Police blotter 12-20-13

Burglars continue Claremont holiday shopping spree

Between December 5 and December 10, four residential burglaries were reported in the northeast area of Claremont north of Base Line Road, according to police. This week, two more incidents were added to those casualties. On Monday, December 16, burglars entered a home in the 700 block of W. 10th Street by prying open a rear door. An estimated $2000 in cash and other property was stolen. The same day, crooks also broke into a home in the 200 block of Lamar Drive. They forced entry by smashing a bedroom window, according to Lieutenant Mike Ciszek. An unknown amount of jewelry and other miscellaneous items were taken.

A third attempted burglary was reported on Friday, December 13 in the 3900 block of Shelter Grove Drive. Glass had been removed from the home’s rear window, but it appeared the perpetrator had not made entry into the home, according to police. A report was taken.

Each of these crimes occurred between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and in every case burglars gained entry by tampering with a rear door or window. Investigation is underway. Claremont residents are urged to immediately report any suspicious activity to the Claremont Police Department at 399-5411.

Friday, December 13

Two men made off with a pair of bronze plaques worth $1200 affixed to the front of the Claremont Unified School District office on San Jose Avenue Friday morning. Hopefully they struck a pose as the entire incident was caught on camera. Follow-up investigation is underway.

Saturday, December 14

A couple of roommates who share an apartment in the 500 block of South Indian Hill Boulevard aired their dirty laundry for police on Saturday. Officers intervened when an argument over dirty garments ended with one roommate using a piece of rope to choke the other, according to Lt. Ciszek. The 43-year-old Claremont resident was arrested.

Sunday, December 15

A 17-year-old Ontario resident and his father drove right into trouble on Sunday evening. The juvenile, driving his father’s car, was stopped by Claremont police on Sunday night near Foothill Boulevard and Dartmouth Avenue, where a sobriety checkpoint was underway. The first of several problems occurred when police determined the boy was driving unlicensed. As they handcuffed the teenager and carted him off, the boy’s father, 48-year-old Miguel Garibay of Ontario, made an unfavorable situation worse when he attempted to intervene. Attempting to fight officers was the last straw. Mr. Garibay was arrested for delaying an officer as well as for public intoxication.

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With the recent burglary activity, Brian McIntyre, an 18-year-old from Goleta, chose the wrong time to play a game with friends that involved sneaking into people’s backyards. Police spotted Mr. McIntyre near the 500 block of Geneva Avenue, where several witnesses reported seeing a prowler climbing into a backyard, according to Lt. Ciszek. Mr. McIntyre claims that a group of friends and he were playing Fugitive, a “cops-and-robbers” outdoor game where participants attempt to get from Point A to Point B without being tagged. While police did not take issue with Mr. McIntyre’s choice of evening entertainment, they did take note of his outstanding warrant for reckless driving in Glendora and arrested him.

Tuesday, December 17

Evening traffic came to a crawl near the 10 freeway entrance on Indian Hill on Tuesday after a man allegedly jumped off the overpass onto Indian Hill, according to police. The man was found writhing in pain from a broken pelvis and covered in blood from substantial head trauma. He was flown to USC Medical Center for treatment.

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A man went to great lengths to deliver court documents on Tuesday. According to witnesses, the former boyfriend of a resident in the 600 block of Montgomery Circle climbed onto the patio of his ex-girlfriend’s apartment around 1:30 a.m. He was allegedly seen attempting to open the locked rear slider, but his attempts were unsuccessful. He dropped off a restraining order before climbing back down, according to Lt. Ciszek. Though witnesses attempted to stop him, the man was able to flee before police could arrive. Investigation is underway.

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Police have yet to find the residential burglars, but they did stop a couple of other troublemakers making off with stolen property.

Around 2:30 p.m., officers stopped 31-year-old Richard Stinson of Upland and 39-year-old Teri Randles of Claremont in the 200 block of Eagle Grove Avenue believed to be taking packages from people’s doorsteps, according to Lt. Ciszek. Both were arrested for burglarly.

—Beth Hartnett

news@claremont-courier.com