyes. She told officers she'd drank two glasses of champagne and a glass of white wine at the San Rafael Yacht Club. She refused to take a breath test and was issued a citation for driving under the influence of alcohol and released to the care of a friend.

Found Property: The El Pueblo Inn's head custodian found a Schwinn woman's bike. The bike is in poor shape and was reportedly abandoned at the Inn.

Monday, May 1

Vandalism: Two cars, each parked on the 700 block of First Street West, were vandalized. Someone scratched the side of a 2010 Burgundy Mazda with an unknown item. Another car, an Oldsmobile, had the tires flattened when someone pulled the air-caps off and broke them with a small pebble to release the air. 

Tuesday, May 2

Grand Theft: A resident of the 19,300 block of Junipero Serra reported his customized 1953 Schwinn Beach Cruiser missing. The man took his daughter for a bike ride on May 1 and left the bike propped up against a trailer. When he woke up the next morning, the helmets from their ride were there, but the bike was gone. It is a customized mountain bike, dark red, with a honey-colored leather seat. 

Thefts: A man reported several thefts that occurred over the last month at his home. On April 17 someone took a white metal step-stool from the carport at the back of his property. The step-stool, valued at $40, is three feet tall and has "Wayne's Screen Machine" printed on the top. On April 21 someone stole a $100 electric leaf blower. On April 28 someone stole two black plastic boxes filled with $2,000 of drape cleaning equipment – including tarps, hoses, nozzles and funnels.