Glendale police: Man arrested for identity theft

A 31-year-old Glendale man who was allegedly wanted on an outstanding warrant was arrested Monday after he hid from police in a home attic during a probation search, officials said.

Police arrived at Ricardo Van Rossen’s home in the 900 block of South Glendale Avenue at about 9:20 p.m. after Orange County Probation Department issued the no-bail arrest warrant for Van Rossen, who was on probation for narcotics sales, according to Glendale police. Conditions in his probation allow officers to search his home, according to police.

Officers saw Van Rossen parking his Jeep, so they approached his home to enter. But a man and woman inside his home reportedly declined to allow them inside, so police used a ramming device to open the front door and enter.

Officers used police dogs to search for Van Rossen, but were unable to find him. But they noticed fresh marks on a wall near the home attic, where Van Rossen has reportedly hidden from them in the past.

Police used an extendable mirror to look inside the attic, where they found Van Rossen hiding under a mound of home insulation.

Van Rossen removed the insulation, crawled toward officers and was taken into custody, according to police.

Officers searched the Jeep and Van Rossen’s room, where they found eight credit cards belonging to five different people, as well as someone else’s driver’s license, according to police.

Van Rossen was arrested on suspicion of identity theft and possessing a glass pipe used to smoke methamphetamine, police said.

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