Investigative records describe how Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies tracked down a pair of suspects they believe stole more than $1,000 from a department store in November.
A man and a woman entered the Kohl’s in Canyon Country around 3:30 p.m. Nov. 30, according to an SCV Staton detective’s report.
“The suspects selected numerous items from within the store and placed them in a shopping cart,” according to the sworn statement. “The suspects then pushed the shopping cart containing the stolen merchandise out of the store without making any attempt or effort to pay for the merchandise.”
After surveillance cameras captured the suspects placing the merchandise in a white Chevrolet sedan, the man and woman left the parking lot with the stolen goods, according to the report. Loss-prevention officers estimated the value of lost goods at $1,053.
The detectives were able to use the footage to identify the suspects from previous arrests and encounters, and they were tracked down to an address in Canyon Country using department resources, according to officials.
During a Dec. 14 operation, deputies waited for the suspects to enter the white Chevrolet Impala sedan parked at the home, and then performed a traffic stop.
While the suspects were being detained, the male suspect “spontaneously asked if the detention was related to the Kohl’s incident on Nov. 30,” according to a court report. “The female suspect told detectives that she purchased the Chevrolet Impala approximately two weeks ago and is still working to register the vehicle in her name.”
During a search of the vehicle, deputies recovered a pile of clothes for children and adults that they believe to be linked to the theft.
The 26-year-old Canyon Country man currently is being held in lieu of more than $101,000 bail at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. He was arrested and released Dec. 15 but ultimately taken back into custody Jan. 11 when he appeared for his court date, due to a probation violation.
He previously pleaded no contest to a felony grand theft charge in May and was sentenced to 16 months in custody. Sheriff’s Department custody records available online indicate he completed that sentence Oct. 1 after receiving about four months’ credit for time served before his most recent arrest.
The 21-year-old Canyon Country woman has four arrests, including Aug. 21, Dec. 14, Dec. 21 and Jan. 12, and was released each time on her own recognizance, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest records online.
Both are due back in court in March.
