Frequent Arrestee Charged With Burglary of Palm Desert Home

Photo courtesy of the Riverside Sheriff’s Department

By City News Service

A 45-year-old Coachella man was charged Tuesday with burglary and other crimes stemming from his fourth arrest since December, which came after officers spotted him loading his vehicle with property from a home he had allegedly just burglarized.

Julio Cesar Anaya is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on charges of residential burglary, grand theft and committing a felony while free on bail. He is being held at the Riverside County jail in Indio in lieu of $55,000 bail.

Anaya was booked about 1:15 p.m. Sunday, several hours after officers received a report of a suspicious vehicle backed into the driveway of a home in the 73-200 block of Santa Rosa Way in Palm Desert, sheriff’s Sgt. Andy Martinez said.

Deputies moved in quietly, but Anaya saw them and tried to drive away before being stopped and arrested, Martinez said.

Anaya allegedly stole furniture, fixtures and mail from the home. All of the stolen items were recovered, sheriff’s officials said.

It was Anaya’s fourth arrest since late December and his second in five days.

Anaya was arrested Dec. 28 and charged with 11 counts, including burglary, identity theft and check fraud. He was released on his own recognizance.

Anaya was re-arrested less than two weeks later and charged Jan. 9 with three misdemeanor counts, including possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and petty theft. He was released on $3,500 bail in that case.

On April 28, Anaya was arrested again and charged with misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine. He was free on $3,500 bail in that case also.

Anaya is scheduled to appear in court May 18 on all three of the prior active cases.

Anaya’s latest arrest comes at a time when law enforcement officials across the region are increasingly critical of a state plan to reduce prison overcrowding by sending more inmates to county jails and releasing on probation those charged with less-serious offenses.

Police officials and prosecutors held a meeting at KESQ-TV Channel 3 on Monday, during which they expressed frustration at arresting the same offenders over and over again, only to see them quickly released back to the streets.