Officer arrests suspect after entering store to buy gum in Palm Springs
A man suspected of a series of thefts and probation violations remained behind bars Thursday night after being arrested in Palm Springs earlier this week.
On Tuesday at around 2:00 p.m., a Palm Springs Police Department officer entered the Rite Aid located at 111 South Sunrise Way in Palm Springs to purchase a pack of gum, The officer recognized a man who had been previously arrested several times near the register, and approached him.
The man, identified as 35-year-old Palm Springs resident Troy William Verdult, was reportedly “acting strange” and “trying to hide a credit card he was holding” while standing line with a cart that was filled with “several relatively expensive items,” with an estimated total cost of $200, according to PSPD.
“While speaking with Verdult, the officer asked about how he was going to pay for such expensive items,” read the PSPD incident news release. “This initial questioning and preliminary investigation led the officer down a path of obvious suspicion.”
Verdult was found to be in possession of a credit card stolen taken in a vehicle burglary earlier in the day. After a probation search, the officer found that Verdult was in possession of several other stolen items. Additional investigation also revealed that Verdult had made a fraudulent purchase at Walmart the previous day.
According to county jail records, Verdult faces 14 felonies, and one misdemeanor. He is being held on $100,000 bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
KESQ
