Claremont police blotter 1-1-16:
Best of 2015
The police blotter was nothing short of fascinating in 2015. Petty thieves, drunk drivers discovering Claremont and drug busts dominated the police log throughout the year.
There were also the odd and unusual events confirming that people still think of unique ways to get into trouble. Here’s what we found to be the most compelling blotter items during a busy 2015.
January
A Newport Beach man came down with a case of “affluenza” after Claremont police spotted him stumbling through the Village. According to Lt. Mike Ciszek of the Claremont Police Department, Ian Schenkel was staggering side-to-side outside Walter’s restaurant on January 17 around 2 a.m when an officer made contact with the 53-year-old as he was walking to his Rolls Royce. The officer determined the Orange County man had too much to drink and transported him to Claremont jail for detoxification. While in custody, Mr. Schenkel refused to exit the patrol car and became uncooperative, repeatedly asking officers, “Don’t you have anything better to do?” He also referred to female officers at the scene as “f**king b*tches.” He later revealed he was the CEO of “a hundred f**king million dollar corporation” and threatened officers. “I’ll have all your f**king jobs for this!” He was booked for being drunk and disorderly and later released without charges.
February
A teenager with high-class wheels and low-class language was picked up by police for driving without a license. Officers received a call on February 1 at 11:30 p.m. of a young boy driving a newer Mercedes Benz near College and Sixth Street, reportedly asking passersby, “Where are all the b*tches around here?” Police found the vehicle and its 14-year-old driver, who admitted to taking his father’s car without permission. The teen told officers he was not licensed to drive. He was arrested and released into the custody of his father.
March
A Harvey Mudd student took a walk on the wild side and was hospitalized following a confrontation with Claremont police. Officers responded to numerous calls on March 15 around 4:45 p.m. of a man walking naked near Wolfe’s Market. When approached by police, the 21-year-old student became combative and irrational as officers attempted to take him into custody. The Oregon resident was wrestled to the ground and tased by police. Suspecting a potential drug overdose, the student was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital for treatment.
April
A feisty gal with a lead foot took Claremont police on a 10-mile tour of Upland on April 14 after they attempted to pull her over for speeding. At approximately 1 a.m., a Claremont officer observed a Toyota Matrix speeding near Base Line and Monte Vista and attempted to stop the car. The driver, Danielle Goodman, refused to stop and a pursuit ensued. The Chino resident entered the 210 freeway at Base Line Road and exited at Mountain Avenue in Upland before getting back on the freeway and exiting at Campus Avenue, speeding and running stop signs through residential areas.
The 29-year-old driver struck a Claremont patrol vehicle with her car before coming to a dead end at Euclid Avenue and 24th Street, where she was detained and arrested for DUI. Ms. Goodman told officers she’d had nothing to drink and saw the police lights but didn’t stop because, “After everything that’s happened to me this year, I apologize. It’s nothing personal.” She was transported to Claremont jail for booking where she damaged the jail visitor’s phone and struck the arm of a jailer. She racked up a laundry list of offenses and was held on $75,000 bail.
May
On May 17, a vandal used black spray paint to write “Penis Bandits” in 18-by-24-inch letters and to draw a four-foot-tall penis on the driveway of a residence located on the 1000 block of Fuller Drive. The suspect then chose white spray paint to depict a two-and-a-half-foot penis alongside it. Urban Dictionary explains that a “Penis Bandit” is a person who is obsessed with male genitals and likes to draw them everywhere.
June
An Upland gal short on cash didn’t let that stop her from discovering Claremont. Erica Davis walked to Norm’s from the Metro station on June 7, had a meal with a friend around 1 p.m. and then skipped out on the $33 bill. A witness confronted the 23-year-old dasher and detained her until officers arrived to the coffee shop. Ms. Davis told police that she’d had $40 but must have lost it while walking to the eatery. When she realized she only had $7 and the cashier asked if she’d paid her bill, she said “yes” and then walked out. “I should have said no but I panicked,” she told officers, adding, “I can’t go to jail. I was just arrested for evading police about two weeks ago!” Police didn’t see it that way and arrested Ms. Davis for defrauding an innkeeper. She was later released on $500 bail.
July
Some grandkids will do just about anything for their grandparents, but getting arrested shouldn’t be one of them. A 17-year-old boy was taken into custody on July 22 after officers spotted him driving and speeding, traveling 56 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone on Monte Vista Avenue. Police pulled over the red Nissan Frontier and the teen driver told the officers he’d never been issued a driver’s license. A records check by police confirmed he didn’t have a license. The passenger, the teen’s grandpa, had a suspended driver’s license. Grandpa, 72, told police he knew his grandson wasn’t street legal, and the Chino teen was arrested and booked at CPD jail for driving without a license. He was later released with a citation.
August
A college student returning to Claremont after summer break became the victim of theft on August 22. Someone removed a padlock from the victim’s plywood valet storage pod on East Bonita Avenue and stole its contents. The victim shared the pod with another student when she vacated her dorm room at Pomona College for the summer. The other student retrieved his items on August 15, but when his storage-mate returned to school on August 22, the pod was empty. Property loss is estimated to be $10,000 and includes a flat-panel television, a violin with gold accents, $5,000 in Louis Vuitton purses, shoes, and a Nintendo Wii console, as well as books and toiletries.
September
Brett Kaplan offered a particularly stimulating parmesan alternative to customers at Pizza N’ Such during a crowded dinner hour on September 13. The 23-year-old Chino Hills resident asked diners if anyone wanted to buy some cocaine before making a quick exit. The police were called and Mr. Kaplan was pulled over at about 9 p.m., and was arrested on an outstanding warrant. No drugs were found in his car.
October
Early Sunday morning, an intoxicated Claremont teen thought it was a good idea to take a joyride through the Packing House garage. Claremont police spotted 19-year-old Grant Gutierrez racing through the multi-level parking structure in his silver Dodge Durango at about 3:30 a.m. When the speed-demon was stopped at the roof level of the building, officers determined that Mr. Gutierrez’s blood alcohol content was over twice the legal limit. Mr. Gutierrez also had a suspended license. Upon further review, police determined that Mr. Gutierrez had a previous DUI with injury on his record, and was on probation with San Bernardino County.
November
Officers arrested a drunk man at Piano Piano after he got into a fight. It happened on November 1 at 12:36 a.m., when officers arrived and began talking to two men, one of whom was 25-year-old Javier Peña of Walnut. Mr. Peña was argumentative with police, repeatedly hurling insults and slurs at them. At one point, he called an Uber and officers were prepared to let him leave. According to the report, Mr. Peña then flicked a cigarette and became more combative after officers asked him to pick it up. As he was stumbling toward the Uber, Mr. Peña, who at this point was given every opportunity to leave the situation without handcuffs, turned around and said to officers, “You don’t know who you’re f**king with, f**king f*****t.” That was the final straw; officers arrested Mr. Peña for public intoxication and he was transported to CPD jail to sober up. Police had no word on what costume Mr. Peña was wearing or where he placed in Piano Piano’s costume contest.
December
Being a jerk won’t get you very far in this town. A San Dimas man learned this lesson the hard way after he was arrested for public intoxication after getting kicked out of The Press on December 6. Christopher Schlieker, 47, was ejected from the bar after allegedly insulting a female patron, according to the report. Mr. Schlieker hung around too long and police were called. Upon arrival, police noticed he was showing signs of alcohol intoxication. “I was at The Press having a good time when this woman wanted me to move so she could sit down,” Mr. Schlieker told police. “I told her if she wasn’t so fat, I wouldn’t have to move. She got mad and the bar asked me to leave. I did not do anything wrong. She was just mad because she was fat.” Mr. Schlieker was arrested for public intoxication and spent the night in the jail.
—Matthew Bramlett & Angela Bailey
news@claremont-courier.com
