RIVERSIDE: Citizen’s call leads to arrest of 4 for mail and identity theft

RIVERSIDE – Four people were arrested for mail theft and other charges today about noon, Tuesday, Nov. 29. The arrests were made after a “very observant citizen” witnessed the subjects allegedly stealing mail in the 5400 block of Glenhaven Avenue in the Victoria neighborhood of Riverside, according to a Riverside Police Department press release.

At the end of a traffic stop related to an investigation into the reported thefts, officers arrested Reginald Young, 45, of Moreno Valley, Chadwick Clark, 29, of Moreno Valley, Jennifer Durivege, 34, of Moreno Valley, and Jessica Black, 37, of Upland. The four were later booked into jail for identity theft, mail theft, possession of stolen property, and conspiracy to commit a crime.

The incident began when a citizen saw the four subjects breaking into mail boxes and stealing mail. The witness immediately called 911 to report the incident and provided relevant information about the four to City of Riverside emergency dispatchers.

Although the citizen lost sight of the group as they were leaving the area, the 911 caller was able to provide the suspect’s personal and vehicle descriptions to dispatchers.

Riverside Police Dispatchers broadcast the vehicle and suspect information to patrol officers, who located the vehicle being driven towards Moreno Valley. Officers stopped the vehicle at Alessandro Boulevard and Gem Street.

During the traffic stop, officers contacted and detained the four subjects who were inside vehicle.

Investigating officers conducted a records check on the occupants from the vehicle and learned the driver had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Officers arrested the driver for his outstanding warrant.

During a search of the vehicle after the driver’s arrest, officers found stolen mail and “numerous items of identity theft,” according to the department’s press release.

The citizen who witnessed the mail thefts was able to positively identify the four subjects they had seen involved in the theft of mail.

“The gratitude of many, including the Riverside Police Department, goes to this citizen who saw criminal activity in their neighborhood and reported it to police immediately,” a police official stated in the press release.

Anyone with information about this incident and arrests should contact Riverside Police officials at (951) 826-5700.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.