Man pleads guilty, sentenced for attempted Indio fire hydrant theft
One of three men accused in a recent string of fire hydrant thefts and attempted thefts pleaded guilty to an attempted grand theft count today and was immediately sentenced to three years probation.
Cole Barrett Thomas, 32, was arrested July 2 after he and another man were seen “removing fire hydrant caps and the bolts holding a fire hydrant to the ground” near the area of Avenue 50 and Jackson Street in Indio at around 3:30 a.m., according to sheriff’s Sgt. David Smith.
Co-defendant Lance Kinsler, 47, is facing nine felony counts for allegedly stealing more than $45,000 worth of fire hydrants and hydrant parts in the cities of La Quinta, Coachella and Indio.
The investigation led deputies to a home in the 52000 block of Calle Techa in Coachella, where a third man, Richard Morales, 54, was taken into custody, according to Smith, who said detectives found additional fire hydrant parts at the residence. Morales faces a single felony count of receiving stolen property.
Kinsler and Morales are due in court Aug. 10 for a felony settlement conference.
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Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
