Couple Arrested for Car Theft, Breaking & Entering

Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 8:30 PM

From the San Juan County Sheriff's Office:

On Monday, January 8^th 2018, a resident in Crouch Mesa was letting her Jeep warm up outside of her home around 4:45am, when the vehicle was stolen from the driveway. Later that day, the Jeep was recovered in Kirtland and a male and female suspect were identified as Cassandra Morales and Alberto Lopez of Arizona. Both suspects confessed to stealing the Jeep and breaking into a separate residence on CR 3320.

When Detectives questioned Morales and Lopez about the stolen vehicle, they stated they didn’t have anywhere to stay, so they broke into a house to stay warm. The house they broke into was also freezing so they left and came across the running Jeep and decided to take it. The stolen jeep was abandoned soon after Farmington PD located it driving in Farmington and followed it to Kirtland, where they eventually lost sight of it. The suspects got scared and left the vehicle in a driveway that was well hidden and took off on foot. The two suspects contacted a nearby homeowner and asked for a ride into town; he agreed and dropped them off in Farmington. After some investigating, Detectives contacted the individual that gave the suspect a ride into town and were able to establish a possible location and description of the suspects. Detectives Fincher and Nyce found the couple sitting in front of the Salvation Army in Farmington, where they were taken to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office for questioning and later booked into the San Juan County Adult Detention Center.

Sheriff’s Deputies recovered a separate stolen vehicle out of Arizona on January 15^th, which was found near the house that was broken into in Crouch Mesa on January 8^th. Based off the evidence found in the vehicle, along with surveillance footage it is believed the two individuals are involved in both cases. This case is still under investigation and both suspects could be facing additional charges soon.

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