Dragnet fails to snare suspect |
REDLANDS - The Police Department and several other law enforcement agencies served multiple search warrants Thursday afternoon in connection with the investigation into the murder of 16-year-old Adrian Valdovinos, according to police spokesman Carl Baker. Valdovinos was shot to death near the public bathrooms at Community Park in Redlands around 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12. According to Baker, at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, some 80 police officers simultaneously served search warrants on 17 residences in Redlands, Highland and Mentone, as part of the investigation into
The operation also included the Colton, Rialto and Fontana police departments, the Corona/Norco Regional Gang Task Force and the Jurupa Valley Task Force made up of the Riverside and Corona police departments, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the Riverside County district attorney's office and the Riverside County Probation Department. In serving search warrants, Baker said, police hope to locate the weapon used to kill Valdovinos and gather other evidence that will assist in the ongoing investigation. "We're looking for specific evidence, namely the weapon, and we have reason to believe that the murder was part of gang activity," Baker said. "Under the STEP Act we can hit multiple houses of identified gang members to find evidence." The warrants thus targeted a number of individuals with known ties to local gangs. "We've received a lot of information and some of that information has pointed to possible gang involvement in the killing," Baker said. Family members of the victim have reiterated that Valdovinos did not have any gang ties. Police, however, believe that his killer did. "We don't have any indication that (Valdovinos) had gang ties," Baker said. "It was the killer or killers that we believe has gang ties." Redlands police involved other local agencies as a safety issue. Baker explained that it is important for police to search all of the locations at the same time in order to ensure that one location does not alert another location to police activity. During the investigation police recovered drugs, guns, pepper spray and other weapons. According to Baker, a parolee at large jumped out of a second story window and tried to run. James Valdepena, 34, was then arrested, unrelated to the murder investigation. "I think it was a very successful operation in the sense that no one was injured and the search warrants were issued successfully," said Redlands Police Department Capt. Tom Fitzmaurice. "It's another step in the investigative process. Homicide investigation is a very complex process. (But) we are still very optimistic." Police continue to investigate the case. Anyone with further information is asked to contact Sgt. Dave Anady at 798-7627 or Detective Todd McMeans at 798-7643. E-mail Staff Writer Darcie Flansburg at dflansburg@redlandsdailyfacts.com |
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