Police Blotter: March 22, 2024

By Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Tuesday, March 12

Claremont Police Department officers responded to an 11:10 a.m. call regarding a man near the intersection of Base Line Road and Mills Avenue acting erratically, waving his arms and yelling. Police matched the description to 31-year-old Sergio Valencia of Pomona. A search revealed he was in possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. He was arrested, taken to CPD jail, and booked before being released with a citation to appear at Pomona Superior Court.

Wednesday, March 13

Police patrolling the area of Foothill Boulevard and Sumner Avenue said they saw a car speeding at 4:45 p.m. and pulled over Dalane Jones, 20, of Pomona. A records check revealed Jones had a suspended license and he was subsequently arrested for the misdemeanor. His vehicle was impounded. He was booked at CPD jail before being released with a citation to appear in court.

Thursday, March 14

A 26-year-old unhoused man approached workers at the Metrolink parking lot near First Street and College Avenue about 7:37 a.m. asking if they knew where his backpack was. When the workers said they did not know, the unhoused man allegedly became angry, brandished a knife, and threatened them. Police were called and located the man a short distance away. He was arrested for felony threats with intent to terrorize, booked, and held for court.

Claremont Police Department officers responded to a 6:05 p.m. call from the intersection of Bonita and Yale avenues regarding a female acting erratically. Officers located and questioned Corona resident Gabriela Serrato, 28, and a records check revealed she had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out of San Bernardino County. She was arrested, booked, and released with a citation to appear in court.

Friday, March 15

About 1:07 a.m., officers responded to Motel 6, 840 S. Indian Hill Blvd., regarding a possible burglary. An area search led them to Santiago Rodriguez, 40 of Covina, and 26-year-old Pomona resident Elias Gonzalez, both of whom matched the suspect descriptions. Police searched Rodriguez and allegedly found him to be in possession of methamphetamine. A search of Gonzalez allegedly revealed he was in possession of a pipe. Both were arrested, Gonzalez for possession of unlawful paraphernalia and Rodriguez for possession of a controlled substance, both misdemeanors. The pair were booked at CPD before being released with citations to appear in court. Police said it was unknown whether either man was related to the initial burglary call.

Police stopped Pomonan Stevey Yanez, 47, at 1:23 a.m., who they say was taking a stroll in the street near the corner of Indian Hill and Bonita with a street sign in hand. Police searched him and allegedly found him to be in possession of methamphetamine and a pipe. He was arrested for two misdemeanors, possession of narcotics and of unlawful paraphernalia, booked at CPD jail, and released with a citation to appear in court.

A keen-eyed officer on patrol spotted Sparkle Brown, 46, of Long Beach, near Dollar Tree, 342 S. Indian Hill Blvd., at 12:51 p.m. and knew she had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out of Claremont. The officer detained Brown and ran a records check which confirmed the warrant. Brown was arrested, taken to CPD jail, booked, and released with a citation to appear in court.

Pomona resident Gilbert Flores, 33, walked into CPD headquarters at 11:29 p.m. to report his car had been stolen from Oak Park Cemetery. Police entered the car’s information into their database, which revealed Rialto police had issued an advisory to neighboring agencies that the vehicle Flores was claiming had been stolen had been involved in a pursuit earlier that day. That pursuit ended in a crash that saw two of the three occupants arrested, with the third fleeing the scene. Flores was subsequently arrested by Claremont PD and charged with misdemeanor falsely reporting a crime, and was held for Rialto PD, who arrived shortly thereafter and transported him to their jail for processing. According to San Bernardino County records, Flores was charged with recklessly evading police, a felony. He was released on bail March 16.