Family of Four Arrested in String of Alleged Retail Thefts

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Four family members have been arrested for allegedly carrying out at least 10 retail thefts in Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, authorities said.

On April 24, deputies from the Southwest sheriff's station responded to the 32100 block of Temecula Parkway, where multiple suspects stole more than $1,000 in merchandise from a business, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said Friday.

Authorities said they learned that the same suspects were also responsible for several other thefts at other Southern California retail stores. The Southwest station's Robbery/Burglary Suppression Team assumed the investigation and identified the suspects as Jurupa Valley residents Thomas Balandran, 50, Sherri Alvarez, 48, Brianna Balandran, 19, and a 17-year-old juvenile who was not identified.

The sheriff's department said all four were related, and were believed to be responsible for more than $7,000 in losses in 10 robberies in the three counties, with possible additional unidentified incidents of theft.

The locations of the other burglaries were not specified.

Deputies located the suspects and served a search warrant Monday in the 6800 block of Valley Way, where they allegedly found narcotics, paraphernalia and "a large amount of merchandise from the retailers with tags still affixed."

The three adult suspects were booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of organized retail theft, burglary, conspiracy and grand theft. The juvenile was released to a family member with later charges to be filed with juvenile probation.

Thomas Balandran, already on probation in Riverside County for grand theft, would face additional charges of violation of probation and drug-related offenses, the department said.

Officials investigated additional residences "believed to be involved in knowingly buying stolen goods with the intent to resell them for profit," a practice also referred to as "fencing." Deputies served two additional search warrants Tuesday in Moreno Valley, and allegedly found more than $3,000 in stolen merchandise.

Anyone with additional information related to the case was encouraged to contact Deputy Christina Weber of the Southwest station RBST at 951-696- 3133.