PSPD arrests man sleeping in stolen car

The Palm Springs Police Department arrested a suspected car thief on Sunday night after finding a man sleeping behind the wheel of the stolen car. Sgt. William Hutchinson with PSPD said the 2015 Mercedes 300 was taken from the 600 block of Bedford Drive early Sunday morning.

Officers were called again at about 9:30 p.m. when someone reported a man sleeping in a Mercedes, which was parked at the intersection of Desert Way and Escoba Drive.

Palm Springs firefighters were talking to 36-year-old Tristan Carl Pablo when officers arrived, and authorities determined he had been driving the stolen car.

Sgt. Hutchinson said Pablo was the only one inside the stolen car. Officers also found several checks believed to have been stolen through the mail from several Palm Springs homes. They also found a small amount of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and burglary tools.

Officers said Pablo was out on bail at the time of the arrest and he was booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio for possession of a stolen vehicle, committing a felony while out on bail, possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pablo is being held on $25,000 bail and is due in court at the Larson Justice Center on Wednesday, April 13, jail records show.