Police blotter 9.6.13

Thursday, August 29

Wolfe’s Market was targeted in a late- night burglary, the second for the local grocery store in the past 8 months. Shortly before midnight, an unidentified burglar threw a rock through a side window to gain entry to the business, according to Detective Rick Varney. Once inside the building, it appears the burglar unsuccessfully attempted to take files from an office filing cabinet. Nothing appears to be missing. Follow-up investigation is being conducted. A white late 1990s Chevrolet Tahoe was spotted on the store surveillance around the time of the incident, but police are unsure if the vehicle is connected with the crime.

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Starbucks employees were sent into a spin when an unhappy customer reportedly began yelling uncontrollably over the size of his water cup. The man was taken for a mental evaluation.

Friday, August 30

An attempt to sneak off undetected was foiled before it started. A man was speeding down Mt. Baldy Road around 5 a.m. on Friday night, when he reportedly slammed into fencing near the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park. With the car apparently inoperable, the man was then seen pushing his vehicle away from the scene of the accident, according to police reports. Unfortunately for him, several residents had called police regarding his speeding and several more had seen the accident and were able to identify the man. Police are conducting follow-up.

Saturday, August 31

A resident in the 400 block of Marygrove Road returned home from vacation on Saturday to find they had received an unexpected visit while they were away. The home, entered through a locked rear window, was found ransacked and $80 worth of music equipment was stolen. A report was taken, but police do not have any leads at this time.

Sunday, September 1

Claremont police are working to identify a suspect in connection with a burglary that took place within the Old School House complex over the holiday weekend.

Shortly before 8 a.m. on Sunday, September 1, officers arrived at the complex to investigate an alarm activation at the Lamy Avery Gallery, located at 445 W. Foothill Blvd. Police found the business front door pried open, but no suspect inside. An Apple desktop computer was reported missing. Officers say they are reviewing surveillance footage in an attempt to identify a suspect. Any information on this incident should be reported to the Claremont police at 399-5411.

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It was a close call for a resident in the 1600 block of Denver Avenue, who called police regarding an attempted break-in while they were home on Sunday night. Around 9:25 p.m., the resident reported hearing an unknown person taking the screen off a rear window. The resident was able to scare off the person by turning on exterior lights and screaming. Police arrived, but no suspect was found. A report was taken.

Tuesday, September 3

As the old adage goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Such was the case for 25-year-old Ho Lee of Pomona, attempting to cash a check at Wells Fargo Bank in Claremont on Tuesday afternoon. The check was reported stolen, to the man’s disbelief, and before he knew it police had arrived on scene. He told police the check had been given to him by a Russian-based company, who had posted an ad claiming they would give him a portion of every check he cashed for them. Police spotted the scam, but tMr. Lee did not. He was arrested.

—Beth Hartnett

news@claremont-courier.com