Pair arrested for stealing alcohol, selling it for meth

Two men were free on bail Thursday afternoon after being arrested for stealing alcohol from a local supermarket and then selling it for methamphetamine, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

On Monday, deputies assigned to the La Quinta Special Enforcement Team (SET) checked a vehicle parked at the Circle K on Calle Tampico after recognizing it as matching the description of a vehicle wanted in connection with a prior theft.

The two occupants of the white Ford Fusion were 27-year-old Palm Desert resident John Adams and 30-year-old Indio resident Mark Ford. The suspects admitted to stealing alcohol from the Stater Brothers off Washington Street in Bermuda Dunes, selling it, and then purchasing methamphetamine, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Adams and Ford were both arrested at 12:42 a.m. and subsequently booked in Indio Jail. They are both free on $5,000 bail.

Adams faces two misdemeanor counts, one for possession of drug paraphernalia, and one for possession of a controlled substance and Ford faces three misdemeanor counts, one for possession of a controlled substance (narcotics), one for possession of a controlled substance, and one for possession of drug paraphernalia, according to county jail records.