SLO police arrest 2 Santa Maria residents suspected in car burglary
The San Luis Obispo Police Department arrested two Santa Maria residents suspected of stealing a catalytic converter, Social Security card and license plate this week.
On Tuesday, officers responded to a report of a vehicle burglary in the 1500 block of El Tigre Court, where witnesses on scene saw two people flee in a dark-colored, older Toyota Corolla, according to a police department news release.
The responding officer observed a vehicle matching the description driving away from the area, and performed a traffic stop.
“During the traffic stop, it was discovered the rear license plate displayed on the suspect vehicle did not match the vehicle’s VIN,” the release stated. “Further investigation revealed the license plate had been stolen from another vehicle in the same area as the initial vehicle burglary, but had not yet been reported.”
Officers searched the vehicle and found drug paraphernalia associated with both occupants, along with several other items including a handgun, stun gun, shaved vehicle ignition keys, controlled substances, a social security card belonging to another individual, a catalytic converter recently cut from another vehicle and miscellaneous burglary tools, according to the release.
According to the release, the investigation confirmed the license plate, social security card and catalytic converter were all recently stolen from the El Tigre area. The catalytic converter was successfully matched to a vehicle and returned to its owners, the release said. The license plate and social security card were also returned to their owners.
The car’s occupants — Andrea Reyes, 39, and Dustin Kinsey, 44, both of Santa Maria — were taken into custody and booked into County Jail.
Reyes was booked on suspicion of charges of possession of a stun gun, stolen property, burglary tools and drug paraphernalia, as well as charges of driving with a suspended license and identity theft, according to the release. She was still in custody as of Wednesday evening in lieu of $20,000 bail, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office’s Who’s in Custody website.
Kinsey meanwhile was booked on suspicion of charges of a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of drug paraphernalia and identity theft. He was also still in custody as of Wednesday evening, with bail set at $50,000.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the police department at 805-781-7312 or Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP.
This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 6:27 PM.
