Photo: Lance Kinsler
LA QUINTA – Police arrested three men on July 2 in connection with a series of recent fire hydrant thefts. These occurred in the desert cities of La Quinta, Coachella, and Indio.
Richard Morales
The arrestees are –Lance Kinsler, 47, Cole Thomas, 32, and Richard Morales, 54. Police charged the trio in connection with the theft of multiple fire hydrants and fire hydrant parts.
According to LQPD, officers spotted Kinsler and Thomas removing fire hydrant caps and bolts on July 2. It was 3:30 am near avenue 50 and Jackson Avenue. The bolts existed to secure the hydrant to the ground
Thomas Cole
Police detained the duo at the scene of the incident.
Later that day, officers from the La Quinta Special Enforcement Team served a search warrant at a residence. In the 5200 block of Calle Techa in Coachella they found parts belonging to recently stolen fire hydrants.
Police arrested Morales at the residence after serving the warrant.
The value of the stolen/damaged fire hydrants is $45,000. Fire hydrants and fire hydrant parts are often made of brass. Thieves steal the hydrants and hydrant parts to sell the brass at scrapyards.
