Sunday Crime Report

DEBIT CARD ID THEFT

A reader wrote in last night with an email about someone using her ATM information to take money from her B of A account. Nothing yet in the local papers. If you've had a similar problem, contact your bank and the local police to report the theft.

If you live in Claremont, the Claremont Police Department is located (for now) at 570 W. Bonita Ave. The non-emergency CPD contact number is 399-5411.

Here's our reader's note:

Not sure if this is newsworthy...

...but thought I'd pass it along. This week both my landlady and my friend were victims of ATM card identity theft and from their calls to Bank of America, it sounds like there was a pretty large organized hit that happened here.

Both of them have accounts at Bank of America, and both of them had their cards used at a Ventura ATM for multiple $500 withdrawals over several days (before they realized what was happening). When they called Bank of America, they heard that several people in La Verne and Claremont have been victimized, with ATM withdrawals in the same area, so it sounds like it was part of one big operation.

I'm not sure if this is useful news, beyond the obvious: everyone should keep an eye on their bank accounts looking for unusual activity. My landlady bought some groceries using her ATM card just before it happened, so she suspects the information needed to manufacture a duplicate ATM card might have been stolen there, but she doesn't know for sure.

Hope you're enjoying the lightning storm we're having tonight!

The reader also alluded to last night's electrical storm, which brought a little rain - about .2" between 8:40pm and 9:40pm, according to the weather monitoring station at the fire station near Mills Ave. and Mt. Baldy Rd.


DRUGS SEIZED DURING TRAFFIC STOP

The Daily Bulletin reports that Claremont police, with the help of an Upland PD drug-sniffing dog, found nearly $1 million in heroin and methamphetamine during a traffic stop on the eastbound 10 Freeway near Indian Hill Blvd. The Bulletin article stated:

Claremont police Sgt. Karlan Bennett would not elaborate on what made the officers call for a drug-sniffing dog.

Police found 6 pounds of methamphetamine and 15 pounds of heroin in a concealed compartment of the car.

Authorities estimate the value of the drugs at $900,000.

Bennett recalled a large cocaine bust within city limits about 12 years ago. That cocaine seizure was performed by a group of different law enforcement agencies.

"But for us this is one of the larger busts in the city," he said.

MOUNTAIN LION SIGHTED OFF MILLS AVE.

The CPD website also informs us that a mountain lion was seen in the backyards of some homes on the 1900 block of N. Mills Ave. in northeast Claremont. The cat was gone by the time CPD could respond and was not located.

CPD reminds us that mountain lions generally stay away from people and the department offers some tips for keeping safe when one is around:

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.

CPD's site carries a link to a California Department of Fish and Game page that has information on mountain lions.

The Claremont Courier also carried a letter from David Null on the subject. Null suggested wearing a mask on the back of your head if you are hiking. He says this may fool the lion into thinking that you're watching it:

I have another suggestion: Mountain lions are ambush predators, stalking, then attacking from the rear onto the back of its prey, then delivering a suffocating neck bite. Tigers use a similar ambush technique and tigers, at least old or injured ones, frequently attack humans. For protection, it is not uncommon in India and Bangladesh for people in tiger country to wear human masks on the BACKS of their heads. That is the mask faces to the rear. This allegedly confuses the tiger who can’t decide which is the human’s back (remember ambush predators attack almost exclusive from the rear). In short, the tiger doesn’t know whether the human is coming or going and consequently his attack is deterred.