It may just be the recession making people more desperate, but crime, or at least our perception of it, seems to be on the rise.
The Claremont Police Department's website had some information about an armed robbery on Mt. Baldy Rd. last month:
Armed Robbery on Mount Baldy Rd
On Tuesday, June 23 at about 11:00 pm, two victims in a parked vehicle were robbed at gunpoint on the Evey Canyon Rd. turnout of Mount Baldy Rd. (near the north-east City limits). The victims were ordered out of the vehicle and held at gunpoint by one suspect while a second suspect ransacked the vehicle's interior. The suspects fled south on Mt. Baldy Rd. with the victim's wallets, books, and other personal property.
Suspect Vehicle: 2002-03 Black Nissan Altima, three chrome wheels and an emergency spare tire on front right, chrome door handles, and a dim left taillight
Suspect 1: Male Hispanic, 20-25 years old, 5-8/200 lbs., wearing a black t-shirt, khaki colored pants, and a white bandana covering face; armed with a handgun
Suspect 2: Male Hispanic, 20-25 years old, 5-8/200 lbs., wearing a white long sleeve t-shirt, blue jean shorts, and a white bandana covering face
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Claremont Police Department at (909) 399-5411.
The CPD also had information about five people in a Chevy Tahoe who may have been casing homes around Base Line Rd. and Mills Ave.
We'd expect property crimes to be on the rise as the recession drags on, along with increases in scams targeting the elderly or people who might be in danger of losing their homes because of the loss of a job. These sorts of scammers prey on the weak or the desperate.
Speaking of scammers, the FBI indicted 42 people last week as part of an investigation into a multi-million Medi-Cal fraud scheme. According to the Daily Bulletin, the group used unlicensed nurses to provide in-home care for disabled patients. The group then turned around and billed the state's Medi-Cal system for providing licensed nurses.
The Bulletin article indicated that two Claremont residents were among 20 people arrested last Thursday in connection with the fraud scheme:
The unlicensed nurse defendants visited the patients at home and at school to provide services, such as administering medications, adjusting ventilators and feeding through tubes.
Those named in the indictment from the Inland Valley were Juan Alanguilan Igamen, also known as Nestor and Gidmar, 40, of Claremont; Lovelyn Guiang Gonzaga, also known as Lyn Marivic, 25, of Ontario; and Asher V. Mosqueda, also known as Luis Tan and Ryan Galang, 63, of Claremont.
The worse things get, the more of this sort of thing you should expect to see. Remember the movie "Paper Moon"?
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