Sebastopol Man Arrested For Suspected Bike Theft On Halloween Night

SONOMA COUNTY, CA – A 19-year-old man was arrested Monday night on suspicion of stealing a bicycle in a Sebastopol neighborhood popular for Trick-or-Treating, according to police.

An officer patrolling Gravenstein Highway North spotted the suspect, later identified as Benjamin Zaragoza-Rodriguez, and stopped him at 8:23 p.m.

Zaragoza-Rodriguez is on probation, according to police, and while he was being detained another officer patrolling Florence Avenue spoke with a victim who'd just had his bicycle stolen.

The description of the stolen bike matched the one Zaragoza-Rodriguez was riding, but he said the bike belonged to his mother, Maria De Lourdes Zaragoza - who allegedly corroborated the story when asked by investigating officers.

"The officer called Maria to verify this story. Maria, who had already seen the bicycle in her son's possession, lied to the officer and stated that the bicycle was in fact hers, and she gave Zaragoza-Rodriguez permission to ride it. Maria knew the color of the bicycle, but was unable to verify the make," police said.

Later, the victim positively identified the bicycle, and Zaragoza-Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and violating the terms of his probation.

His mother, De Lourdes Zaragoza, was also arrested on suspicion of obstructing or delaying the investigating officer by allegedly lying to protect her son.

Both suspects were taken to the Sonoma County jail for booking.

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--Bay City News/File photo