Police blotter 9-20-19

Tuesday, September 10

Two men were arrested after police say they tried to steal copper wiring from the abandoned Marie Callenders building. Around 11 a.m., a security guard called police after seeing at least one person on the roof of the shuttered restaurant, Lt. Jason Walters of the Claremont Police Department said. Police found two men on the roof—36-year-old Robert Shirley and 34-year-old Benjamin Campos, both of Pomona—who refused to come down. Police eventually arrested them on suspicion of grand theft and vandalism and, in Mr. Shirley’s case, a parole violation. The copper wiring was worth about $1,000.

**** 

Jesus Martinez, 21, was arrested after police found him in the roadway at Foothill Boulevard and Lynoak Drive around 11 p.m. In addition to being publically intoxicated, Mr. Martinez was also allegedly in possession of a meth pipe. He was arrested and taken to CPD jail.

Wednesday, September 11

Two people were arrested on suspicion of attempted theft after a witness claimed they were seen checking car door handles on the 500 block of Cedar Crest. Police arrived to the scene just before 6 a.m., and arrested 32-year-old Elman Bahnimtewa of Hacienda Heights on suspicion of attempted theft, prowling, possession of burglary tools and possession of stolen property from a previous theft in Montclair. His companion, 24-year-old Briana Dominguez of La Puente, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance.

**** 

A home on the 300 block of Independence Drive was burglarized around 10:30 a.m. Police arriving after the activation of a burglary alarm found the sliding glass door had been shattered and the master bedroom was ransacked. Nothing seemed to be taken, however, and there was no suspect information available.

**** 

Another home was burglarized around the same time frame, this time on the 3700 block of Hartnel Place. Between 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., an unknown burglar smashed the glass of a rear French door to gain access, taking jewelry and watches before fleeing undetected. A witness claimed to see a white four-door compact sedan in the area around the time of the burglary, though police are unsure if the car was related to the crime.

Thursday, September 12

A call of a disturbance on the 2200 block of La Paz ended in a drug possession arrest. Police were called to the home around 1 p.m. and found 28-year-old Cole Gunstream of Claremont, who admitted to being in possession of Clonazepam pills. He was arrested on suspicion of drug possession. It’s unknown what type of disturbance police were initially responding to, and nobody was arrested in relation to that call.

Friday, September 13

A Covina man was arrested after police caught him driving a stolen 2005 Lincoln MKZ. Cameras picked up the stolen car at Indian Hill and San Jose around 2 a.m., and police confronted the car and its driver, 41-year-old Arthur Villegas, at the Shell gas station nearby. He was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto and possession of a meth pipe.

**** 

A driver apparently backed into a 15-year-old boy and fled the scene after initially apologizing. The boy was on his way to school in the area of Lafayette Road and Hood Drive around 8:30 a.m. when the driver, who was behind the wheel of a gray Toyota Rav4, backed into him, knocking the boy to the ground, Lt. Walters said. The boy suffered abrasions to his shoulder and elbow, but didn’t go to the hospital. The driver stopped, apologized, and then took off from the scene. There was no further information available about the driver.

**** 

Around $13,000 in jewelry was taken from an apartment on the 600 block of east Foothill Boulevard. Between 4 and 6:40 p.m., an unknown burglar gained entry to the second-floor unit at the Padua Terrace Apartments and took the jewelry before fleeing undetected. It is currently unknown how the thief got into the apartment, and there was no sign of forced entry.

Monday, September 16

Police arrested an Oceanside man for grand theft auto after he was caught driving a stolen 2011 Ford Flex. Officers pulled over 24-year-old Leao Solaita near Mountain and San Jose Avenues after finding out the car was reported stolen from the City of Industry on September 15. Mr. Solaita claimed he had just purchased the car from an unknown individual, but failed to produce a bill of sale, Lt. Walters said. He was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto and possession of meth.

****

A Claremont resident received a fright after seeing an unknown person take the screen off their apartment window. The incident happened at the Claremont Pacific apartments around 2:05 a.m. The prowler, who was only described as a figure wearing a hoodie, did not enter the apartment after taking off the screen. Police are investigating.

—Matthew Bramlett

news@claremont-courier.com