A stolen gift certificate was the start of a police investigation that eventually led to the May 7 arrest of 39-year-old Los Gatos resident Samuel Maxwell Newsom. He had previously been arrested Nov. 17 on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine and possessing methamphetamine for sale at his home on E. La Chiquita Avenue.
The current case began April 30, according to Los Gatos Police Sgt. Tricia Friedrich, when the victim of an auto burglary a few days earlier reported to police that savings bonds and gift certificates were stolen from the car, which was parked behind Los Gatos High School. The victim discovered that one of the gift certificates, for the Nordstrom store in Santa Clara's Valley Fair Mall, had already been reported as used.
The LGPD began an investigation that included interviewing Nordstrom employees. Through this and other leads, they determined Newsom was a possible suspect.
After obtaining a search warrant, Friedrich said, police officers and members of the Santa Clara County Special Enforcement Team searched Newsom's residence the afternoon of May 7 and discovered, along with Nordstrom merchandise, 46 grams of methamphetamine. SCCSET officers joined the LGPD because of Newsom's past arrest related to methamphetamine.
Authorities arrested Newsom on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia. As of last week, the case had not yet been reviewed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
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This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 14, 1997.
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