Thieves Busted With Items Stolen From Napa, Contra Costa Safeways

SONOMA, CA — Sonoma County sheriff's deputies working for the Sonoma Police Department arrested two people Sunday on suspicion of possessing items stolen from Safeway stores in Napa and Contra Costa counties. The allegedly stolen merchandise included baby food and over-the-counter medication that requires identification, police said.

Deputies responded around 9:30 p.m. Sunday to a call about a theft in progress at the Safeway store at 477 W. Napa St. in Sonoma. The caller described the woman and a silver minivan involved in the theft.

Another deputy pulled the minivan over on West Napa Street five blocks from the Safeway. A woman passenger in the van matched the witness description of the suspect, and the deputy saw several items of merchandise in the back of the van, Sonoma County sheriff's spokeswoman Misti Harris said.

The witness identified the woman as the suspect who stole the merchandise. Deputies recovered more than 400 items valued at $9,500 they believe was stolen from the Safeway stores in Napa and Contra Costa counties, Harris said.

The woman gave the deputies a false name at the scene, but deputies identified her as Ashley Chiane Easy, 23, of Antioch. Easy had an outstanding warrant in Napa County for a separate theft-related case, Harris said.

Deputies also arrested the other occupant in the minivan, Julio Cesar Cuellar, 41, of San Francisco. The suspects were booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and
conspiracy, Harris said.

By Bay City News Service

Photo courtesy Sonoma County Sheriff's Office