Couple arrested in Glendale for alleged grand theft auto
A Los Angeles couple is behind bars after they were allegedly caught with a stolen car in Glendale, according to police.
Sometime around noon Tuesday, an officer stopped a GMC Yukon driven by 38-year-old Roger Valenzuela in the 1500 block of East Colorado Street because it didn’t have a front license plate and the windows were tinted, according to Tahnee Lightfoot, a spokeswoman with the Glendale Police Department.
The officer discovered that Valenzuela was on parole and had a suspended license. Also, he was driving and not wearing a seat belt.
Lightfoot said the stop occurred in the parking lot of a motel where Valenzuela might have been staying because his girlfriend, 27-year-old Wendy Rugelio, soon showed up at the scene.
Police eventually learned the vehicle was reported stolen from a Wal-Mart parking lot in Nevada in late June. Officers also found fraudulent paperwork related to the car, including a fake change-of-ownership form.
Both Rugelio and Valenzuela were arrested.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office charged each of them with one count of forgery, grand theft auto and identity theft. Valenzuela was given an additional charge of driving with a suspended license.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
