January 31, 2024 - Merced County Sheriff's Office officials report that on January 22^nd, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Deputies were dispatched for a report of a stolen Amazon delivery van in the 9100 block of Buhach Road in Winton. When Deputies arrived, they located the delivery driver who stated that a man had approached him with a firearm and ordered him out of the van at gunpoint. The suspect fled the area with the van, which had numerous packages inside.

The next day, the van was located in Ballico, with most of the packages missing. Through the investigation, Detectives identified the suspect as Jose Maria Torres. On January 25th, Detectives located Torres and took him into custody without incident. During his arrest, Detectives located a loaded, unregistered handgun with an extended magazine, narcotics, paraphernalia, and additional evidence connecting him to the theft of the Amazon van.

While serving a search warrant at Torres' house, Detectives located stolen property from the van. Detectives booked Torres into jail for the following charges: carjacking, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, possession of narcotics/controlled substances and paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm.

We're grateful for the collaborative effort between our agency, Merced County Probation, and Amazon. Great job by all involved!

Source: Merced County Sheriff's Office