Police blotter 3-21-14

Wednesday, March 12

For the second week in a row, Claremont crooks have found unlocked bathroom windows to be their window of opportunity. A home in the 4000 block of Piedmont Mesa Drive was burglarized sometime between 4:30 and 8:00 p.m. $1900 in stolen jewelry and a laptop went right out the window. There are no suspects.

Thursday, March 13

Police responded to another report of property loss the following day in the 400 block of St. Augustine Ave. The victim claimed $845 in property including an iPad, Nikes and a medical marijuana card were taken from his car, parked along the south Claremont street. Also missing: properly locked doors. A report of theft was taken, but there are no witnesses and no suspects.

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Police are puzzling over a case of vandalism that occurred in the 2300 block of Wood Court on Thursday around 11:30 p.m. A resident’s window was found broken with a BB-sized hole in the middle of the glass. A report was taken, but there are currently no leads.  

Friday, March 14

Allen Perez, a 40-year-old Claremont resident, had a case of deja vu on Friday evening after being contacted by police for the second time that day for the same reason.

Police found Mr. Perez taking a nap in the 400 block of Green St., his body in the bushes with his legs sprawled out on the street. He was unable to hold himself steady and needed assistance in sitting up as he was treated by medical examiners, according to Lieutenant Mike Ciszek. It was determined that he was heavily intoxicated. Mr. Perez was arrested for public intoxication and held at the jail until sober. Mr. Perez had been arrested earlier in the day for the same offense.

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A Claremont resident is out over $6,000 from an elaborate fraud scheme. Troubles began when the local received a phone call from an individual who claimed to be from the IRS and requested the resident pay back taxes worth $6137. The victim followed the supposed IRS officer’s directions, purchasing a series of prepaid debit cards to pay off the “debt.” It wasn’t until after the transaction had already gone through that the Claremonter realized he was a victim of fraud. IRS representatives remind the public that they will never request credit card numbers over the phone, nor request an over-the-phone transfer.

Any of these types of incidents should be reported to the treasury inspector general for tax administration at (800) 366-4484.

Saturday, March 15

It wasn’t the driver who had road rage in an incident that occurred off Indian Hill and Ventura Way on late Saturday afternoon. Police pulled a car over for multiple traffic violations, including a child not wearing a seatbelt. The driver cooperated as officers issued tickets, but passenger Wan Ching Lo was less compliant. The 38-year-old Walnut resident reportedly began screaming at officers when they attempted to issue her a citation for also not wearing a seatbelt. The woman was further combative with police, allegedly kicking and pinching officers when they attempted to detain her, according to Lt. Ciszek. She was booked and later released with a citation.

Sunday, March 16

The construction crew at Pomona College’s Millikan Laboratory received an extra hand with renovations. An unknown crook helped themselves to four power cords found at the renovation site, 610 N. College Ave., leaving the construction crew out an estimated $1600. There is no surveillance footage of the incident.

While crooks left the Millikan Laboratory without, a couple of vandals left residents of a Claremont McKenna College dormitory off Amherst Avenue with more than they bargained for by breaking into the hall lounge and tearing things apart. The lounge was found with a shattered glass door, cupboards with their doors ripped off, incidentally used to break the glass door, and all the furniture toppled. Reports were taken in both incidents on the college campuses.

Monday, March 17

While construction crews headed home on Monday evening after a full day’s work at Base Line Road and Monte Vista Avenue, the work for someone continued. An unknown person allegedly operated a forklift left on site to load up and carry away 198 pieces of plywood. The loss is worth an estimated $2970.

—Beth Hartnett

news@claremont-courier.com