MARICOPA — Three men were arrested on Sunday evening for illegally picking lemons from a property owned by a large Maricopa farming outfit.
Efrain Casillas, 37, 34-year-old Eduardo Castro and 42-year-old Juan Gonzalez, all from Maricopa, were all booked into nearby Taft City Jail on charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and petty theft.
According to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the incident took place on June 8, at around 5 p.m., when deputies from the Taft substation responded to theft call that had taken place in an orchard located east of Maricopa in southwest Kern County.
When deputies arrived, they said they were met by several Paramount Farms private detectives, who were investigating the theft.
A more detailed investigation revealed that Castro and Gonzalez, conspired with Casillas
to pick the lemons.
Deputies located the men and 21 lemons valued at $5.25 in their possession, which were returned to Paramount Farms.
Read more:
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