December 8, 2023 - Fresno County Sheriff’s Office officials report that the property crimes detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office have arrested 53-year-old Matthew Ebner of Dos Palos.  He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail on numerous charges of vandalism.  His bail is set at $25,000.

During a three-month long investigation, detectives discovered at least 35 vehicle owners experienced flat tires while driving through the parking lots of Table Mountain Casino and on nearby Millerton Road.  The victims all discovered they had driven over caltrops (homemade metal spikes), which got stuck in their tires.  The damages totaled thousands of dollars. 

Detectives worked with Table Mountain Police and identified a possible suspect vehicle, a pickup truck.  Detectives found Matthew Ebner was the owner of such a truck.  On Wednesday, detectives served a search warrant at Ebner’s home on the 18000 block of Elgin Ave. in Dos Palos.  There they found evidence, including metal spikes, associated with the reported vandalisms.  Ebner was then arrested.

The motive behind these crimes is that Ebner has an ongoing feud with the casino, and he took out his frustration by sabotaging the property, thus damaging the vehicles of casino visitors.

If you believe you were the victim of Ebner’s criminal actions, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org.  You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

Source & photos: Fresno County Sheriff’s Office