City of Modesto, California News Release

On Thursday May 31st, at about 11:52 A.M., a Modesto Police officer was patrolling the area of Tully Road and Roseburg Avenue, when he spotted a suspicious car, occupied by three male adults.  The officer, a detective assigned to the Department’s Property Crimes Unit, was aware of the recent spike in property crimes the city has been facing and was actively looking to prevent, deter and, when appropriate, arrest criminal predators who have been prowling the streets looking for an opportunity to steal someone else’s property.

When the officers stopped the vehicle, they looked in the car and noticed two large flat screen TV’s and a pillowcase full of property and electronic devices.  As the officers questioned the males, police received a call from a citizen reporting they had witnessed three males burglarize a residence in the 1500 block of West Roseburg Avenue.  The citizen reported seeing the three suspects carrying two TV’s as they fled the home and left the area.  Investigators were able to link the three suspects to the residential burglary on Roseburg Avenue and recovered all of the stolen property.

Officers arrested James Miranda, an 18-year-old Modesto resident, Anthony Herrera, a 21-year-old Modesto resident, and Pritpal Lal, a 25-year-old Madera resident.  All three suspects were arrested for residential burglary, possession of stolen property, and conspiracy.  The three suspects were booked into the Stanislaus County Jail.

“This case was made possible because a concerned citizen called to report what they believed was suspicious activity”, said Detective John Locke, who is assigned to the Property Crimes Unit.  “We strongly encourage our citizens to help us reduce crime by reporting any suspicious activity.  Even the smallest information can go a long way.”

The Modesto Police Property Crimes Unit traditionally maintains detectives working in a reactive role, following-up on crimes after they have been committed, reviewing reports, processing evidence, and interviewing victims and witnesses of crimes.  But times have changed and the Unit has begun to take a more of a proactive and intervention type of role when it comes to property crimes.  These detectives, who have specialized training and experience investigating property crimes, are being placed out in the streets, working alongside uniformed patrol officers to help curtail the recent increase in property crimes.

Many cities statewide have been seeing an increase in property crimes and Modesto has not been immune to this alarming trend.  This year, the city has seen a 22.1% increase in burglary crimes and a 19% increase in larceny crimes.

“Even though our department has seen a significant reduction in our staffing levels, we remain committed and will continue to be resourceful and innovative in our tactics in order to meet the needs of our community”, said Captain Gene Balentine, who is the Division Commander for the Investigative Services Division.