Photo: Steven Vega
On June 24, 2020, a 15-year old boy was startled by a man who had broken into this East Butler,
and South Clovis, Fresno home. According to reports, the suspect stated his intent: he was there
to take property from the home.
The teen led the suspect, later identified as 23-year old Steven Vega, to a room. Vega filled up his bag with items he wanted. Stating he was homeless and hungry, the teen took Vega to the kitchen and warmed a frozen burrito.
When Vega tried to wonder around the house, the teen kept his attention away from a particular
room, where his 13-year old sister remained unaware of the robbery.
Vega was in the house about 40 minutes when he took his final item, the keys to the 2019 gray Chevy Camaro parked in the driveway.
After Vega left in the Camaro, the teen who had successfully kept the robber from his sister’s room, grabbed her and went to a neighbor’s house to tell of what had just happened.
They reported the robbery to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The next morning, detectives continuing the search for the stolen Camaro were in the area of
East Jensen and South Clovis.
They spotted two men in an orchard next to a gray Chevy Camaro.
One of the men was Steven Vega; the other was the property owner. The car was stuck in the dirt
and Vega had asked the property owner to help him get it out.
In the car were all the items Vega stole from the home the previous day.
Vega, who was on parole for a home invasion robbery conviction, was arrested for home
invasion robbery, kidnapping, auto theft, possession of stolen property, and looting.
As of the time of this writing, Vega remains in custody at the Fresno County Jail with bail set at $115,000.
