Police Blotter: April 21, 2023
Sunday, April 9
For the second time this month an alleged drunk driver crashed a car into the front gate of Corey Nursery, 1650 Monte Vista Ave., Claremont. At 5:29 a.m. the Claremont Police Department received an alert from a BMW’s automatic emergency call system that the car had been involved in a collision. When officers arrived, they found Glendale resident Angel Lucio Gomez, 23, and a female passenger standing outside the vehicle. Police said Gomez showed signs of being impaired, and he was arrested for driving under the influence after allegedly failing field sobriety tests. A records check showed he also had a suspended license for a previous DUI. He was arrested and charged with the DUI, driving on a suspended license, and reckless driving. Gomez was booked, held for detoxification, and released with a citation to appear at Pomona Superior Court.
Monday, April 10
Police received a 2:55 a.m. call about a man who was looking into parked cars near Arrow Highway at Indian Hill Boulevard. When police arrived at Peppertree Square shopping plaza they spotted San Dimas resident Benjamin Gray, 45, who matched the description given by the caller. A records check revealed he had three warrants, one for failing to pay a train fare and the others for narcotics-related offenses. He was arrested, transported to the CPD jail, and released with a citation to appear in court.
Tuesday, April 11
At 3:10 p.m. police were called about several people trespassing at a residence in the 200 block of W. Baseline Road. When officers arrived, they questioned four people and background checks revealed three of them had warrants. Jason Nogueda, 34, of Pomona had a felony warrant in Pomona; Angelina Ramos, 26, also from Pomona had misdemeanor warrants, one from the San Bernardino County Sherriff’s Office and the other in Los Angeles; while another Pomona resident Robert Herrera, 40, had a misdemeanor San Bernardino County warrant. All three were arrested and taken to the Claremont jail where Ramos and Herrera were issued citations and released. Nogueda was transferred to Pomona police for his warrant in that city.
Thursday, April 13
Police received a call at 10:52 a.m. from a resident in the 800 block of Pomello Drive who said somebody was breaking into his home. The man told police he was working from home when he heard the rear sliding glass door shatter. When he went to investigate, the victim reported seeing a tall man standing in the hallway. The suspect exited through the smashed rear door where another man was standing in the backyard. A third subject was waiting in a getaway vehicle. The first suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male, 6 feet 1 inches tall, 200 pounds, wearing gloves, a mask, a grey long sleeve shirt or sweater, a tan hat, green pants, and black shoes. The second suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 170 pounds, wearing a dark hoodie, black pants, white shoes, and a surgical mask. There was no vehicle description. This is an active investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Claremont police at (909) 399-5411.
Police received a 12:23 p.m. call about a fire at Blaisdell Park, 440 S. College Ave. Arriving officers contacted the Claremont park ranger who made the emergency call and identified the suspect after seeing him exit a restroom where he allegedly set a trash can on fire. Officers questioned Gary Alridge, 29, of Pomona, and a background check showed he was on parole for a previous arson arrest. While police were speaking with Alridge he suddenly bolted and led them on an extended foot pursuit that went through a number of backyards south of the park. Police were finally able to detain Alridge near the intersection of San Jose Avenue and Indian Hill Boulevard. He was arrested on felony arson and misdemeanor resisting arrest charges and taken to the Claremont jail, where he was booked and later transferred to the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on a parole hold.
Friday, April 14
Police finally caught up with a suspect in an after-hours burglary that occurred last month. Police said that sometime after midnight on March 25, Claremont resident Andrew Perez, 27, broke into the Packing House and used some type of stick to remove $5,000 worth of jewelry from ReSpun Retro. When police reviewed surveillance video, they recognized Perez from previous interactions. On Friday, police called Perez and told him to come into the station to pick up some property. When he arrived he was arrested for the alleged burglary.
Saturday, April 15
At 1:26 a.m. police made a traffic stop on a car at Towne Avenue south of Foothill Boulevard for an equipment violation. Officers questioned the driver, Pomona resident Andres Arizaga, 27, and said he appeared to be intoxicated. He also had two female passengers ages 16 and 17. Field sobriety tests allegedly revealed Arizaga was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. He also reportedly admitted having been smoking weed. He was arrested for DUI of both alcohol and drugs and misdemeanor child endangerment. He was transported to the CPD jail where he refused a chemical blood test. When a judge issued a warrant for the test, he continued to refuse the test and received an additional misdemeanor charge of a refusing to comply with a court order. He was held for detoxification and later released with a citation.
