Jeffrey Andresen and Monique Garcia
On Thursday, August 24, a man and woman were spotted stealing grapes from a field on Lincoln and Orange Avenue near Easton. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department was alerted of the theft by a caller who had taken down the suspects’ vehicle license plate number. The suspects had left the scene by the time deputies arrived.
The pilfered grapes
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office passed on the reported crime to the Ag Task Force. Ag Task Force Deputies narrowed down the location of the suspects to a house in Madera Ranchos. Deputies headed over to the home located on the 17000 block of La Canada Road where they found Jeffrey Andresen and Monique Garcia.
Andresen, a 57-year-old man from Madera, was on probation which legally allowed officers to conduct a search. In addition to finding a bucket of grapes matching the type stolen from the field, deputies located “a loaded handgun (which was reported stolen), a high capacity magazine” and methamphetamine (Fresno County Sheriff’s Office).
Andresen is being held on a bail of $6,000 for several misdemeanor charges. However, his probation violation trumps any bail eligibility.
the seized gun
46-year-old Monique Garcia, also of Madera, faces far more severe charges, including two felony counts for a person prohibited of being in possession of a gun, charges for possession of a large capacity magazine, and several misdemeanor charges for drug paraphernalia, drug possession, and possession of stolen property. Her bail is set at $340,000.
Anonymous tips may be eligible for a cash reward and can be communicated to Crime Stoppers by calling 559-498-7867 or by contacting the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office at 559-600-3111.
