January
The Case of:
The Craigs List Cannabis
OFFICER: Officer Richard Segovia
Officer Andrew Taylor
Details: On 2-27-09, Officer Segovia located an advertisement on Craigs List advertising 420 meds indicating possible marijuana for sale. Officer Segovia notified Officer Taylor and Officer Taylor made phone contact with the person selling the marijuana. Officer Taylor pretended to be Joseph and stated that he was interested in purchasing enough marijuana to sustain a 1/8 ounce habit for the next week and a half. The suspect stated that he could provide that marijuana to him for $450.00. They then negotiated a deal in the amount of $350.00. The suspect was making another deal in Orange County and stated he would be coming through Corona in the next 45 minutes. Arrangements were made to meet at an apartment complex at 60 Summerwood Court. When the suspects showed up they were confronted by Officers Taylor and Segovia in the parking lot. During a search of the suspect, his vehicle, and his backpack, at total of 86 grams of marijuana, 4.3 grams of hashish, a digital scale, and plastic baggies were located. The suspect was arrested for possession of marijuana, transportation of marijuana and possession of hashish.
February
The Case of:
The G6 Jackpot
OFFICER: Officer Blair Montalbano
Details: On February 9, 2009, at 2245 hours, Officer Montalbano observed a red 2008 Pontiac G6 traveling northbound on Lincoln Ave. from Sixth St. A computer check of the plate revealed it was a stolen Budget rental car out of Lake Elsinore. Officer Montalbano followed the vehicle onto the eastbound 91 Freeway where a high risk stop was conducted. Three occupants were taken into custody without incident. A loaded .22 handgun, 2 laptops, wireless routers, house keys, cell phones, computer monitors and a countermeasure kit (possibly used to locate and disable Lo Jack Equipment) were located in the vehicle. The Driver, a 32 year old, who was a parolee at large, also had two additional felony warrants and was on parole for burglary. He had a fake ID in his wallet with the name Raymond Richard. This was the name used to rent the stolen vehicle. The other two arrested for auto theft and possession of stolen property were a 29 year old female from Santa Ana, and a 35 year old male from Norco.
March
Winner of Arrest of the Year
The Case of:
Always on Duty
OFFICER: Officer Bryan Snow
Details: On March 19, 2009, at 0413 hours, Officer Snow was traveling northbound in the 200 blk of N. Smith St. on his way home, when he saw a blue 4 door Chevy Cavalier exiting the driveway at 220 N Smith St. (Hannan Products). Officer Snow felt the driver looked suspicious as he was driving away from the business. Officer Snow made a U-turn in order to conduct a traffic stop to investigate whether a crime had just been committed. The subject drove away southbound on Smith St. at a high rate of speed. The suspect turned westbound on Pomona Road, and then northbound on Consumer Circle, (a dead end street) and had no where to go and came to a stop where he was detained. A check of Hannan Products by officers revealed the glass door to the business had been smashed, and it appeared computers had been stolen. Inside the suspects car, in plain view, were two computers that had just been stolen from the business. The suspect was arrested for the burglary and during questioning admitted to the theft. The suspect was a former employee of the business and was aware that the business did not have an alarm.
Officer Snow was already off duty and on his way home when this incident was occurring. He could have easily ignored it and continued on his way home. Officer Snow is to be commented for his initiative, excellent observation, and following his instincts in deciding to look in the incident resulting in the arrest of a burglary suspect.
April
The Case of:
You Don?t Look Like a Deputy
OFFICER: Officer Jeffrey Glenn
Details: On April 22, 2009 at 0123 hours, Officer Glenn observed two subjects standing in the front yard of a residence in the 1500 Blk of Beacon Ridge, Corona. Officer Glenn knows that a LASD Deputy lived at the location and went to contact the subjects. The first subject, a 19 year old male, fled the location by running southbound and climbing a backyard fence. The second suspect, an 18 year old male, stayed in the yard and cooperated with Officer Glenn. Once the second subject was detained Officer Glenn checked the front yard and located two Apple I-pods, a cellular phone belonging to the outstanding19 year old, and some sunglasses. A search of the area for the 19 year old suspect by officer and a K-9 met with negative results. Neither the resident nor the neighbors could identify any of the property that had been located. The 18 year old was arrested for being drunk in public. As the 18 year old was being transported to jail, he directed officers to the 19 year old subjects vehicle parked a short distance away. The 19 year old was then located a short distance from his car, by assisting officers. The 19 year old denied being in the area of the house and could not explain why his cell phone had been found at the house with the other property. The 19 year old gave officers consent to search his car, at which time officers located a silver digital camera and a black Sony PSP gaming system inside the car. The 19 year old was also arrested for being drunk in public and both subjects were transported to jail. During interviews both subjects did not change their stories and requested attorneys.
While at the station Sgt. Anderson remembered reading a residential burglary report earlier in the day where the property taken matched the property found in the subjects vehicle. Officer Glenn was given a copy of the burglary report, and contacted the victims. After contacting the victims Officer Glenn was able to confirm the items found in the subjects vehicle had been taken during the burglary. The subjects were then charged with burglary.
All officers involved in this incident are commended for their collaborative efforts in investigating this case. Due to their efforts a suspect that might have only been arrested for drunk in public was held on burglary charges. This case also assisted Chino Hills PD (SBSO) close additional burglary cases involving the same suspects. The officers actions truly showed a commitment to law enforcement and the community in which we serve.
May
The Case of:
The Stop Sign Nets Four
INVOLVED: Officer Daniel Alvarez
Details: On May 1st, 2009 at approximately 1137 hrs. Officer Alvarez attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation. (Failing to stop for a stop sign). The vehicle failed to yield and a short pursuit ensued. A few blocks away, the vehicle abruptly stopped and three of the four occupants fled the scene on foot. Officer Alvarez detained the fourth subject and the other subjects were captured a short time later. During the investigation it was learned the vehicle was an un-reported stolen out of the City of Corona, which was taken during a residential burglary. Officer Alvarez interviewed the suspects and ultimately gained confessions.
During the course of these interviews Officer Alvarez was able to develop leads for two other involved suspects of the residential burglary. Officer Alvarez located the residences of the other involved suspects and took them into custody. During the course of their interviews they also confessed. Officer Alvarez went above and beyond his duties and responsibilities. Officer Alvarez utilized all of his available resources and continued the investigation until all suspects involved in the burglary and subsequent auto theft were arrested.
June
The Case of:
Banging for Barbeque
OFFICER: Officer Jesus Quintero
Details: On June 24, 2009, at 0446 hours, Officer Quintero was patrolling the area of the 1200 Blk. of Magnolia Ave. Officer Quintero heard loud banging coming from the rear of the El Tapatio Market located at 1212 Magnolia Ave. As Officer Quintero drove to the rear of the market he saw a white Dodge Pick-up Truck drive away from the area. Officer Quintero followed the vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop in the 1100 Blk of California Ave. The two male suspects abandoned the vehicle in the street and fled into the commercial business area. Officer Quintero called out his location and set up a perimeter in the immediate area. It was determined that the vehicle they abandoned was a confirmed stolen vehicle. A search team was initiated and the driver of the vehicle was located hiding in some bushes adjacent to where the vehicle was abandoned.
Upon further investigation it was learned that the Dodge Ram Pickup truck was used in a burglary that occurred on June 12, 2009 at the Backwoods B.B.Q. located at 4300 Green River Rd. in Corona.
July
The Case of:
Gotcha With a Gat
OFFICER: Officer Richard Bartlett
Details: On 07-12-09 at 0837 hrs. Officer Bartlett made a consensual pedestrian check of a 25 year old subject in the 900 blk. of Circle City. During the contact Officer Bartlett located an unloaded .380 automatic hand gun in the subjects left front pants pocket. The subject was taken into custody for the concealed weapon and some misdemeanor warrants. Officer Bartlett is to be commended for not only this incident, but his continual practice of on sight activity when ever his primary police duties allow. It is this positive work ethic that allowed him to locate and take a weapon off the street that could have possibly been used for other criminal activities in the future.
August
The Case of:
Caught Red-Handed
OFFICER: Officer Robert Montanez
Details: On 8/30/09 at approx. 2120 hours, Officer Montanez was conducting a property check at Wal-Mart, 479 N. McKinley when he saw an SUV leaving a parking stall. He ran the license plate and the plate had suspect contacts for past shoplifting violations. The vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The driver, a 33 year old Riverside resident, denied involvement in the any of the past thefts but consented to a search of her car. The passenger of the car, a 23 year old Corona resident, was a recently discharged parolee for auto theft. As Officer Montanez conducted a vehicle search, he located a check book that contained 13 forged checks. The checkbook was hidden under a trim piece near the gear shift. The checks had been modified and the suspect?s names had been added as payees. One of the stolen checks had just been used at Wal-Mart to buy $250+ worth of merchandise. Other victims were contacted and the checks had been stolen from USPS mailboxes in Riverside, Corona and Mira Loma. Some of the stolen checks had already been used to make various purchases. The suspects are possibly looking at additional charges.
Officer Montanez is commended for his foresight in believing that this vehicle and its occupants were possibly involved in illegal activity based on past contacts and for his investigative ability.
September
The Case of:
Suspects Get a Flat
OFFICER: Officer Jody Kozakowski
Details: On September 11, 2009, Officer Kozakowski responded to Petes Road Service in Corona, reference theft of property through fraudulent purchases. A suspect had made several purchases using a corporate account from a former employer. The suspect then paid other persons a very small fee to collect the fraudulent purchased tires, to avoid his own capture should the crime be discovered. Officer Kozakowski contacted those persons upon their arrival to pick up the tires. Officer Kozakowski requested permission to follow the collection person to the suspect?s house in the City of Riverside. Officer Kozakowski located the suspect, recovered approximately $3200 dollars in stolen property, and located corroborating paperwork linking the suspect to the crime. The suspect who was on probation and awaiting trial for other unrelated crimes was taken into custody on five separate felonies. Mr. Van Horn, owner of Pete?s Road Service, sent a complimentary letter to the Chief?s office due to being extremely happy with the handling of this investigation. Officer Kozakowski?s desire to investigate this case to its fullest resulted in a closed case with an arrest, recovered property, and a positive reflection of the Corona Police Department.
October
The Case of:
Perseverance Pays Off
OFFICER: Corporal Jason Viefhaus
Details: On October 4, 2009, a male victim had his vehicle stolen from his driveway of his Eastvale residence in the 14000 Block of Becker Drive. The victim reported his vehicle stolen to the Riverside County Sheriff?s Department (File # E092770056). Later that morning, On Star located the vehicle in the 1500 blk. of Chalgrove. Corona Police Officer Russell Siemer recovered the vehicle and had the victim respond to take possession of his vehicle. While taking possession of his vehicle the victim discovered that some of his personal property was missing from the vehicle. A few days later, the victim reviewed his checking account and discovered that someone had deposited a forged $450.00 check into the account and withdrew money from it.
On 10-15-09 Corporal Viefhaus contacted the victim to document the list of items taken from his vehicle. The list included; a GPS locator, a watch, checkbook, ez-up canopy, soccer equipment, and computer thumb drive. The forged check deposited into his account was made out to ?Thomas Gray?. Corporal Viefhaus checked ?Thomas Gray? for local contacts and found that a Thomas Gray lived in the 1700 Block of Bern St.. Records showed Gray had been arrested for a fraud case a month prior. Corporal Viefhaus plunged into a thorough investigation of Gray and his possible involvement in the forgery.
Since then, eight people have been arrested in connection with this case, four of them directly related, either arrested with original victims stolen property or arrested for depositing the check. During the course of the investigation, Corporal Viefhaus recovered some of victim?s stolen property and recovered another stolen vehicle with latent prints inside (CR#13698).
Corporal Viefhaus took hold of a simple fraud and 10851 CVC Auto-theft) recovery to uncover a web of crimes perpetrated by the subjects arrested. Corporal Viefhaus took this investigation to an elevated level as he enlisted the assistance of other officers and Detectives. While everyone involved was helpful and experienced, Corporal Viefhaus remained the case agent to coordinate and exhaust all leads which resulted in the successful closure of these cases.
November
The Case of:
Vigilance Pays Off
OFFICER: Officer T. Slane
Details: On 11-11- 09, at 2243 hours, Officer Hubbard, along with Officers Slane, Doty and Sgt. Truex, responded to an armed robbery that had just occurred at the Holiday Inn Express, 1550 Circle City Dr., Corona. The suspect entered the hotel wearing a blonde wig, blue hooded sweatshirt, and blue pants. The suspect was armed with an unknown type handgun. The suspect stole $200.00 in cash and was last seen running southbound from the location towards Magnolia Ave. Officer Hubbard was the first officer to arrive on scene. Officer Hubbard immediately started setting-up a perimeter and broadcasting the suspects last known direction of travel and description. While checking the area, Officer Slane observed a male subject matching the description of the robbery suspect running from the bushes into the Sizzler restaurant parking lot. Officer Slane subsequently stopped and detained the suspect.
Officer Doty and Sgt. Truex checked a dumpster near the Sizzler restaurant and located the suspects disguise, handgun used during the robbery, and money stolen from the business. The manager from the Holiday Inn Motel positively identified the suspect as the person who had robbed the business. The money was returned to the business. As officers collected evidence, Officer Hubbard checked the area for additional suspects. Officer Hubbard located a female adult to the rear of the Stater-Bros Market. After interviewing the female, Officer Hubbard determined that the female knew the suspect and was involved in the robbery. Officer Hubbard arrested the female, and under Miranda she admitted to knowing the suspect and knowing he was going to commit the armed robbery of the hotel. Both subjects were arrested and charged for the robbery. Officers Hubbard, Slane, Doty, and Sgt. M. Truex should be commended for doing an outstanding job in communicating pertinent information during the robbery. In addition, they should be commended for doing a thorough search of the area which resulted in evidence used in the robbery. Their efforts will have a positive impact on the quality of life for the citizens and businesses of this community.
December
The Case of:
The 7 Oaks Drug Bust
OFFICER: Officer Jesus Cervantes
Details: On 12-08-09 at 2334 hrs. Officer Jesse Cervantes was working patrol in the area of the Dos Lagos shopping center when he observed a Dodge Charger with a Nevada license plate parked in the parking lot of 7-Oaks Market which was closed for business. When the occupants of the vehicle saw Officer Cervantes approaching in his police vehicle they immediately exited the parking lot. Officer Cervantes initiated a traffic stop at 2795 Cabot Dr. on the vehicle to investigate further. When Officer Cervantes contacted the occupants of the vehicle he could smell an odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Officer Cervantes requested the assistance of K-9 Officer Glenn and his narcotics trained dog Gauss. While the occupants were being detained a sniff of the vehicle by the K-9 resulted in K-9 Gauss alerting on the left front wheel well area of the vehicle. A hand search of the vehicles engine compartment revealed a loaded 9 mm. semi automatic handgun and baggies containing a large quantity of ecstasy pills were concealed in the engine compartment. An additional $ 10,000.00 in U.S. currency was also located in the trunk of the vehicle. There were three occupants of the vehicle which were arrested for 11378 H.S., 11379 H.S., and 12025 P.C.
Officer Jesse Cervantes is commended for his attention to detail and for his investigative skills while conducting this investigation which resulted in the recovery of a weapon and drugs.
