Pair Arrested for Alleged Lotto Ticket Heist

Two young men suspected of stealing hundreds of lottery tickets from a Hemet liquor store and then attempting to flee from police were behind bars Monday.

Jesse Louis Hutchison, 18, and Jabril Lamar Luckett, 20, both of Hemet, were arrested last night on suspicion of grand theft and conspiracy. Luckett was additionally booked for alleged reckless driving.

He’s being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, while Hutchison is being held there in lieu of $50,000.

According to Hemet Deputy Police Chief Rob Webb, officers spotted the pair about 10 p.m., driving in the area of Devonshire and Sanderson avenues.

Webb said the patrolmen became suspicious when they saw Luckett backing into a parking stall in front of a closed business with his headlights off.

The officers watched the car for several minutes, concerned that the suspects could be the same ones involved in a series of overnight burglaries in the city.

When the vehicle’s driver abruptly left the parking lot with the headlights still out, accelerating west on Devonshire, the officers gave chase, signaling him to stop, according to Webb.

Luckett allegedly increased his speed and attempted several evasive maneuvers to shake the patrolmen, the deputy chief said.

A short time later, the car stopped on Menlo Avenue, near Cawston Elementary School, and Hutchison bailed on foot, fleeing a short distance before officers grabbed him, according to Webb. Luckett stayed with the vehicle and was taken into custody without incident, the deputy chief said.

Investigators were notified minutes later about a theft at Paradise Liquor, located at 259 N. Sanderson Ave. A clerk reported that $1,600 in lottery tickets had been stolen from the business.

Webb alleged both men were involved in the theft.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock