Indio Man Charged With Commercial Thefts In Temecula

TEMECULA, CA — A desert man suspected of stealing from multiple Temecula businesses was due in court Tuesday to face a slew of charges.

Frederick Curtis Ware, 44, of Indio was charged with three counts of grand theft and three counts of burglary, all felonies.

He was also charged with misdemeanor shoplifting.

Ware was scheduled for arraignment Tuesday afternoon at Murrieta's Southwest Justice Center. He was being held on $60,000 bail.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, deputies from the Southwest Sheriff's Station got a call at approximately 7:37 p.m. Jan. 4 about theft at a business near the Promenade Temecula mall. Deputies went to the scene in the 40800 block of Winchester Road and learned that more than $2,000 in merchandise was stolen from the store and the suspect had fled in a white Chrysler 300 sedan.

During an investigation into the incident, deputies learned that the suspect — later identified as Ware — was the same man responsible for additional business thefts in Temecula as well as in San Bernardino County, according to the sheriff's department.

Investigators tracked Ware down and on Friday morning arrested him near the 81800 block of Avenida Del Mar in Indio.

"A search warrant was served on Ware’s residence where clothing and additional items of evidentiary value were located linking him to the commercial burglaries," the sheriff's department reported.

"It is believed Ware is responsible for additional thefts that have yet to be reported," the agency continued. "Anyone with information related to this case or aware of additional thefts involving Ware is encouraged to contact Deputy Alfonso Valadez of the Southwest Station RBST Team at 951-696-3000."

According to Riverside County court records, Ware has multiple drug convictions and a 2017 conviction on misdemeanor charges of petty theft and possessing burglary tools.