Authorities: Modestan committed burglaries, robbery, assault, 3 vehicle thefts in hours
A Modesto man is behind bars facing charges that include assault with a deadly weapon after a crime spree that spanned several hours Tuesday and went from the Turlock area to south Modesto to Ceres, according to the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force.
The first incident was a residential burglary on the 500 block of Vermont Street in Turlock, according to a Facebook post by StanCATT. A 2014 Chevrolet Silverado was taken from the residence, and Turlock police officers identified Jesus Guzman Vega, 32, as a suspect.
About 12:40 p.m., Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an assault report on the 500 block of Crows Landing Road in Modesto. The Silverado was found there, and the victim said Vega had assaulted him and robbed him, according to the StanCATT post.
Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Luke Schwartz said the victim apparently was punched and knocked unconscious. He declined medical treatment beyond the check done at the scene by emergency medical responders. “A baseball bat was taken for evidentiary purposes,” Schwartz said.
Approximately 10 minutes later, Modesto police responded to the 600 block of Zeff Road, about a mile south, where a 1997 Chevrolet Silverado had just been stolen. Sheriff’s deputies identified Vega as the subject who took pickup, too.
More than five hours later, at about 6:12 p.m., the Merced County Sheriff’s Office advised Stanislaus deputies that it was investigating a residential burglary in the 11000 block of Youngstown Road in unincorporated Turlock. The stolen 1997 Silverado had been abandoned at the scene, and a 2018 Ford F-150 pickup was taken.
About 6:40 p.m., StanCATT found the F-150 in the parking lot of the shopping center at 1342 E. Hatch Road, Ceres. StanCATT detectives kept eyes on the pickup as Vega drove it through the parking lot. They requested assistance from the Sheriff’s Department.
Vega pulled into the parking lot of the Howard Johnson motel, less than a half mile south on Herndon Road. Sheriff’s deputies arrived and detained Vega without incident. Found in the pickup was an unloaded 12-gauge shotgun taken from one of the burglaries.
Vega was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges including residential burglary, auto theft, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury or death, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 12:02 PM.
