Woman Caught With Check Stolen From Kincade Fire Evac Zone: Cops

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A Stewarts Point woman was arrested Monday on suspicion of possession of stolen property when a deputy found her with a check believed to have been stolen out of a mailbox in Geyserville during the recent Kincade Fire evacuation, a sergeant with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said.

The woman, identified by the sheriff's office as Latisha McCloud, 35, came to the attention of authorities when a deputy responded around 8 a.m. Monday to a report of a man down in the area of Highway 1 and Annapolis Road in unincorporated west Sonoma County, sheriff's Sgt. Juan Valencia said.

The deputy arrived to find a red Ford truck parked on the side of the road. The driver's-side door was open with McCloud sitting in the driver's seat and a man — later identified as Jason Bean, 47, of Gualala — was laying on her lap, "passed out from being intoxicated," Valencia said.

The deputy detained Bean, at which point Bean told the deputy there was a gun inside the truck, Valencia said.

"The deputy found a bolt-action rifle under the backseat," Valencia said. "The rifle had a large silencer attached to the barrel. Bean said he used the rifle to hunt for deer to feed his kids and that the silencer was to keep it quiet."

In a further search of the truck, the deputy found a business check in McCloud's purse that did not belong to her, the sergeant said.

The deputy was familiar with McCloud, having arrested her in the past on suspicion of passing stolen checks, forgery and credit-card theft.

"The deputy spoke with the owner of the check," Valencia said. "The check was stolen out of a mailbox from Geyserville, during the Kincade Fire evacuation."

The pair was taken to Sonoma County jail, where Bean was booked on suspicion of felony possession of a silencer and misdemeanor public intoxication.

McCloud was booked on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property. Her bail was set at $5,000 and she remained in custody Wednesday pending a court appearance, jail records showed.

Bean's bail was set at $25,000 and he has since posted bail, Valencia said.