Three Arrested In Target Store ID Theft Ring

Palm Desert police and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department joined forces to arrest three people believed to have been involved in an identity theft ring that netted hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost money.

The investigation started with suspected cases of identity theft at the Target store on Highway 111 in Palm Desert.

On Thursday, detectives followed a lead in the case that brought them to the city of Rialto and the home of Luis Carlos Avila, 27. Inside his home, police found several items linking him to the rash of thefts. He was arrested and booked into the Banning jail for burglary, identity theft and possession of a credit card skimming device.

That evidence led detectives to another home in the Big Bear Lake area. Late Thursday night, Sara Jane Mowery-Adams, 21, and Michael David Arias, 23, were contacted and arrested for burglary and identity theft. Both suspects were transported to the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station and interviewed. Both were later booked into the Indio Jail.