Santa Ana woman arrested for mail theft in Murrieta

Murrieta Police Department Murrieta Police Department

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PRESS RELEASE 1701M-5789

Subject : Call from Citizen Leads to Arrest for Mail Theft

Contact : Tony Conrad 951-461-6309, tconrad@murrieta.org

On 1/26/17 at approximately 4:24 a.m., the Murrieta Police Department received a phone call from an observant citizen regarding subjects seen going through mailboxes in the area of Silkwood Court and Spinning Wheel Drive. The caller was able to provide a description of the vehicle that dropped the subjects off, as well as a direction of travel of the subjects who were on foot. The first of several officers arrived in the area within four minutes of the phone call and observed four individuals walking on Spinning Wheel Drive, as the caller had described. The four subjects were detained by the officer while the incoming units continued to check the area for the vehicle described by the caller, as well as any possible outstanding subjects.

Upon contacting the four subjects walking on Spinning Wheel Drive, the officers observed mail thrown on the ground and mail protruding from the suspects clothing. The suspects were identified as Morgan Banks (Costa Mesa), Stephanie Senechal (Santa Ana), Gabriela Suazo (Long Beach) and Adriana Gross (Compton). A records check was conducted on each subject. The check revealed that Mr. Banks had an extensive criminal history, dating back 28 years. Mr. Banks had previous convictions for narcotics, vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, burglary, forgery, identity theft, conspiracy, parole violation and weapons related charges. During a search of Mr. Banks, officers located cocaine.

While the officers were speaking with the four subjects on Spinning Wheel, another officer located a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle seen dropping the subjects off that had been provided by the caller. The vehicle was occupied by Edward Greer. A records check revealed that Mr. Greer had been arrested on 1/24/17 for an outstanding felony warrant and was currently on bail. Inside the vehicle, officers located two batons and three knives. All five subjects were taken to Murrieta Police Department for further investigation.

At 6:00 a.m., Detectives with the Murrieta Police Department took over the investigation. During the investigation, it was discovered that four of the suspects detained had been staying at a hotel in Temecula. The detectives obtained a search warrant for the hotel rooms that had been rented by the suspects. At 11:15 a.m., detectives and members of the Special Enforcement Team served the search warrant in two hotel rooms. Inside one of the hotel rooms, detectives contacted two subjects and located 19.3 pounds of marijuana. One of the subjects inside the room was identified as William Nibeel. Inside the second hotel room, detectives located additional pieces of stolen mail. Mr. Nibeel was taken to the Murrieta Police Department to complete the investigation. The second subject contacted in the hotel room was released at the scene.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the six subjects detained by the officers and detectives were placed under arrest. Mr. Banks was arrested for mail theft and possession of narcotics. Ms. Gross, Ms. Suazo and Ms. Senechal were arrested for mail theft. Mr. Greer was arrested for possession of burglary tools, possession of knives and batons, and committing a felony while on bail. Mr. Nibeel was arrested for the possession of marijuana. All six subjects were booked into the Southwest Detention Center.

The Murrieta Police Department would like to thank the observant citizen for contacting us and providing the information that led to the arrest of these individuals. The Murrieta Police Department will continue to pursue and arrest those responsible for these crimes. Unfortunately, mail theft is a crime of opportunity. Continue to contact the Murrieta Police Department when you see suspicious activity and continue to pick up your mail every day. By working together, we can reduce crime in our city.

Arrestees:

• Morgan Banks (46 years) Resident of Costa Mesa, 530.5 PC – Mail Theft; 11350(B) HS – Possession of Narcotics Controlled Substance, Booking Number 201703310
• Edward Greer (32 years) Resident of Murrieta, Charges: 466 PC – Possession of Burglary Tools; 22210 PC – Possession of Baton; 12022.1 PC – Felony Committed While On Bail, Booking Number: 201703309
• Brianna Gross (21 years) Resident of Compton, 530.5 PC – Mail Theft, Booking Number: 201703302
• Gabriela Suazo (22 years) Resident of Long Beach, 530.5 PC – Mail Theft, Booking Number: 201703304
• Stephanie Senechal (22 years) Resident of Santa Ana, 530.5 PC – Mail Theft, Booking Number: 201703308
• William Nibeel (29 years) Resident of Huntington Beach, 11357(B) HS – Possession of Marijuana, Booking Number: 201703324

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Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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