Second suspect fled, mail and checks found
One man was a arrested and stolen mail and checks were found after Piedmont Police pulled over a van. The incident began at 3:50 a.m. on March 25 when a report came in that the people in the van were looking into vehicles on Kingston Avenue.
Police found a van matching the description, a Honda Odyssey. A records check found the license plates belonged to a different vehicle, according to Piedmont Police Captain Chris Monahan. He said the driver was detained but a second suspect fled on foot. A VIN check showed the van had been reported stolen out of Oakland.
Captain Monahan said a search of the vehicle turned up an aftermarket key fob programmed to the Odyssey, a tablet, two original license plates linked to the vehicle, and a backpack containing checks and mail from different addresses and names.
The driver was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin for possession of a stolen vehicle.
On March 22, Piedmont Police found a parked Ford EC-150 van on Fairmount Avenue at 6:25 a.m. A records check on the license plate came back for a Chevrolet van, according to Captain Monahan. A woman was inside the vehicle. A records check showed it had been reported stolen out of Oakland, according to Captain Monahan.
The woman was detained and was found she was on probation in Alameda County and had been released on her own recognizance for multiple other cases, according to Captain Monahan. He said the woman said her stomach was hurting, so she was taken to Highland Hospital where she was medically cleared. She was then taken to Santa Rita Jail and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, violating her probation and displaying the fraudulent license plates.
On March 24, Piedmont Police conducted a traffic stop on a white 2014 Volkswagen CC at Sunnyside and Grand avenues at 12:34 a.m. The reason for the stop was being without two lighted headlamps, according to Captain Monahan.
The officer said the male driver showed signs of intoxication and said he had just come from a bar. Field sobriety tests were conducted and the driver failed them, according to Captain Monahan. He said the driver refused a preliminary alcohol screening but agreed to a blood draw. The draw was conducted at the Department headquarters and the suspect was then taken to Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of DUI.