Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sonora PD press release re: Burglary arrest

20 November 2012, Officers responded to Payless Shoes in the Cross Roads Shopping Center regarding a theft of shoes. An employee related a male subject distracted employees while a female subject stole a pair of shoes.
From the employees description of the male subject and the tattoos on his face, one of the officers felt the suspect was possibly Joseph Eastman, 30, who is a transient parolee. The officers suspicions was confirmed when the employee picked Eastman out of a photo lineup. During the officer’s investigation, he identified the female as Sharmayne St. Lawrence, 23 of Columbia.


26 November 2012, the investigating officer observed St. Lawrence driving on North Washington Street. The officer stopped St. Lawrence, who has a suspended driver’s license. St. Lawrence was wearing the stolen shoes and admitted to stealing them. St. Lawrence was taken into custody after being positively identified by a store employee as being the female involved the theft.
A passenger in St. Lawrence’s vehicle was identified as Juan Velasquez, 30 of Sonora. A warrant check revealed Velasquez was wanted on a felony warrant for drugs and violation of probation. Velasquez was also taken into custody.
A short time later, Eastman’s parole officer and an officer from the Sonora Police Department located Eastman at a residence just outside the City and took him into custody for his involvement in the theft.
All three were transported to the Tuolumne County Jail and booked. St. Lawrence was booked for felony burglary; felony conspiracy to commit a crime; felony possession of stolen property. Eastman was booked for felony burglary; felony conspiracy to commit a crime; felony parole violation. Velasquez was booked on the outstanding felony warrant.