On August 31, 2025, deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station responded to a report of grand theft at a business located in the 40000 block of Monterey Avenue in Rancho Mirage. Upon arrival, deputies learned that two e-scooters had been stolen from outside the business.
The investigation was taken over by the Rancho Mirage Special Enforcement Team, which reviewed surveillance footage and identified two suspects: Christian Bailey Melendrez, a 27-year-old transient from Beaumont, and Patrick Cody Pettigrew, a 47-year-old resident of Banning.
Melendrez was detained without incident on September 22, 2025, by officers from the Beaumont Police Department. The following day at noon, deputies from several enforcement teams served a residential search warrant at an address on West Hoffer Street in Banning and arrested Pettigrew without incident.
Both suspects were booked into the John Benoit Detention Center on charges including grand theft, theft with priors, and conspiracy.
“The investigation’s success underscores the importance of interagency cooperation in ensuring public safety and holding offenders accountable,” according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities are asking anyone with information about this case to contact Deputy Castaneda at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760–836–1600.
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