Arrest for alleged theft when Santa Paula Police recognizes suspect on tape
January 29, 2016
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
A Santa Paula man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of being the thief who stole beer from a local pharmacy Saturday afternoon and then threatened a store employee by stating he was armed with a gun.
The alleged thief was caught after Santa Paula Police Officers identified the suspect from the surveillance tape as a person they had contact with the day before.
According to Santa Paula Police Sgt. Cody Madison the January 23 incident occurred about 12:58 p.m. when the suspect, Anthony Nunez, 44, entered CVS Pharmacy, located at 221 E. Harvard Blvd.
“While inside,” said Madison, “Nunez selected two 30 packs of beer, total value $52, and left the store,” walking past open registers without paying for the beer.
Once outside the suspect was confronted by store loss prevention personnel and asked to “return back inside the store…Nunez then told the loss prevention officer that he was ‘strapped’ and to not,” cause an incident over the beer.
Madison noted, “ ‘Strapped’ is a common term for carrying a firearm.”
The loss prevention officer was “concerned for his life and did not confront Nunez further.”
Nunez fled the scene in a white Chevrolet Impala.
Madison said it didn’t take long to crack the case: “The security video was reviewed and officers recognized Nunez from being contacted the prior day for a disturbance.”
A warrant was issued for Nunez for robbery and on Tuesday at approximately 3 p.m. SPPD Officers saw the suspect walking in the 200 block of North Mill Street.
Madison said Nunez was taken into custody without incident.
He was booked at the Santa Paula Police Station and after being processed Nunez was transported to Ventura County Main Jail where he is being held on $50,000 bail.
