Police Blotter 8-12-16
Sunday, July 31
A resident on Mt. Carmel called police around 10 p.m. to say four unfamiliar cars were outside Higginbotham Park and that the park’s visitors “were up to no good.” Police responded but no report was taken.
Monday, August 1
A female driver was traveling on Foothill Boulevard near Mountain Avenue at around 3:30 p.m. when a man grew impatient with her rate of speed. The male driver of a black-and-blue Ford F150 truck followed closely behind the woman, gestured and indicated that she was driving too slow, at which point he threw a soda can at her car. Police were unable to locate the driver of the truck.
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At around 6:30 p.m., an unnamed couple caught the attention of a homeowner near Wheeler Park when they tied a hammock between two trees. As the hammock swayed to and fro, the resident concluded the couple was fooling around. Claremont officers visited the park but determined that “nothing lewd had occurred,” according to Lt. Mike Ciszek. The canoodlers were asked to remove the hammock and they went on their way.
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A fight erupted at College Park between three men and a woman at about 7:15 p.m. Officers responded and found a group of people “screaming and cursing” at each other, according to police. The officer was talking with them when Pamela Gross, 55, identified herself to police. Officers determined she had an outstanding warrant from Claremont PD. She was arrested and released with an order to appear in court.
Tuesday, August 2
Some thieves hit Vons on Base Line Road just before midnight taking “a large amount of alcohol,” according to police. The three men reportedly placed the booze in a large bag and walked out of the store. A witness described the suspects only as African-American males who left in a gray four-door Honda sedan with chrome rims and a loud exhaust.
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A residential burglary resulted in upwards of $15,000 of property stolen from a home on the 500 block of South Mountain Avenue. At around 3:20 p.m., three suspects used a rock to smash the master bedroom window of the home, Lt. Ciszek said. Once inside, the burglars ransacked the home, stealing a safe along with numerous weapons including a .45 caliber handgun, a .38 revolver, a subcompact semiautomatic and knives, as well as $3,000 cash, an iPad and $5,000 worth of jewelry, among other personal items. The suspects were seen by a neighbor and are all described as Hispanic males in their mid-20s. One suspect was wearing a baseball cap, a passenger in the getaway car was wearing a white T-shirt and baseball cap and a third male was wearing black shorts and carrying a white bag. The trio left in a black Nissan Armada SUV.
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A resident on Brown Drive called police just before 6 p.m. to report a “disturbing noise” coming from a neighbor’s house. When police arrived, they found a resident playing the bagpipes in his home. Police issued a friendly reminder to keep the noise down, but no report was taken and no citation was given.
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Across town, a resident on the 700 block of College Avenue near Seventh Street called police at 12:45 a.m. to warn officers that a male and female were screaming and yelling at one another. Concerned for their safety, police conducted a welfare check on the duo, only to learn they were simply having “a loud political debate.” Police did not comment on how the argument started or how long it will continue.
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At 12:30 a.m. at the Knights Inn on San Jose Avenue, officers saw Michael Horton, 47, get into a gray 2013 Honda Civic that had been reported stolen. As he made his way to the street, police conducted a high-risk traffic stop and arrested Mr. Horton for grand theft auto, being in possession of stolen property and for a warrant on a previous crime.
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At 3:50 a.m. on Cornell and First Street, a witness called police to say a man was attempting to run over a woman with his car. The female victim had met the suspect—a black male in his 20s—earlier in the evening in the parking garage on First Street. Lt. Ciszek said the new friends then went to a home in San Dimas to “have some drinks.” After several hours of partying, the woman asked the man to drive her back to her car. Once back in Claremont, the woman claimed her purse had been stolen and refused to leave the man’s car until he called his friends back in San Dimas to locate the handbag. He refused, grabbed her by the arms and tried to physically remove her from his car. She eventually got out on her own but stood in front of his moving car to stop him from leaving. That’s when he inched forward and tapped her with the bumper of the car. She did not require medical treatment. The suspect left before police arrived and her pocketbook was not located.
Friday, August 5
A man walking east on Seventh Street near Indian Hill caused a ruckus around 7 p.m. Christopher Marinko, 28, of La Verne, was seen stumbling around and had reportedly been in a fist fight earlier near Mallows Park with an unknown individual. Police talked with Mr. Marinko and determined he needed to sleep it off. He was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct.
Sunday, August 7
Two males wearing black clothing were roaming the Wilderness Park at around 11:30 a.m. with BB guns. Police were called by a vigilant resident and officers reminded the duo of the park’s rules—no hunting, trapping or harvesting living or dead things and possession or use of firearms, air guns, bows and arrows, slingshots or other weapons is not permitted. The sportsmen were released without citations.
—Kathryn Dunn
editor@claremont-courier.com
[City reporter Matthew Bramlett is on vacation this week. He will return to his duties on Monday, August 15.]
