Left Behind Items, Evidence OF Mokelumne Hill Man’s Alleged Crimes
Wallace, CA – A Mokelumne Hill man remains behind bars after the shed he was living in, and then kicked out of, turned up evidence of a slew of crimes.
A call came into Calaveras County Sheriff’s dispatch Thursday (July 28th) morning regarding “suspicious behavior believed to be connected with criminal activity.” The caller stated they were removing items left behind by 40 years old Andrew Keith Brieno, who had been living on their property in the Wallace in a shed. Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Greg Stark noted that Brieno had been asked to leave the property due to undisclosed reasons.
While cleaning out the shed, the property owner found mail and credit cards with other peoples’ names on them and then called the sheriff’s office. Deputies began looking for Brieno and found him near the intersection of South Comanche Parkway and Limestone Road in Wallace. Initially, he gave a false name, shared Lt. Stark, adding that it was “in an apparent attempt to conceal his true identity for fear of prosecution.”
During questioning, Brieno admitted to having drug paraphernalia on him. A subsequent search, uncovered much more, including methamphetamine, a hypodermic needle, several items of mail, credit cards, driver’s licenses, insurance cards, and forged checks. Some of the mail had addresses from as far away as Ione.
Brieno was arrest for several felonies, including check forgery. He also faces numerous misdemeanor charges, among them, illegally possessing identification of ten or more persons with intent to defraud, drug possession and mail theft. He was placed on a $20,000 bail and currently remains in the Calaveras County Jail.
Lt. Stark praised the property owner for acting on their suspicions and reporting this crime. He asserted, “Without their help, Brieno would likely continue to have stolen mail from countless others for financial gain.”
