Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SAN DIMAS - Law enforcement is searching for a man who reportedly exposed himself to an 11-year-old girl as she walked home from school Thursday.

The incident occurred around 4 p.m. September 14 on Valley Center Avenue south of Cypress Street. The girl told deputies a Black male masked up in a blue sedan exposed himself after getting her attention through a passenger side window from the driver seat, according to the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station.

The girl fled the area, as well as the suspect.

​The suspect is a Black man 25-30 years with black curly hair. The vehicle is described as a light blue four-door sedan, possibly a Chevy Volt.

This is the third incident of child annoyance to be reported recently.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station at 909-450-2700. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SAN DIMAS - A children’s weather balloon experiment was the mysterious payload that fell into a San Dimas neighborhood Thursday evening.

Not knowing the contents of the mysterious object that fell from the sky, first responders decided to evacuate residents 500 feet in all directions from where the balloon fell in the area of West Fifth Street and North Cataract Avenue, according to Sgt. Nafissi of the Los Angeles county sheriffs San Dimas Station.

First responders were called around 8:06 p.m., Thursday, July 27.

“It looked very suspicious because it had a weather balloon that was holding it up,” Nafissi told SGV CityWatch. “Once that fell to the ground, it popped and it was a box so it looked very suspicious.”

14 residents were evacuated for roughly two hours until tactical bomb technicians from the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau arrived to determine what the box contained.

Drawings fixed to the outside of the Styrofoam container were likely made by younger students, possibly elementary school level.

The experiment itself was facilitated by a company, called StratoStar, which specializes in project-based learning applications by making high-altitude balloon kits and near-space experiments available to K-12 programs.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SAN DIMAS - A man reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to his hand, claiming he was accidentally shot Saturday night.

Staff at San Dimas Community Hospital, 1350 W. Covina Blvd., notified the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station of the patient around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, June 3.

The man claimed the accidentally shooting occurred in La Puente, according to Sgt. Grisso of the Sheriff’s San Dimas Station.

As of Sunday, deputies were still trying to determine how the man wound up at San Dimas Community Hospital after being shot in La Puente. It wasn’t clear exactly what time the shooting occurred, Grisso told SGV CityWatch.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SAN DIMAS - A man died from a drug overdose in a residential area Friday afternoon.

The death was reported just before 12:30 p.m. on Brairwood Lane near Tanglewood Drive May 5.

During a Friday afternoon interview, the type of drugs that may have led to the death were not known and that an autopsy would likely reveal that, according to Sgt. Nafissi of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station.

The victim was found inside a residence, Nafissi said, adding that it was not immediately known how long the victim was inside before being discovered.

The area was taped off Friday, with a large contingent of Sheriff’s deputies on scene, for many hours.

“Usually anytime there’s an overdose we have to call a task force,” Nafissi told SGV CityWatch.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SAN DIMAS - The suspect accused of shooting a weapon in a San Dimas neighborhood Sunday evening is scheduled for an April 19 court appearance.

Deputies were originally called to a home in the 300 block of Third Street regarding gunfire around 6 p.m. April 16.

Kyle Edward Mueller, 24, surrendered after initially refusing to comply with commands from deputies to give up peacefully. Deputies were able to maintain periodic phone contact with Mueller. During the early part of the barricade, he frequently screamed and yelled at deputies from the safety of his home. After more than four hours, he emerged and was detained.

Why Mueller allegedly fired the weapon is under investigation, according to Sgt. Saenz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station.

A family member was inside the home with Mueller, but left before deputies arrived, Saenz told SGV CityWatch. Onlookers near the crime scene said Mueller’s mother was the one in the home.

No one was wounded, Saenz told SGV CityWatch.

Mueller was booked April 17 at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

Mueller was booked on suspicion of discharging a weapon in a negligent manner and criminal threats, Saenz told SGV CityWatch.

Mueller is also being held due to an unspecified case out of San Bernardino County. He is being held in lieu of $135,000 bail as he awaits an appearance in the Pomona courthouse, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SAN DIMAS - Trains remain stopped and some have been cancelled after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a train Sunday afternoon.

The pedestrian was struck near the 500 block of Terrace Drive. The tracks are between Cataract Avenue and the 57 freeway. The pedestrian was hit around 1:41 p.m. March 5.

The tracks are closed between the Metrolink Covina Station and the Pomona North Station, according to Metrolink.

Train 359, which struck the pedestrian, was bound for Los Angeles.

MTA buses are picking up passengers from Covina making stops to Los Angeles.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SAN DIMAS - Detectives are investigating a reported sexual assault that occurred on a hiking trail north of Horsethief Canyon Park.

Although recently reported, the assault took place on an unknown portion of the trails in mid January, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station.

That area is largely frequenting by trail goers and by pet owners who frequent the San Dimas Dog Park, 301 Horsethief Canyon Road.

The suspect is described as a man wearing green cargo pants, a black sweater and dirty, black Converse tennis shoes, according to the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station.

“The purpose of this notification is to advise those frequenting the area of the San Dimas Dog Park, to use caution and be cognizant of your surroundings,” according to the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station in a written statement.

Anyone with information on this assault is urged to call the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station at 909-540-2700. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LA VERNE - The driver of a stolen vehicle led San Dimas deputies on a very brief chase early Wednesday morning and escaped on foot after a crash.

A patrol deputy discovered a stolen vehicle in the area of Bonita Avenue and pony express Lane around 4:25 a.m. January 25, according to Lt. Louis Serrano of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station.

The suspect, followed by deputies, drove in and out of neighborhoods in San Dimas and into La Verne and ran on foot in the area of Third Street and Wheeler Avenue. The suspect fled across David and Margaret Youth and Family Services, 1350 Third St.

“It appears he struck a curb,” Serrano told SGV CityWatch.

The suspect, described as a male wearing a black coat and black pants, fled across the property of David and Margaret Youth and Family Services, 1350 Third St., and eluded capture.

Serrano did not immediately know what city and what date the vehicle was stolen.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

UPDATE, 5:38 a.m.: All westbound lanes have reopened, according to the California Highway Patrol.

SAN DIMAS - All westbound lanes of the 210 freeway east of San Dimas Avenue are closed for an unknown duration after a reported collision involving law enforcement.

Information is lacking at the time this post was launched, but there was an initial report that a police motorcycle officer was involved in the collision, according to Peter Nicholson of the California Highway Patrol Traffic Management Center.

CHP officers were dispatched to the crash around 4:48 a.m.

The extent of injuries to the officer, as well as the agency the officer serves was not immediately known.

It is unclear how many vehicles were involved in the crash.

SAN DIMAS – A man accused of threatening a security guard and potentially carrying a weapon fled from deputies after a brief tussle and hid from them, initiating a long search in a neighborhood.

Deputies were called at 5:43 p.m. after the man refused to leave Subway 1045 W. Arrow Hwy. September 19. During a check for weapons, the suspect resisted, briefly fought with deputies and ran, according to Sgt. Long of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station.

A witness later told deputies the suspect was seen with a weapon, Long told SGV CityWatch.

The suspect fled west across Lone Hill and into a neighborhood in the 100 block of West St. George Dr.

Both the deputy and suspect sustained minor injuries.

Deputies locked down the neighborhood and were told the suspect was hiding in a resident’s shed. A helicopter and K9 unit were called to help search.

The suspect eventually escaped and took refuge in some bushes Between Kaiser Permanente, 1255 W. Arrow Hwy., and a neighboring credit union to the east. He was spotted in some bushes during an expanded search.

Deputies fired a flash bang grenade towards the suspect who eventually surrendered around 9:30 p.m.

No weapons were found on the suspect, even after deputies retraced the path he likely took while fleeing, Long told SGV CityWatch.

Long declined to provide the suspect’s name, only describing him as a transient Hispanic man in his 30s. Long  was unclear as to what charges the suspect would be booked on, stating a report had yet to be written.