Several suspects face charges for holiday burglaries
Five people have been arrested following a string of burglaries, drug charges and weapons violations that occurred in the Coachella Valley over the holidays.
All of the suspects were connected to a home burglary that occurred in the unincorporated area of South Desert Hot Springs on December 22.
The investigation began after officers with the Palm Desert Police Department responded to a stolen UPS package that was taken from a residence near the 77000 block of Michigan Drive around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23.
They found the suspect’s vehicle, a stolen Hyundai out of Indio, with several other items that were believed to be stolen.
Officers found one of the occupants of the vehicle nearby, 24-year-old Desert Hot Springs resident Allison Haley. Haley was arrested for possession of stolen property and theft and was booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio, according to police.
Deputies discovered the additional stolen items in the Hyundai came from the home burglary in Desert Hot Springs that took place the day before. They said several firearms, a compound bow, thousands of rounds of ammunition, electronics, memorabilia and additional personal property were taken.
The investigation continued and revealed several other suspects.
According to the release, 26-year-old Indio resident Kevin White was found in possession of some of the stolen property near the 82000 block of Highway 111. Officers arrested him for being a felon in possession of a firearm and felony possession of stolen property.
On December 30, the investigation lead the Burglary Suppression Unit near the 80900 block of Highway 111 in Indio. They found Kevin Fletcher, a 34-year-old La Quinta resident, and 20-year-old Indio resident Brandon White, in possession of more than one ounce of methamphetamine.
The meth led deputies to serve a search warrant at a home near the 46700 block of Clinton Street in Indio, where they found several firearms, more than a thousand rounds of stolen ammunition, and additional stolen property related to the home burglary.
Fletcher was arrested for possession of methamphetamine for sales/transportation, possession of stolen property, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and for being a felon in possession of ammunition.
White was arrested and booked for possession of methamphetamine for sales/transportation, according to police.
Richard Bell, a 26-year-old Desert Hot Springs resident, was also arrested in connection to the residential burglary. Authorities took him into custody on Monday, January 5, after serving a search warrant near the 66000 block of 3rd Street in Desert Hot Springs.
Officers found stolen property from the burglary, including assault rifle magazines and ammunition. Bell was arrested for possession of a stolen handgun and stolen property, according to police. He was also booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding the burglary is asked to call Investigator Heredia with the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at (760) 836-1674.
