Tejon Outlet Mall
BAKERSFIELD — An off-duty Kern County Sheriff’s deputy caught a would-be thief outside an outlet mall south of Bakersfield on Friday.
Ramon Flores Jr, 32, was arrested and booked into the Kern County Jail for petty theft.
According to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on October 23, when Deputy Jessie Alvarez heard a female employee from the Zumiez Store yelling for help. Alvarez was shopping with a family member at the Tejon Outlet Mall at the time. The shopping center is located at the bottom of the “Grapevine” route of Interstate 5, several miles south of Bakersfield.
Alvarez said he then observed an Hispanic male, later identified as Flores, running from the store. Deputy Alvarez gave chase on foot into the south parking lot of the mall, where Flores attempted to flee the scene in a vehicle. But before he made it, he was captured and detained by Alvarez, who held him there at gunpoint until additional deputies arrived on scene and took the suspect into custody.
After further investigation, deputies discovered Flores had stolen a watch and a pair of sunglasses valued in excess of $300 from the Zumiez Store.
Flores, who lives in an apartment in northeast Bakersfield, has been arrested frequently over the past few years. Just two weeks prior to this incident, he was charged with petty theft – which he had been booked for in September as well. He also had two arrests for “petty theft with a prior” in 2014, in both April and June.
In December of 2013, he was charged with possession of stolen property and drug paraphernalia, along with criminal conspiracy and resisting arrest. He was arrested for possession of a controlled substance in October of 2013. On August 28 he was charged with vandalism with property damage, trespassing, and resisting arrest. He was arrested for burglary in May of 2013.
