Alleged chainsaw thieves arrested
Sep. 24—A pair of brothers and a juvenile have been arrested in connection to a burglary in Kettleman City, according to the Kings County Sheriff's Office.
According to a press report from the KCSO, the call was made on the morning of Sept. 15 regarding the burglary, which took place on an agricultural property. The victim took the deputy to a rural area of the farm where several sheds were located. One of the sheds was broken into and three Husqvarna chainsaws had reportedly been stolen.
During the investigation, a witness told the deputy he saw three younger Hispanic males near the shed loading items into the trunk of an older, black four-door Audi sedan. The males reportedly spotted the witness and quickly fled the area.
Deputies assigned to the Kings County Rural Crimes Task Force were in the area and observed a black Audi matching the description provided by the witness. A traffic enforcement stop was conducted on the vehicle and two occupants were contacted.
The driver was identified as Juan Andrade and the passenger was a 17- year-old. As the investigation unfolded, Andrade reportedly admitted he, in along with his brother Christopher Andrade and the juvenile, each stole a chainsaw from the shed after breaking in. After coordinating with suspects, the chainsaws were recovered and returned to the owner, police said.
The adult suspects were placed into custody and booked into Kings County Jail on the charges of burglary, possession of stolen property and grand theft. Their bail was set at $30,000 and both have since been released.
The male juvenile was arrested and booked into the Kings County Juvenile Center on the same charges. He has also been released.
