A traffic stop in Irvine, California, over a license plate that allegedly did not belong to the car led officers to drugs, paraphernalia, ammunition, and a stolen package, according to the Irvine Police Department. Police said officers recently stopped the vehicle after determining that the plate was registered to a different vehicle. The stop ended with three people arrested on suspicion of grand theft and conspiracy.
Police identified the suspects as Leonardo Delarosa, 30, of Riverside, Danielle Kathryn Custer, 38, of Anaheim, and Sergio Arturo Diaz, 30, of Santa Ana. All three were arrested for grand theft and conspiracy, according to the department. Delarosa was also arrested on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition.
Custer was also arrested for drug offenses, police said. The department said officers found drugs and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle, along with ammunition. Officers also found a package that had allegedly been stolen from a nearby business.
The department described the stop with a soccer joke, saying it had more red cards than a World Cup match. However, the allegations behind the post were much more straightforward. Police said the mismatched plate led to a stop that uncovered suspected stolen property, drugs, and ammunition in the same vehicle.
How the Mismatched Plate Led to the Irvine Stop
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A mismatched plate can give officers a reason to look more closely at a vehicle because the registration record does not match what is physically on the road. In this case, Irvine police said the plate on the car belonged to another vehicle. That discrepancy prompted the stop before officers found the other items inside.
Police have not said whether the plate was stolen, switched from another car, or attached for another reason. The department also did not say where in Irvine the stop happened. As of the post, police had only identified the license plate mismatch as the reason officers initially stopped the vehicle.
What Charges Did Irvine Police Announce?
Delarosa, Custer, and Diaz were all arrested on suspicion of grand theft and conspiracy, according to Irvine police. Those allegations appear to relate to the stolen package police said was recovered from the vehicle, though the department did not release the package’s value or contents. Police also did not name the nearby business connected to the stolen package.
Delarosa faces the additional ammunition allegation because police identified him as a convicted felon. Custer faces additional drug-related allegations tied to the drugs and paraphernalia police said were inside the car. It is still unknown whether Diaz faces any allegations beyond grand theft and conspiracy, and police did not release court dates or booking details in the post.