ANDERSON SPRINGS, Calif. – An investigation into multiple thefts in the Anderson Springs area of Middletown over the weekend has resulted in the arrests of three juveniles and one adult.
The adult in the case is 20-year-old Zachary Aaron Peterson of Hidden Valley Lake, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Bauman said several items of stolen property have been recovered and returned to their owners and many other items remain in safekeeping, pending the identification of additional theft victims.
On Saturday, July 30, at approximately 9:30 a.m., a sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to a residence on Rose Anderson Road in Anderson Springs to investigate a theft from a vehicle, Bauman said.
He said the victim reported that several male juveniles had been seen going through her parked vehicle at approximately 3:30 a.m. and several items of property had been stolen, including an i-Pod, a cell phone and tools.
As the deputy was investigating that theft, another resident on Rose Anderson Road reported that he also had property stolen from his vehicle during the night. Bauman said a pair of binoculars and a pair of sunglasses were reportedly taken from his vehicle.
After talking with several neighboring residents, the investigation led the deputy to another home on Rose Anderson Road, where he contacted three male juveniles and a male adult, identified as Peterson, Bauman said.
Bauman said that during that contact, the deputy observed several items of property on the premises that matched the description of items stolen in the two thefts.
The i-Pod, cell phone, tools, binoculars and sunglasses previously reported as stolen were positively identified and all four suspects were arrested, Bauman said.
He said the suspects admitted to stealing property from at least six other parked vehicles during the night but they could not remember where the cars were located. Additional items of property were seized as suspected stolen property from those unreported thefts.
Peterson was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility where he was booked for receiving stolen property, with bail set at $10,000. Jail records indicated that Peterson remained in custody on Monday.
Bauman said the three juveniles were transported to the Lake County Juvenile Hall where they were all booked for receiving stolen property and petty theft.
The property stolen in the two initial thefts was returned to both victims, Bauman said.
Several other items of suspected stolen property are being held for safekeeping, pending the identification of additional theft victims. He said those items include numerous cell phone chargers, a deck of playing cards, a “Plantronics” blue-tooth earpiece, a “Scosche” remote control unit and a black knife.
Anyone who believes they may have had property stolen from their car over the weekend in the Anderson Springs area is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Investigations Division at 707-262-4200.
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