Police blotter highlights from 2016

It’s no secret that the police blotter is the most widely read part of the COURIER.

There’s something to be said about Claremonters diving into the pages and reading up on the city’s weekly round-up of arrests. Here are some of the more unusal blotter entries of 2016, from disastrous drunks to terrible thieves.

JANUARY

An unidentified shoplifter entered the MW Smoke Shop on the 400 block of Auto Center Drive at approximately 9:43 a.m. on January 18 and stole several boxes of California State Lottery Scratcher tickets, according to Lt. Mike Ciszek. He then left in an unknown direction. The estimated property loss was around $800, but the thief probably only won around $20.

FEBRUARY

Police say Allen Pool, 61, entered Stater Bros at approximately 3:15 p.m. on February 23 and went directly to aisle 10, where he shoved a number of razor packets into his pants and walked out of the store. Employees recognized Mr. Pool from previous encounters and called police. Officers observed Mr. Pool reaching into his pants pockets and throwing the razor packages on the ground, according to Lt. Ciszek. He reportedly told police, “What are those? What are you talking about? I didn’t steal those.” Mr. Pool was arrested for shoplifting and sent to CPD jail. He was arrested for the same crime on February 11 and is suspected of two other razor thefts at the same location.

MARCH

Police once again arrested 42-year-old Allen Perez of Pomona for public intoxication on March 2 after receiving a call regarding a possible drunk person on College Avenue. When approached by officers and asked if he had been drinking, Mr. Perez replied, “Yeah, we’re good,” according to Lt. Ciszek. When officers asked Mr. Perez what day it was, he replied, “Today is a day.” Mr. Perez has been arrested more than 30 times in four-and-a-half years for public intoxication.

APRIL

Police were called to a home on the 700 block of Santa Barbara Drive around 11 p.m. on April 10 regarding a woman swimming in the pool. Police found 28-year-old Tamara Becker of Alhambra running naked across the front yard of the house, according to Det. Hector Tamayo. Officers gave chase and followed Ms. Becker north on Tulane Road before she was caught. Ms. Becker told police she was coming from a bachelorette party. She was uncooperative with officers, at one point yelling, “F**k you. You guys are f**ked up.” When asked how much she had to drink, Ms. Becker replied, “I had as many shots as the bride wanted me to.” She was arrested for public intoxication and transported to jail.

MAY

Just before 6 p.m. on May 20 on Sweetbriar Drive, 22-year-old Ali Taghipour of Riverside was traveling west and attempting to make a U-turn in his car, when he hit a curb. The passenger in the car punched Mr. Taghipour in the face, which caused the driver to crash into a parked car. When police arrived, they determined Mr. Taghipour was under the influence of a controlled substance and arrested him. He was transported to CPD jail and eventually released. The passenger was not arrested.

JUNE

Someone left behind two bags of methamphetamine near Bridges?Auditorium, which were found by a janitor on June 8 around 12:30 p.m. The owner was never located.

JULY

An Upland man was arrested for DUI after crashing his car into a fence and calling the police on himself. John Rush, 25, was driving his 2016 Chevrolet truck around 3 a.m. on July 11 when he collided with a fence on the 300 block of Villanova. He then called police and said he “crashed his car into a house,” Det. Hardin said. When police arrived, they determined that Mr. Rush was under the influence of alcohol, and he was arrested and transported to CPD jail.

AUGUST

Police arrested a Pomona man after he made quite the scene in the Motel 6 lobby on August 28. Rudy Orcasitas, 25, was allegedly on meth and “drawing on his face with ink pens,” according to Lt. Ciszek. The police were called and Mr. Orcasitas, who has  had numerous run-ins with local police in the past, was taken into custody for being under the influence of a controlled substance and transported to CPD jail.

SEPTEMBER

A Riverside man was arrested on a drunk and disorderly charge after police gave him a golden opportunity to get a ride home. Police found 35-year-old Kenneth Arellano passed out in the driver’s seat of a white two-door Honda Accord in front of Bank of America around 3:45 a.m. on September 25, Lt. Ciszek said. Officers gave Mr. Arellano an option to get a ride home, and he contacted an Uber to come pick him up. A short time later, the Uber returned to the scene and Mr. Arellano exited, telling officers he was going to wait 30 minutes to drive home “because he would be sober enough to drive,” Lt. Ciszek said. He was arrested and was later released without charges after sobering up.

OCTOBER

Police arrested Jose Gonzalez, 59, on a drunk and disorderly charge after he tried to sleep it off in the grass at Motel 6 on October 12. The Ontario man allegedly walked into the lobby around 9:15 p.m., turned in his car keys to the front desk, walked outside and took a nap. Mr. Gonzalez told police he had had only three beers. When officers asked if he knew where he was, he replied, “Chino, or something.” He was eventually given a free ride to sleep it off in a Claremont jail cell.

NOVEMBER

Police received reports of a man darting in and out of traffic around Indian Hill Boulevard and the 10 Freeway around 5:45 p.m. on November 30. When police arrived, they found 25-year-old Matthew Higgins from Amarillo, Texas walking directly into the path of oncoming cars. He was nearly struck, as well as delaying traffic, Lt. Ciszek said. He was arrested and sent to CPD jail, where he was held for detox and released without charges.

DECEMBER

A Pomona resident, Andrew Belasco, 52, was apparently making noise inside the Claremont Public Library just before 5 p.m. on December 7 when a juvenile asked him to be quiet. Mr. Belasco responded by taking off his shirt and challenging the kid to a fight. The police were called and during the investigation it was revealed that Mr. Belasco was under the influence of an unknown stimulant, Lt. Ciszek said. He was arrested and transported to CPD jail.

—Matthew Bramlett

news@claremont-courier.com