Wanted felon nabbed while napping in stolen car

November 20, 2019 Trevor Montgomery

NORCO — A wanted Lake Elsinore felon was arrested after he was found asleep in a stolen car in Norco early Wednesday morning, Nov. 20. While speaking with the man deputies learned he had a no-bail warrant for violation of his PRCS probation and he was subsequently booked into jail on felony charges.

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At around 5:06 a.m., deputies from the City of Norco Sheriff’s Station conducted a vehicle check of an “awkwardly parked vehicle” in the driveway entrance of a business on the 1700 block of Hamner Ave., near 2nd St., Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Torres reported after the arrest.

While checking the vehicle deputies found 31 year-old, Javier Eduardo Romero “slumpt over the wheel and asleep,” according to Torres; who said, “A records check of the license plate revealed the vehicle was reported stolen out of the City of Lake Elsinore, the day prior.”

After waking and detaining the sleeping man, deputies learned he was wanted for violating the conditions of his Post Release Community Supervision and had a felony warrant for his arrest.

Deputies in Norco arrested Javier Romero after they found him sleeping inside a stolen vehicle. RSO booking photo

Based on their investigation deputies arrested Romero and booked him into Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and violation of PRCS probation.

Jail records indicate Romero remains in custody without bail and is scheduled to be seen at Murrieta’s Southwest Justice Center Nov. 22.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy X. Martinez at the Norco Sheriff’s Station Station at (951) 270-5673. Callers can refer to incident file number L193230022 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and 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.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.