At about 5:42pm Sunday, Turlock Police responded to a vehicle burglary in progress at Foodmaxx in the 1800 block of Countryside Drive.
The caller reported two men were trying to break into multiple vehicles. He also stated the men were in a black Honda, but provided a Toyota’s license plate which had been reported lost or stolen out of Elk Grove.
The men eventually got onto the freeway, but the caller followed them until they exited onto W. Monte Vista Avenue and entered the Safeway parking lot. There, they attempted to burglarize another vehicle.
Officer Nwando located the black Honda and stopped it on Countryside Drive, just across the street from Pet Supplies Plus. A high-risk stop was conducted where both men were detained at gunpoint.
The men were identified as Johann Serrano, 28, of Stockton, and Manuel Villalobos, 31, of Stockton.
Serrano had a suspended driver’s license, while Villalobos was on parole for assault with a semiautomatic firearm and had a $250 misdemeanor bench warrant out of Stanislaus County for a firework violation that was issued nearly 13 years ago, all the way back in 2011. The warrant wouldn’t have been entered into the statewide system due to its low bail amount, which is likely how it went undetected for all these years while Villalobos continued to get contacted by police in San Joaquin County and went to prison.
“Through the investigation, it was determined both suspects attempted to burglarize several vehicles but were unsuccessful,” said Turlock Police spokeswoman Dominique Sanchez.
Officers called a parole agent and notified him of what had occurred. The agent found probable cause a violation of parole had occurred and authorized that Villalobos be held until a parole revocation hearing takes place.
Serrano and Villalobos were arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of attempted burglary and conspiracy. Serrano was also charged with receiving stolen property and driving with a suspended license due to a DUI conviction, while Villalobos was also charged with violation of parole and his warrant.
