FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. - Three suspects accused of organized retail theft at the Guitar Center in Fountain Valley and other crimes in Orange County have been arrested, police said.
Three people were arrested after a series of thefts in Orange County. (Fountain Valley PD)
Officials with Fountain Valley PD said within the past two weeks, two separate grand theft incidents have occurred at the music retailer located near the intersection of Euclid and Newhope streets.
In both incidents, detectives obtained the suspects’ vehicle license plate number, noting it was linked to a previous case from June 2021 and that the suspects matched the same descriptions.
In the investigation, detectives located the suspects’ vehicle at a motel in Anaheim on July 28. While under surveillance, the suspects were seen entering the Bloomingdale’s at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa at different times. A short time later, two of the suspects left the store with stolen merchandise, and eventually, all three suspects were detained at the vehicle's location.
The three suspects were identified as 37-year-old Pamela Young of La Palma, 39-year-old Pedro Melendez of Anaheim, and 38-year-old Isaac Villalpando of Westminster.
The stolen Bloomingdale’s merchandise, valued at an estimated $2,500, was recovered from the vehicle. All three suspects were arrested and taken to the Fountain Valley Police Department. The investigation also revealed the suspects were linked to another theft at the Guitar Center in Brea.
The suspects were booked into the Orange County Jail for burglary, conspiring to commit burglary, and organized retail theft.
The investigation is ongoing.