Someone walked away with about $20,000 in un-cashed checks, some of them for preschool tuition, at Bethany Lutheran Church at 1095 Cloud Ave. in West Menlo Park, according to a Jan. 29 report from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

The church's main office may have been unlocked since there were no signs of forced entry, deputies said, adding that they had no evidence and no leads in the burglary case.

A few blocks away in the 1500 block of Altschul Avenue, someone opened an unlocked vehicle and "removed several items" for a total estimated loss of $1,958, according to a Feb. 2 report. Among the missing items: a golf bag and a complete set of Calloway golf clubs.

A stranger who may have been considering a property crime was seen opening an unlocked garage door in the 200 block of Leland Avenue, also in West Menlo Park, then getting into a "black compact vehicle" and fleeing northbound after being spotted by the housekeeper, deputies said in a Jan. 31 report.

Elsewhere, someone stole $600 in cash from the Skywood Trading Post cash register, but nothing else, in a Skylonda incident at the corner of La Honda Road and Skyline Boulevard, according to a Feb. 1 Sheriff's Office report.

The burglar or burglars apparently threw concrete at a middle panel on a plexiglass door; the merchant discovered four pieces of concrete on the floor inside upon arriving in the morning, deputies said. The merchant had activated the alarm the previous evening, they said. Deputies have no leads in the case.

Meanwhile in Ladera, someone stole several power tools with a total value of $2,800 from a residence on La Cuesta Drive, according to a Jan. 30 report.

— Dave Boyce

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