Crime & Safety

Stolen iPhones Recovered, Suspects Arrested, Police Say

A 24-year-old man and two runaway juveniles were allegedly found with the iPhones when stopped by Murrieta police as they walked near Murrieta Hot Springs and Margarita roads.

Stolen iPhones allegedly taken from an Apple store in Temecula were recovered today—and three suspects were arrested.

An adult and two juveniles were apprehended in Murrieta today on suspicion of possessing $1,300 worth of iPhones allegedly stolen from the store over the weekend, said Murrieta police Sgt. Jay Froboese, in a news release.

The suspects, who "looked suspicious," were approached by Murrieta police Officer John Martin at about 9:10 a.m. today near Murrieta Hot Springs and Margarita roads, Froboese said.

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"Being a school day, the juveniles should not have been on the street and all three looked like they were possibly homeless," the sergeant said.

After asking for their identities, the officer did a cursory search for weapons, Froboese said. The adult was identified as 24-year-old Sergei Matthew Rhoades and the minors as students from Murrieta Mesa High School and Warm Springs Middle School, he said.

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"Both were runaways."

The minors were found with new and unactivated iPhones, Froboese said.

"On a hunch, Officer Martin checked with the Temecula Apple store at the Promenade mall to see if they were missing any phones."

The serial numbers of the iPhones matched missing inventory from the store, he said. It was later confirmed that the iPhones had been stolen over the weekend.

All three suspects confessed to "jacking" the phones from store over the weekend, he said.

They were arrested for possession of stolen property, and the iPhones were returned to the Apple store.

Rhoades was booked at Southwest Detention Center. He was being held on $5,000 bail, according to sheriff's jail records.

The juveniles, who were not identified, were booked and released to their grandparents, Froboese said.


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