Photo: Josefa Mayorga
December 12, 2020 – Ventura County , Ca.
While much of the world is curtailing their Holiday shopping activities under Southern California’s current COVID lockdowns, those with criminal intent may be just as active as ever at this time of year.
Evidence of that came on the afternoon of December 10th when employees at a Camarillo Premium Outlets store made a 911 Emergency call to report what was described by Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Chris Dyer as “a theft in progress.”
Yan Palma Izquierdo
Within minutes, Direct Enforcement Unit Patrol deputies were on the scene and interviewing witnesses who provided detailed descriptions of a pair of suspects and the vehicle in which they escaped. It didn’t take long for local area patrol units to locate the suspect vehicle on the streets of Camarillo. “A traffic enforcement stop” brought the suspect vehicle to a halt close to the scene of the alleged crime.
Inside the vehicle were two 21-year-old residents of Santiago Chile, Yan Palma Izquierdo and Josefa Mayorga, both of whom “matched the descriptions provided to deputies as theft suspects.” A quick search of their car revealed items of apparel stolen from the retailers whose staff had reported the thievery.
Further investigation revealed additional evidence of retail thefts, indicating that the pair had worked as a team stealing multiple items of clothing from an assortment of retail stores.
Izquierdo and Mayorga indicated that they intended to then re-sell the stolen goods through various online e-commerce platforms.
Both suspects were arrested and transported to Ventura County Jail, where they were booked on charges of organized retail theft and conspiracy, with bail amounts of $50,000 each.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
