4 suspects charged in theft of vehicle parts in Fountain Valley

Four people have been charged in the grand theft of auto parts in Fountain Valley early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Miguel Rodriguez, 39, Lorena Castillo, 39, and Marcelle Coleman, 30, all of Los Angeles, and Felipe Batalla, 50, a transient of Fountain Valley, have been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, receiving stolen property and grand theft, according to
Sgt. Donald Farmer of the Fountain Valley Police Department. Each also faces misdemeanor counts for possession of burglary tools and possession of methamphetamine.

Coleman and Rodriguez also face a misdemeanor chargeof resisting an officer, and Coleman and Batalla face one count of possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.

Officers had responded to a call reporting the potential theft of vehicle parts in the 18000 block of Mt. Langley Street at 3:20 a.m. on Saturday, Farmer said. A containment area was set up and police stopped a dark blue Chrysler 300 as it was leaving the area.

The four suspects were arrested after police searched their vehicle and found various vehicle parts.

The items found included five cut catalytic converters and one cut muffler, police said. Officers also found three reciprocating saws and additional tools commonly used for burglary, as well as methamphetamine and narcotics.

Officers conducted an inspection of vehicles in the area and found two cars that had allegedly had their catalytic converters stolen, one with a catalytic converter that had been partially cut off, and another car that had been broken into.

Coleman is on probation for robbery in Los Angeles County, Farmer said. Orange County jail records show that Coleman is being held on $20,000 bail.

A video from late November shared by a member of the public on the Fountain Valley Police Department Facebook page on Monday appears to show four suspects stealing catalytic converters in the area. It it is unclear whether the suspects charged Saturday were involved.

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