Fresno County deputies arrest suspects accused of stealing 2,000 pounds of peaches
Deputies found about 2,000 pounds of Pink Moon peaches in a trailer near Dinuba and arrested three men, including two on felony crop-theft charges.
Fresno County agricultural crime detectives arrested two men accused of hauling off about 2,000 pounds of Pink Moon peaches, a load valued at $8,500, after a pickup was stopped near Dinuba.
Deputies pulled over the truck at Kamm Ave. and Road 56 and found the peaches in a trailer. Detectives tied the fruit to a theft the previous Sunday from a farm in Tulare County.
Francisco Lopez, 54, of Reedley, and Josue Vargas, 46, of Orange Cove, were booked on felony grand theft of farm crops. Vargas also faced additional warrant-related charges tied to DUI matters. Lopez’s bail was set at $10,000, while Vargas’ total bail was set at $50,000.
A third man, Jesus Chacon, 56, of Reedley, was also arrested on outstanding warrants related to drug possession and battery. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office will pursue additional criminal charges because the theft happened in its jurisdiction.
The arrests came from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Agricultural Crimes Task Force, a unit established in September 1999 to investigate thefts involving crops, livestock, farm equipment, irrigation systems, chemicals and metals. The task force works with growers and ranchers.
The Fresno County Sheriff's Office released details and photos from the operation.
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