Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A one-quarter-acre brush fire is burning in the mountains north of Glendora. The fire was reported just after 2 p.m. along Highway 39 near mile marker 29.36, just north of the Bichota Canyon Trail. The U.S. Forest Service is sending a full brush fire response. The fire is burning in light to medium brush. It is unclear how the fire ignite, but within the last hour, firefighters responded to two calls of a vehicle that crashed in the nearby vicinity. A vehicle crashed around 1:22 p.m. near Crustal Lake Road. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The 29-year-old woman accused of molesting a 16-year-old boy beginning three years ago pleaded no contest October 2. Jessica Marie Esparza was sentenced to five years probation and one year in county jail after pleading no contest to unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation with a person under 18, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Esparza was credited with 300 days served while in custody. Esparza is originally charged with one count each of unlawful sexual intercourse, sodomy of a person under 18, sexual penetration of a person under 18 and two counts of oral copulation with a person under 18, authorities said.
The alleged acts are believed to have occurred from March 2016 to October 2017. Esparza was a part-time Azusa Unified staff member and served as an assistant baseball coach. Administrators were made aware of the allegations Friday, May 3. They then notified Azusa Police officers around 2:20 p.m. the same day. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The California Highway Patrol will hold a sobriety checkpoint in the unincorporated area of Azusa Friday, August 23. The checkpoint, scheduled at an undisclosed area, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Traffic permitting, all vehicles will be checked, but if traffic volume increases, every third or fifth driver will be stopped to maintain objectivity, according to California Highway Patrol Captain Susan Estrem. The captain noted that checkpoints tend to, “reduce the number of drinking drivers on the road, even though arrest totals do not rise dramatically.”
A major value of checkpoints is their psychological influence, the CHP said. “We advise the news media well in advance whenever a checkpoint is planned, since extensive publicity also is viewed as a legal safeguard,” Estrem said. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Detectives investigating the assault and disappearance of a Monrovia woman pieced together the suspect’s movements in the hours since her July 29 disappearance. Amanda Kathleen Custer, 31, was seen by witnesses as her reportedly lifeless body was placed into the rear hatch of a grey Prius, allegedly at the hands of Robert Anthony Camou, 27. Before Camou was seen in Claremont northbound towards the San Gabriel Mountains, he stopped at Del Taco, 1834 E. Route 66, in Glendora at 8:32 a.m. Five minutes later, Camou bought cigarettes from a Shell Gas Station, 1860 E. Route 66, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. Camou was tracked by the ankle monitor he was required to wear as part of a domestic violence case involving Custer. The Prius headed east through Claremont at 8:56 a.m. through Baseline Road and Padua Avenue. Camou stopped at an AMPM in the 3800 block of Sierra Avenue just before 9 a.m. near Lytle Creek. Nearly 30 minutes later, he headed south on the 15 freeway, but detectives lost track of Camou’s movements.
“After this point, there is a five-hour gap in time, where the location of Robert Camou and Amanda Custer is unknown,” detectives said. At 2:40 p.m., Camou visited a Chase Bank ATM in Azusa -- about five hours after detectives lost track of him after he removed the ankle monitor. Detectives have expanded their search, which focused on the Glendora Ridge Road/Mt. Baldy Road and Lytle Creek areas, to include the Azusa canyons. "This is basically a plea to anybody one out there, especially on Monday, the 29th of July that was hiking or fishing or mountain biking that might of seen anything out of the ordinary. It might not have seemed important at that time, but it does now,” said Custer’s father, Rick Custer. Camou is being held without bail in an unrelated domestic violence, burglary and assault case. Anyone with information on Custer’s whereabouts is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Two people were rescued from the San Gabriel Riverbed Thursday morning after becoming stranded. The people were rescued just after Noon July 11 from the riverbed near the 100 block of Old San Gabriel Canyon Road. At least one of the patients were spotted clinging to a tree, according to a representative with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Sgt. Matthew Bodell of the San Dimas Sheriff's Station. described the victims as a 13-year-old child and his father. The rising river may have been caused by more water being released by nearby Morris Dam. Firefighters and their urban search and rescue team were dispatched along with a copter at 11:36 a.m. The people were lifted to the road and assessed by county fire paramedics. It is not immediately clear if the people were transported to a hospital for observation. Azusa Police and the San Dimas Sheriff's Station also responded. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A second fire ignited near the roughly 15-acre fire burning in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. The second fire was reported by aircraft around 1 p.m. just south of the original fire near Highway 39 ad East Fork Road. Firefighters and deputies have evacuated campers at Coldbrook Campground, a nearby hiking trail and the West Fork area. The second fire has been contained to two acres and flames have been knocked down, according to Fire Chief Robert of the Angeles National Forest.
Firefighters believe the second fire to be suspicious in nature. Two men in a grey Hummer H3 were seen leaving the area southbound as the second fire ignited. Deputies from San Dimas Station and surrounding stations are assisting with evacuations. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - The U.S. Forest Service will be conducting controlled burns near Coldbrook Campground June 20. The prescribed burn of hazardous brush is scheduled to occur at Valley of the Moon, a mile south of Coldbrook Campground along San Gabriel Canyon Road. Smoke and flame may be visible to surrounding communities, Angeles National Forest Service officials said.
Such prescribed burns can provide protection to the community in the event of a wildfire. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate! Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Officials have publicly identified the man killed in a likely gang shooting near Azusa. Azusa resident Oscar Carmona, 22, was identified by Lt. Larry Dietz of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. San Dimas deputies were initially called to an injured victim in the 18000 block of Newburgh Street June 1 around 11:15 p.m. Carmona, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, died at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
There is no suspect description and the murder weapon is outstanding. Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate! Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - An SUV stolen out of the Rose Hills Mortuary Wednesday was recovered, but not before the suspect evaded authorities up into the Azusa mountains. The chase began at 4:37 p.m. May 15 from Rose Hills, 3888 Workman Mill Rd. Sheriff’s deputies gave chase, but decided to cancel the pursuit to handle other emergency calls, according to Lt. Robert Westphal of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station. West Covina police officers soon gave chase and followed the suspect mostly north on Azusa Avenue where the suspect drove around stopped traffic by using a sidewalk and front yard.
The chase entered Azusa where the driver drove through an empty lot on the southeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Azusa Avenue, drove over a sidewalk and accessed northbound Azusa Avenue again to the San Gabriel Mountains. In a bizarre twist, the driver used the rough right shoulder of northbound San Gabriel Canyon Road to bypass wide-open road. The SUV’s tires spun wildly over the right shoulder until the SUV became stuck on the terrain. The driver surrendered to West Covina Police without further incident.
Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor
REGION - A heads up for drivers in the East San Gabriel Valley area as loads of cyclists will speed through for the Amgen Tour of California Friday.
The Tour will be coming through the cities of Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont and through the San Gabriel Mountains. The race is split into men’s and women’s brackets. Women’s Stage 2: 9:45 a.m. start time ONTARIO - Begins at Citizen’s Business Bank Arena -North on North Haven Avenue -West on Arrow Route UPLAND -North on Euclid Avenue UPLAND/CLAREMONT -West on East 16th Street/ Baseline Road LA VERNE/SAN DIMAS -West on Foothill Boulevard GLENDORA -North on Amelia Avenue -West on Foothill Boulevard GLENDORA/MOUNTAINS -North on Glendora Mountain Road -North on Glendora Ridge Road -North on Mt. Baldy Road -Finish at Mt. Baldy Resort: 12:09 a.m. (estimated)
Men’s Stage 6: 11:50 a.m. start time
ONTARIO - Begins at Citizen’s Business Bank Arena -North on North Haven Avenue -West on Arrow Route UPLAND/SAN ANTONIO HEIGHTS -North on Euclid Avenue UPLAND/CLAREMONT -North on North Mountain Avenue/Mt. Baldy Road MOUNTAINS -South on Glendora Ridge Road -North on Glendora Mountain Road -South on East Fork Road MOUNTAINS/AZUSA -South on San Gabriel Canyon Road AZUSA/GLENDORA -East on Sierra Madre Avenue GLENDORA/MOUNTAINS -North on Glendora Mountain Road MOUNTAINS -North on Glendora Ridge Road Mt. BALDY -North on Mt. Baldy Road -End at Mt. Baldy Resort: 3:40 p.m. (estimated) The entire race will conclude in Pasadena. The Amgen Tour of California is an annual, professional Tour de France-style cycling event that challenges the world’s top cycling teams along hundreds of miles of iconic California highways, byways and coastlines. |
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