6 Arrested In Series Of Train Burglaries In Riverside County

THERMAL, CA — Six people have been arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and various other charges for their alleged involvement in a series of train burglaries in the Coachella Valley, authorities said.

On Aug. 2, personnel from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Thermal station responded to the area of Hammond Road and 68th Avenue, in the unincorporated area of Mecca, regarding numerous items that had been removed from a cargo train, the department said Friday.

The suspects fled the scene before deputies arrived.

The department's Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District Team assumed the investigation, learned the suspects were involved in a series of train burglaries in the area and identified two locations where the stolen property was located, officials said.

On Nov. 6, deputies and Union Pacific Railroad police served a search warrant on the suspects' residence and a storage unit in the 82200 block of Santa Rosa Avenue in Indio, where they allegedly located more than $80,000 in merchandise.

Renato Compean Briones, 29, and Carla Virginia Urias Herrera, 39, both residents of Indio, were arrested and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and violation of probation.

An additional search warrant was issued in the 88-800 block of 62nd Avenue in Thermal where investigators located around $12,000 in stolen merchandise, authorities said.

Jesus Ivan Castillo Ruiz, 28, of Thermal was arrested and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and conspiracy.

Authorities continued investigating the train burglaries and identified additional locations where stolen merchandise might have been stored. On Nov. 21, additional search warrants were served at a residence in the 65-100 block of Calle Sor Juana in Mecca and at a storage unit in the 53- 300 block of Highway 111 in Coachella. Deputies recovered over $76,000 in merchandise from both locations, according to the sheriff's department.

Juan Pablo Ortega Hernandez, 38, and Deette Nadine Amezquita Luna, 36, both residents of Mecca, were arrested and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of stolen property and conspiracy.

The following day, deputies responded to a train burglary in the area of Hammond Road in Mecca. Numerous train containers were open with missing merchandise and a vehicle was parked at the location, but a search failed to locate any suspects, authorities said.

Sheriff's officials identified an additional location where stolen merchandise was stored and on Dec. 4, with the assistance of the East Rural Crime Team, and the Coachella Community Action Team, a search warrant was served in the 53-300 block of Highway 111 in Coachella.

Over $26,000 in merchandise was recovered from a storage unit there, according to the department. On Dec. 10, 39-year-old Bernardo Acosta of Mecca was located and booked into John Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and grand theft.
Anyone with information about the alleged thefts was urged to contact Deputy Padilla at the Thermal station at 760-863-8990.

— City News Service