Police blotter 8-4-17
Wednesday, July 26
A La Habra man was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery after a nearly year-long investigation. Jorge Cardenas, 42, is accused of assaulting two women on two separate occasions—October 1 and October 7, 2016, Lt. Mike Ciszek of the Claremont Police Department said. The two victims, as well as Mr. Cardenas were in Claremont for a funeral of a friend. Mr. Cardenas was found in La Habra and arrested by local police at 12:19 p.m. He has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.
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A Claremont man fell victim to a scammer who pretended to be his granddaughter over the phone. At 10 a.m., the victim received a call from someone claiming she was his granddaughter and needed $4200 after a car accident. The scammer instructed the victim to load the money into Target gift cards and read the card numbers over the phone. The victim complied. The number the scammer called from was listed in New York City.
Friday, July 28
Two Victorville women were arrested after a fight inside a car led to them crashing onto a Claremont property. The driver, 27, and the passenger, 30, were traveling on the 210 freeway to Los Angeles around 11:30 p.m. when they pulled off onto Base Line Road and started arguing. During the argument, one of the women pulled the driver’s hair, and the driver responded by intentionally driving their car into the front yard of a house on the 600 block of Base Line Road. After an investigation by police, the passenger was arrested for battery and the driver was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Their names were not released.
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An Upland man was arrested for being drunk in public after he was observed passed out near the intersection of Indian Hill Boulevard and First Street. Lionel Vela, 31, was found on the north sidewalk of First Street around 9:24 p.m. According to police, Mr. Vela reportedly told officers, “I’ve had some beers but I don’t know where.” He was arrested, held at the jail to sober up and released without charges.
Saturday, July 29
Police are looking for a man who tried to rob another person near the railroad tracks. The victim was walking along the tracks near the intersection of Claremont Boulevard and First Street around 1:25 p.m. when a man approached them, brandished an opened pocketknife and demanded cash, Lt. Ciszek said. The victim ran away, and the robber was last seen running westbound on the tracks. He is described as a Hispanic man around 25 years old, five feet, 10 inches tall and 170 pounds. The victim was not injured.
Sunday, July 30
Two people have been arrested in connection with a burglary at Extra Space Storage. The burglary occurred between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. at the storage unit on the 500 block of Arrow Highway. According to police, three suspects entered the storage center and broke into several units on the property, with one of the burglars leaving on a stolen bike. Apart form the bike, it is unclear what was stolen or the valuation of the goods. After an investigation, 39-year-old Marlana Alvarez of Pomona and 51-year-old Jason Brown of La Verne were arrested on Tuesday, August 1, on suspicion of burglary. The investigation is ongoing.
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Brian Cogbill, 42, of Claremont, was traveling southbound on Padua Avenue north of Miramar just after 7 p.m. when he merged to the left to pass by a police car that was assisting a stopped vehicle. Mr. Cogbill reportedly didn’t see another car traveling northbound, and sideswiped it. According to police, Mr. Cogbill kept driving until he was pulled over by police at Padua Avenue and Base Line Road. He was found to be driving his Chevy Tahoe while over the legal limit for alcohol intoxication. He was arrested for DUI and hit and run and transported to CPD jail. The driver in the other car was not injured.
—Matthew Bramlett
news@claremont-courier.com
