A plan to steal thousands of dollars in merchandise from the Home Depot in Turlock by three Merced residents was foiled by a loss prevention officer.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 28, the Turlock Police Department received a all from a loss prevention officer about some suspicious behavior by two men and one woman in the store, located on Countryside Drive.
Two of the subjects, Vincent Sandoval, 51, and Elizabeth Olivo, 58, both of Merced, were seen stacking up merchandise in a shopping cart. Then they left the cart and walked out of the store, said Turlock Police spokesperson Dominique Sanchez.
Vincent Sandoval got into a vehicle and parked it behind the store.
A short time later the third man, Tyler Sandoval, 22, of Merced entered the store and made directly for the cart full of merchandise. He quickly pushed the cart out an emergency exit and made a beeline for the waiting vehicle, Sanchez said.
The eagle-eyed loss prevention agent had already called the police and was updating an officer who was driving to the scene. The officer was able to stop the vehicle as it was trying to flee.
“Once they pulled over in front of the store, Elizabeth (Olivo), was walking out and claimed ownership of the vehicle,” Sanchez said. “All three were detained without incident.”
As the result of the investigation, it was determined the subjects were acting in concert to take the merchandise to sell for profit. Additionally, a criminal history check revealed Olivo had prior numerous felony convictions for theft. All three were arrested and booked for organized retail theft and conspiracy to commit a crime. Olivo was also charged with petty theft with two or more priors.