Police blotter 5.31.13

Burglars work overtime during holiday weekend; Claremont police arrest suspects

There was no leisurely 3-day weekend for Claremont Village burglars, who’ve recently made a sweep of homes along Yale Avenue, Sixth, Eighth and Tenth Streets. Five Village homes were targeted in a crime spree that began on Friday, May 26, and spilled over into the Memorial Day weekend.

Claremont Police Department investigators developed a possible suspect vehicle description through interviews and arrested 53-year-old Lund Colton on Wednesday, May 29.

Between Friday and Saturday around noon, a burglar entered a home in the 600 block of Sixth Street through a side window and stole $425 in cash found in an envelope, according to the report.

Later that day, around 2:37 p.m., police report that a home in the 200 block of W. Tenth Street was broken into via a set of French doors within the home’s courtyard area, which had been apparently kicked in. A laptop worth $1200 was taken. A resident in the 1000 block of Yale Avenue found a pane of glass knocked out of a back patio door around 4:30 p.m. and a $2500 Louis Vuitton purse was missing from inside the home.

In another incident, a family member who was housesitting arrived to a home in the 500 block of Eighth Street around 11 a.m. on Monday to find a front window had been broken. Stolen property is unknown at this time, according to Lieutenant Mike Ciszek.

Another resident in the 600 block of Eighth Street reported that a board from the rear gate facing the alleyway had been pried off, also discovered around noon on Saturday. There was no sign of entry into the home itself, but a report was taken.

Claremont detectives canvassed the neighborhood on Wednesday looking for the suspect vehicle and found Mr. Colton acting suspiciously. Detectives and officers conducted surveillance on the suspect and watched as he looked at several different homes in the area.

At about 5:30 p.m., Mr. Colton was seen entering a home in the 1100 block of Harvard Ave. A few minutes later, he left the house carrying a canvas bag. A traffic stop was conducted a few blocks away and the suspect was taken into custody. Additional officers responded to the victim’s residence and confirmed that a burglary had occurred. Property from the residence was located inside the suspect’s vehicle.

Detectives are conducting follow-up to ascertain if Mr. Colton is responsible for other burglaries within the city.

Residents on Base Line Road experienced a similar crime spree—one home in the 300 block of Base Line Road was especially unlucky as it was broken into twice. The first occurrence took place between 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22 and 11 a.m. the following day. Burglars had pried their way into the rear garage to enter the vacant home, according to Lt. Ciszek. A vacuum and a toolbox were taken. The home was found broken into again on Friday, May 24 shortly before noon. Drawers and cabinet doors were found open, but no property was reported missing.

One man was arrested in the same block of Base Line Road after being spotted trespassing in a resident’s front yard. Kenneth Thomas, 45, of Pomona was arrested after it was determined the yellow cab he was driving was filled with stolen property from the Claremont Colleges, Harvey Mudd sweatshirts, laptops and bills included. Unfortunately, the vacuum and the toolbox were not among the stolen goods. Police said it is unknown whether or not Mr. Thomas is connected to the crime.

Wednesday, May 22

Three Pomona residents are being held for robbery, burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime after breaking into a man’s home in the 500 block of Hendrix Avenue and robbing him.

Larry Haddock, 36, Dionete Pearson and Lydia Carcoba, both 25, kicked in the front door and confronted the man, stealing his wallet, a laptop and stereo equipment. Unfortunately, their dramatic entrance caught the attention of neighbors and before the trio could make off with the loot, police were at the driveway. Mr. Haddock and Mr. Pearson fled on foot, but were detained a short distance away. Ms. Carcoba was arrested before she could leave the car.

Thursday, May 23

A second trio of Pomona crooks made a similar public entrance in the 400 block of Marygrove with results not unlike Wednesday’s Hendrix Avenue crime. Sergio Casas, 27, Gloria Martinez and Zendy Felix, both 26, were spotted entering a residence through a side gate and exiting with a lawn mower and edger in tow. They were loading the gardening equipment into their car when police arrived and arrested them. There will be no gardening in their near future.

Friday, May 24

Claremont is a long shot from Panama—or Panoma, Oklahoma, for that matter—but not according to 18-year-old Kaitlin Walsh of Huntington Beach. Ms. Walsh was certain that’s where she was, after police found her screaming in her car. Police approached her car and, according to the report, Ms. Walsh informed the officer she was in  “Panoma.” In reality, she was parked to the rear of the Claremont Fire Station. She was arrested for public drunkeness.

Sunday, May 26

A crook clipped their way into a home in the 1000 block of Richmond Drive Sunday afternoon. The burglar gained entrance to the house by cutting away a window screen on the side of the garage, according to Lt. Ciszek. A laptop and camera valued at $1100 were carted off.

Tuesday, May 28

Police are investigating details behind a medical emergency at the Chevron McDonalds, 860 S. Indian Hill Blvd. A woman was found passed out on the floor of the fast food joint, unconscious but breathing. A large amount of narcotics were found in her possession, according to Lt. Ciszek. She was taken for medical aid. Investigation continues.

—Beth Hartnett

news@claremont-courier.com