Security footage that revealed portions of the crime led to the arrest of two Riverside County men charged with grand theft for allegedly stealing approximately $30,000 worth of diesel fuel from a City of Coachella gas station, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.
"Video surveillance cameras captured portions of the theft," Sgt. Thomas Anderson of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a press release.
According to Anderson, this video surveillance camera footage was able to provide investigators with footage that ultimately led to the arrest of Anthony Franco, 42, of Indio and Gerardo Morale Baldenegro, 40, of Mecca, both towns in Riverside County.
Besides grand theft, the pair were charged with burglary and conspiracy after being arrested without incident and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio, according to the department press release. Franco was located by authorities in his city of residence on the 45000 block of Commerce Street, and Baldenegro was picked up on April 18 on the 54000 Block of Harrison Street In the unincorporated area of Thermal, Anderson said.
The diesel fuel theft goes back at least to March, and it was determined the crime occurred over a period of two weeks, he said. Deputies from the Riverside Sheriff’s Thermal Station were called to investigate on March 16 at approximately 11:20 a.m. at a business in the 48000 block of Grapefruit Boulevard, the release said. When the Thermal Station’s Coachella Community Action Team assumed the investigation, according to Anderson, they were able to arrest both suspects for the diesel fuel theft.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public's assistance in providing information relating to this case. Details pertinent to the crime can be shared with Deputy Yadira Perez of the Thermal Station’s Coachella Community Action Team at 760-863-8447. Another option for those who wish to remain anonymous is to reach out to Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.