Shoplifting Arrest Escalated After Drugs Found On Suspect: Police

SAN MATEO, CA — Police arrested a suspect who stole several items from a store in San Mateo and enhanced the charges based on prior convictions after finding drugs, police said Saturday.

The San Mateo Police Department said a suspect they found shoplifting also had drugs and paraphernalia on them.

Police said a records check revealed the suspect qualified for California Prop 36 enhancements due to prior theft- and narcotics-related convictions.

The suspect was transported and booked into the San Mateo County Jail.

California Proposition 36, "The Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act," was a November 2024 initiative statute that partially rolled back Proposition 47 by enacting tougher penalties for certain drug and theft crimes, taking effect on December 18, 2024.

Key provisions allow repeat theft offenders with two or more priors to be charged with a felony for property theft valued at $950 or less, and introduce a "treatment-mandated felony" for individuals with multiple prior drug convictions who possess hard drugs, offering court-approved treatment as an alternative to a prison sentence of up to three years.