VEHICLE THEFT, CONSPIRACY AND VEHICLE TAMPERING

On December 25th, 2016, 18-year-old Dakota Dwayne Smiley of Copperopolis was arrested for vehicle theft, multiple counts of vehicle tampering, and conspiracy charges. His accomplice, 25-year-old Jesse Ray Newton of Tuolumne City is currently at large and is being sought by police for similar charges.

On 25 December 2016, at 9:38 a.m., Sonora Police Officers were dispatched to an apartment complex on the 200 block of Greenley Road for a report of a suspicious vehicle left with its doors open. Upon their arrival, officers discovered that the vehicle in question, as well as four other vehicles at the complex, had been tampered with. During the investigation officers learned that over $1,500 dollars worth of miscellaneous property was taken from different vehicles and that two additional vehicles had been stolen; a 1996 blue Subaru Legacy and a red 2002 Kia Sportage.

Sonora Police Officers posted a Be-On-the-Lookout for the stolen vehicles and the California Highway Patrol was able to locate the Subaru and Dakota Smiley in Jamestown later that day. The Kia was also later located on Jamestown Road but was unoccupied at the time. Both Dakota Smiley and Jesse Newton were identified as suspects through surveillance video, statements, and other evidence.