Modesto man went on ‘crime spree’ after release from jail on $0 bail, police say
A man who Modesto police said was recently released from jail when his bail was dropped to $0 under a new statewide emergency rule was arrested again on Thursday when stolen tools and equipment worth $13,000 were found at his home, authorities said.
The Police Department has taken eight theft reports since April 20 in which yard equipment and power tools were stolen from vehicles, according to a news release.
Detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the burglaries and recognized the suspect, 37-year-old Jeremy Salinas, from prior arrests.
“Additionally, detectives determined two of the vehicles used in Salinas’ crime spree were stolen,” according to the release.
A search warrant was served at Salinas’ Modesto home. Detectives from the department’s Property Crimes Unit and the Crime Reduction Team located and arrested Salinas and recovered tools and equipment.
Salinas was arrested on suspicion of two counts of possessing a stolen vehicle, four counts of grand theft and six counts of looting.
According to the release, Salinas had been arrested several times in March and earlier in April for multiple counts of vehicle burglary, possessing a stolen vehicle and for evading police, but he was released on $0 bail.
The Judicial Council of California on April 6 established a temporary bail schedule that reduced to $0 the bail for most misdemeanor and some low-level felony offenses in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“With charges of looting and additional bail enhancements of $750,000, we hope to keep Salinas from victimizing our community any further,” the release says.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 3:54 PM.
