A shower or two possible this morning with partly cloudy skies for the afternoon. High 63F. NNW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..
A few passing clouds. Low around 50F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Updated: April 13, 2026 @ 6:48 am
A woman was arrested Saturday for several thefts on the Peninsula.
A Menlo Park Police Department spokesperson said the woman, a 40-year-old Fresno resident, is suspected of breaking into a woman’s residence in the 300 block of Felton Drive in Menlo Park. The resident walked into her kitchen to find the suspect standing in front of the open refrigerator. The suspect left once the resident approached her.
The resident took photographs of the suspect while she was gathering her belongings. Upon later review of the photographs, the resident noticed what appeared to be a handgun among the suspect’s belongings. Around 6:51 a.m., the resident called the police. Menlo Park officers responded to the neighborhood, but did not locate the suspect.
Suspect information was shared with neighboring jurisdictions.
At approximately 9:59 a.m., San Mateo County Sheriff deputies located a suspect matching the description in Redwood City in the area of Second and Fair Oaks avenues. The suspect was positively identified as the suspect found in the resident’s kitchen in Menlo Park.
The suspect was identified as Mercedez Smith, of Fresno. A search of Smith revealed a very realistic replica Glock 17 pellet gun. The suspect was transported to the Menlo Park Police Department.
Atherton Police Department notified Menlo Park police that they also received a report of a burglary that occurred less than two miles from Felton Drive. Further search of Smith’s property revealed items taken during the burglary in the Town of Atherton and items from other recent thefts in Menlo Park and Palo Alto. Additionally, Smith was found to be under the influence of narcotics and in possession of narcotics paraphernalia.
Smith was booked into the San Mateo County Jail.
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