Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, November 3, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, November 3, 2018 

OCTAVIO VEGARA JR,:

A CALIFORNIA JOCKEY WITH A DIFFERENT START

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER


For the period of Sunday, October 21st, through Saturday, 
October 27th, the Police Department responded to 955 calls 
for service, of which 125 required formal investigations. 
The following is a summary report of the major incidents 
handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, October 21:

1. Shortly before 3:17 p.m., an officer responded to the 
Santa Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding 
an assault report. The victim stated he was standing in 
an open parking spot, saving it for a friend, when the 
suspect asked repeatedly for the victim to move. The 
victim remained in the spot when the suspect hit the 
victim with his vehicle. The victim declined medical 
attention but stated he felt pain in his shoulder and his 
knee. 

 The suspect is described as a white male, 
approximately 60 to 70-years-old, driving a white Toyota 
van. The investigation is ongoing. 

 At approximately 7:51 p.m., officers responded to 
the intersection of Rosemead Boulevard and Colorado 
Boulevard regarding a hit and run investigation. With the 
assistance of the air unit, officers located a vehicle similar 
to the suspect’s vehicle and conducted an enforcement 
stop. Upon contacting the driver, the officer detected 
a strong odor of alcohol. Through a series of tests, the 
officer determined the suspect was driving with a blood 
alcohol content of .149%. A records check revealed the 
suspect, a 50-year-old male from Tujunga, was driving 
with an expired license. He was arrested and transported 
to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 

Monday, October 22:

 Just after 11:28 a.m., an officer responded to the 900 
block of West Huntington Drive regarding a vehicle 
burglary report. An investigation revealed the suspect 
tampered with the door lock and stole the victim’s 
vehicle registration, insurance paperwork, and CD’s. No 
suspects were seen and no witnesses were located. 

 At approximately 5:19 p.m., an officer responded 
to Walgreens, 253 East Foothill Boulevard, regarding 
a stolen vehicle report. The victim stated she parked 
her silver Mercedes-Benz in the parking lot at 4:00 
p.m., and when she returned at 4:45 p.m., her car was 
gone. No suspects were seen and no witnesses were 
located. 

Tuesday, October 23:

 Around 4:05 a.m., officer responded to Taipan Bakery, 
1033 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding the activation 
of an audible security alarm. Officers discovered the 
suspect(s) pried open the rear door, ransacked the office, 
and fled before their arrival. No suspects were seen, no 
witnesses were located, and the loss is unknown. 

 Just before 1:19 p.m., an officer responded to 
McDonald’s, 143 East Foothill Boulevard, regarding a 
welfare check of a subject doing drugs in the bathroom. 
A woman was located and during a consensual search, 
the officer located a meth pipe and methamphetamine. 
The 30-year-old female from Huntington Beach was 
cited and released in the field.

Wednesday, October 24:

 At about 10:32 a.m., an officer responded to a 
residence in the 2300 block of Lenta Lane regarding a 
fraud report. The victim discovered two fraudulent 
withdrawals from his savings account resulting in a 
total loss of $6,176.38. The victim does not know how 
the suspect obtained his personal information or the 
identity of the suspect. 

 Shortly after 8:11 p.m., officers responded to a 
residence in the 200 block of Hacienda Drive regarding 
an alarm activation. An investigation revealed the 
suspect(s) smashed a rear bathroom window with the 
intention of burglarizing the unoccupied home. No 
suspects were seen, no witnesses were located, and no 
loss was reported. 

Thursday, October 25:

 Before 11:21 p.m., officers responded to a residence in 
the 1300 block of San Carlos Road regarding a burglary 
in progress. The residents were home when they heard 
the sound of breaking glass. Officers conducted an area 
check but didn’t locate the suspects. The investigation is 
ongoing. No loss was reported.

 Around 5:28 a.m., an officer responded to the 100 
block of East Duarte Road regarding the activation of 
an Arcadia Police Department GPS tracker. Arcadia PD 
detectives had previously deployed decoy bicycles with 
tracking devices to combat the increase in bike thefts 
throughout the city. The officer determined a 39-year-
old male from Sylmar was in possession of the stolen 
bicycle and GPS tracker. A search of the suspect revealed 
he was in possession of a meth pipe. He was arrested and 
transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 

Friday, October 26: 

 At about 11:59 a.m., an officer responded to a 
residence in the 200 block of Colorado Place regarding 
a stolen vehicle report. Sometime during the previous 
evening, the victim’s motorcycle was stolen from his 
neighborhood. The investigation is ongoing. 

 Just before 1:04 p.m., an officer responded to a 
residence in the 300 block of Alster Avenue regarding 
a burglary report. The resident was home when she 
heard someone attempting to enter her home by forcing 
open a rear window. The suspects fled when the alarm 
activated. 

 The suspects were seen fleeing in a newer, sporty 
white car with tinted windows. The investigation is 
ongoing. 

Saturday, October 27:

 Shortly after 3:13 p.m., an officer responded to 
Neighborhood Music School, Inc., 25 South First 
Avenue, regarding a grand theft report. A witness 
reported seeing the suspect steal an employee’s personal 
laptop. She then exited the store and fled southbound on 
First Avenue on foot.

 The suspect is described as an Asian female in her 
mid-thirties, wearing glasses and a white coat. The 
investigation is ongoing. 

 At approximately 6:28 p.m., an officer responded to 
the Santa Anita Race Track, 285 West Huntington Drive, 
regarding a fraud report. The victim lost his wallet and 
a short time later, an unknown suspect used his credit 
card to purchase gas in El Monte. The investigation is 
ongoing. 

By Joan Schmidt

 The last couple years have been quite interesting-
meeting jockeys with varied backgrounds. 
The first, Joe Talamo had an Italian name-his 
grandfather was from Sicily. But Joe grew up 
in Louisiana; mom’s side is Cajun. Joe’s dad was 
a trainer, so Joe learned to ride at an early age. 
Jockeys Ruben Fuentes and Franklin Ceballas Jr. 
also learned riding at an early age-their dads were 
jockeys too!

 Then I met Jose Barnes from South Africa 
and Texan Chad Lindsay with no family ties 
to racing; yet in their late teens, this was their 
career choice.

 After his race last week, I had a great visit with 
Octavio Vergara Jr. His dad, Octavio Vegara Sr. 
is a retired jockey whose career spanned from 
1986-2011 with 10.000+ wins and Vergara Sr. 
still works in the racing business. His maternal 
grandfather was also a jockey. But when Octavio 
Jr. was young, his parents separated, and he was 
raised by his mother and grandmother. They 
relocated to Torrance, CA and that’s where 
Octavio, Jr. grew up and attended schools. He 
rarely rode as a kid, a few times on his mother’s 
friend’s pony. Octvaio told me his mom is “truly 
my biggest supporter”.

 In 2008, Octavio decided he wanted to become a 
jockey. Octavio got his start in Florida, galloping for 
five years for Claude Mc Gaughey. He also rode for 
Bob Hess, Jr., Cindy Weaver, Tom Albertani, and 
Christophe Clement before launching his career. In 
2013, he began racing; on July 26 at Calder Casino 
and Racing, he had his first win was on Dynamic 
Duke for trainer Kathleen O’Connell and is very 
grateful to her. He has had 60 wins and has been at 
several tracks: Laurel, Arlington, Woodbine, Indian 
Grand, Ellis Park, Calder, Gulfstream, Tampa Bay, 
Santa Anita, Del Mar, Los Al and Charlestown. 
His favorite win: Drop to Pop; when he won the 
Inaugural Canadian Apprentice Invitational at 
Woodbine in 2014. This event featured 10 apprentice 
jockeys from across North America competing for 
bragging rights and a trophy in a two-day riding 
event where points were assigned based on winning 
positions. Octavio finished with a total of 45 points; 
having earned 25 points for his victory, and 20 for a 
second place effort.

 Octavio stays in shape by eating right, and 
he runs 4-6 miles a day. A jockey’s schedule is 
grueling-must be at the track by 5:30 am to work 
out horses. Consequently they retire early in the 
evening. 

 His goal is to someday ride on a horse that takes 
him to the Kentucky Derby. I sure wish this fine 
young man many wins in the future.


MONROVIA UNIFIED DEDICATES HIGH SCHOOL 
LIBRARY TO FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER 

FRANK JANSSON

MONROVIA, CA – Monrovia High School alumni, 
teachers and administrators shared memories as they 
leafed through yearbooks, photos, and paintings of 
long-time English teacher Frank Jansson during an 
Oct. 26 dedication of the school’s library in his honor.

 Jansson – who passed away in 2003 – instilled in 
his students the importance of literacy. The dedication 
marked the 15th anniversary of his passing.

 Jansson joined Monrovia High in 1958 and taught 
there until 1995, returning in 1997 after retirement, 
to teach part time for six more years. His students 
and colleagues remembered him for his infectious 
personality and passion for teaching.

 “The dedication of this library is another way in 
which we acknowledge the contribution of educators 
who truly have made a difference in the lives of 
our students,” Board President Terrence Williams 
said. “This year, Monrovia High is celebrating its 
125th anniversary, and the Board has taken steps to 
honor our rich legacy and tradition of excellence in 
education.”

 Several of Jansson’s former students became 
teachers because they were inspired by his passion for 
his students and his career.

 English teacher Randy Bell, a class of 1981 graduate, 
said that dedicating the library in honor of Jansson 
was fitting because it was where he lived for decades.

 “He was our best teacher, our hardest teacher, and 
our scariest teacher. He was our scariest teacher – and 
this leads me to what I loved most about him – because 
there was no escaping him if you were in his class,” Bell 
said.

 “He tapped into every student in his class and, as 
teachers, if our most important job is to pull kids out 
of their shell and develop them out – Frank was the 
golden one.”

MORE

In addition to teaching English, Jansson was the 
yearbook adviser and took students and colleagues 
on summer trips to Europe for years. Many of the 
alumni in attendance traveled with Jansson on these 
adventures.

 Jansson kept in touch with former students over 
the years, sending holiday cards, writing letters, and 
attending high school reunions.

 “I came to Monrovia High in 1985 and Frank 
become a mentor to me and then, 20 years later, I 
realized he was also my best friend,” said Eric Miller, 
Monrovia High School English teacher and yearbook 
adviser. “He affected not only his students, but also his 
colleagues and just about everyone he encountered.”

 Toward the end of the celebration, everyone 
gathered outside of the library for the unveiling of the 
Frank Jansson Library.

 “It is our hope that the young adults who come 
through these doors find that same love and joy 
of books that Frank Jansson awakened within his 
students,” Superintendent Katherine Thorossian said. 
“Thank you to our Board of Education for making this 
dedication a possibility, to our alumni who made it 
out, and those who sent letters in.”


Monrovia Unified alumni, administrators, teachers and students stand in front on the Frank Jansson 
Library at Monrovia High School. Alumni flew in from as far away as Texas and New York to celebrate a 
dedication of the library to former English teacher Frank Jansson on Oct. 26.


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