Full Notification

On December 24, 2022, the Cloverdale Police Department received several calls about a gold Mercedes Benz vehicle, occupied by several subjects, that had been seen tampering with parked vehicles.  

Cloverdale Officers located a vehicle (Gold 2001 C240 Mercedes) matching the description and conducted a traffic stop on South Foothill Blvd. and Sandholm Lane in Cloverdale.

Located in the vehicle were Jose Robles 38,  Richmond, Ca., Hugo Cerda 38, Richmond, Ca., and David Coyt 28, Richmond, Ca. During the course of the investigation, officers located several tools and items commonly used to commit burglaries and Catalytic Converter thefts.  

The three occupants were detained and later arrested for multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including conspiracy, Possession of burglary tools, theft, and Possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

All three were transported and booked into the Sonoma County Jail with a bail enhancement.

Among the property seized from the vehicle were several shaved vehicle keys, multiple saws and saw blades, a floor jack, four recovered vehicle catalytic converters, controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, and a vehicle window door prying tool.

The case is still being investigated, and anyone with information that might be related to this incident can contact Cloverdale Police Officer Ofc. Katie Vanoni at (707) 894-2150 or [email protected]. 

To prevent further thefts of this nature, the police department recommends parking inside a garage if possible or under well-lit areas, preferably areas with surveillance cameras if available.  Another deterrent is the purchase and installation of a CAT SECURITY SHIELD or similar device, which is a robust aluminum plate that, once installed, provides a strong barrier against catalytic converter theft. This device makes stealing your catalytic converter nearly impossible without some serious time, making it less appealing for would-be-criminals.

For more information on the Cat Security Shield, refer to the link below.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cat+security+shield+for+prius&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS860US860&oq=cat+security+shield&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l3j0i22i30.7731j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

If you witness unusual activity, please report to the Police Department by calling (707) 894-2150.