Toilet paper thieves try to make clean getaway but can’t roll away from police

Police in Port Hueneme nabbed a trio of thieves who had recently undertaken what authorities say was a toilet paper caper.

A patrol officer was rolling through the Port City Plaza about 3:15 p.m. Monday when he noticed three people sitting in a vehicle with an open alcohol container near the front dash, police said. After discovering the occupants were on probation, officers began searching the vehicle, police said.

They found 31 rolls of toilet paper, 31 towels of various sizes, four sets of bedsheets and 27 tissue boxes in the vehicle’s backseat. Police say further investigation revealed the individuals had purloined the paper products — which are a scarce commodity amid the coronavirus pandemic — and the linens from a maid’s cart at a nearby hotel.

“While they thought they’d make a clean getaway, we did confirm they didn’t leave any skid marks when they fled the crime scene,” police wrote in a somewhat cheeky news release.

Jessica Perez, 25, of Oxnard; Stephen Talley Jr., 25, of Port Hueneme; and Tyson Castillo, 32, of Oxnard were arrested on suspicion of petty theft, police said.

“While we are trying to protect our public from price gouging and hoarding, it stinks that we have criminals trying to steal precious supplies from our local hotels,” police wrote.