ID Theft Suspect, Alleged Burglar Assigned $110,000 Bail
San Andreas, CA – A search warrant relating to an alleged stolen identity case turned up evidence linking to burglary cases, officials say.
Calaveras County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Greg Stark reports that an early Thursday morning search warrant served at an address in the Castle Rock Mobile Home Park in Valley Springs turned up more than investigators were looking for. The warrant search was a result of an ongoing investigation involving the illegal use of someone else’s identity at at least seven different locations in Calaveras and Stanislaus counties.
“While executing the warrant, detectives found evidence linking 25-year-old Joseph Robert Westbrook of Valley Springs to at least two burglaries in the Valley Springs area, one on Jan. 14 at Sender’s Hardware and the other on Oct. 24, 2019, at Valley Springs Laundromat,” Stark shares.
In addition to the burglary evidence, investigators seized 44.3 grams of methamphetamine, three drug-smoking pipes, and 13 Xanax pills without a prescription. When booked into Calaveras County Jail Westbrook was assigned a bail of $110,000
Stark says, “The investigative team is analyzing multiple items of evidence seized during the search warrant to determine if the suspect was involved in any other burglaries in the area.” He adds that the sheriff’s office is also working to determine whether 43-year-old Steven Authur Williams of Valley Springs, arrested during a burglary in early January, as reported here, along with Westbrook may be responsible for multiple thefts in recent months that led to increased policing efforts in the area.
