Two Sacramento men have reportedly been arrested for stealing equipment from a landscaper, according to an official press release from the Roseville Police Department.
Shafeeq Jamal Purdy, and Christopher Darnell Ross
Shafeeq Jamal Purdy, 32, and Christopher Darnell Ross, 20, both of Sacramento, were reportedly arrested Friday, July 11 on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy, and possession of burglar’s tools. Purdy was also charged with delaying or obstructing police officers.
According to Roseville PD, on Friday, July 11, 2014, officers conducted a special operation to address a recent increase in thefts from landscape maintenance crews, and set up stings in areas that had been identified where more thefts were likely to occur. Just before 11 am, officers on a stakeout reportedly noticed a car cruising slowly through a neighborhood. The officers reportedly watched two people get out of the car and take tools from a landscaper’s trailer on Park Regency Drive.
Officers stopped the vehicle and detained the driver, Ross, on Junction Boulevard. However, the passenger, Purdy, reportedly got out of the vehicle and began to run, jumping over a retaining wall and through yards in the adjacent neighborhood. After a search, officers reportedly found the second suspect in a yard in the 1800 block of Grouse Run Circle, and he was reportedly taken into custody without further incident. The stolen property was reportedly recovered and returned to the victim.
Purdy’s instinct to run from officers may stem from his extensive record over the years. In 2006 he was already on probation, and was arrested for a felony violation of the terms, and in 2009 he was charged with reckless driving. In 2011 he faced domestic violence charges, along with driving without a license and an unregistered vehicle. In 2013 he had additional domestic violence charges along with possession of burglar’s tools and a failure to appear in court.
