In Your Town for Feb. 12, 2026

NOVATO

Officers arrest
alleged vandals

Police arrested three men on allegations of vandalizing a vacant office space downtown.

An employee at a nearby business notified police at about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday that several people had entered the property on Grant Avenue. Officers detained the three suspects and determined they had damaged walls and carpeting and “left waste items” there, police Lt. Sophia Winter said. She said the suspects had no prior connection to the property and she had no information about a possible motive.

Novato residents Martin Velasquez, 64, Robert Thorne III, 43, and Antonio Oerding-Pierce, 46, were arrested on suspicion of vandalism and burglary. Velasquez also is accused of violating terms of his probation, and Thorne allegedly possessed drug paraphernalia.

Velasquez is being held without a bail amount at the Marin County Jail, according to the booking log. The bail amount is $15,000 for the other suspects.

LARKSPUR

Home project
clears hurdle

The Planning Commission has approved a proposal to expand a historic home at 9 Murray Lane.

The owners want to add about 1,767 square feet to the 2,229-square-foot house, expand a workshop, install a deck and build an accessory dwelling unit, according to the city planning office. The project also involves the removal of two heritage oak trees.

In January, the project went before the Larkspur Heritage Preservation Board because the property is listed in the city historic resources inventory. The 19th century home was owned by William and Maria Murray and their descendants, one of the founding families of Larkspur.

The preservation board backed the plan and advanced it to the Planning Commission, which approved it at a hearing on Tuesday.

SAN RAFAEL

Rollover crash
injures driver

A driver escaped with minor injuries after a rollover crash on Highway 101 in Marinwood.

The crash happened at about 7:50 p.m. Tuesday in the southbound lanes near Miller Creek Road, said Officer Arthur Tellez of the California Highway Patrol. The vehicle, a Jeep Cherokee, rolled over three times and sustained major damage.

Police determined the driver was traveling downhill in the rain on a curving part of the freeway when she lost control and crashed, Tellez said. The driver was taken to MarinHealth Medical Center for treatment of cuts and pain.

NOVATO

Cause of fire
still unknown

A two-alarm fire that severely damaged a residence this week remained under investigation Wednesday, but investigators do not consider it suspicious, said Lauren Galli, a fire prevention specialist at the Novato Fire Protection District.

The fire happened early Tuesday afternoon at 2024 Center Road, a one-story home near Wilson Avenue. The residents were not home at the time. First responders rescued eight chickens, Galli said.

The fire caused smoke damage throughout the residence, with the primary damage in the kitchen and living room area, Galli said.

The fire displaced two residents, who received assistance from the Red Cross.