Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

UPDATE, 6:46 p.m.: Following an investigation, deputies have cleared the campus. Mt. SAC is set to reopen first thing Wednesday morning, according to college officials.

WALNUT - A bomb K9 has been called to assist deputies with the investigation into a found in bomb threat at Mount San Antonio College Tuesday afternoon.

A call was reportedly made at 12:50 p.m. January 4 to the community college, 1100 North Grand Ave. the threat is reportedly affecting only one building, according to Deputy Jimenez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

It is not yet clear how many students may have been on campus at the time the bomb threat was phoned in and it is unclear how many students are currently evacuated.

An email alert sent to Mt. SAC students advised them to calmly collect their gatherings and leave for the day.

WALNUT – Coroner investigators are determining cause of death after a man died at Lemon Creek Park Wednesday.

Deputies responded around 2 p.m. to the park, 130 Avenida Alipaz, October 13. The man died near a flagpole, according to Lt. Sandoval of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

The man was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies initially believe the man died from natural causes, Sandoval told SGV CityWatch.

The man has yet to be identified.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle along Amar Road, Sunday afternoon, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s sergeant said.

The driver remained at the scene of the collision on Amar Road at Country Hollow Drive. Deputies were called to the scene at 4:35 p.m., according to Sgt. Solorzano of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Diamond Bar/Walnut Station.

No other details were readily available.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - A solo male occupant died after his black Hyundai Sonata crashed along northbound Grand Avenue near Shadow Mountain Road July 3, a Sheriff’s sergeant said.

The unidentified driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree in the center divider of Grand Avenue, according to Sgt. Tinoco of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

The crash occurred around 7:09 a.m. The driver died at the scene, according to radio traffic from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, Tinoco told SGV CityWatch.

“Per witnesses, speeding might have been a factor,” Tinoco told SGV CityWatch.

Foothill Transit announced at 12:40 p.m. that bus lines 190 and 480 are detouring around the scene.

WALNUT – A Pomona man and West Covina man were arrested and stolen property was recovered as catalytic converter and trailer thefts continue to plague the San Gabriel Valley.

Pomona resident Alberto Huerta and West Covina man Moises Beltran were taken into custody. A subsequent search warrant in Riverside County yielded eight trailers, which had VINs removed, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station in a March 9 announcement.

Detectives are attempting to locate each theft victim. Huerta and Beltran were booked on suspicion of grand theft.

Cities have seen an alarming and steady increase in catalytic converter thefts during the pandemic.

Thieves tend to target trucks and SUVs, because the taller vehicles make it easier to fit under them. Vehicles currently targeted are the Toyota Prius, Honda Accord and Toyota trucks, according to the Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

In December of 2020, Walnut Station detectives reported 37 catalytic converter thefts, the total averaged more than 1 theft per day, according to the Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

Fontana Police officers announced the January 16 arrest of Pomona man Freddy Baltazar. Evidence seized connected Baltazar to numerous catalytic converter thefts in the Diamond Bar, Walnut and Rowland Heights areas.

To help stem the tide of thefts, the Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station hosted a series of events for residents to etch serial numbers into their vehicle’s catalytic converters free of charge.

Deputies offered a few tips to help make it tougher for thieves to steal catalytic converters:
• When possible, park in well-lit areas and close to building entrances.
• Park your car inside the garage.
• Have the catalytic converter welded to your car's frame, which may make it harder to steal.
• Consider engraving your vehicle identification number (VIN) on the catalytic converter — this may help alert a scrap dealer that it was stolen and make it easier to identify the owner.
• Calibrate your car's alarm to set off when it detects vibration.
• Invest in a catalytic converter anti-theft device.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - The first captain of what is now the Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station has passed away.

Tom Vetter, 85, passed away January 16. He was chosen to lead the newly-created Regional Walnut/San Dimas Station in 1987. He was promoted to commander in 1990 and served in various roles until retirement in 1994, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Vetter was born in St. Louis, Missouri June of 1935. He joined the Marine Corps in 1952 and served with the 1st Marine Division in Korea in 1954. After his active duty, he served in the Marine Corp. Reserve until retiring in 1983 as Lieutenant Colonel, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

In 1958, Vetter joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 1958, graduating class No. 70 as the Honor Cadet. After serving in various positions, he was promoted to sergeant in 1969, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

“Most people did not know that Tom’s middle name was Marion, a name he was not fond of; When asked by people over the years what the ‘M’ stood for, he would reply, ‘Marine,’” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - A 31-year-old man was found dead inside of a vehicle near a public park in Walnut Christmas Day, authorities said.

Ryan Anthony Mendoza, a resident of Walnut, was identified by Nani Cholakians, investigator with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. His body was found inside a vehicle near Avenida Deseo and Paseo Perdido, Which is near Lemon Creek Park.

While the autopsy has yet to be completed, investigators suspect suicide, Cholakians told SGV CityWatch.

Deputies responded to the scene around 3:41 p.m. December 25, according to Sgt. Reyes of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Diamond Bar/Walnut Station.

The body was found in a silver Nissan Leaf, Reyes told SGV CityWatch.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT – A critical onsite worker has contracted COVID-19 and was on campus recently, the community college publicized Wednesday.

The worker was last on campus in Building 46 and Building 46A between June 15 and June 18. The worker is self-isolating at home and is recovering, campus officials said.

The affected buildings were vacated and thoroughly cleaned, campus officials said.

“The college is actively tracing the individual’s steps and contacting employees who came in contact with the individual. In addition, the contact tracing includes the collection of further information from those in contact with the individual, their wellness and their subsequent contacts,” campus officials said in a written statement.

Those who may have been in contact with the worker were provided testing instructions and instructed them to self-isolate for 14 days.

Mt. San Antonio College has remained closed since March 19 after the statewide Safer at Home order forced all non-essential businesses closed. Classes have moved to virtual instruction and classes remain so.

WALNUT - Deputies seek a man accused of assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly broke a window and threw broken glass at a Chevron worker’s face.

The incident occurred Valentines Day at the Chevron Station, 792 N. Nogales St.

Deputies did not specify what led the the assault.

WALNUT - The man who phoned in a fake robbery at the Chevron gas station was finally detained around 1 a.m. and later hospitalized for a mental evaluation after fleeing the car while stripping away his clothing, a sheriff’s lieutenant said.

The unidentified man is accused of phoning in a robbery at the Chevron gas station, 1203 North Grand Ave. Wednesday afternoon. Soon after deputies arrived, they determined he made the call, according to Lt. Tom Giandomenico of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Diamond Bar/Walnut Station.

“He called the robbery in himself. We determined that pretty much soon after we were there,” Giandomenico told SGV CityWatch.