Police blotter 1.26.13

Alcohol shopping spree lasts only so long for minors

Two minors with a serious appetite for alcohol made off with multiple bottles of the hard stuff over a 3-day burglary binge at Claremont’s local Stater Bros. market, located at 1055 W. Foothill Blvd.

One minor conducted most of the crime, acting alone in 2 of the burglaries, performed on January 15 and 16. On day 3, January 17, he brought along a male accomplice. It turns out luck only lasts so long. Police arrived at a residence off Mountain Avenue the following day after a parent called to inform officers that minors were in a bedroom of the residence, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. Police found the male accomplice in the room accompanied by the fruits of his burglaries: lots and lots of alcohol. The 17-year-old was taken to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey. The original crook is still outstanding.

The fate of Brian Smith, 23, of Pomona, was similar to that of the 17-year-old. He chose the wrong time and the wrong market, that same Stater Bros., to steal alcohol from, attempting to make off with a fifth of spiced rum on Tuesday, January 22. He was caught and charged with burglary.

Friday, January 18

Hendrix Drive is the latest street targeted by the recent sweep of house burglaries in Claremont. Burglars entered a detached garage in the 600 block of Hendrix Drive between 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 17 and 6:30 a.m. the next day by forcing open the garage door. They made off with a hand drill and saw valued at $300. There are no suspects.

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A woman’s pleasant cup of coffee turned sour when she encountered an unpleasant sight outside of Village West’s Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, where she was enjoying her evening brew. A man, clad in black and wearing a bike helmet and sitting outside the window where the woman sat, pulled up his shorts to expose his genitals to her for about 20 seconds, according to Lieutenant Shelly Vander Veen. The man disappeared before the woman could call police, but a report was taken. The man is described as about 50 years old, Caucasian, approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and 165 pounds.

Saturday, January 19

A car thief hit the jackpot in an incident that occurred at Bonita Avenue and Taylor Drive Saturday afternoon. The thief smashed the front passenger window of a parked Audi and stole a $3000 laptop, 2 iPhones valued at $700, a leather jacket and a purse with credit cards and checks. There are no suspects.

Sunday, January 20

Police are searching for a vandal with either terrible aim or a thirst for vengeance, responsible for smashing the rear window of a car in the 500 block of Cedar Crest Avenue. The object used in the crime: a 12-pound metal ball used for shot put.

Monday, January 21

A morning meal at a Burger King off Towne Avenue was interrupted for 34-year-old Sim Nay of Victorville when Claremont police carted him off to jail. Though the man may have paid for his meal fair-and-square, the same could not be said of his car, which was reported stolen out of Rialto, according to Lt. Vander Veen. Mr. Nay was arrested for unlawfully taking the car from his ex.

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Two $1400 laptops were stolen in a bizarre coffeehouse theft Monday night. Both laptops were torn away from underneath the fingertips of their owners, working unaware on their computers at the Starbucks on Yale Avenue in the Claremont Village. Two men simultaneously stole the laptops and ran off into a dark-colored sedan waiting on Second Street, driven by another male. The 2 thieves are described as black males in their early 20s, both about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 170 pounds. A similar incident was reported at a Starbucks in Chino the same day, but a connection is unknown.

Wednesday, January 23

A night out ended in jail time for 26-year-old Claremont resident Thomas Line, arrested for felony vandalism. Mr. Line went on a vandalism spree in the Village West parking structure, denting and knocking off the side mirrors of 7 different cars, according to Lt. Vander Veen. While the cost of the damage is unknown, police do know that Mr. Line had been drinking previous to the incidents.

—Beth Hartnett

news@claremont-courier.com