News briefs: Police release sketch of suspect News briefs: Police release sketch of suspect (September 29, 2004)

Menlo Park police have released a sketch of a suspect who reportedly tried to lure a 6-year-old girl away from Willow Oaks School on September 17.

The man approached the girl in a parking lot around 2:20 p.m., telling her in Spanish that her father was waiting for her in another part of the lot, police said. The girl walked with him for a short distance, then became suspicious and went back into the school, where officials called police.

The man is described as Hispanic, between 20 and 30 years old, 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 150 to 160 pounds, with slightly curly brown hair. Anyone with information is asked to call Menlo Park Police Detective Bill Massey at 330-6363 or the department's anonymous tip line at 330-6395.

Police investigate Menlo shooting

Menlo Park police are investigating a possible road rage shooting that took place September 20 at Bayfront Expressway and University Avenue in Menlo Park.

No one was hurt in the shooting, which happened around 1:45 p.m. after a beige or gold minivan with tinted rear windows pulled up next to a vehicle stopped at a red light, said Acting Sgt. Kevin Paugh of the Menlo Park Police Department. Someone from the minivan filed five to six shots at the vehicle, barely missing both occupants, he said.

The suspects are described as five to six black men between 18 and 20 years old. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Menlo Park Police Detective Bill Massey at 330-6363 or the department's anonymous tip line at 330-6395.

Home worker pleads guilty

A Menlo Park man has pleaded guilty to groping an elderly woman at the Lytton Gardens skilled nursing home in Palo Alto on September 17. Ronnie Mitchell, 47, a staff assistant at the nursing home, pleaded guilty just three days after his arrest, avoiding a trial.

Mr. Mitchell could receive a sentence of up to three years in state prison, or could be sentenced to one year in county jail, Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Denise Raabe said. He reportedly entered his plea to avoid creating any more discomfort for the elderly woman.

-- Palo Alto Weekly

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