Three arrested for construction equipment theft

Good old-fashioned police work resulted in the arrest of three men who are suspected of stealing construction equipment from Lake Elsinore.

Taken into custody were Victor Rangel, 35, of Rialto and Noe Ortega, 23, and Jose Avila, 22, both of Mira Loma.

Lake Elsinore police said that on Wednesday, June 21, at 5:06 a.m. officers received a call concerning the theft of construction equipment from the 29300 block of North Lake Drive.

While the officers were speaking with the victim on the telephone, other officers who heard the call go out remembered stopping a Dodge pickup truck earlier in the night with three pieces of construction equipment in the bed of the truck. At the time of the initial traffic stop the equipment had not been reported stolen, so the driver and occupants of the Dodge were released.

The officers who made the initial stop wrote down the license plate of the vehicle and inquired about the license plate through their Mobile Data Computer. The Dodge pickup came back to an address in the 4000 block of Dodd Street in Mira Loma. The officers contacted the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station and deputies from the station drove to the address on Dodd Street. When deputies from the Jurupa station arrived at the address they found the vehicle and three occupants. The occupants were detained and the victim of the theft was notified.

The victim went to the address on Dodd Street and identified his property. One of the detainees was searched and found to be in possession of 28.4 grams of methamphetamine. Anyone with further information on this case is asked to call the Lake Elsinore Police Station at (951) 245-3300.