Armed robber suspect arrested with stolen items recovered, second suspect on the loose; deputies say
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The Monterey County Sheriff's office announced Friday that a suspect wanted for an armed robbery was arrested with the help of police dog "Tonus."
The sheriff's office says this happened around 12:25 a.m. after deputies received a call of an armed robbery in the 11200 Block of Blackie Rd in Castroville. A stolen vehicle and stolen agricultural supplies we recovered, according to the sheriff's office.
“I am proud of the work our deputies and allied agency partners did today to safely arrest the involved suspect and recover several thousand dollars in stolen Ag supplies," said Sheriff Tina Nieto in a statement Friday.
According to deputies, there were two suspects involved in the armed robbery, and one of them had a handgun. The two men entered an agriculture business, confronted an employee and then proceeded to take agriculture supplies, wrote deputies in a statement.
One of the responding deputies observed a vehicle matching the description of the suspect's vehicle, then as he attempted to catch up with it, the vehicle fled, according to the sheriff's office. The deputies say that the vehicle stopped suddenly in an area of Castroville Blvd and Dolan Road and then exited the vehicle to flee on foot.
More deputies were called out and with the assistance from CHP, established a perimeter, said the sheriff's office. They also said that with the help of the sheriff's drones in addition to the K9 "Tonus," police were able to locate the suspect hiding inside of a children's tube slide in the backyard of a home on Russo Road.
According to deputies, the suspect is identified as 30-year-old Jesse Gallardo of Castroville. The sheriff's office says that he was taken into custody without further incident, but the second suspect in the armed robbery is still outstanding.
Gallardo is being charged with violation of robbery; fleeing/evading a peace officer; possession of a stolen vehicle; possession of stolen property; and conspiracy, according to the sheriff's office.
They also say that the recovered agriculture items are valued at approximately $4,500, have been returned and that during the course of the investigation, they discovered the stolen vehicle also had stolen license plates.
The sheriff's office can only describe the second suspect as a male in dark clothing, but are asking the public to contact the Monterey County Sheriff's Office Ag Crimes Detective, Jesus Reyes, at 831-755-3805 if someone has more information.
