South Bay Pair Arrested in San Diego on Suspicion of Identity Theft

CARSON, CA - Two South Bay residents who allegedly stole a Los Angeles County man's identity and ran up at least $40,000 in debt were behind bars in San Diego County on Thursday after staffers at an Oceanside hotel found counterfeit IDs in a room they reserved, authorities said.

William Dexter Redwine, 50, and Natalie Anne Payne, 32, had checked into the Holiday Inn, but switched rooms Tuesday night because of a maintenance problem.

Wednesday afternoon, hotel workers alerted police after they found fake IDs inadvertently left behind in the room they vacated, Oceanside police Officer Kathleen Vincent said.

Redwine and Payne were leaving as officers arrived, but were detained upon their return, Vincent said.

A subsequent search of their room turned up evidence of drug use and of an ongoing counterfeit operation, Vincent said.

Redwine and Payne were arrested and booked into the Vista Detention Facility. He faces an identity theft charge, and she was being held in connection with a misdemeanor warrant for possession of a controlled substance, according to police and jail records.

Officers tracked down an alleged identity theft victim, a Los Angeles man, who told them he and his company had lost more than $40,000.

Vincent said the Los Angeles Police Department already had launched an investigation into the case.

Vincent said there may be additional victims.

-- City News Service, photo via Shutterstock