Alleged Thermal area Jeep part thief arrested

A man remained behind bars Friday afternoon after being arrested on suspicion of a series of thefts in the Thermal area.

On Thursday, deputies assigned to the Thermal Station Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District and La Quinta Special Enforcement Team served a search warrant in an unincorporated area of Thermal relating to a vehicle theft that was reported on August 7, and a series of similar thefts in the area of that incident.

The thefts specifically targeted Jeep style vehicles in the vicinity.

The warrant was served after deputies obtained ‘latent prints’ from the August incident and found a match, 30-year-old Adriana Barajas of Thermal, according to RSO.

During the warrant execution, deputies found ‘numerous parts’, including a license plate, belonging to the stolen Jeep in question.

Barajas was arrested at 10:27 p.m. on Vela Court in Thermal, according to county jail records. He faces a felony charge of committing a crime as a felon out on bail, and a felony charge of receiving known stolen property.

He is being held in Indio jail on $30,000 bail.