An Orange County resident was taken into custody in downtown Los Altos Sunday evening (Oct. 6) after admitting to officers she had broken the glass door of the nearby United States Post Office, Sgt. Brian Jeffrey of the Los Altos Police Department said today.
The vandalism occurred at approximately 7:20 p.m., when Shannon Kirwan, 42, of La Habra, allegedly threw a rock at the door of 221 Main St. and shattered it entirely.
A witness inside the building called 9-1-1 immediately to report what had taken place. From the report, Jeffrey said it is unclear if the witness was an employee or a customer. Police assigned to citywide patrol — not officers responsible for downtown-specific roaming — responded and took Kirwan into custody.
Jeffrey said there is no evidence in the report that Kirwan was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Kirwan was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on the charge of felony vandalism. However, she was not listed as an inmate Wednesday (Oct. 9) in the county’s inmate locator portal. No case information about the incident or future hearings are listed in the county’s general public portal.
According to state statute, a felony vandalism conviction can warrant up to three years in state prison, a fine of $10,000 or both. Whether a defendant is charged with misdemeanor or felony vandalism depends on the value of the damaged property. A misdemeanor vandalism charge carries a penalty of up to a year in state prison, a $5,000 fine or both.
Possible miscommunication
When the Town Crier heard the post office had been vandalized, a reporter called and spoke to an employee who provided few details.
“I have no other information than (the fact) that the police arrested a lady who used a shopping cart to crash into the door,” said the postal worker, who preferred not to be named.
She had heard about the incident from a postal inspector who was onsite during non-business hours when the crime happened. However, what the inspector told his colleagues and the police department about the object used to cause the destruction seemed to vary.
This is the second act of vandalism the downtown post office has suffered this year. Police believe someone maliciously flooded the property in February; a hose was found wedged in the back door of the building. The water ran overnight and put one of the hallways, containing the post office boxes, out of commission for several days.
At the time, Los Altos Police Officer Brent Butler investigated the scene, searching for possible surveillance footage. The agency has not announced any arrests or leads since. Jeffrey said the case remains unsolved.
