Solid detective work leads to arrest of smash-and-grab burglar
On Tuesday, July 28 Claremont Police Department detectives applied some admirable gumshoe work in nabbing a suspected car burglar at 10:20 a.m., in his home at 917 E. Lexington Ave., Pomona. Police arrested Tony Yarberry, 35, after an investigation into two recent smash and grab vehicle burglaries taking place last month at the Thompson Creek Trail parking lot in the 2400 block of north Indian Hill Boulevard. Detectives were able to match up retail store video surveillance footage and a DMV photo of Mr. Yarberry, whom they say was behind both heists.
The first break in occurred July 10, when he allegedly made off with a wallet, identification, credit cards and a cell phone. Police say he returned to the parking lot July 27, broke another car window and made off with a pink leather purse, a pink leather wallet containing multiple credit cards and ID, a pair of reading glasses and an HP printer.
The case came together after the two victims, following advice from CPD detectives, monitored their stolen credit card accounts to watch for illicit spending. Sure enough, the victims soon contacted CPD to report unauthorized charges at Home Depot and Wal Mart locations in Glendora, where on one occasion it’s alleged Mr. Yarberry spent more than $1,600 and $387, respectively.
After viewing surveillance footage from the cash registers at Home Depot, police thought they might recognize the man caught on camera. They found a recent previous arrest report for Mr. Yarberry, got a photo from the DMV, and yes matched it with the man seen in the surveillance footage. He was then arrested and now faces three felony counts, two for car burglary and one for identity theft.
