A Sacramento man has been arrested in connection with a $10,000 cigarette theft from a Simi Valley liquor store, and police are still searching for at least one additional suspect.
Jaedan Gabriel Barnes, 24, was taken into custody on May 22 following a multi-agency investigation involving Simi Valley Police, the California Highway Patrol, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
The theft occurred on May 13, after a liquor store owner returned from a supply run and temporarily left two vehicles unsecured behind his business in the 2500 block of Sycamore Drive. Surveillance video showed two suspects stealing boxes of cigarettes from both vehicles before fleeing in a gray Mitsubishi SUV without license plates.
Through license plate recognition technology and investigative work, police discovered the SUV was a rental from Avis, registered to a Sacramento resident. Investigators then used surveillance footage, social media analysis, and vehicle tracking data to identify Barnes as a suspect. He was reportedly wearing the same clothes seen on surveillance footage from the scene.
A search warrant was executed at a home in the 1300 block of Shadowglen Road in Sacramento, where Barnes was arrested, and additional evidence was found linking him to the crime.
Barnes is facing charges of vehicle burglary, grand theft, and conspiracy. Authorities say additional suspects are still being identified, and the investigation remains ongoing.
