Police Blotter: February 4, 2022

Tuesday, January 25

The Claremont Police Department received a 3:48 a.m. call regarding a suspicious person knocking on doors at the Knight’s Inn motel, 721 S. Indian Hill Blvd. Arriving officers conducted an area check and found a man who fit the description of the suspect, Tyrone Womack, 53, from Pomona. They determined Womack was high on methamphetamine, and arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance. He was booked, spent a few hours detoxing in the Claremont jail, and released with a citation to appear in Pomona Superior Court.

Police were notified at 4:40 a.m. of a suspicious blue 2021 Kia parked outside the Plum Tree apartments near the corner of Carnegie and Bonita avenues. Arriving officers questioned the driver, Azusa resident Jose Sanchez-Ventura, 50, who allegedly consented to a search of his car. There police say they found “a large quantity of individually packaged methamphetamine.” Sanchez-Ventura was then taken into custody on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance for sale.

Wednesday, January 26

In the early morning hours, one of Claremont’s trusty license plate reading cameras flagged a gray 2017 Nissan Sentra as stolen. At 4:09 a.m., CPD patrol officers located it near the corner of Garey and Bonita avenues, and made a traffic stop. Soon after the Nissan came to a stop, the driver took off on foot. Officers gave chase, but were unable to catch him. The passenger, 34-year-old Pomonan Bobby Belflower, stayed put. A records check revealed a felony parole violation warrant out of Idaho, but since that state does not extradite for that charge, Belflower avoided arrest. He was however taken into custody after officers allegedly found a 5” concealed knife in his right front pocket, and charged with carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, a misdemeanor. As for the wayfaring driver, CPD is investigating, hoping to determine his identity.

Thursday, January 27

Two men police say were both heavily intoxicated were arrested at Eureka Burger, 580 W. First St., after allegedly scuffling with officers attempting to detain them. It began with a disturbance call from the burger spot at 9:18 p.m. Arriving officers quickly located Alcides Saavedra, 40, from West Covina, whom they say was argumentative and non-compliant. While attempting to detain him, 42-year-old Phillip Tam, from Rowland Heights, is said to have tried to pull Saavedra out of the grip of officers. More CPD arrived during the mêlée, and soon both Saavedra and Tam were in handcuffs and on their way to the station, each charged with two misdemeanor counts of drunk in public and resisting arrest. Nobody was injured in the fracas. The pair spent a few hours sobering up in the Claremont jail before being released with citations and a date with a judge.

Saturday, January 29

Cops on patrol made a 11:31 p.m. traffic stop on a gold 2006 Honda Accord for failing to obey a stop sign near the corner of Doane and Mountain avenues. A records check of the driver, 29-year-old Pomona resident Marisa Martinez, revealed a felony warrant out of San Bernardino County. She was arrested, booked, then transported to West Valley Detention Center.

Tuesday, February 1

A couple driving through Claremont got into argument that turned physically violent, causing the victim to call police, who found the pair — together 11 years and engaged for the past five — parked near Foothill Blvd. and Dartmouth Ave. at 11:27 p.m. The 37-year-old victim, from Upland, told police his 40-year-old  fiancé, a Loma Linda woman, was drunk, and during a quarrel while he was driving, had scratched him above his eyebrow and struck his face, leaving a bruise on his eye. She was subsequently arrested for felony domestic violence, booked, and spent a few hours in the Claremont jail before securing a $50,000 bond and being released with a ticket and a court date.