Photo: Stock Image
On the morning of August 29th , an investigation into the theft of a purse and of the personal identifying data of its owner came to a conclusion with the arrest of 25-year-old Port Hueneme resident Peter Lopez Cruz.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Det. Doree Milazzo, the VCSD’s Camarillo Patrol Services Division was alerted to the theft of the victim’s purse “from an office building while the victim was at work” in May of this year.
Not long afterward, the victim’s bank notified her that her credit card and other ID information had been used “to purchase items at the Camarillo Outlets,” transactions which the bank promptly flagged as fraudulent. With that determination, the Camarillo Investigations Bureau became keenly interested in the case and went to work.
Detectives conducted a comprehensive follow-up investigation which led to the identification of Cruz and evidence indicating he had absconded with the victim’s purse while working as a delivery driver who had visited the victim’s offices on the day of the theft. At that point, detectives secured a search warrant which was served on the Cruz residence where they discovered “additional evidence” connecting Cruz to the thefts.
Cruz was taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of grand theft and identity theft.
