Mystery of Once Missing Man Deepens with His Arrest

What began as a missing-person case but evolved into a mystery involving a break-in, theft and a possible celebrity sex tape became more complex today with police confirming that the man who went missing and his girlfriend had been arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Darwin Vela, 22, and Kelly McLaren, 24, were arrested in the 5100 block of Century Boulevard in Inglewood about 11:15 a.m. Monday, Los Angeles police Sgt. Cleon Joseph said. Vela and McLaren were released early this morning on $20,000 bail each, and they were tentatively scheduled to appear in court in downtown Los Angeles Dec. 16, according to the sheriff's department.

The couple made headlines when Vela went missing last Tuesday after taking his dog for a walk in the West Adams district. The dog returned home, apparently with blood on its leash, but Vela did not. McLaren made multiple appearances on local television broadcasts appealing for help finding Vela, who turned up Friday.

Police would not provide details of the alleged burglary that led to the couple's arrests, but the Los Angeles Times reported that the heist occurred in August at the home of Christina Fulton, an ex-girlfriend of actor Nicolas Cage.

District attorney's spokeswoman Shiara Davila-Morales also declined to confirm the identity of the alleged burglary victim, saying only: "We don't have a case filed against Vela or McLaren."

According to The Times, Vela and McLaren are suspected of breaking into Fulton's home in August, along with a man named Ricardo Orozco.

Vela's disappearance last week occurred two days before he and McLaren were expected to testify against Orozco in the Fulton burglary case, which officials said involved the theft of computers.

Authorities said Vela flagged down a motorist on the Westside on Friday, and the motorist alerted police.

McLaren did take the stand in Orozco's case on Thursday, but she invoked her 5th Amendment right not to testify, according to Davila-Morales.

A police detective who took the stand discussed an encounter involving Orozco, Vela, McLaren and an attorney who has represented actor Charlie Sheen, The Times reported.

The detective said that before the break-in, the trio met with the attorney and told him they knew of a sex tape involving Sheen, district attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison told The Times. They said they did not have the tape, the detective testified, and the attorney told them he would talk only to someone who had it. Robison told The Times the supposed sex tape has not turned up, and officials question whether it even exists.

-- City News Service