HEMET: Area resident arrested after vandalizing fire truck
HEMET — Officials arrested a Hemet man after he allegedly caused about $1,500 in damage to a City of Hemet Fire truck Friday, Sept. 29. The damage was caused when the man threw several rocks at the passing fire truck at the intersection of Buena Vista Street and Latham Avenue in Hemet.
Jermaine Middleton was arrested after he allegedly caused about $1,500 in damage when he threw several rocks at a City of Hemet Fire Department truck.
The suspect, who was later identified as Jermaine Kevin Middleton, 38, of Hemet, has a history of throwing rocks at passing vehicles in Hemet, according to Hemet police officials.
Middleton also has a history of mental illness and a Superior Court records search revealed he has been arrested no less than two dozen times in Riverside County since 2011.
His previous charges have included burglary, possession and use of a variety of illegal narcotics, possession of a concealed dagger, destruction of private, public and jail property, both petty and grand theft, shoplifting, public intoxication and other charges.
An online jail records search indicated Middleton was released from Riverside County Jail just sixteen days ago, on Sept. 13, after a Sept. 1 arrest for felony vandalism, second-degree felony burglary, petty theft and two prior prison enhancements.
Today’s investigation began about 10:30 a.m., when a Hemet Fire Department engineer notified Hemet’s Public Safety Dispatch Center that a man had just thrown rocks at the passing fire truck. The engineer provided emergency dispatchers with the suspect’s description and last known direction of travel.
Hemet police officers located and detained Middleton a short time later, about two blocks away, at 100 N. Carmalita Street. Fire officials positively identified Middleton as the subject who had thrown the rocks at and damaged the fire truck.
Middleton was arrested without incident and booked into the City of Hemet Jail. He was later transported and booked into Riverside County Jail, according to a Hemet police official.
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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 27 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 14 grandchildren.
Jermaine is not a criminal. He is in need of medication for his illness. Maybe crying out for help.
He cannot get any anti-anxiety medication because he does not have any insurance or identification.
Let the county help this young man rather than building a criminal case over petty issues.