CALEXICO — The following reports were collected from the Calexico Police Department call logs from April 5 through April 7.
MONDAY, APRIL 5
4:35 a.m.: Police were dispatched to the area of Jasper Road and Highway 111 for reports of a man walking along the highway. The responding officer was unable to locate the man but noticed what appeared to be a brush fire on the north bank of the All-American Canal. The officer heard a man screaming and saw him trying to put out a small bonfire. The man identified himself as Sergio Aispuro and said that he lit the fire for its light, but it got out of hand. The investigating officer also noted that Aispuro’s shoe prints matched those found near a brush fire in the center median of Highway 111 that occurred on Jan. 22. Police turned the case over the county District Attorney’s office with a recommendation that Aispuro be charged with unlawful burning.
9:43 a.m.: A Calexico fire captain flagged down a police officer on the 100 block of Rockwood Avenue to report that a male subject had thrown a gallon bottle of water at his fire truck as the truck was responding to an incident, leaving heavy scuff marks on the truck’s passenger side. Police were able to find a male subject a short distance away who has a history of throwing items at vehicles, identified as David Aceves. Aceves told police that he threw the bottle after becoming angry that his cell phone wasn’t working. He was arrested and taken to the Calexico Police Department, where the fire captain was able to pick him out of a lineup. Aceves agreed to write a letter of apology to the Calexico Fire Department and the case was forwarded to the county District Attorney for prosecution.
2:43 p.m.: A resident of the 1000 block of East Fourth Street called police to report an attempted burglary that occurred while they were away from home. An officer investigated the scene and found marks around the door frame consistent with someone using a prying tool to try to open the door. The front windows of the residence had also been broken. The damages were estimated at $600. The officer took a report but was unable to find any further evidence or identify a suspect.
5:17 p.m.: A 2014 GMC Sierra was reported stolen from Martinez Towing on Enterprise Boulevard. An employee at the business told police that they were able to capture footage of a man walking into the tow yard, entering the vehicle, and driving away. The man did not use force to enter the vehicle. The employee also told police that they didn’t desire prosecution and only wanted to recover the fees due for storing the vehicle.
5:23 p.m.: Officers were called to a home on the 1200 block of Camino Del Rio and discovered Julio Garcia in the backyard of the residence in violation of a court-issued restraining order. The protected party, a resident at the home, told police that Garcia had jumped the fence into the backyard after knocking on the front door earlier and had been acting erratically and yelling profanity. Garcia was arrested and booked into Imperial County jail after being medically cleared at El Centro Regional Medical Center.
TUESDAY, APRIL 6
2:25 p.m.: Calexico police responded to reports of a structure fire at an abandoned home on the 300 block of East Sixth Street. The first officer to arrive found a man inside the home trying to put out a fire in the bathtub. The officer was able to extinguish the pile of burning trash with his fire extinguisher. The man told police that he’s a transient and had been staying inside the condemned and boarded-up home. He told police that he believed a transient woman he identified by first name only had started the fire while he was asleep and then left. Police found the woman nearby but were not able to take a statement due to her “delusional state of mind and erratic behavior.” Police were again called to deal with the woman when anonymous callers phoned 911 to report that she was in the middle of the street naked on Paulin Avenue at Third Street. Police asked the woman if she started the fire in the abandoned home and she answered that she did, but police did not take her seriously due to her deluded state of mind. She was transported to El Centro Regional Medical Center for treatment.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7
4:54 a.m.: Police were summoned to an apartment building on the 400 block of Heffernan Avenue after a subject wearing a yellow hoodie, blue jeans and a facemask was caught tampering with mailboxes. A resident at the apartments saw the man opening mailboxes and knocked on a window, which caused the suspect to flee the area. Police investigating the scene noted that six mailboxes had been left open, but they were unable to locate the suspect.
4:59 a.m.: A resident on the 800 block of Lee Avenue caught a woman, later identified as Joanna Galindo, holding his mail in her hand after being alerted by a neighbor that she had opened his mailbox and had been looking into his truck. The resident was able to retrieve his property and restrained Galindo until police arrived. Galindo was placed under arrest for attempted theft and for prowling and was booked at the Calexico Police Department before being released on a promise to appear in court.
