The Claremont Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, August 29, 2008 from 6 pm until 2 am, at an undisclosed location within the city. In an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.  Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

• DUI Checkpoint Press Release (Adobe Acrobat, 29KB)

Three residential burglaries took place on Thursday, August 7th, between the hours of noon and 7pm. Property taken included TV, Wii, laptop computers, jewelry, and musical instruments.  The burglaries occurred:

• 2000 block of Cape Cod Ct.
• 500 block of Scripps Dr.
• 400 block Mt. Carmel Dr.
  

Just before the Scripps Dr. burglary, a male teen knocked on a neighbor's door asking for "Jessica", but no one by that name lives there.

Possible Suspect: Male white, slight build, 17 to 19 years old, 5'7" tall, short brown hair, wearing a striped shirt and dark colored pants. No vehicle was seen.

Residents are encouraged to call the Police Department immediately at 626-1296 if they observe suspicious activity.

During the evening of Tuesday, August 5th, two vehicles were vandalized with single or multiple tires punctured/slashed while parked in the driveways of residences in the 1900 block of Lock Haven Way.  

During the evening of Thursday, August 7th, additional vehicles were vandalized in the same fashion and in the same general area.  There were four victims in the 1500 and 1600 blocks of Mural Dr., one victim in the 1500 block of Lynoak Dr., one victim in the 1600 block of Sumner Ave., and one victim in the 1200 block of Hillsdale. 

The punctures/slashings appear to have been made with a knife or similar sharp object.  The suspect is unknown at this time.  The times of occurrences appear to be between 9pm and 6am.

On Monday, July 29, 2008 at about 7:02 pm, officers responded to a call of a disturbance at the Laemmle Theater, 450 W. Second St. Officers discovered that a male and female subject had been creating a disturbance in a theater showing the Batman movie by talking loudly and repeatedly walking in and out. The suspects then initiated an altercation with a couple sitting behind them when their chair was accidentally kicked. The suspects began to strike the victims, a 30-year-old female and a 40-year-old male, both Claremont residents, about the head with their fists. The female suspect then grabbed the purse of another patron, a 53-year-old female Upland resident, and the suspects fled in a vehicle.

A witness provided the description and license plate of the suspect vehicle. Officers located and stopped the suspect vehicle on Bonita Ave. near Towne Ave. in Pomona. Arrested for grand theft and battery were Marinus Rankin, a 21-year-old male transient, and Marissa Beale, a 19 year-old female San Dimas resident. The stolen purse was recovered and returned to the owner. The two assault victims sustained minor cuts on their faces and refused medical attention at the scene. Rankin and Beale are currently being held in the Claremont PD jail.

• Laemmle Theater Disturbance Press Release (Adobe Acrobat, 28KB)

On Friday, July 11, 2008, at about 6:00 p.m., the Claremont Police Department began a DUI / Drivers License checkpoint on Indian Hill Blvd. just south of I-10. At about 6:15 p.m., a male subject driving through the checkpoint was detained when he was found to have no drivers license in his possession. He initially gave a name that resulted in "no match" with DMV. Officers then utilized the "Blue Check" mobile identification device to wirelessly run the subject's index fingerprints through the Los Angeles County automated fingerprint identification system. In less than 5 minutes the subject was identified as Albert Dominguez, a 26-year-old Chino resident, who was wanted for violating parole from a murder conviction. Dominguez was immediately arrested and held at Claremont PD jail. He was subsequently released to the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on July 14, who will arrange for his transfer to the California Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.

Claremont PD received the "Blue Check" device from the Los Angeles County Regional Identification System (LACRIS) on Thursday, July 10, and was used in Claremont for the first time at the checkpoint the next day. The device was in operation for about 15 minutes before the device resulted in the apprehension of a potentially dangerous individual.

• Mobile ID Device Identification Press Release (Adobe Acrobat, 30KB)

On Monday June 30 at about 9:45 pm, we received calls of a mountain lion in the back yard of residences in the 1900 block N. Mills Ave. Responding officers could not locate the mountain lion.

Mountain Lions
More than half of California is mountain lion habitat. Mountain lions generally exist wherever deer are found. They are solitary and elusive, and their nature is to avoid humans. Mountain lion attacks on humans are extremely rare. However, conflicts are increasing as California's human population expands into mountain lion habitat.
 
Staying Safe in Mountain Lion Country

• Do not hike, bike, or jog alone.
• Avoid hiking or jogging when mountain lions are most active, and don't allow pets outside when mountain lions are most active --dawn, dusk, and at night.
• Don't leave small children or pets outside unattended.
• Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.
• Bring pet food inside to avoid attracting raccoons, opossums and other potential mountain lion prey.
• Keep a close watch on small children.
• Do not approach a mountain lion.
• If you encounter a mountain lion, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger by waving your arms; throw rocks or other objects.
• If attacked, fight back.
• If a mountain lion attacks a person, immediately call 911.

• CA Fish & Game Information on Mountain Lions

The following laws regulating the use of cell phones while driving become effective on July 1, 2008:

Minors Use of Wireless Devices While Driving Prohibited: Persons under 18 years of age are prohibited from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone, including a hands-free device, and/or a mobile service device (pagers, texting devices, laptops, etc) (CA Vehicle Section 23124).

Adult Use of Wireless Devices While Driving - Hands Free Only: Persons 18 years of age and older are prohibited from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless a hands-free device is used. The law provides an exemption if the devices are being used for emergency purposes, or by an emergency services professional operating an authorized emergency vehicle (CA Vehicle Code Section 23123).