Four persons were arrested during a thwarted attempt to steal a generator from the bed of a pickup in the Microtel Inn parking lot early Wednesday morning, Aug. 19.

Police were called at 2:31 a.m. about a possible theft in the parking lot at 1716 Herndon Road. Officer Jesse Gutierrez and his canine Duke arrived and found two suspects trying to cut the chain holding the generator to the bed of the work truck of someone staying at the motel. As the officer confronted the pair they were beginning to flee until Duke was deployed. They gave up.

Two other suspects who were sitting inside the car that brought all four to Ceres were also apprehended. A motel surveillance video captured evidence that the two also participated in the attempted theft.

Arrested and charged with attempted grand theft were Apolonio Gomez, 32, Bianka Gomez, 25, Martina Gratton, 27, and Jeanette Ramirez, 29, all of Modesto. Ramirez also had a warrant for her arrest.