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Turlock fruit cup thief moves onto cigarettes
Campos
Matthew Santos Campos

A Turlock man arrested two weeks earlier for robbery after hurling a fruit cup at a security guard was taken into custody again on allegations he used a set of stolen keys to help himself to cigarettes from a smoke shop.

Matthew Santos Campos, 25, was booked for commercial burglary and attempted arson following his arrest on Saturday.

The owner of Legacy Smoke Shop at 124 Lander Ave. told Turlock Police officers that the keys to the business had been stolen earlier in the week. Later, video surveillance showed a man using the keys to open the store’s back door. The man proceeded to help himself to the store’s cigarettes.

Campos was detained by store personnel on Saturday when he returned to the store and they recognized him from the video surveillance. The stolen items were located in Campos’ vehicle, according to the Turlock Police Department.

Campos was charged with attempted arson because he tried to set the back seat of the patrol car on fire with a lighter, according to the police report.

On Oct. 23, Campos was arrested on suspicion of robbery after he threw a fruit cup at a loss prevention agent at the Walmart Neighborhood Market while trying to leave the store with unpaid for merchandise.

Campos fled from the store and was last seen leaving the area in a vehicle. The loss prevention agent was able give the police officers a detailed description of the vehicle.

A short time later a female relative of Campos’ contacted the police department stating Campos had been assaulted by a store employee. The woman said she would bring Campos to the police department to make a report, but before they arrived an officer spotted the car on Lander Avenue and took Campos into custody.

The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office has since charged Campos with two misdemeanor counts of petty theft and battery causing serious bodily injury for the Oct. 23 incident. For Saturday’s incident the district attorney’s office has charged him with a felony count of burglary and misdemeanor charges of petty theft and obstructing a peace officer.