September 26, 2024 – Tulare County Sheriff’s Office officials report that just after 8:00 a.m. on September 24, 2024, TCSO AG Detectives were made aware of a traffic stop on a Ford Explorer in Kingsburg.

The Deputy contacted the driver and passenger and noticed the SUV had several hundreds of pounds of unpackaged grapes in the rear and requested help from the Ag unit.

AG Detectives responded and learned the grapes were stolen from a field in the area of Ave 400 and Rd 84. They had been cut and stored at a location in the field the night before.

47-year-old Juan Benjamin Ventura and 57-year-old Dionicio Sandoval, both of Reedley, were booked on charges of Grand Theft, Possession of Stolen Property, Conspiracy and providing false names to deputies. In total, they stole nearly 500 pounds of grapes, worth about $700.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Ag Crimes Unit takes all Ag-related thefts seriously and works closely with farmers and ranchers to investigate all crimes and try to eliminate future thefts.

Source & photos: Tulare County Sheriff’s Office