Fontana police on Tuesday, Jan. 28, arrested a man who they say killed a businessman by hitting him with a baseball bat.
Ronalee Barrett Stanberry, 37, was detained in Hollywood by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department around 2 a.m., said Officer Steve Reed, a Fontana police spokesman.
Stanberry was booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of murder, mayhem and burglary. He was being held without the possibility of bail. He Stanberry is due in court on Jan. 30.
Police say Stanberry broke into the Allstate insurance agency operated by Fritz Mendoza, 79, on Jan. 10.
Mendoza and his son discovered Stanberry when they opened the Fontana business for the day, police said. As the son ushered Stanberry out, he grabbed a baseball bat that had the Allstate insurance logo and inflicted a fatal blow to Mendoza’s head, police said.
Mendoza died on Jan. 21.
Police Chief Michael Dorsey had described Stanberry as a “hobo” who gets around by hopping on trains.
“We are grateful for the numerous tips and for the tireless efforts of investigators that led to the arrest of Stanberry,” Dorsey said in a written statement.
