Police blotter 7-10-15

Wednesday, July 1

Chivalry may not be dead but if you assault someone in the process, it will get you arrested. According to Lieutenant Mike Cizsek, Brian Utzig told police he went to pick up a female friend in Pomona around noon when he witnessed Andre Williams assault her and steal her cell phone. Mr. Utzig pursued the thief on foot, catching up with Mr. Williams in the parking lot of Foothill Country Day School where a physical confrontation ensued. Mr. Utzig kicked and punched the 27-year-old man in the throat before fleeing the scene. Claremont police caught up with the knight-in-shining-armor-turned-suspect and the thief-turned-victim positively identified the 40-year-old Highland Park resident as his assailant. Mr. Williams told officers that Mr. Utzig had also swung a knife at him. The suspect didn’t argue the point, but added he’d only picked up the knife after the thief dropped it for fear that he would use it against him. Mr. Utzig was arrested by Claremont police for assault with great bodily force without the use of a firearm and booked at CPD jail where he was later released on a $30,000 bond. Pomona police took Mr. Williams into custody for the assault on the woman and he was charged with one misdemeanor count of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend or child’s parent. He entered a plea of no contest on July 6 and was immediately sentenced to 90 days in jail, three year’s probation and 24 hours of community service.

Thursday, July 2

Some people will do whatever it takes to get good health. Unknown thieves entered Sprouts on June 26, stole a large amount of probiotics that were located on a display shelf on the east wall of the store, and fled the location undetected. Various senior vitamins and probiotics were discovered missing during an inventory check and reported to police. The total value of the loss has not been determined.

****

One of Claremont’s beloved trees lost a limb as a result of a careless trucker. Around 11:45 a.m., the 52-year-old driver parked his semi-truck along Indian Hill Boulevard just south of Fourth Street. When the Altadena man began to pull away from the curb, the truck’s attached trailer struck a low-hanging branch of a Jacaranda, breaking it off and damaging the tree’s trunk.

****

A vending machine came under a snack attack at Pitzer College. Campus safety notified Claremont police that on June 26, unknown thieves broke the glass to the munchie machine in Fletcher Hall and made off with an enormous amount of junk food including seven bags of vanilla wafers, five bags of spicy Mr. Peanuts nuts, four bags of Frito Lay salted peanuts, four bags of chile picante con limon Corn Nuts, six boxes of Wonka Nerds, one Airheads fruit bites, one box of Red Vines, two packs of Starbursts, three peanut butter cookies, nine oats and honey Nature Valley granola bars, 13 Nutri-Grain breakfast bars, Fritos twist honey BBQ corn chips, five Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream, five bags of crunchy Cheetos, 11 boxes of Hot Tamales and 48 packs of Wrigley’s gum.

Friday, July 3

One gal took a page out of Pete Townsend’s playbook while returning items to her former lover following a breakup. Officers were called to Clark Avenue and Oak Park Drive around 5:38 a.m. after an 18-year-old Claremont resident grabbed the neck of an acoustic guitar and struck her 33-year-old ex-boyfriend with the six-string before fleeing the scene. The victim sustained a laceration to his right elbow but refused treatment. The young lady was located by police nearby and arrested for assault on a spouse or cohabitant. She was booked at CPD jail and released on a $50,000 bond. The couple had been dating for just over one year.

****

The driver of a Toyota Corolla failed to heed the warning sirens of a passing ambulance and collided with another vehicle, causing injury to the driver. According to Lt. Ciszek, the 37-year-old Montclair resident was traveling east on Arrow Highway at 3:22 p.m. when the emergency vehicle approached the area traveling south from Indian Hill. A Ford Escape, also on Arrow, had stopped in the lane to allow the ambulance to pass when the Corolla struck it from behind. The injured driver, a 56-year-old Claremont resident, was transported to Pomona Valley Medical Center with complaints of pain to her neck, jaw, right shoulder and lower back. Police found the Corolla’s driver to be at fault for traveling at an unsafe speed.

Saturday, July 4

America has a lot of freedoms, but being drunk in public isn’t one of them. Officers responded to Oak Park Drive and Indian Hill Boulevard at 11:38 p.m. after receiving a call of a man running barefoot in the road. Officers found Harry Cain standing in the roadway, exhibiting signs of intoxication. The 45-year-old Claremont resident went to the curb with his hands in the air as their vehicle approached. When officers asked if he’d been drinking, he told police that he’d had four vodkas and was coming from his house up the street where his shoes were. Unable to attend to his safety, Mr. Cain was arrested for public intoxication and transported to CPD jail for detoxification.

Sunday, July 5

Officers spotted a blue Toyota Corolla with an inoperable brake light swerving side to side near Larkin Park around 12:16 a.m. Police conducted a traffic stop and found the driver, Ismael Cejalua, exhibiting signs of alcohol intoxication. During their investigation, police determined the 36-year-old driver was under the influence of alcohol and located some cocaine next to the driver’s seat. The Pomona resident was arrested for DUI and possession of a controlled substance. 

****

Police arrested a La Cañada criminal after she booked a room at a local hotel under false pretenses. Jennifer Dennis and her 36-year-old Claremont boyfriend had checked into a room at the DoubleTree using a debit card with insufficient funds. Police were summoned to the hotel to evict the couple and discovered the pair were in possession of methamphetamine for sale, meth pipes, syringes, heroin and numerous items belonging to victims of crimes, including stolen credit cards and IDs. The 38-year-old woman and her man were placed under arrest and held at CPD jail for bail and court. 

Monday, July 6

A man with a trifecta of troubles sped through Claremont and went straight to jail. At 2:36 a.m., officers spotted Yousef Almutairi driving his vehicle 90 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone near Claremont and Foothill Boulevards. Police conducted a traffic stop and the driver identified himself with a passport, telling police his license was suspended. Officers smelled alcohol coming from the 21-year-old and put him through a series of field sobriety tests. It was determined he was near twice the legal limit. Further investigation revealed Mr. Almutairi also had an outstanding warrant. When asked by police if he knew how fast he was going, the Montclair man replied, “100?” He was arrested for driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license and for the outstanding warrant.

—Angela Bailey

news@claremont-courier.com