Car thefts in San Jose increasing

Car thefts in San Jose increasing

MILPITAS – As more and more stolen cars are reported missing, the number of arrests for persons caught driving these stolen vehicles is also increasing. The Milpitas Police Department is reporting that on Sunday, June 7, they made an arrest of two suspects from San Jose who were thought to have stolen a vehicle.

According to Sergeant Bryan Hinkley, “Milpitas Dispatch received a call of a speeding vehicle in the area of Dempsey Road and Yosemite Drive.”  After being dispatched to the area, Milpitas patrol officers made a vehicle stop of a 1994 Honda Accord. The investigating officer discovered the license plates on the vehicle did not belong to that particular vehicle, and suspected that this was a stolen vehicle. Hinkley said, “Further investigation revealed that the vehicle had been reported stolen to the San Jose Police Department on June 6.”

Ezekiel Zamora, Facebook

Ezekiel Zamora, Facebook

29-year-old Nicole Martinez and 19-year-old Ezekiel Zamora, both from San Jose, appeared to be under the influence of drugs and were taken into custody without incident by arresting officers.

The female suspect Martinez was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle and being under the influence of a controlled substance. The male suspect Zamora, who was the passenger of the vehicle, was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Nicole Martinez has been arrested several times recently. In April she was arrested in Stanislaus County by Turlock Police, and charged with petty theft. She was arrested at a home in the town, which is between Modesto and Merced. She was booked in Santa Clara County a few days later on that warrant. She was also arrested in July of last year at Kohl’s in San Jose by San Jose police. She was then charged with possession of a controlled substance, petty theft with a prior, false impersonation, probation violations, and an outstanding warrant for drug possession and public intoxication.

Her records go back even further, showing an arrest in November of 2009 for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property. She was arrested again for vehicle theft, along with resisting arrest and petty theft, a year later. That was followed by an April 2012 charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication. Another petty theft arrest came in May 2012, and outstanding warrant arrests in November 2012 and March 2013.

The younger Ezekiel Zamora was arrested in May of last year by San Jose police for possession and being under the influence of a controlled substance, and possession of metal knuckles. He was brought in on a warrant for those charges by Milpitas police in October.

Meanwhile in San Jose, 33-year-old Salvador Diaz Jr. was charged with PC10851(a) for stealing a 2012 Chevy Camaro and possession of the drug methamphetamine, under H&S 11377(a). He was also charged with possession of stolen property, the car.

Diaz and Cortez were spotted in the stolen Camaro in this condo complex.

Diaz and Cortez were spotted in the stolen Camaro in this condo complex.

Police located Diaz on Friday, May 22 as he was driving around San Jose in the stolen Camaro. A concerned neighbor in the Kenwood Crosspointe condominium complex reported to police that Diaz may have been driving a stolen vehicle. The caller reporting seeing two possibly homeless people inside the vehicle, and thought it was suspicious because of the expense of the car.  When SJPD officers arrived, they ran the plates of the vehicle and determined that the car had been in fact stolen 12 days prior.

Two bicycles and several large plastic bags were also found in the vehicle during the search, and they arrested Diaz as the possible suspect for stealing the car. The female suspect, Kimberly Cortez, 42 and a transient, was also seen leaning inside the passenger side window of the vehicle, and was detained and arrested after they found she was wanted on a warrant of $25,000 for drug possession and being under the influence.  Drugs were also found in the car and on Diaz’s person.

The car theft victim had been staying at the Clarion Inn on Monterey Road in San Jose when she reported having her car and wallet stolen. While searching through the vehicle, a tablet and other items located inside were found to be the victim’s.  However, Diaz claimed that he had gotten these items from a person he called Paul who had given him the car, even though he did not have the car keys.  Follow-up investigation into his story about “Paul” could not be verified.  He was subsequently arrested for vehicle theft, property theft and possession of methamphetamine.  The vehicle was returned to its rightful owner.

The next court appearance for Diaz has been scheduled for June 17, 2015 at 9:00 AM in Dept. 38.

Car thefts in San Jose increasing was last modified: June 17th, 2015 by admin
Categories: California

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Amy Nilson

Amy L. Nilson is a freelance journalist specializing in criminal and environmental matters. She has over 5+years experience writing investigative reports, featured journal articles, and has taken on writing fiction and non-fiction prose. She writes for CrimeVoice, Examiner.com, and other news publications. She may be reached at nilson.amyl@gmail.com for any comments or suggestions, you might have.