Jurupa Valley Family of Four Arrested for Alleged Retail Thefts – NBC Los Angeles

Authorities said four family members were arrested for allegedly committing at least 10 retail thefts in Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.

On April 24, deputies from the Southwest Sheriff’s Station responded to the 32100 block of Temecula Parkway where several people had stolen more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from a business, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said Friday.

Authorities said they learned the same people were responsible for several other thefts at other retail stores in Southern California. The Southwest Station Robbery/Burglary Response Team took over the investigation and identified the suspects as Jurupa Valley residents Thomas Balandran, 50, Sherri Alvarez, 48, Brianna Balandran, 19, and a 17-year-old juvenile who was not identified.

The sheriff’s department said all four are related and are believed to be responsible for more than $7,000 in losses in 10 robberies across the three counties, with possible additional unidentified thefts.

Officers located the suspects and served a search warrant Monday in the 6800 block of Valley Way, where they allegedly found narcotics, paraphernalia and “a large quantity of merchandise from retailers with tags still attached.”

The three adult suspects were booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of organized retail theft, burglary, conspiracy and grand larceny. The juvenile was released to a family member and a juvenile detention order of probation was later filed.

Thomas Balandran, who is already on probation for grand theft in Riverside County, faces additional probation violation and drug charges, the department said.

Officers investigated additional homes “believed to have knowingly purchased stolen goods with the intent to resell them for profit,” a practice also known as “fencing.” Officers served two additional search warrants in Moreno Valley on Tuesday and allegedly found more than $3,000 in stolen merchandise.

Anyone with further information about the case is asked to contact Deputy Christina Weber at the RBST Southwest Station at 951-696-3133.