Tustin : Santa Ana Man Held in Slot Machine Thefts

A Santa Ana man was arrested early Thursday morning after five slot machines, which had been reported stolen from an Orange antique store Wednesday night, were found in a pickup truck he was driving, officials said.

Richard Thomson, 24, was booked into Orange County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail on charges of commercial burglary, resisting arrest and possession of stolen property.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Dick Olson said the machines, each valued at about $6,000, were found in the back of a pickup truck after a deputy pulled the driver over for questioning about 1:40 a.m. The driver fled on foot, leaving his wallet in the vehicle. The truck and its contents were then seized by the Sheriff’s Department.

Olson said a man later called the department, saying that his pickup truck had been stolen. Deputies went to the man’s address, which was the same address as the documents in the wallet that had been left in the pickup truck. The deputies recognized the man as the driver of the truck and took him into custody.