Riverside County deputies arrested a Coachella woman after a search warrant allegedly uncovered "multiple pieces of stolen mail" in her possession. Sgt. Jamie Lewis said additional charges may result from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's ongoing investigation into a spree of mail thefts reported in La Quinta.
According to a news release from the department, La Quinta Special Enforcement Team deputies served a theft-related search warrant at the 53000 block of Avenida Villa in La Quinta on Friday, July 14.
The discovery of multiple pieces of stolen mail resulted in the arrest that same day of Chila Espinoza, 31, of Coachella in relation to several cases of mail pilfering. Espinoza was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in the city of Indio.
"Additional charges will be sought pending further investigation into the stolen property," Lewis said in the news release.
Palm Desert Patch reports Espinoza is being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in the city of Banning with bail set at $100,000. Her next court appearance has been set for July 27 at the Indio Larson Justice Center, according to Patch.
To assist in the Sheriff's Department's ongoing investigation, Lewis reached out to the community residents to offer up any information on the case they might have with the goal of bringing additional charges. Anyone with details regarding this case is asked to contact Deputy Chris Williams at the Thermal Sheriff's Station at 760-863-8990, or Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.
Crime Stoppers lets callers remain anonymous and gives them the opportunity to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000 if they furnish information that leads to an arrest, according to the Palm Desert California website. There are no questions asked; to keep track of callers, Crime Stoppers gives each informant a code number. To learn more visit the Palm Desert California website.