Two people were arrested Friday following an investigation into a burglary and thefts that took place in December.
Hermiston Police Department officers were notified on Dec. 6 of a commercial burglary in the 400 block of S.E. 10th Street. Police later learned of three “porch pirate” style package thefts, which occurred at various locations throughout town.
According to Lt. Randy Studebaker, through the investigation, officers developed a reason to believe these four cases were connected.
On Friday, officers contacted two people in the 400 block of N.W. 11th Street that they had probable cause to believe were involved in the crimes. The suspects are Chalen James Ottmar, 23, of Hermiston, and Meliza Vega Flores, 25, of Hermiston. Both were taken into custody without incident and lodged at the Umatilla County Jail.
Studebaker said property reported stolen in the commercial burglary back in December was found in their possession at the time of their arrest.
Ottmar is charged with second-degree burglary; first-degree theft, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, and three counts of third-degree theft.
Flores is charged with second-degree burglary; first-degree theft, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, and possession of burglar’s tools. She also had two unrelated warrants for her arrest for failure to appear and failure to pay fines.
Studebaker said this is an ongoing investigation and officers are still pursuing leads on these cases.
