Photo: Crystal Jant, Randy Stalling and Victoria Gonzalez
Being “a better person” was clearly not a New Year’s resolution for a trio of Banning adults. And if improving physical fitness was among their pledges, its realization took place in a villainous manner.
Officers from the Palm Desert Police arrested Crystal Jant, aged 36, Victoria Gonzalez, aged 32, and Randy Stalling, aged 51, on February 7th, 2019, on suspicion of breaking into client lockers at numerous Riverside County and San Bernardino County fitness centers. In a media statement, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said that the suspects would access regional gyms during business hours as members of the health clubs.
Jant and Gonzalez would then enter the female locker rooms, cut off locks on members’ lockers, and steal property from inside, also using the keys in the lockers to then steal items from the victims’ vehicles. Furthermore, the suspects would use the victims’ misappropriated credit cards and checks at area businesses.
The Palm Desert Station’s Business District Team and Special Enforcement Team began investigation into reports of the burglaries on January 10th. During the process, detectives were also able to identify Randy Stalling as a further suspect in the thefts. Police received a search warrant for a home on the 500 block of 5th Street in Banning, and located and arrested the three suspects within a short radius of the residence.
Crystal Jant received charges of four felony counts for second-degree burglary, identity theft, forgery and larceny with the intent to defraud. Her bail was set at $150 000.
Randy Stalling received two misdemeanors, for possession of unlawful paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance, and a felony count for probation violation. He had a bail of $50 000.
Victoria Gonzalez was charged with three felony counts — for second-degree burglary, identity theft, and larceny with the intent to defraud. She had a bail of $10 000.
All three suspects were booked into the Larry Smith Correctional Facility.
