Juveniles arrested for smash and grab, car theft

April 16, 2004
Santa Paula Police Department

Four Santa Paula juveniles were cited and one from Grover Beach arrested after they were caught with a stolen car in Ojai containing the goods stolen from an area merchant, according to a Santa Paula Police Department detective.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesFour Santa Paula juveniles were cited and one from Grover Beach arrested after they were caught with a stolen car in Ojai containing the goods stolen from an area merchant, according to a Santa Paula Police Department detective.SPPD Det. Joey de los Reyes said the incident got its start early Wednesday when RXS Sports, located on North 10th Street just behind The Whistle Stop Café, was broken into at about 3 a.m.The five suspects used a “workout weight, a dumbbell and baseball bats to break the window, crawled inside the business and grabbed whatever they could,” before fleeing.Once the five committed the burglary, they drove to Ojai where they were stopped by a Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy, who “ran the license plate and found that the van had been stolen from the Santa Paula Kmart parking lot. The deputy saw all the stolen merchandise and put two and two together,” and notified the SPPD.During questioning “they talked about driving a Honda and parking it on the east side of town,” said Det. de los Reyes, who was interviewing the suspects in Ojai.He contacted the SPPD and had them try to find the vehicle and once it was located it was discovered that the Honda had been reported stolen from Santa Barbara. The owner of the vehicle said the keys to the car had been taken during a burglary that had not been reported.
The juveniles, ranging in age from 14 to 17, were cited and released except the youth from Grover Beach, who was arrested for driving a stolen vehicle and transported to Juvenile Hall.RXS Sports owner Robbie Harrison said that Wednesday’s burglary is the second time his store – which sells skateboards as well as skating and motor-cross equipment, clothing, shoes and sunglasses - has been targeted.The burglars took about $2,500 in merchandise, “a whole bunch of stuff.”Although Harrison had installed a burglar alarm after the first burglary, and “since the alarm didn’t go off as planned, the security company installed a whole new system.”And, this time Harrison is planning on “going to the parents of the kids,” to pay the costs of replacing the plate glass window.Harrison recommends that merchants have alarm systems installed and noted that he is also upgrading his system to include a video camera system.“I don’t like calls at 4 a.m.,” notifying him that his business has been burglarized, Harrison said.



Site Search

E-Subscribe

Subscribe

E-SUBSCRIBE
Call 805 525 1890 to receive the entire paper early. $50.00 for one year.

webmaster