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CRIME DIGEST
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• RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY: CERES - A 26-year-old Modesto man was arrested Thursday, June 16, after police chased him and his driver from the scene of a residential burglary.

A resident of the 1300 block of Thomasnell called 9-1-1 at 2:20 a.m. to report seeing two men walking into the backyard of a neighbor's house and coming back out carrying goods from the house. She also gave a description of the suspects' car as a tan SUV as it left toward Morgan Road.

"This witness really helped us out," said Lt. Brent Smith.

Officer Dirk Newenheis located the vehicle but when he attempted to pull it over, the driver accelerated westbound on Hackett Road and then northbound on Malik Drive. The driver lost control and the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee went across the center median onto the wrong side of the road, crashing into the garage door on the house at 2741 Malik Drive.

Both driver and passenger bailed from the vehicle on foot with the driver jumping fences and getting away. His passenger, Manuel Herrera, 26, of Modesto, was tackled by Officer Josh Kling and arrested after a brief altercation. Herrera had a no-bail warrant issued by Modesto Police and now faces additional charges of residential burglary, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.

•SHOPLIFTERS ARRESTED: CERES - A mother and her daughter and niece were arrested Saturday after they were observed stealing merchandise from the Kmart store on Hatch Road.

Store security personnel called police at 8:43 p.m. to report the theft in progress and officers responded to arrest 39-year-old Maria Mendoza of Modesto, her 16-year-old daughter and 16-year-old niece. The trio were found with $164 in goods, including CDs, clothing and cosmetics. Mendoza was booked for conspiracy to commit a crime, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and petty theft. The teens were booked into Juvenile Hall on charges of petty theft and conspiracy.

• CAR DRIVEN INTO CANAL, OCCUPANTS FLEE: CERES - Two occupants fled the scene after the car they were traveling in splashed into the Ceres Main Canal along Hatch Road early Saturday morning.

Police Lt. Brent Smith said the car was eastbound on Hatch Road at 3:52 a.m. when the driver lost control and the vehicle hit a power/signal light box at the corner of Boothe Road, knocking out power to the area. The vehicle ran up the embankment and into the canal. The two occupants climbed to safety and ran off northbound through a field north of Hatch Road. The two were described as a black man wearing no shirt and a white woman wearing a bikini.

Authorities requested the Turlock Irrigation District to lower the water level in the canal to aid in the car to be towed out the next morning.

• JOYRIDE IN CEMETERY ENDS IN ARRESTS: CERES - Four girls were booked into Juvenile Hall on Wednesday, June 15, after they were spotted joyriding in Ceres Memorial Park in a stolen vehicle.

The incident was reported at 6:56 a.m. Police responded and code enforcement officer Paula Redfern spotted the vehicle traveling westbound on Whitmore Avenue. Sworn officers pulled the Ceres girls, aged 12, 13, 15 and 17, out of the car at gunpoint. All four were booked on charges of auto theft and possession of stolen property.

The gray 2003 Toyota Corolla was stolen previously from an address in the 3600 block of Boulder Falls Court.