Santa Ana : Substation--Not Open Yet--Has 1st Arrest
The new Police Department substation at 113 S. Harbor Blvd. will not open until next Tuesday, but officers have already chalked up their first arrest.
Cpl. Hector Mariani and Police Service Officer Yvonne Medina were moving furniture from the old office at 411 N. Harbor to the new building Tuesday when Arthur Gallardo, 18, asked them if they would mind cashing a check for him. The officers, both dressed in civilian clothes, replied that they were not in the check-cashing business, said department spokeswoman Maureen Thomas.
Gallardo, a Santa Ana resident, persisted, and Mariani finally decided to take a look at the $36.48 check. When he saw that it was made out to the U.S. Postal Service on the account of a Garden Grove resident, Mariani identified himself as a police officer and placed Gallardo under arrest.
The man was booked at County Jail on suspicion of possessing and receiving stolen property, Thomas said. The check writer, whose name was not released, told Garden Grove police that the check was lost last May.
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