A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recruit—a couple of months into academy training—has been arrested in connection with a theft of more than $100,000 from a Newhall bank ATM.
Julio Cesar Jimenez, 35, was taken into custody Feb. 15, two months after he was hired by the department, the Los Angeles Times reported. At the time of the theft in late November, Jimenez was working as a licensed security guard for an armored car company, a source familiar with the investigation told the newspaper.
His arrest is another black mark for the sheriff’s department’s recruiting program, which in the last decade has seen several trainees and rookies arrested for crimes, according to The Times.
“Suspect Jimenez is no longer employed by the Department,” Capt. Darren Harris said in a statement Wednesday in reply to questions from The Times about the arrest.
Jimenez was arrested in connection with a sophisticated grand theft of money from a Newhall bank automatic teller machine Nov. 28, just two weeks before he formally joined the Sheriff’s Department, The Times reported. He is also suspected of a Dec. 1 arson.
The Santa Clarita resident was booked on suspicion of theft, arson and embezzlement. During a search of his home, investigators recovered much of the stolen $120,000, according to The Times’ sources.
Harris told the newspaper that said Jimenez, who formally started working for the department Dec. 18, was in the first phase of the 22-week academy “when the discovery of his potential involvement in the crimes surfaced.”
Jimenez could not be reached for comment. According to state records, Jimenez is a licensed firearm-carrying security guard, The Times reported.
