Lodi police make several arrests, conduct minor decoy operation, pursue identity theft suspects
The Lodi Police Department had a busy weekend that carried over into the early morning hours of Monday when they arrested 36-year-old Jared Todd at the 99 Cent store, 300 W. Kettleman Lane.
“He’d been hiding when they locked the place up the night before, and he had run of the place for a few hours,” Lodi Police Sgt. Steve Maynard said on Monday.
Store employees called the police at approximately 3:55 a.m. Monday, Maynard said, when they arrived to find Todd attempting to steal food products and other items.
“The employees came in and contacted him, and he ended up fighting with everybody,” Maynard said. “He fought with the employees, he fought with officers.”
Todd was arrested on suspicion of multiple charges including being under the influence of drugs, trespassing, theft and assaulting a police officer.
Lodi police officers on Sunday arrested 28-year-old Jonathan Sims on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Maynard said, in connection with an attack that happened a week before.
At approximately 1:40 p.m. Feb. 3, Sims allegedly attacked a woman in front of a church on the 300 block of South Central Avenue.
“While she was on the phone with police, he tried to cut her with a knife. He tried slashing at her face, and he missed,” Maynard said. “He’s one of the transients who hangs around that church.”
Although Sims reportedly fled after the attack, Maynard said the victim saw Sims on Sunday and called the police who arrested Sims on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon as well as an unrelated warrant.
Lodi police officers also worked with cadets to conduct a minor decoy operation on Friday, and the decoys were successful in purchasing alcohol at one restaurant in Lodi where an employee was arrested on suspicion of furnishing alcohol to a minor.
Lodi police are attempting to identify three black females suspected of unlawfully using the credit cards of several identity theft and fraud victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Bahr at gbahr@lodi.gov or Officer Avellar at aavellar@lodi.gov, and reference case number 19813 or 19-795.