Police blotter 5-2-14

Wednesday, April 23

Claremont police responded to a call of an auto theft in progress on the 700 block of Towne Avenue around 2 a.m Wednesday morning. The victim stated that the gray, four-door 1988 Toyota Camry was locked and parked when he witnessed the vehicle back out of the driveway with the headlights turned off and then proceed to travel southbound on Towne Avenue. Officers conducted a thorough search of the area but were unable to immediately locate the vehicle. Pomona PD recovered the Camry, valued at $1200, on Sunday. The victim told the officers that a spare key was available in the glove box when the vehicle was stolen.

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A street sweeper removed more than roadside debris from a Claremont street on Wednesday when he took out a Metrolink railroad crossing arm. The driver told police that he was sweeping on the west curb of Claremont Boulevard when he realized the train was coming. Fearing that he wouldn’t have enough time to clear the tracks, the driver attempted to back the vehicle up when the arm of the railroad crossing struck the top of his truck and fell to the ground.

 

Friday, April 25

A Nevada man was arrested Friday after matching the description of a suspect and then admitting to committing the crime. Police responded to a call placed at 6:43 a.m. by a Claremont homeowner who reported a burglary in progress on the 400 block of Harrison Avenue. Responding officers were unable to locate the suspect on site, but they were able to get a description of the trespasser from the homeowner. Police later spotted the suspect outside of a business on the 800 block of Foothill Boulevard and the victim identified himself as the intruder. Nicholas Ragopolston, 34, was booked for misdemeanor trespassing and released on $500 bail.

 

Saturday, April 26

Saturday was a busy workday for thieves who broke into a construction site and made off with building materials that didn’t belong to them. An unknown number of intruders gained access to the site at Base Line Road and Mountain Avenue by cutting through the chain link fence surrounding the property. The bandit(s) then took it one step further, cutting through a cable securing a forklift that was then used to load and remove plywood from the site. When all was said and done, the hooliganism resulted in more than $1800 in damages. Although there are no suspects, the good news is there might be a kid somewhere with a really nice treehouse.

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A Good Samaritan helped prevent an attempted robbery when he came to the aid of two bicyclists who were under attack from bullies trying to steal their bikes. The two youngsters were riding near Culmore Street and Towne Avenue when two male Hispanics in their mid-20s jumped out of the bushes and attempted to steal the boys’ rides. A Claremont resident on his rooftop witnessed the attack and began to yell at the suspects, who then fled to their vehicle and took off—without the bikes. The suspects’ vehicle is described as a late model, white or light gray Honda Civic.

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Four juvenile vandals were booked and released to their parents late Saturday night following their arrest for damage they caused to Chaparral Elementary School. At 9:58 p.m., Claremont police responded to a vandalism call and arrived on scene, where officers discovered broken sprinkler heads as well as a shed with several dents, a damaged lock and a large rock nearby.

Four males—two 14-year-old and two 15-year-olds—were found at a nearby park and when questioned, admitted to breaking the sprinklers, while only two admitted throwing the rock at the shed. The foursome was cited by police and most likely got a good talking to from their parents.

—Angela Bailey

news@claremont-courier.com

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