PICO RIVERA — Two El Rancho High School football coaches were not present at Friday’s game after being arrested on suspicion of breaking into an SUV early in the morning, officials said.
Juan Vigil, 31, of Maywood and Andrew Jimenez, 23, of Pico Rivera were booked on suspicion of auto burglary, Pico Rivera sheriff’s Detective Gabriel Ramirez said.
The men had been drinking at the Tamarack Inn, 9257 Slauson Ave., when they left the establishment about 1 a.m., the detective said.
“When they left, one of them saw an opportunity to break into an SUV,” Ramirez said. “The other acted as a look-out.”
Deputies arrived to investigate, and Deputy Ryan Malone discovered that the suspects had used a credit card to pay for their drinks, the detective said. Vigil’s name on the credit card receipt led officials to arrest him at his home in Maywood.
Upon further investigation, deputies also arrested Jimenez in connection with the break-in, Ramirez said.
Both men are walk-on football coached at El Rancho High School, El Rancho Unified School District Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources John Lopez said.
They were placed on leave following their arrest, however their future employment status was not clear Friday.
“They’re not permanent employees,” Lopez said.
As walk-on coaches, they are “at-will” employees and can be terminated by the district at any time, he added.
According to county booking records, Jimenez was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail at the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station, while Vigil was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail.
Both men were due for arraignment Tuesday in Whittier Superior Court.