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Chad McMaster |
Man arrested twice in 9 hours,
second time for theft of utility
July 25, 2014
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
An area man out on bail for one crime was taken into custody again at the Santa Paula Police Station - where he had gone to reclaim his towed car - about nine hours later for another crime and was put back in jail for suspicion of felony theft of a utility.
Chad McMaster, 40, had already been arrested at about 12:45 a.m. on Monday, June 14, at Glen City School where it had been reported a man was tampering with a parked vehicle.
According to Sgt. Cody Madison, the theft of utility charges against McMaster stemmed from an investigation that begun July 9, when “An investigator from Southern California Edison had contacted the police department regarding the recovery of two stolen electrical meters recovered from an apartment,” on the 200 block of West Santa Barbara Street.
The meters, said Madison, were found by SCE investigators to be stolen from different locations, modified, and, “Then attached to the apartment to obtain electricity after it had been disconnected.”
On Monday at about 9:34am the same investigator from Southern California Edison recontacted the SPPD to report finding a third stolen meter at that same location.
Madison said through investigation “it was determined the resident, Chad McMaster, was the suspect who had altered the three stolen electrical meters to obtain electricity illegally.”
McMaster was taken into custody at the Santa Paula Police Department where he had stopped by seeing about reclaiming his vehicle, which had been towed away when he had been arrested earlier at Glen City School.
At the time McMaster was arrested at the SPPD he was out on bail for the earlier offense.
McMaster was charged with three counts each of suspicion of possession of stolen property, preventing a utility meter from measuring, tampering with property owned by a utility, and using a utility with an unauthorized connection, for a total of 12 criminal counts, three felony and nine misdemeanor.
McMaster was transported to Ventura County Jail.
In the first incident that led to McMaster’s arrest, SPPD Officers had responded at about 12:45 a.m. to Glen City School after receiving reports of a suspicious subject at the campus, located at the corner of West Main Street and South Steckel Drive.
Upon arrival SPPD Officers found McMaster hiding in piles of tree branches near the northwest corner of the playground with a large lug wrench-type tool and another tool used to remove valves from vehicle tires. He allegedly had removed tire valves and lug nuts from a large tree trimming truck parked nearby.
Police arrested McMaster on suspicion of trespass, prowling, vehicle tampering and possession of burglary tools and had his vehicle towed from the scene.
