BLOCK CAPTAIN ACCUSED OF MAJOR THEFT.

Byline: Theresa Moreau Daily News Staff Writer

Janet Jamieson was known by police and her neighbors as a dedicated crime fighter, leading the battle as a block captain.

Now, she is wanted for grand theft - sought by the same officers whom she had helped.

Investigators say the 45-year-old smooth talker, whose whereabouts are unknown, has ripped off an elderly Encino priest and other vulnerable victims.

She is accused of befriending art dealers, agents or collectors and offering to sell their paintings or sculptures on consignment. Police said, however, that owners of the art pieces rarely saw their property again or any money for it.

``She's probably one of the worst type of scammers,'' said Los Angeles police Detective Donald Hrycyk, assigned to the department's art-theft detail. ``She manipulated friends and neighbors in trying to make a buck.''

Police urge anyone with information to call Hrycyk at [phone].

Heather Moro, who attended Neighborhood Watch meetings with Jamieson, described her as a ``little bit didactic, mildly domineering - someone who likes to organize everybody else.''

Jamieson took charge of her local Neighborhood Watch group after she leased a home in the 4200 block of Hazel Kirk Drive.

``She would hold meetings at her house and the police would come, and they kind of supported her,'' Moro said. ``She seemed like a decent person. She never gave me the impression she was fiddling on the side.''

Police say she was.

They say she has been running her scam since she arrived in Los Angeles seven years ago from Canada.

So far, 12 victims have filed police reports, citing Jamieson as the one who had ripped them off, police said. Hrycyk said she is suspected of stealing pieces worth almost $40,000, and he believes there are other victims who have yet to come forward.

One man whom police say Jamieson ripped off is the Rev. Gerard Weber of Our Lady of Grace in Encino. They met a few years ago and shared a Thanksgiving dinner with mutual friends, police said.

At dinner, Jamieson wrangled a deal out of Weber to take possession of three of his art pieces on consignment, the priest said.

When he didn't see any money, he knew something was wrong.

Fortunately, he said, the insurance company reimbursed him for the one painting and the one sculpture he lost to Jamieson.

Weber describes Jamieson as a plain dresser and a friendly person. It was this friendly person who stiffed the priest for $4,000, police said.

Hrycyk describes Jamieson as a ``shadowy figure,'' a ``menace'' who nonetheless was treated with respect, trust and friendship in the art community.

And, he added, she may have had a penchant for the ponies.When police searched her Los Feliz home, they found racing forms and betting tickets strewn throughout the house, Hrycyk said.

Police say she met one of her victims at the track. Jamieson befriended a 78-year-old Los Angeles man who suffers from diabetes. When he landed in the hospital to have his leg amputated, he gave her access to his house, car and bank account, which she soon depleted, Hrycyk said.

Jamieson was last seen driving the 78-year-old amputee's 1986 white Chrysler Fifth Avenue sedan, with Texas license plate number MXT15B.

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Photo: Janet Jamieson

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