Police blotter 5-16-14

Wednesday, May 7

Some call it graffiti, others call it art, but safety officers at Harvey Mudd College just call it plain ol’ vandalism. An unknown number of suspects took advantage of an opportunity to deface a 50-foot-by-16-foot section of Linde Athletic Field with graphic symbols depicting breasts and a penis. A report of the crime was taken by campus safety at HMC on May 4 and forwarded to Claremont police. The vandals have yet to be identified.

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Staff at Bon Appetit’s discovered they were the victims of petty theft after several of their personal items had vanished from the cafe. The alleged crime occurred between 11 p.m. on May 1 and 12:15 a.m. on May 2 at Pitzer College’s McConnell Dining Hall. Among the items listed as missing include an employee’s purse, boxed wine, a two-way radio, a black mesh bag and five galvanized steel tubs. There are no suspects at this time.

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A student at Claremont High School lost more than his lunch money when someone stole a Kindle Fire right out of his backpack. The tablet was allegedly lifted from the student’s bag while he was on campus between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and has not been recovered.

Thursday, May 8

A Covina man looking to make some easy money was arrested when he tried to cash a fraudulent check at Aloe Payday in Claremont. Officers received a call regarding a fraud in progress at the check-cashing business located on the 400 block of Auto Center Drive. Jesse Dominguez, 35, allegedly tried to cash a check that was flagged as fraudulent and,  when confronted, admitted to the crime. Mr. Dominguez was arrested on possession of a fictitious bill as well as possession of a controlled substance.

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A former Stater Bros. employee caused quite a stir at the company’s Foothill Boulevard location when he violated a restraining order simply by walking into the market. Around 3:45 p.m., the unnamed suspect entered the store, purchased items and allgedly engaged a current employee with criminal threats. According to Lt. Mike Ciszek, the suspect violated an existing restraining order that prevents him from entering any Stater Bros. property.

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A Claremont resident learned the hard way that even your own driveway isn’t safe from thieves if they see something they want. Two bicycles and a power generator worth a total of $2100 were taken between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. from a home on the 1300 block of Base Line Road. A report was taken and the suspects are unknown at this time.

Friday, May 9

Arturo Maya would probably be the first to tell you that lying to a police officer brings nothing but more trouble. Around 1 p.m., Claremont police responded to a call of a man in a blue shirt and black jeans chasing a woman near Bonita and Mountain Avenues. Officers caught up with the pair and discovered the Glendora man was intoxicated. The 19-year-old was transported to the station where he provided his name, however, when his fingerprints came back under a different name, the suspect apologized to the officer stating, “I’m sorry I lied, I lie about stupid sh*t all the time.” Mr. Maya was arrested and booked for giving false information to an officer and being drunk in public.

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An underage Claremont man put his life in danger when he had too much to drink and wandered onto the path of the Metrolink rail system. Around 9:30 p.m., officers responded to a call of an intoxicated person walking on the train tracks near the Village at College Avenue. Andrew Perez, 18, was arrested and booked for being drunk and disorderly.

Saturday, May 10

A Los Angeles resident got a lucky “brake” when he was arrested for driving under the influence after passing out behind the wheel of his vehicle. Officers were called to Base Line Road and Mountain Avenue for a welfare check around 10:30 p.m. where they encountered Erick Rosales slumped over the steering wheel of his car. Officers tapped on the driver’s window, however, Mr. Rosales was unresponsive. Upon further inspection, officers could see that the car’s gearshift was in the drive position and the driver had his foot pressed on the brake. Responding officers positioned their vehicle in front of the suspect’s car to prevent it from moving forward. Thinking that perhaps Mr. Rosales suffered a medical condition, officers broke the side window, put the car in park and attempted to shake the 31-year-old man awake, but he remained unresponsive. When officers confirmed the suspect was intoxicated, Mr. Rosales was arrested and booked for driving on a suspended license and driving under the influence.  Preliminary results indicate his blood alcohol level was three times over the legal limit.

Sunday, May 11

Police and fire responded to a Mother’s Day multi-car traffic collision that resulted in injuries, sending three people to the hospital. The accident occurred around 5:15 p.m. at the intersection of Padua Avenue and Base Line Road. A driver traveling southbound on Padua Avenue attempted to turn left onto Base Line Road and failed to yield to another driver heading northbound on Padua that caused the vehicles to collide. Upon impact, both vehicles skidded though the intersection and struck a third car. All involved, including the driver of the vehicle at fault, were transported to Pomona Valley Hospital complaining of shoulder, back, neck and chest pain.

—Angela Bailey

news@claremont-courier.com