Blogs Homepage
Featured Entries
Recent Entries
Recent Comments
Vendor Blogs
Tags
My Starred Entries
Create A Blog
RSS FeedCrime in Los Gatos: |
The Los Gatos Observer was the first to break the news that yesterday, just before noon, a man was killed at a townhome complex (Rancho de Los Gatos) on Overlook Drive, which is walking distance to downtown Los Gatos. Within a few hours, other news sources picked up on the story and we learned that the victim was a former bar tender and bar owner, the much beloved Mark Achilli.
Apparently a man dressed all in black had been hanging around this normally sleepy neighborhood for a few hours. He shot Mr. Achilli at close range with a number of bullets. Experts believe this is not a random shooting.
Right now, there are more questions than answers. Police are seeking any information. Please call (408) 354-8600 if you can help with this case. The suspect is still at large.
Mark Achilli is a former owner of Mountain Charley's Saloon and 180 Degree Restaurant and Lounge, and prior to that was a bartender at Carry Nation's - all three in Los Gatos.
Crime in Los Gatos
Los Gatos enjoys a very, very low crime rate, so this is particularly shocking for the townsfolk. The type of crime found here can be read in the local papers or online, and usually consists of things like drunk in public, domestic dispute, theft (often from or of autos), burglary, and so on. More serious offenses include rape, drunk driving and assault - but they are not too common.
A visit to CrimeReports.com enables the visitor to plug in the address and see, on a map, the types of crime there. You can see for yourself that this murder is an abberation for the otherwise ultra-safe part of Silicon Valley.
Link to CrimeReports.com's page for 18400 Overlook Road, Los Gatos, CA 95030
The police has a volunteer group, Volunteers in Policing, and these 150 or so goodly folks assist in a lot of ways around the town. Residents here experience good rapport with the police as well and it's hoped that together, we can assist our peace officers in solving this crime, bringing answers to Mark Achilli's loved ones, and again making our town peaceful and safe. If you know anything that might assist in this investigation, please call the police at (408) 354-8600, or phone the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Tip Line at (408) 399-7531.
For more on the investigation of this crime, please see these articles in the Los Gatos Observer: Los Gatos Police Investigate Shooting
Los Gatos Police Seek Murder Suspect
Intimate stuff: Sometimes you go into a place and see things displayed that you feel you really should not see. Such as? Such as boudoir photography of your client, special "toys", and sometimes "art" that may shock you. The oddest I ever saw was a home decorated with whips and chains (this for an Open House). Yes, really.
Scary stuff. Talk about being scared out of my wits... Twice I've turned down the wrong driveway by accident and found myself terrified by an overreacting nut. Once a man blocked my only exit with his jeep and screamed at me for tresspassing - only to learn I was trying to find the next door neighbor's driveway (a home that was for sale on a street where the addresses weren't marked - it was, by the way, his sister's home and he did know it was for sale). Another time, a client pushed me to go down a driveway when my better judgement (and the sign stating "alarmed driveway") warned me not to do so. A scary looking big guy with a rifle emerged and glared at me threateningly. 
Gross stuff: Sometimes a seller will ask buyers and agents to remove their shoes. I recall doing so vividly along with a buyer client, only to have the client put her foot down (in the master bedroom, which had a dark brown hardwood floor) in a very large pile of puppy poop. Ewww. Another time a client phoned and apologetically explained that he'd accidentally left his dirty underwear on the bedroom floor, and would I please put it in the hamper before the Open House? (This is just a sampling, there are many more stories I could share along this vein.)
One of the toughest things I've encountered in my career, though, actually involves not homes and scary things, but cars and the safety of my passengers. Ten or so years ago, I had a rash of clients who did not want to buckle up, and who did not care if their babies or toddlers were in car seats either. It was not a lot of fun when they climbed into my car and wanted to omit wearing seatbelts. This is, by far, one of the worst things I've run into in my career, because it's a client trying to get me to take risks that I know are stupid to take. And it's not fun to argue with anyone, let alone a client, but...
One of my students was a very, very sweet girl named Stacey. She was rushing to school at the end of her senior year, zipping in her VW Bug down a road much like Quito Road, when the car slid off the road and into a tree. 