Grocery store bank thieves on the lam...

Grocery store bank thieves on the lam

Two suspects are at large after a Huntington Beach bank was robbed

Friday.

Police received a call informing them that two men who entered the

Albertsons supermarket in the 7200 block of Warner Avenue at about

6:30 p.m. robbed a bank branch in the store. Officers arrived at the

store after the suspects had fled.

The suspects reportedly headed straight to the Bank of America,

announced they were committing a robbery, demanded money, jumped over

the counter and ordered bank employees to lie on the floor.

Police said the suspects implied the use of a weapon.

A Bank of America spokesman said the suspects roughed up

employees, but the police reported that no one was injured during the

robbery.

The suspects were “not physically violent but very aggressive and

doing a takeover,” Huntington Beach police Lt. Janet Perez said.

The suspects escaped with an unspecified amount of cash from the

bank drawers and vault, police said.

“They immediately fled the bank and grocery store and were

laughing running through the parking lot,” Sgt. Ray Villescas said.

Police do not have detailed descriptions of the suspects, their

clothing, or any vehicle that may have been used.

Murder suspect to wait for court date

The arraignment for Jamie Allen Balint, who is accused of killing

his mothers, has been delayed to Jan. 30.

Balint and his lawyer, public defender Scott Sanders, requested

his arraignment be postponed to the end of the month while appearing

at Orange County Superior Court in Westminster on Friday.

The district attorney’s office alleges that Balint, 33, murdered

his mother, Pamela Balint, 55, in an apartment they shared in the 300

block of Main Street on Dec. 22. Jamie Balint allegedly used a

barbell and knife in the slaying.

Driver creates domino crash effect

Huntington Beach police arrested a Fullerton resident at 5:40 p.m.

Jan. 7 after he crashed his truck near the intersection of Warner and

Los Patos avenues.

John Underhill, 42, was arrested on suspicion of driving while

intoxicated and of possession of a controlled substance after he

allegedly crashed into a wall and knocked over two light poles, one

of which crashed into a yard, knocking over a fence and damaging a

house.

Underhill was followed to the intersection by others who

reportedly saw him involved in other accidents Downtown, police said.

Surf City man faces 15 years for theft

A Huntington Beach man was charged Jan. 8 with grand theft and

improperly handling hazardous materials.

David Anthony Greenly, 24, of Huntington Beach and 29-year-old

Buena Park resident Timothy James Lester were charged with a total of

17 felony counts and could face 15 years in state prison if

convicted.

Eduardo Esquivel, 55, of Garden Grove, was charged with three

felony counts and could spend up to three years in state prison if

convicted.

The three allegedly ran a scam in which they would make deals to

replace old heating and air conditioning units, and in many cases,

accepted large payments without installing new equipment.

“In other cases, they would actually do the repairs, but they

would improperly handle the asbestos waste,” Deputy Dist. Atty.

Catherine Barsetto said.

The district attorney’s office believes the suspects illegally

dumped ducts containing asbestos in a trash bin at the Hope

University campus in Fullerton.

The suspects, who are believed to have operated in multiple Orange

County cities, including Huntington Beach, owned a business called

All Clean Home Care on Warner Avenue, Barsetto said.

Other companies listed by the prosecution are Best Home Services,

Best Home Care, Best Home Air Care, California Clean Air, and A to Z

Home Care.

The district attorney’s office asks those who believe they could

be victims in the case to call (714) 347-8874.

Man pleads guilty to using gun on officer

A Huntington Beach man pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of

assaulting a police officer with a firearm.

James Marchesano, 26, faces up to 34 years and eight months in

state prison for attacking a Garden Grove police officer on Sept. 23,

2002, in Garden Grove. He will be eligible for parole after serving

85% of his sentence.

The prosecution made a plea bargain with Marchesano after deciding

there was not enough evidence to charge the defendant with attempted

murder.

“[We] didn’t think we had enough to prove specific intent to

kill,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeff Winter said.