News Briefs

Armed man robs another bank

A man with a gun robbed the Washington Mutual Bank at 20573 Stevens Creek Boulevard Dec. 23, one week after another bank holdup just down the street.

A man walked into the bank and demanded cash from tellers at about 3:15 p.m. Tellers complied and the suspect fled with an undisclosed amount.

"This guy just walked in and walked out," said sheriff's spokesperson Sgt. John Hirokawa.

The suspect is described as a thin white male with blond hair, 35-38 years old, 5'8" tall with light acne scarring across his cheeks. Witnesses said he carried a black leather organizer and wore a long-sleeved black sweatshirt and a blue denim baseball cap. He may be associated with a small, white, early '90s model coupe that is dirty, dented and in generally bad shape and has gray vinyl bucket seats.

Hirokawa says the suspect so far hasn't been linked to any other recent bank robberies in the area.

Anyone who may have information about the robbery is asked to call Detective Randy Bynum or Sgt. Bob Dixon at 408.867.9719.

Exotic birds found after July thefts

The Sheriff's Department announced last week that two of the seven exotic parrots recovered from a San Jose home were birds reported stolen July 20 from De Anza Pet Salon in Cupertino.

Acting on a tip from sheriff's Detective Patricia O'Donovan, San Jose police recovered the birds on Dec. 15. Two of the other recovered birds were reported stolen July 30 from Critters Corners, a San Jose pet store.

The birds were found in the San Jose home that belongs to a relative of Long Q. Phu, 39, a San Jose man who was arrested by O'Donovan Oct. 29 for stealing six birds from the Cupertino store. Four of those birds still haven't been found. Phu is out on bail and is awaiting a Jan. 18 trial.

Three of the seven birds recovered from the house are being cared for by the Humane Society until their owners can be found. Some of the parrots are worth as much as $800 each.

Anyone with information may call Detective O'Donovan at 408.299.2211.

Midpeninsula says volunteers needed

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is looking for volunteers to lead nature-oriented activities for students.

As Outdoor Education Docents, volunteers will lead hikes through open space areas and educational activities for small groups of students. Tours will include a "habitat hike," "pond prowl" and an "aquatic lab."

Training for volunteers will be held Thursdays from 2 to 6 p.m. starting Jan. 27 and ending March 30.

For more information, call the district office at 650.691.1200.

Make movies, help others

The Digital Clubhouse, a nonprofit organization that teaches digital literacy, is having an orientation to teach about its digital storytelling. It is an opportunity for interested people to learn how the Clubhouse makes short multimedia movies and about its next project on healing from violence and abuse. Call 481-0880 for details.

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