Stolen boxes of cigarettes leads to felony arrest in Riverside

RIVERSIDE – A man needing a severe nicotine fix stole several boxes filled with cartons of cigarettes Wednesday, July 6, at about 8:00 a.m., leading to his arrest by a Riverside Police officer several hours later.

William Hill III was arrested after stealing several boxes filled with cartons of cigarettes from the back of an open delivery truck.

After an investigation William Hill III, 53, of Riverside, was located several hours later. He was arrested and booked into jail for one felony and two misdemeanor charges.

The incident began when a patrol officer was dispatched to the 3400 block of Madison Street to conduct an investigation into the reported theft of cigarettes.

The officer’s investigation revealed that while a delivery driver was making a delivery of boxes filled with cartons of cigarettes he momentarily left his delivery truck open and unattended. Seeing no one around to stop him, Hill allegedly took the opportunity to steal several boxes of cigarettes from the open delivery truck.

The value of the stolen boxes totaled more than $950 worth of cigarettes.

During his investigation, the officer obtained CCTV surveillance video that had captured footage of both the suspect and the vehicle he was driving when the theft occurred.

After the conclusion of his investigation, the officer returned to handling other calls for service and patrolling his assigned beat area.

Several hours later, at about 11:30 a.m., the officer spotted the suspect’s vehicle at Grace Street and Lincoln Avenue. The officer saw a person who matched the description of the alleged suspect inside the vehicle.

The officer conducted an investigatory contact and determined the man inside the vehicle was Hill. The officer detained Hill for further investigation. During his follow-up investigation, the officer located the stolen boxes of cigarettes. The officer also discovered Hill was in possession of drug paraphernalia and narcotics. The stolen property was recovered and later returned to the rightful owner.

The officer arrested Hill and booked him into the Robert Presley Detention Center.

A jail record search revealed Hill was booked on suspicion of grand theft – a felony. Hill was also booked on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of narcotics. Hill is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice July 8.

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