3/31/16 - On Thursday at around 1:00 am, Fresno County Sheriff’s patrol deputies responded to a home on the 43000 block of Millwood Road in Dunlap.
Members of the Fresno HEAT team, who had been working this case non-stop since Tuesday, directed patrol deputies to Dunlap after developing information a stolen 2006 Honda Accord might be in the area. Deputies arrived and located the vehicle. Detectives with HEAT then responded and assisted deputies to get the suspect to come out of the home where they arrested him without incident.
The suspect is a 17 year old from Ventura, CA. He has been living in Fresno as part of a group home, but recently ran away. He has been booked into the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Center and faces felony charges of auto theft, kidnapping and child endangerment. The teenager is also on probation and had an active arrest warrant.
The stolen Honda remains in good condition. The FSO Crime Scene Unit is now processing the car for evidence. Once this is complete, it will be returned to its owner.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the community and the media for its participation in trying to locate the suspect and car in this case. This partnership no doubt helped bring this investigation to quick, positive conclusion.
3/29/16 - Around 2:30 pm on Tuesday, a man brought his car to Punjab Auto Repair for service. The shop is located on the northwest corner of W. Belmont and N. Pleasant Ave. in Fresno. The man backed his 2006 silver four-door Honda Accord into a parking stall and left the car idling with his three year old daughter in the backseat as she was taking a nap. The man was having a conversation with a shop employee a short distance away about fixing his rear bumper. No one was aware that at this time the suspect was pacing around the block for about five minutes, casing the area. The suspect eventually walked behind the idling car and stood there for a minute on the phone, then crept over to the driver’s door, got in and sped away.
The father of the girl and owner of the car called out for someone to dial 911. Meanwhile, the father got into the passenger seat of another customer’s car and they tried to chase after the suspect, but quickly lost sight of him.
Fresno Sheriff’s deputies, Fresno Police officers and California Highway Patrol officers were notified and immediately began to patrol the area and look for the suspect. Both the Sheriff’s helicopter, EAGLE One and Fresno Police helicopter, AIR-1, also participated in the search. However, they were unable to find the car and suspect.
Within 10 minutes of the call, a motorist called CHP and reported that a car had just dropped a small girl off on the side of the road and then drove away. This occurred near the intersection of N. Monte and W. Dennett Ave., which is about a half mile north of the auto repair shop. The motorist stayed with the child until an officer arrived. A short time later, the father was reunited with his daughter who was unharmed.
The California license plate of the car is 7NYZ343. The car is also missing its rear bumper. The suspect is described as a white man in his 20s.
Anyone who see this car or has information about the suspect in this case is asked to please contact the Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (559) 600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867). All tips will remain anonymous and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
