Burglary Arrest Stemming from Investigation into Elementary School Thefts
January 15, 2026 – Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office officials report that during the last several weeks of 2025, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports of trespassing and theft involving a man driving a white pickup truck with a black stripe across the hood on the Soulsbyville Elementary School campus after school hours. Surveillance footage from previous reports showed the man stealing clothing, backpacks and a Chromebook from the campus.
On December 30, 2025, at approximately 4:40 a.m., deputies responded to Soulsbyville Elementary School following a report of a trespasser whose vehicle and description matched the previously reported suspect. Upon arrival, deputies located the pickup truck and conducted a search of the campus but did not locate the suspect. A records check revealed the vehicle was registered to 47-year-old Darrick Ryan Flaming, who had an out-of-county warrant for his arrest. Deputies remained on scene throughout the morning, continuing to search the area and utilizing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to thoroughly check the campus. When Flaming was not located, the vehicle was towed.
Later that morning, a deputy saw Flaming riding a bicycle on Soulsbyville Road near the school. The deputy stopped Flaming, quickly confirmed his identity, and placed him under arrest. During questioning, Flaming admitted to stealing sweatshirts and backpacks from the campus.
Deputies searched Flaming’s vehicle and found items described in previous theft cases, including clothing Flaming had been observed wearing in surveillance footage. Further investigation led deputies to obtain a search warrant for Flaming’s storage unit, where multiple items connected to the Soulsbyville Elementary School thefts, as well as previously reported burglaries at SecureCare Self Storage, were recovered.
This case remains an active investigation, with deputies continuing to follow all available investigative leads.
Flaming was booked at the Dambacher Detention Center on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property and his warrant.
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