Residential Burglary Suspects Arrested After Flat Tire Forces Them To Pull Over
Photo – (courtesy KGET)
The afternoon of August 26th, a citizen noticed an unfamiliar van parked on a property on the 8000 block of Hanford Armona Road, in Hanford. The citizen went to check on the van and noticed some people by the trailer and home on the property. Feeling uneasy, the citizen made his way back to his own vehicle.
The suspects got into their van and drove around the back of the property before driving the Ford van through a barbed wire fence, severely damaging it. The reporting party, in his car, followed the suspects and called the Kings County Sheriff’s Office. After driving a few miles, the van stopped at another property because of a flat tire. Deputies were able to contact the suspects at this location.
Deputies searched the van and found three catalytic converters. One converter had been taken from a vehicle from the Hanford Armona Road property. A Milwaukee brand saw and blades were also located, and are suspected of being used to cut the converter. A dollhouse belonging to the reporting party’s mother was located and returned to him.
The suspects were 33-year old Jose Avelardes, 43-year old Anna Jimenez, 27-year old Robert Menchaca, and 24-year old Abel Mendoza all out of Kern County.
Menchaca, who was in possession of methamphetamines, was wanted in Kern County for two burglary charges; Mendoza was wanted for possession of stolen property and domestic violence.
All suspects were arrested for burglary, conspiracy, felony vandalism, and possession of stolen property and booked into Kings County Jail. Menchaca’s bail was set at $125,000; Mendoza’s at $100,000, in addition to his no bail warrants from Kern County; Avelardes’s bail was $135,000; and Jimenez’s bail was set at $130,000.
