Deputies lure suspects with fake contest

LA MIRADA — Eight people who showed up at the Holiday Inn in La Mirada Saturday expecting to claim prizes won in a holiday giveaway left disappointed — and in handcuffs.
The event was a sting set up by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Norwalk Station in which people with outstanding warrants for their arrests were lured into the waiting arms of deputies with the promise of prizes and a chance to win a new car.
The goal of the operation was to bring wanted people to deputies, rather than sending deputies after the suspects, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Pat Valdez, who organized the sting. About 960 letters were sent out.
“We’re just trying to think outside the box,” Valdez said, adding that the sheriff’s Norwalk Station has never before tried such a tactic.
Four men and four women were arrested Saturday, all on misdemeanor warrants, officials said.
The largest warrant deputies saw in the sting belonged to Krystie Haro, 26, of La Mirada, authorities said, who had a $100,000 arrest warrant related to an obstruction of justice charge.
One 22-year-old arrestee, Chris Calderon of La Mirada, displayed his booking sheet from his driving under the influence arrest as a form of identification prior to his arrest. He was arrested on a warrant related to the DUI charge.
Several additional people showed up to claim prizes, but their warrants had been cleared up since the letters were sent out by deputies.
Officials said they were hoping for more arrests than they saw Saturday.
“It’s not the numbers we wanted,” Capt. Patrick Maxwell said, “(But) it was a learning experience.”
Posing as the “Pelican Marketing Group,” deputies sent letters last week to people throughout the county wanted in connection with all types of crimes, the captain said.
“They range from misdemeanor warrants to murder,” he said.
The letters assured the suspects that they are guaranteed a prize with a value of at least $100, and that they are one of 200 people with a chance to win a 2010 BMW 238i sedan.
To claim the prizes, people were advised to bring their letter and identification Saturday to the Holiday Inn in La Mirada, 14299 Firestone Blvd., where deputies posing as employees of the Pelican Marketing Group welcomed them.
To make the event seem legitimate, deputies borrowed a BMW sedan from McKenna Cars in Norwalk and parked it in front of the hotel, which was decorated with balloons and signs.
“We tried to make it as realistic as possible,” Valdez said.
Suspects who showed up for the contest were first asked to sign in with a deputy posing as a secretary, who would check to make sure the warrant was still valid, before filling out a brief survey.
As they filled out their paperwork, undercover deputies would chat with the suspects about what prizes they hoped to win.
The contestants realized they’d been conned when they were brought to a back room to pose for a photograph.
When the suspects were positioned in front of the camera and asked to smile, a team of more than half a dozen uniformed deputies swooped in to arrest them.
Suspects were all smiles when they showed up to collect their prizes, Deputy Janet Ramirez said.
“Once they tell them they’re under arrest, the smile fades quickly,” Ramirez said.

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