Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A man found unresponsive and later declared dead in San Dimas March 30 died accidentally, a coroner report stated.
Sante Dilibero Jr., 56, died from the effects of methamphetamine, according to the Los Angeles Count Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Diliberto also suffered from morbid obesity, the coroner report stated. Diliberto was experiencing homelessness and died behind the Martin House, 246 E. Bonita Ave., according to San Dimas City Council Member Ryan Vienna in a social media statement dated March 30. Firefighters from nearby Los Angeles County Fire Department station 64 declared Diliberto dead at the scene, according to Sgt. Gauthier of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station in a previous interview. Vienna took to social media to express his concern for the man and the city’s well-being. “I’m saddened by this incident. I’ve publicly and repeatedly advocated we take action to address homelessness in our city in a meaningful way,” Vienna said in a Twitter statement. The San Dimas City Council held a special meeting May 13 to address the concerns and issues surrounding quality of life within the city and a handful of public speakers expressing concern about the current population of homeless people. Prior to the public comment section of the May 13 special meeting, city staff discussed a number of topics including San Dimas’ homeless plan, which was passed by the city council June 12, 2018. San Dimas, Glendora and La Verne formed a partnership to address homelessness. The three cities and other partnering organizations engage in outreach efforts to hear community concerns, understand the causes and needs of the city’s homeless population, hurdles to family reunification and expand and improve on immediate housing solutions. The three cities applied for and were awarded a nearly $306,000 grant from Los Angeles County to implement a county-approved homelessness plan to develop a Permanent Housing Availability Study. $120,000 of the funding was allocated for a homelessness liaison to oversee the three cities, a pilot motel voucher program and pilot rapid re-housing program, according to documents from the City of La Verne. $70,200 of the grant was allocated for a motel voucher program. $85,500 was allocated for a rapid rehousing program to provide rental assistance and case management for up to 15 households. The project funding period lasted from September 1, 2019 to February 28, 2021, according to the city of La Verne. Regardless of the opportunities available, homeless people oftentimes refuse such help. It is not immediately clear if Diliberto was ever contacted with, or refused such opportunities for housing or other resources. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SAN DIMAS - A large collection of stolen IDs, passports, W-2 forms, driver licenses and more were seized during a traffic stop May 20.
Deputies originally stopped a 27-year-old driver for a missing license plate on a vehicle in the 100 block of Village Court around 5 p.m., but the deputy discovered much more. “What started as only a vehicle code violation resulted in the recovery of a stolen vehicle and over 30 identification items including: ID cards, passports, W-2s and driver's licenses,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. Also seized were debit cards, ammunition and a knife, according to photos published by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Among the stolen items appeared to be a handgun, but Sgt. Wong of the Sheriff’s San Dimas Station said the weapon turned out to be a modified replica firearm. The suspect was booked on suspicion of identity theft, possession of a controlled substance, driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent and altering a replica firearm, Wong told SGV CityWatch. Wong declined to identify the suspect, even after being reminded that arrest records are public. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SAN DIMAS - Firefighters made quick work of a small vegetation fire Tuesday afternoon.
The fire burned above Horsethief Canyon Park, 301 Horsethief Canyon Rd., around 12:45 p.m. No structures were threatened, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Firefighters reckoned flames posed a threat to the forest if they reached the top of the mountain ridge. A full first-alarm brush fire response was sent, including crews from the US Forest Service. At least one helicopter performed water drops. The nearby San Dimas Dog Park will be closed the remainder of Tuesday, San Dimas City officials said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SAN DIMAS – A patrol deputy stopped a skateboarder Sunday after the deputy say a handgun tucked into the skateboarder’s waistband.
A Sheriff’s Temple Station deputy saw the skateboarder pass by him and noticed a semi-automatic handgun attached to his hip May 23, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The deputy stopped the suspect just before 7:30 p.m. in the area of West Terrace Drive and West Covina Boulevard. After stopping the skateboarder, deputies allegedly found narcotics in his possession in addition to the handgun, the Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement. “When asked why he was in possession of it [the handgun], he claimed he was working as a security officer, but he could not provide a guard card or employer information,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement. Sgt. Wong of the Sheriff’s San Dimas Station identified the skateboarder as Esaul Jimenez. Los Angeles County booking information was not readily available. Jimenez was booked on suspicion of a number of crimes, including carrying a loaded handgun and narcotics, the Sheriff’s Department said. The Temple Station deputy was working overtime in San Dimas, Wong told SGV CityWatch. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SAN DIMAS – A fire caused what was described as moderate to severe damage inside a building at San Dimas Canyon Golf Course Friday night.
The fire was dispatched at 10:13 p.m. May 8 to the golf course, 2100 Terrabonne Ave. Firefighters observed fire on the roof and also found fire inside the golf clubhouse, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sean Ferguson. Initially, the cause was possibly mechanical in nature, but Ferguson did not have any possible cause at the time of the interview. The dollar amount in damage the fire caused was not immediately clear. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A review of the traffic stop seen through bodycam footage the world over was within department policy and procedures, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced. The stop in question was recorded through a deputy’s bodycam and took place in San Dimas April 23. The driver repeatedly accused the deputy of being a murderer and made racist statements against the deputy. The driver was stopped for allegedly using her cellphone while driving. She was issued a citation, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “An investigation was completed wherein the complainant was interviewed, and a thorough review of the incident, including body-worn camera footage, was reviewed. After the investigation, it was determined the traffic stop was conducted within department policy and procedures,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement. The incident unfolded on the eastbound side of West Covina Boulevard just west of Lone Hill Avenue outside of Life Pacific University, 1100 W. Covina Blvd. According to the bodycam timestamp, the incident unfolded April 23 just before 9:30 a.m.
After a San Dimas Sheriff’s Station supervisor arrived to explain the traffic stop to the driver, she proceeded to call the deputy a “Mexican racist.” “You’re always going to be a Mexican. You’ll never be white. You know that, right?” The woman told the deputy just before being let go after signing a citation. Apparently, social media sleuths were able to identify the woman. It is unclear how, but footage of the traffic stop had been leaked to the Internet showing the woman’s face unblurred. The fervor over her actions led to her former place of employment, Los Angeles Southwest College, to issue a statement regarding her identity being ousted. “An individual, who was the subject of a FOX News media report last night, May 3, was identified as possibly teaching at Los Angeles Southwest College. This individual has not been employed at the college since 2017,” according to a statement from the college. Until this reporter is able to independently verify the identity of the woman in the video, the name being publicized throughout the Internet will not be used here at this time.
Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor
SAN DIMAS - Bodycam footage was recently leaked to a Fox11 news reporter of a driver who spewed racist and potentially-slanderous statements against a San Dimas deputy.
Most of the interaction was caught on the deputy’s bodycam. While the department-wide roll out of bodycams for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has been a slow process, this deputy apparently had purchased his own bodycam to wear while on duty, according to Fox11 news reporter Bill Melugin. The incident unfolded on the eastbound side of West Covina Boulevard just west of Lone Hill Avenue outside of Life Pacific University, 1100 W. Covina Blvd. According to the bodycam timestamp, the incident unfolded April 23 just before 9:30 a.m. The female driver stopped by the San Dimas deputy immediately began recording him with her cell phone and almost immediately began calling the deputy a murderer. She protested the stop, claiming she was driving under the posted speed limit. The deputy agreed that she was driving within the speed limit and said he stopped her because she allegedly was using her cell phone while driving. “You’re threatening to kill me and my son,” the woman claimed in the video.
After a San Dimas Sheriff’s Station supervisor arrived to explain the traffic stop to the driver, she proceeded to call the deputy a “Mexican racist.”
“You’re always going to be a Mexican. You’ll never be white. You know that, right?” The woman told the deputy just before being let go after signing a citation. This reporter reached out to the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station, seeking a comment. All media inquiries were directed to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau which issued this statement: “We are aware of the video captured by one of our deputies. The person in the video filed a personnel complaint against the deputy for “discourtesy” and an active inquiry is being conducted. Due to the active complaint, we are unable to provide further comment regarding the supervisory inquiry. What we can say is peace officers are faced with situations like the one captured on this video daily, and they routinely respond with professionalism, compassion, and humility.” Apparently, social media sleuths were able to identify the woman. It is unclear how, but footage of the traffic stop had been leaked to the Internet showing the woman’s face unblurred. The fervor over her actions led to her former place of employment, Los Angeles Southwest College, to issue a statement regarding her identity being ousted. “An individual, who was the subject of a FOX News media report last night, May 3, was identified as possibly teaching at Los Angeles Southwest College. This individual has not been employed at the college since 2017,” according to a statement from the college. Until this reporter is able to independently verify the identity of the woman in the video, the name being publicized throughout the Internet will not be used here at this time. “This Deputy exemplifies the core values of our Department, his demeanor during this traffic stop is just an example of professionalism and patience our ... Deputies have,” According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva in a social media statement. |
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