DUI driver arrested in Winchester – Thousands in suspected stolen property recovered
WINCHESTER, Calif., — Authorities say a man found slumped over the wheel of his vehicle in Winchester was arrested for DUI/Drugs during an investigation they say led to the recovery of thousands of dollars worth of suspected stolen property Monday morning, Dec. 6.
Although CHP has not yet identified where all the suspected stolen property had been taken from, they say the property was seized and that part of their investigation is active and ongoing.
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California Highway Patrol officers were dispatched to the area of Borrel and Warren roads around 9:30 a.m. to investigate reports of a man slumped over the wheel of a 2005 Nissan Maxima, CHP Officer Mike Lassig has since said of the arrest and ongoing investigation.
When officers arrived, they found 41-year-old Jonathan Leo Ruggles, asleep at the wheel of the vehicle.
“After waking the man, officers observed objective signs and symptoms of impairment,” Lassig explained; adding that Ruggles failed a series of field sobriety tests at which time he was arrested.
During a subsequent search of Ruggle’s Nissan incident to his arrest, officers discovered multiple items that appeared to be stolen, according to Lassig.
“These items consisted of brand new power tools, gift cards, clothing, electronics, and other miscellaneous new items with a potential value of $2,500 to $3,000,” the officer continued.
At the time of Ruggle’s DUI arrest, officers were not immediately able to determine where the suspected stolen items had been taken from and members of CHP’s Retail Theft Crime Task Force were summoned to assume the theft part of the investigation.
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Ruggles was later booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of unlawful paraphernalia.
Online jail records indicate he was released within hours of his arrest and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Murrieta Southwest Justice Center on Feb. 16.
CHP’s property theft part of the investigation is continuing and no further details have been released.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
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 30 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 18 grandchildren.