La Grande Woman Alona Marie Berecz Arrested on Identity Theft, Forgery Charges

La Grande Police Department arrested 31-year-old Alona Marie Berecz on Saturday, February 14, 2026, after investigators developed probable cause for multiple counts of forgery, identity theft and theft tied to activity at Copies Plus CP Espresso, 1904 Adams Avenue. LGPD identified probable-cause charges that include Forgery I (10 counts), Identity Theft (7 counts), Theft I (1 count), Theft II (3 counts) and Theft III (1 count).

Officers were initially dispatched to a reported theft at Copies Plus CP Espresso at approximately 9:59 a.m. on Friday, February 13, 2026, and the subsequent investigation led officers to Berecz’s La Grande property. Investigators located multiple documents at her property that linked her to alleged crimes "over the past several months," and LGPD reports identify Berecz as a former employee of Copies Plus who was alleged to have copied and stolen the IDs of several coworkers.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office also reviewed the matters LGPD uncovered and developed related allegations. UCSO had charges listed in the LGPD press log including Computer Crime/Fraud - Felony (2 counts), Forgery II (2 counts), Identity Theft/Fraud - Counterfeit, and Theft II. In addition to the local charges, UCSO arrested Berecz on three failure-to-appear warrants out of Clackamas County related to prior charges; the press log notes "including:" but does not list the underlying prior charges in the excerpts released.

Items seized or described in LGPD’s account consist of multiple documents recovered from Berecz’s residence; the press log does not provide a detailed inventory or identify any coworker-victims by name. The reporting does not include whether digital devices were seized, nor does it describe the precise nature of the documents beyond their link to alleged criminal activity.

As of the latest LGPD press log and subsequent reporting, formal court filings, case numbers, arraignment dates, bail or booking details were not provided. The agencies reported probable-cause development and arrest actions, but the public record available from LGPD and UCSO at the time of reporting does not show whether charges have been formally filed in Union County Circuit Court or how prosecutors will allocate the counts between jurisdictions.

Regional law-enforcement records show identity-theft and forgery cases have appeared in Union County and neighboring counties in recent years: a Baker County grand jury returned a 13-count indictment Aug. 14, 2025, charging Kelsey Ann McManus with theft and forgery allegations tied to a contested $2,200 transaction; and a La Grande case from 2019 shows a defendant, Zyna Marie Richardson, pleading guilty to multiple identity-theft counts. Those matters are separate from the Berecz arrest.

LGPD and the Union County Sheriff’s Office coordinated the February 13-14 investigation and arrest. Reporters seeking court records, LGPD incident reports, UCSO case files or Clackamas County warrant details will need to request the relevant documents to confirm filings, hearing dates and any custody or bond status.