HEMET: Sheriff’s aviation crew locates stolen vehicle, HPD arrests woman

HEMET — A stolen vehicle led to the arrest of a Hemet woman yesterday afternoon after a sheriff’s aviation crew received an anti-vehicle theft tracking notification and located a stolen car in a Hemet neighborhood.

The alleged suspect was arrested after driving the stolen vehicle just two blocks, from one neighborhood to another.

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Ashley Nicole George, 24, was eventually booked into Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on suspicion of possession of stolen property. She remains in custody, held on $10,000 bail.

Hemet PD’s investigation began around 7 p.m., when deputies assigned to the sheriff’s Aviation Unit received a “Lo-Jack” hit while patrolling over the Hemet area.

Aviation crew members in one of the sheriff’s “Star-9” helicopters quickly tracked the stolen car, described as a silver Ford Fusion, to the area of Buchanan St. and Menlo Ave. The sedan, which had been reported stolen from the San Diego area, was unoccupied and parked in front of a home.

Aviation crew members notified Hemet PD regarding the stolen vehicle and officers assigned to the department’s Crime Suppression Unit responded to the area. Star-9 crew members maintained constant visual on the stolen Ford while circling overhead and they observed a woman, later identified as George, get into the car and begin driving away.

Official radio traffic indicated George first drove westbound on W. Menlo Ave, before turning left onto Taschner Dr. From overhead, aviation crew members watched as George parked in front of a home near the end of a cul-de-sac and began to walk toward the residence.

Officers responding to the area quickly found the Ford and ordered George and two other women from inside the home and detained the trio on a curb in front of the residence.

Although George denied driving the Ford to the home or having anything to do with the stolen car, aviation members confirmed she had been the person seen driving the vehicle. She was subsequently arrested for being in possession of the stolen car.

The other two women initially detained were released. It was not immediately known if the pair knew George or anything about the stolen car, which was later towed from the scene and returned to its owner.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can refer to incident file number 18-6611 and can remain anonymous.

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Gary Rainwater/Hemet Valley Incidents photos

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor 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, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.