Police blotter 5-1-15
Tuesday, April 21
Hoodlums broke into a local Mexican restaurant in serach of dinero and fled the scene without being detected. According to Claremont Lieutenant Mike Ciszek, officers were called to El Ranchero at 984 W. Foothill Blvd. around 6:21 a.m. following a report of a burglary at the restaurant. The unknown thieves entered the eatery by prying open the back door of the business and stole $200 from a cash drawer. The investigation is ongoing.
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Telephone scammers continue to prey on local senior citizens, conning one Claremont resident out of thousands of dollars. An unknown conman called the 75-year-old male victim at his home on the 300 block of Julliard Drive around 11 a.m. and convinced him to deposit $9,800 into the scammer’s Wells Fargo account. The victim was under the impression he was sending money to his grandson to bail him out of jail. Once the victim realized it was a scam, the transaction had already been processed. Police will continue to investigate.
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A Vista man failed to heed the warning of Claremont police and paid the price. Officers responded to the 800 block of south Indian Hill around 3:45 p.m. after receiving a 911 call of a man walking around the parking lot of Denny’s completely naked. When police arrived, Dominic Livingston had already put his clothes back on and was advised by police he would be arrested if he showed up again to the location. Less than three hours later, police received another complaint from Starbucks that that the 46-year-old man was trespassing. Police again made contact with Mr. Livingston, and arrested him for trespassing.
Wednesday, April 22
A Pomona man with a couple of tricks up his sleeve couldn’t pull the wool over the eyes of Claremont police, who arrested him for grand theft auto. A 1997 Honda Civic stolen out of Fontana on April 19 was spotted by police around 1:41 a.m. Officers pulled the vehicle over near Indian Hill Boulevard and San Bernardino Road and detained the driver, Erik Hernandez, and his passenger. Further investigation revealed that a key not belonging to the vehicle had been forced into the ignition. A rear license plate on the car had also been removed, put in the trunk and had been “cold-plated” with another Honda license plate. The 22-year-old driver was arrested for the stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property and driving on a suspended license. His female passenger was questioned and released.
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On Wednesday, April 22 a Rancho Cucamonga man learned a valuable lesson. If you pose as your brother to police, make sure he has a clean record. Officers responded to the area of Arrow Highway and Cambridge Avenue around 6:53 a.m. following a report of a suspicious person in the neighborhood. Upon arrival, the man in question identified himself as Austin Barnes, who had an active warrant for his arrest. Police took Mr. Barnes into custody for the warrant and transported to him to Claremont jail for booking. During the booking process, the man told police that he’d lied and provided his brother’s name, stating that his real name was Parker Barnes. A records check revealed the 23-year-old had two active warrants for his arrest out of San Bernardino. He was arrested for those warrants and for lying to police.
Thursday, April 23
Third time was a charm for thieves who made several attempts to burglarize a Claremont pharmacy. According to Lt. Ciszek, officers responded to Star Drug after thieves smashed the front glass door and stole $3,600 in prescription medication including morphine and Adderall between 2 and 9:30 a.m. The thieves made two previous attempts to enter the Foothill Boulevard business around 5:30 p.m. on April 21 and again around 1:05 a.m. on April 23, but their plan was thwarted when the store’s alarm system activated as they pried open the rear door. The investigation remains ongoing.
Friday, April 24
A Los Angeles man discovered Claremont and was arrested at a local hotel. Officers responded to the DoubleTree by Hilton just after 1 a.m. following a call of an intoxicated and uncooperative person with hotel security. Two Claremont officers found Lee Casey, who was standing on a third-floor staircase outside the hotel. The 56-year-old man had removed his pants and shoes and was yelling at security as they walked around the property. According to police, Mr. Casey had been at PianoPiano earlier in the evening and was escorted to the hotel but wasn’t interested in going back to his room. He allegedly took a swing at a witness, striking him in the chin. The witness chose not to prosecute. Mr. Casey was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and was later released.
Sunday, April 26
A drunk driver placed blame on a wet city street after his VW Jetta collided with a tree. Claremont police received a 911 call, reporting a traffic collision on the 700 block of Lindenwood Drive just after midnight. Officers arrived and made contact with Patrick Tambe, who identified himself as the driver at the time of the crash. The Claremont resident told police he’d had one mixed drink and was going around a curve when his car slipped on the wet pavement. Further investigation revealed the 25-year-old driver was drunk, with preliminary tests showing he was more than twice the legal limit. Mr. Tambe was placed under arrest for DUI and later released.
—Angela Bailey
news@claremont-courier.com
