A 26-year-old Arleta man depicted along with his mother in selfie snapshots taken on a stolen Kindle reader turned the device in at the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Station and is facing possible misdemeanor charges, but his mother has been cleared of any involvement.
Michael Soto showed up at the station about 7 p.m., Thursday, according to the LAPD. He was accompanied by his brother and turned in the Kindle and a smart phone that was also taken.
Police had earlier circulated images of Soto and his mother, hoping someone could help identify the two.
The Kindle was stolen about 3:45 p.m. on Feb. 9 from a Jack in the Box parking lot in the 16800 block of Vanowen Street, police said.
The theft occurred one day before Ash Wednesday, and in the photos, Soto’s smiling mother appeared to have ashes on her forehead.
The photos were uploaded a few days after the theft, “probably when the Kindle linked to the Internet,” Detective Mark Pearce of the LAPD’s West Valley Detective Division said.
“Soto’s mother had no idea the Kindle had been stolen,” West Valley Division Capt. Paul Vernon said. “It’s only fair that we say that for the sake of her reputation.”
When the photos were released, police did not identify them as suspects, but said they just wanted to identify the man and woman and encourage them to contact investigators and return the device.
“I think there was a bit of family pressure to get Michael to return the stolen items and fess up, if nothing else, to help clear his mom’s name,” Vernon said. “Michael may have a bigger debt to pay to his mom than to society.”
The items were returned to their owner and police plan to file misdemeanor charges with the City Attorney’s Office, police said.
Soto was released pending charges. He could not be arrested without a warrant since the theft was a misdemeanor, police said.
The Kindle had been tracked to several San Fernando Valley locations after it was taken, police said.
The owner began tracking the Kindle and the smart phone and was alerted when the pictures were taken and automatically uploaded to online, or cloud storage, Pearce said.
“This theft is unfortunately all too common,” Pearce said. “It was a crime of opportunity with items left on a front seat, inside an unlocked car, with the driver yards away, and gone only a few minutes.”
—City News Service