Winters police credit surveillance video for the arrest of a theft suspect last week.
In a Facebook post, the Winters Police Department said the investigation began shortly after noon Monday, Dec. 19, with a theft report in the 500 block of Railroad Avenue, where the victim reported having several fishing rods worth $3,250 stolen from his truck bed.
“The victim reviewed his surveillance cameras and saw a subject walking away from the area with the fishing rods; however, the subject put them down when he saw a Winters Police Department unit on routine patrol pass nearby,” the post said.
Officers recognized the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Luis Alberto Banuelos of Winters, from prior contacts and began looking for him. During the search, the victim called police dispatchers and reported seeing him walking through nearby Rotary Park.
According to police, Banuelos fled when he saw the officers but was apprehended at a nearby apartment complex following a brief foot chase. He was booked into the Yolo County Jail on charges of grand theft and resisting/obstructing a police officer.
“This incident was resolved through the cooperation of the public and the police,” police said. “Video surveillance again played a critical role in positively identifying the subject. The Winters Police Department maintains the Camera Registry Capture Program, a voluntary and confidential list of residents who register their surveillance cameras with us to help us solve crimes.”
For more information about the program, visit www.winterspolice.org/capture.
“The Winters Police Department also encourages residents to abide by ‘remove it, lock it, or lose it,’ ” the post noted. “Most thefts, especially from vehicles, are a crime of opportunity. By taking your valuables and locking your vehicles, you greatly reduce the chance of being the victim of these types of theft.”
