Inland Valley

POMONA >> Lindsay Ann Prieto was always ready to help others particularly when she thought someone was struggling in some way, her mother said Thursday.

Moments before she died on April 24, Prieto had been at a fast food restaurant on the northeast corner of Garey Avenue and Philadelphia Street where she bought coffee for a homeless woman who she had befriended, said Cecelia Juarez-Garcia, Prieto’s mother.

“She was a very giving person,” Juarez-Garcia said. “She always wanted to share.”

At 4 p.m. Sunday about 100 friends, family and others will gather at Philadelphia Park, 6000 Philadelphia St., before starting a memorial walk to celebrate Prieto’s life, her mother said.

Shortly after buying coffee for her friend, Prieto told her friend she would be back in a moment but she didn’t return.

Prieto was in a crosswalk at Garey Avenue and Rio Rancho Road at about the 8:30 p.m. April 24 when she was hit by a vehicle that immediately left the scene, Pomona police said.

With the help of information provided by witnesses, officers were able to track down the driver and arrested Christopher Acosta, 29, of Ontario on suspicion of felony hit and run and causing injury or death, Pomona police said.

Acosta, a high school teacher with the Pomona Unified School District, was put on administrative leave soon after, said Pomona Unified Superintendent Richard Martinez.

“He’s been out of the classroom since (the incident) happened,” Martinez said.

The school district has been in contact with the police and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and will be monitoring the legal proceedings before determining how to proceed next, he said.

At this point the investigation into the incident has not been completed, said Pomona police Lt. Christian Hsu.

Investigators are still doing work on the case, he said. Investigators are also waiting for the results of toxicology tests being carried out on a sample of Acosta’s blood.

If the toxicology tests find the presence of alcohol or drugs then members of the District Attorney’s Office will amend the charges, Hsu said.

The night Prieto died five people came to her aid, Juarez-Garcia said.

With her was the homeless woman for whom Prieto bought coffee.

“She was there at the very end with her,” Juarez-Garcia said.

Pomona resident Albert Ramirez was about six cars away from the incident but he got out of his car to try to aid Prieto. Pomona police Officer Art Cruz arrived and tried tirelessly to revive her daughter, Juarez-Garcia said.

Juarez-Garcia said she arrived at the scene and attempted to reach her daughter’s body. She knew her daughter was dead but she wanted to pray beside her but because the area was a crime scene she couldn’t approach her.

Pomona police Cpl. J.T. Garcia heard what she wanted to do.

“He did it for me. He got on his knees and he prayed for her,” Juarez-Garcia said.

Later Juarez-Garcia learned that back at the police dispatch center, dispatcher Robin Oliver researched data bases and helped officers find the alleged hit and run driver.

“It gave me strength to know people care,” she said.

The memorial walk taking place Sunday will begin at the park and will take participants to Garey Avenue and Rio Rancho Road before returning to the park. At the park the Rev. Allen Stretch, pastor of Vineyard Community Church, will speak about Prieto.

The walk is a way to remember her daughter and keep her in people’s minds and give her a voice as the proceedings into her case move along, Juarez-Garcia said.

“She may have been killed but she’s still in our memory,” Juarez-Garcia said. “She is very much alive in our hearts.”

COLTON >> A man killed in a rollover crash Tuesday evening in Colton has been identified as 54-year-old Kirk Leroy Console, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

Police officers received a 9-1-1 call for a crash just before 5 p.m. in the 2700 block of South Dark Canyon Road.

They discovered that Console, of Colton, was driving a 1953 Jeep truck when it rolled, throwing the man from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Colton Police Department is investigating the collision.

COLTON >> A man killed in a rollover crash Tuesday evening in Colton has been identified as 54-year-old Kirk Leroy Console, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

Police officers received a 9-1-1 call for a crash just before 5 p.m. in the 2700 block of South Dark Canyon Road.

They discovered that Console, of Colton, was driving a 1953 Jeep truck when it rolled, throwing the man from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Colton Police Department is investigating the collision.

JURUPA VALLEY >> An alleged pickup truck thief was arrested in Jurupa Valley on Sunday after leading police on a chase and then crashing the vehicle, according to authorities.

Around 10:45 a.m., officers spotted pickup truck reported stolen earlier in the day that was heading north on Dodd Street at 54th Street, said Sgt. Brandi Swan.

A stop was attempted, but the vehicle, driven by suspect Bryan Wayne Smith, 46, of Jurupa Valley, sped away, Swan said.

Smith ended up crashing the truck through a commercial fence and then attempted to flee on foot from pursuing officers, Swan said.

A helicopter and K-9 search led to the suspect, who was found hiding in thick bush.

Smith was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle, evading, vandalism and possession of stolen property.

He was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

During the course of their investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 5500 block of Dodd Street, where they found additional stolen property belonging to the truck’s owner, Swan said.

Another suspect at the residence, 56-year-old Mitchell Allen Terry of Jurupa Valley was arrested for alleged possession of stolen property and was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, she said.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to contact Deputy Sergio Sanchez at 951-955-2600 or after hours at 1-800-950-2444.

JURUPA VALLEY >> An alleged pickup truck thief was arrested in Jurupa Valley on Sunday after leading police on a chase and then crashing the vehicle, according to authorities.

Around 10:45 a.m., officers spotted pickup truck reported stolen earlier in the day that was heading north on Dodd Street at 54th Street, said Sgt. Brandi Swan.

A stop was attempted, but the vehicle, driven by suspect Bryan Wayne Smith, 46, of Jurupa Valley, sped away, Swan said.

Smith ended up crashing the truck through a commercial fence and then attempted to flee on foot from pursuing officers, Swan said.

A helicopter and K-9 search led to the suspect, who was found hiding in thick bush.

Smith was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle, evading, vandalism and possession of stolen property.

He was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

During the course of their investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 5500 block of Dodd Street, where they found additional stolen property belonging to the truck’s owner, Swan said.

Another suspect at the residence, 56-year-old Mitchell Allen Terry of Jurupa Valley was arrested for alleged possession of stolen property and was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, she said.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to contact Deputy Sergio Sanchez at 951-955-2600 or after hours at 1-800-950-2444.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> A 52-year-old woman suspected of leaving the scene after a vehicle crash and a man suspected of encouraging her to leave the scene were arrested, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported Sunday.

Cynthia James of Rancho Cucamonga and Gary Guglielmo, 64, of Upland were taken into custody Friday evening on suspicion of driving under the influence and conspiracy to commit hit and run, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Department.

Both were booked into West Valley Detention Center. She was being held on $30,000 bail and he was released, according to Sheriff’s Department booking records.

The crash occurred about 9:10 p.m. Friday at Archibald Avenue and 19th Street, the statement said.

James, who was driving a 2002 Toyota Sequoia, got out of her vehicle and began to exchange information with the other people but when they noticed James appeared to be under the influence of alcohol they called 9-1-1, the sheriff’s statement said.

Guglielmo then arrived in his car and when he realized law enforcement officers had been called to the scene he talked James into leaving, the sheriff’s statement said.

James got in her car and left with Guglielmo following, but those at the scene took down the license plate numbers of both cars.

The information helped deputies locate the couple at Guglielmo’s home in the 8900 block of Citation Court, the statement said.

The two tried to hide from deputies at the home and were uncooperative before being arrested there, the statement said.

James has been arrested in the past and accused of driving under the influence, the statement said.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Deputy Daniel Smith or Sgt. Phill Dupper at the sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station at 909-477-2800 or 909-477-2817.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> The victim of a fatal crash on Elm Avenue has been identified as Scott William Arko of Colton, according to the county coroner’s website.

Arko, 35, was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon at the scene.

Sheriff’s investigators said the crash was reported around 3:25 p.m. Saturday in the 7800 block of Elm Avenue.

Sheriff’s deputies said Brian Salsbury, 25, of Murrieta and Arko were riding tandem on a motorcycle when the crash occurred, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Department.

The two men were traveling south on Elm Avenue near De Anza Drive when they ran into a parked car, the statement said.

Salisbury and Arko were thrown off the motorcycle.

Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department paramedics found Arko dead, the statement said. Salsbury sustained major injuries and was taken to a hospital.

Neither of the men were wearing helmets, the statement said.

Investigators do not know if speed or alcohol or both played a part in the crash, the statement said.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or who may have information on the case is asked to call Deputy Jose Carrillo or Sgt. Phill Dupperwith the Traffic Division at the sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station at 909-477-2800 or 909-477-2817.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> One person died and another was hospitalized Saturday when a motorcycle struck a parked car, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The victim’s names and genders were not been released.

The crash happened about 3:30 p.m. near Church Avenue and Elm Street, said Jodi Miller, a sheriff’s spokeswoman, in an email.

The Major Accident Investigation Team from the sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station is investigating the crash.

Miller did not say whether either of the victims were on the motorcycle or how they were involved.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS >> California Highway Patrol investigators are unable to determine why the driver of a FedEx vehicle veered over the median on Interstate 5 and into oncoming traffic in the April 10, 2014, Orland bus crash that killed 10 and injured more than 30 others, the agency said Friday.

After a 13-month investigation, officers found that “an unsafe turning movement” caused the fatal collision between the FedEx tractor-trailer and a tour bus carrying dozens of Southern California high school students, said CHP Sgt. Nate Parsons during a news conference at the Hacienda Heights Community Center.

“(The FedEx driver) could have fell asleep. He could have had an undiagnosed medical condition,” said Parsons, who led CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team for the incident. “We were not able to prove either.”

• Video: CHP statement on investigation into Orland bus crash

Among those killed were El Monte High School senior Adrian Castro and University of La Verne graduate student Arthur Arzola, a chaperone for the trip. Four other Los Angeles-area high school students, two other adult chaperones and both drivers were also killed.

The tour bus was one of three bringing students to Humboldt State University for a prospective student event. The other two buses were not involved in the crash.

Investigators looked at environmental, mechanical and human factors involved in the collision. They also evaluated the accident history of the area over a seven-year period, Parsons said, and determined that the roadway had “a lower than average” collision history.

“We had only nine crashes in that time span,” he said, adding that the traffic volumes of the area were not high enough to warrant a median barrier.

Neither vehicle had any mechanical malfunctions before or after the incident, Parsons said. However, investigators did not have access to the vehicles’ engine control modules, which were destroyed in the fire that broke out immediately after the collision.

The driver had neither drugs nor alcohol in their system and both were reportedly in good health. The FedEx driver slept between eight and 10 hours the night before the collision and had been working for about eight hours at the time.

Cellphone records also showed the drivers were not using their phones at the time of the collision, Parsons added.

Despite the findings announced Friday, Sineva Hosea, 19, a former Long Beach Polytechnic High School student who survived the crash, said she was hoping for more answers.

“I know they’re doing the best that they can,” said Hosea, who is now a freshman at Humboldt State. “I just hope soon we’ll find closure to this.”

• Photos: 10 Killed in Orland Bus Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board, which has not yet completed a separate investigation into the crash, released documents earlier this month that included unconfirmed witness accounts of the crash.

One passenger of the charter bus said he saw the FedEx driver with his head down and slumped toward the door immediately before the crash. Another driver on the highway said the truck’s left turn signal lit up before it moved from the southbound No. 2 lane to the No. 1 lane and drifted across the median.

Parsons said investigators could not prove the witness report and that while there was an indication that the driver may have been making a lane change, the vehicle’s movement does not support that idea.

“The vehicle traveled in a shallow drift across the roadway,” he said. “He crossed the median at a shallow angle with no evasive action.”

Some sleep studies did show that if someone did fall asleep or had a medical issue, the way in which the vehicle traveled through the median “would not likely have woken them up,” Parsons said.