News 24/7

Seven arrested during Fontana DUI checkpoint

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:00:10 -0800

Fontana police arrested seven people and wrote 85 tickets during a sobriety and drivers' license checkpoint Saturday.

Police set up the checkpoint on Sierra Avenue south of Randall Avenue from 6 p.m. until 1:30 a.m.

Of the seven people arrested, three were held on suspicion of drunken driving and four had arrest warrants, police said. Police impounded 75 vehicles for various violations including driving without a license.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

100 pot plants found during Fontana home search

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:30:57 -0800

Police arrested a 32-year-old Fontana man Saturday after they found more than 100 marijuana plants and cultivation equipment inside a home.

Police served a search warrant at a home in the 13900 block of Hillcrest Avenue at 8:06 p.m. and found the pot-growing operation. Officers arrested Anthony Epolito on suspicion of cultivating marijuana and possessing the drug for sale.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Fontana gas station customer robbed at gunpoint

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:03:16 -0800

A Van Nuys man pumping gas in Fontana was robbed by a man armed with a handgun Saturday, police said.

The 54-year-old victim was at a station at 14455 Valley Blvd. at 1:20 p.m. when the robber walked up behind him and demanded money. The robber pointed a handgun at him when he turned around, police said.

The victim handed over two cell phones and his wallet. The robber jumped into a gray Acura and fled south on Cherry Avenue.

The robber is Latino, in his 20s, 5-feet-8 inches tall and 170 pounds. He wore all black clothing including a hat, dress shirt, pants and shoes.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Five Fontana students arrested in random contraband search

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:15:33 -0800

A random search for contraband at Fontana High School on Friday resulted in five student arrests and 10 discipline cases, school officials said today.

More than 1,400 students passed through metal detectors and had their backpacks and purses searched at the Citrus Avenue campus before school started.

The arrested students were not named, but school police chief Robert Ratcliffe said one had a knife and the other four had drugs on them. Ten students are expected to be disciplined for bringing "tobacco products" onto campus, according to a Fontana school police news release.

Officials also seized nearly 100 marking pens that they say are often used to tag school property.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com

Anxious Calif. travelers worry over flu outbreak

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:00:03 -0800

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Travelers bound for Mexico departed with face masks and a growing sense of concern and health officials around California bolstered defenses against a new strain of swine flu that has proved deadly in Mexico and has established a foothold in the United States.

Agents at check-in counters for AeroMexico at Los Angeles International Airport said Sunday that they were given no special instructions regarding the flu outbreak believed to have killed more than 100 people in Mexico, and were going about their usual business.

But it was a different story with edgy passengers heading south of the border. Many had heard news reports saying Mexican soldiers had distributed 6 million masks, church services were canceled and health workers were patrolling subways looking for sick people.

"I'm worried," said Sergio Ruiz, 42, who checked in for a flight home to Mexico City after a business trip to Los Angeles. The technology manager said his daughter told him by phone that her classes were canceled until at least May 6.

What are his plans when he gets back?

"I want to stay home," he said. "I'm going to stay there and not do anything."

DUI checkpoint planned in Fontana tonight

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:36:22 -0800

Fontana police will conduct a sobriety checkpoint from 6 p.m. tonight to 1:30 a.m. Sunday in the 9400 block of Sierra Avenue.

Funding for the program is provided through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com

Fontana High students arrested after random contraband search

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:33:35 -0800

Five Fontana High School students were arrested on suspicion of possessing weapons and drugs during a random contraband search.

One student was accused of having a knife and four others allegedly had illegal drugs on the campus Friday, according to a Fontana police news release. Ten other students were disciplined for bringing tobacco products onto campus and officials confiscated about 100 pens used to graffiti property.

Fontana School police, officers from the city Police Department and San Bernardino County
Probation and Campus Security officers conducted the contraband search about 6:45 a.m.

More than 1,400 students were randomly sent through metal detectors during the operation, which lasted about an hour and a half. About 3,800 students attend Fontana High.

During the search, the students were cooperative and no significant issues were reported, according to the news release.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

100 mph chase in Fontana ends in crash, arrest

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:00:39 -0800

A man was arrested Monday after leading Fontana police on a 100 mph chase that ended when he crashed into a tree.

Roy Binion, 40, was booked into jail on suspicion of felony evading, said Fontana police Sgt. Jeff Decker.

Police said Binion was sitting in a parked gray Oldsmobile at the corner of Emerald and Upland avenues at 8:21 a.m. when an officer approached him.

The man started the car and sped away, running stop signs and driving at 100 mph on Mango Avenue. He lost control at the corner of Mango and Hawthorne avenues and crashed into a tree in the front yard of a home, Decker said.

Binion got out of the car, ran and jumped a fence, but police captured and arrested him.
Police were unsure why Binion fled from officers because he had no arrest warrants and the vehicle wasn't stolen.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Robber steals cash from people at Fontana taco stand

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:00:23 -0800

Two Fontana residents standing in front of a taco stand were robbed at gunpoint, police said today.

The victims told police they were at a taco stand in the 7900 block of Locust Avenue at 11:49 p.m. Friday when a man approached them.

The man pulled out a black handgun from under his sweater and pointed it at the victims, police said. He demanded their money.

After the victims gave the robber cash, the robber ran from the scene. Police said the robber is 25-years-old, Latino and 5-feet-7 to 5-feet-8 inches tall. He weighs 160 to 170 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. He wore a black beanie, a black sweater and blue jeans.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Man dies in head-on collision in Fontana

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:12:28 -0800

A 60-year-old man died Thursday afternoon after he was involved in a head-on collision.

Frank Wellman, 60 of Adelanto was headed east on Bridle Path in his 2006 Toyota around 4:33 p.m., at the time of the collision, according to a Fontana police news release.

Dale Allen Fossler, 45 of Phelan was traveling west on Coyote Canyon approaching a curve in the road when his 2002 GMC struck Wellman's vehicle head on, according to the release.

Fossler was on part of Coyote Canyon that curves and turns into Bridle Path, according to the release.

A third driver saw the collision and attempted to stop but collided into the side of Fossler's vehicle.

Wellman suffered fatal injuries and died at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.

The collision is under investigation. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Fontana Police Department at (909) 350-7740.

-jannise.johnson@inlandnewspapers.com

A.B. Miller shows off career academy to Fontana leaders

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:50:21 -0800

Fontana Police Chief Rodney Jones and other local leaders visited A.B. Miller High School this morning to check out the school's Teacher Education Academy, one of several career-focused programs.

The academy, which includes 82 students, is one of several programs helping students at risk for dropping out of school, according to officials from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California.

A.B. Miller also has health and protective services academies, which introduce students to in-demand careers. The state-funded California Partnership Academies focus on integrating academic and career technical education.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

District Attorney to host crime victims' week events

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:30:18 -0800

A candlelight memorial and a healing Mass ceremony are among the events planned for National Crime Victims' Rights Week in San Bernardino County starting April 26.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office will host a candlelight memorial at the Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center, 10500 Civic Center Drive, at 6 p.m. April 30. District Attorney Michael A. Ramos is scheduled to speak at the event, District Attorney officials said.

A healing Mass will be 3 p.m. April 26 at Sacred Heart Church, 12704 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga.

Remembrance boards will be on display in the lobbies of the District Attorney's offices in Victorville, Barstow and Fontana during the week.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

13 arrested in Fontana protest

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:36:15 -0800

Thirteen people were arrested this afternoon during a sit-in protest in Fontana over conditions for temporary warehouse workers, police said.

Nearly 70 marchers with Warehouse Workers United gathered about 11:30 a.m. outside Staffmark, a temporary employment office, at 16846 Valley Blvd. The arrests came after people entered the building and refused to leave, said Fontana police Sgt. Jeff Decker.

They were taken to the police station, issued a citation and released. There were no reports of violence. About 30 police officers responded to keep the peace.

"Warehouse jobs could be good, middle class jobs that help lift the Inland Empire out of the current economic crisis, but instead they are bad jobs with low wages and no benefits," workers wrote in a news release.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com

Bloomington High School evacuated following bomb threat

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:24:23 -0800

Students and staff evacuated from Bloomington High School this afternoon after authorities received a call from someone saying there was a bomb at the school.

The California Highway Patrol received a 9-1-1 call at 12:55 p.m. from someone who immediately hung up, said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire.

"On a call back, a male answered and said 'There's a bomb at Bloomington High School. Come quick,' and then hung up again," Wiltshire said.

Students and teachers were evacuated onto the football field at 1:15 p.m. while the sheriff's arson and bomb squad searched the school, with the help of a sheriff's dog.

San Bernardino County firefighters were also at the scene as a precaution.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Fontana carjackers crash into brick wall during police chase

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:30:03 -0800

Suspected carjackers on Wednesday night led Fontana police on a car chase which ended when they crashed into a block wall.

Police arrested Alfred McLeod, 53, and Veronica Garcia, 27, on suspicion of carjacking and felony evading.

A Beaumont resident was outside a Walgreens store at the corner of Citrus Avenue and Foothill Boulevard at 10:36 p.m. when the pair approached.

Police said Garcia pointed a revolver at the victim and took the victim's 2007 Nissan Versa.
Police spotted the carjackers near the intersection of Oleander Avenue and Arrow Highway and tried to pull them over, but they drove away.

During the chase, one of the suspects tossed a stolen revolver out of the vehicle, causing the gun to discharge in front of a residence in the 16400 block of Ivy Avenue.

The pair crashed into a wall in the 8100 block of Sewell Avenue, jumped out of the vehicle and ran. A police dog helped police capture the carjackers.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com