A parolee and another man were arrested Friday for allegedly trying to steal a utility trailer from a Lake Elsinore business.
John Paul Andrade, 33, of Yorba Linda, and David Alan Cason, 32, of Menifee, were apprehended shortly before 1 a.m. in the 500 block of Crane Street, near Pasadena Street.
Both men were booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of vehicle theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy. Andrade was additionally booked for alleged parole violations.
According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Askins, about 12:50 a.m., deputies were sent to a business on Crane to investigate reports of a theft in progress.
The owner of the facility told dispatchers he had remotely accessed security surveillance cameras at the site and spotted two men — later identified as Andrade and Cason — breaking locks in order to hitch one of his trailers to their pickup truck, Askins said.
He said deputies summoned a sheriff’s helicopter to assist in checking the location, and the suspects were spotted preparing to leave with the trailer.
“The subjects attempted to leave, and as they rounded a corner, realized patrol units were parked in the driveway and they could not exit,” Askins said. “The driver attempted to back up and subsequently jack-knifed the trailer.”
Deputies quickly surrounded the men and took both into custody without a struggle, according to the sergeant.
According to court records, Andrade has multiple prior convictions for possession of controlled substances, while Cason has a prior for driving under the influence.