2 Held in Radioactive Gauge Ransom
A $4,000 radioactive soil testing gauge, considered potentially dangerous and stolen from a motel parking lot Nov. 6, was recovered Saturday, and two brothers were arrested, police said.
Victor Avalos, 21, and his brother David, 20, both of Santa Ana, are being held at Orange County Jail on suspicion of possessing stolen property after they allegedly arranged a rendezvous to exchange the device with its owners in return for a $500 ransom, Police Lt. Charles Magdalena said.
Known as a nuclear gauge, the 75-pound unit tests the density of asphalt and is owned by a San Francisco Bay Area firm, Pavement Engineering Inc. of Vallejo.
Stored inside an orange box clearly marked radioactive, the gauge was stolen from a company car parked outside a Santa Ana motel.
Police had sought public help in finding it because of its radioactive qualities.
On Saturday morning, the company got a call from a man offering to return the device for $500. A meeting was arranged.
Santa Ana police officers posing as company officials met with one suspect, who led them to Memorial Park in Santa Ana, Magdalena said.
When a second suspect produced the gauge at the park, the two were arrested, police said.
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