Suspected cell phone thief arrested at Coachella Fest

A New York man suspected of stealing more than 100 cell phones was arrested at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Indio Police said Sunday.

Reinaldo De Jesus Henao, 36, was arrested at 5:50 p.m. Friday at the festival grounds, located at 81500 Avenue 51.

Several festival-goers noticed their cell phones missing and activated the “Find My Phone” feature, which provides users with the GPS location of their device, Indio police Sgt. Dan Marshall said.

They then followed Henao through the venue and he was “quickly detained by security until law enforcement officers could arrive,” said Marshall.

According to Marshall, officers allegedly found a backpack with over 100 cell phones in Henao’s possession.

Marshall said he and other Indio Police officers would like to remind people attending the festival of some tips to help protect valuables at the concert.

These tips include keeping wallets and valuables in front pockets instead of the back, keeping an elastic band around valuables, using a dummy wallet or old phone and spreading valuables instead of keeping them in one place.

“If you make it easily accessible for you to get when someone calls you, then you are making it easy for someone to take it from you,” Marshall said.

Several of the cell phones were returned to the victims.

The remaining devices were turned into the festival’s lost and found where they can be reclaimed.

Henao was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Center on suspicion of grand theft and receiving stolen property. He was released after posting $10,000 bail, according to inmate records.

IPD officers say Cathedral City police are also helping with the investigation.