Police blotter 8-3-18

Tuesday, July 24

Three people were arrested on various charges after police found a stolen Jeep Renegade in the Claremont Lodge parking lot. When officers spotted the car around 9:30 a.m., they found it was stolen out of Ontario, Lt. Jason Walters of the Claremont Police Department said. The driver, 29-year-old Ankar Patel of Diamond Bar, was arrested for grand theft auto. Two passengers were also arrested—34-year-old Michael Garcia allegedly had four warrants for his arrest and 38-year-old Theresa Ruiz was arrested for theft of found property after officers found her in possession of a debit card that didn’t belong to her.

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Another stolen car was found, and this time two people were arrested. The car was found on the 3100 block of Garey Avenue around 1 p.m. The driver, 25-year-old David Rodriguez of Montclair, also had a no-bail warrant for his arrest in addition to being behind the wheel of a stolen car. A passenger, 21-year-old Cassandra Fernandez, was allegedly in possession of a small amount of meth. Both were arrested and taken to CPD jail. A third passenger was also arrested on suspicion of stealing the car, but was later released without charges.

Wednesday, July 25

Claremont officers were doing a routine check of the parking lot at Claremont Lodge when they came across a car occupied by 39-year-old Leo Laube of La Puente and 26-year-old Cristina Gutierrez of Pomona. Mr. Laube admitted to having a drug pipe on him, and a small quantity of meth was found in Ms. Gutierrez’s purse. Mr. Laube was also in possession of 9-millimeter ammunition, which was illegal given his status as a convicted felon. Both suspects were arrested.

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A Pomona man was arrested after police found him behind the wheel of a stolen 1996 Honda Accord. When police stopped him on Bucknell Avenue, 36-year-old Julio Miranda not only was driving the stolen car, but also was currently on probation for a previous grand theft auto conviction. He was arrested and taken to CPD jail.

Thursday, July 26

Two people were arrested in connection with a burglary at Extra Space Storage earlier in the month. The burglary occurred on July 9, when around $4,700 worth of items were stolen from a storage unit on the 500 block of west Arrow Highway. During an investigation, police found some of the stolen items in a nearby storage unit, which belonged to 32-year-old Christopher Wynn of Pomona and 28-year-old Gracee Criswell-Carr of Pomona. Both Mr. Wynn and Ms. Criswell-Carr were found near the intersection of Harrison and Towne Avenues around 11:30 a.m. Mr. Wynn was arrested for burglary, and Ms. Criswell-Carr was arrested for burglary, in addition to having a no-bail felony warrant out for her arrest from Riverside County.

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Police are looking for whoever stole a wheelchair from a resident at the Claremont Villas Senior Apartments. The chair was stolen on May 15, but was not reported to police until July 26. Police believe the unidentified suspect stole the chair from the back patio. There is no suspect information.

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Police pulled over the driver of a Nissan Maxima at Indian Hill and Oak Park Drive around 9 p.m., and as the driver made his way to the roadside, 49-year-old Carlos Webster of Pomona reportedly tossed a baggie of meth out of the window. But the officer caught him in the act, and Mr. Webster was arrested for possession. The driver, 40-year-old Jose Espinoza, was arrested on a warrant.

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Officers found a Jeep Commander driven by 38-year-old Geovanny Espinoza of Montclair was reported stolen two days earlier. In a twist, the owner of the Jeep was Mr. Espinoza’s ex-girlfriend, who declined to press charges for the stolen car. But police allegedly found methamphetamine in Mr. Espinoza’s possession, and he was arrested and taken to CPD jail.

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Police are looking for two men who tried to use a fake bill at two nearby restaurants. The duo first went into Subway on the 400 block on Auto Center Drive round 7:30 p.m., but the bill was rejected. The thieves then tried to use the bill at 85 Degrees Bakery, but they were also refused. There is scant information on the two suspects, only that they were Hispanic men in their 40s.

Friday, July 27

Three cars were robbed of their airbags on the 900 block of Arrow Highway. The thieves used a tool to break the windows of the cars to steal the airbags before fleeing the scene undetected. All three thefts occurred around 11 to 11:30 p.m. Anyone with information should call the Claremont Police Department.

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A backpack containing a laptop was stolen from a car in the St. Ambrose Church parking lot. Between 9 p.m. on July 27 and 8 a.m. on July 28, the thief smashed the right passenger window of the victim’s Toyota Prius, taking the backpack. There is no suspect information.

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Someone unsuccessfully tried to steal a car that was parked in front of WaBa Grill on the 400 block of Auto Center Drive. Around 9 p.m., the unidentified thief used a key to enter the locked 1997 Honda Civic. The forged key apparently broke when the thief tried to start the engine, so the thief apparently took $10 in change from the car as a consolation prize.

Saturday, July 28

A safe containing a gun and an unknown amount of cash was stolen from a home on the 800 block of Peninsula Avenue. The burglary occurred between 9:40 and 10 p.m. on July 22, but wasn’t discovered until a house check was conducted on July 28. According to surveillance footage from the home, two burglars used a ladder to climb up to a second-floor balcony, where they made entry, grabbed the safe and fled in an awaiting SUV driven by a third suspect. The homeowners were out of town at the time. No suspect information was available.

Sunday, July 29

Around $10,000 worth of gardening equipment was taken from the Linde Activities Center at the Claremont Colleges. The break-in occurred sometime between 8:30 p.m. on July 28 and 12:30 p.m. on July 29, Lt. Walters said. The suspects cut the metal around the lock area and gained access to a shed, where they stole the gardening equipment. There is no suspect information.

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Police were called to Piano Piano around 1 a.m. in response to a fight in progress, and found 22-year-old Raymond Gutierrez of La Puente in an argument outside with family members. Mr. Gutierrez was visibly drunk, but police gave him the opportunity to go back to his hotel room at the DoubleTree. He refused. He was then arrested for public intoxication and taken to CPD jail.

Monday, July 30

An Ontario man was arrested after he threw a glass pipe out of his window during a traffic stop. Police initially stopped 38-year-oldf Agustin Sito of Ontario for a turning violation around 12:30 a.m., and as Mr. Sito pulled into the Wine and Liquor Mart, he allegedly tossed the pipe. A further check of Mr. Sito’s car revealed rock cocaine and powder cocaine. He was arrested and taken to CPD jail.

—Matthew Bramlett

news@claremont-courier.com