UPDATES Below:

According to Fortuna Police Lieutenant Matt Eberhardt, Sandra Ann Belisle (age 43) was captured on video tape not only stealing the keys to a vehicle to facilitate stealing it, but also videotaped writing a bad check to a business. (See photo of Belisle on right.)

Eberhardt explained that Dave’s 76 Service Station, located in the 1600 block of Main Street, called in the report of a stolen silver Chrysler 200 4-door sedan yesterday.  The vehicle had been dropped off by the owner on the 12th to have work done. The business also reported that the vehicle keys were missing. 

“We sent our officers down there to look,” Eberhardt said. The officers accessed the business’s surveillance tapes and observed that Belisle, who was known to them, took the stolen vehicle’s keys off the rack and put them on her person.  They also observed her pay for work that she was having the business do with a check.

“The check she pays with is not in her name,” Eberhardt explained. “The check is no good. She had a forged check. Looks like she has a book of checks.”

The officers began looking for the vehicle. Within an hour and twenty minutes by 9:30 a.m., they located the vehicle parked and unoccupied on the 2300 block of Acaia Drive. They conducted a neighborhood check and notified the car owners. The owners arrived and noticed items within the car were missing.  The vehicle keys were also still missing.

The Fortuna Police Department obtained a search warrant for Belisle’s property. Prior to serving the warrant, they drove by her place and noticed there were multiple people at the home, so they requested and received assistance from the Rio Dell Police Department.

At 7:50 p.m., they served the warrant on Belisle’s residence in the 3400 block of School Street. 

“As a result,” Eberhardt said, “we located the stolen keys for the vehicle, the stolen property, the checkbook for the check that was written, and drug paraphernalia.” They booked Belisle for Burglary, Auto Theft, Possession of Stolen Property, Forgery, Drug paraphernalia, and seven counts of enhancement.

Eberhardt explained that because Belisle had seven pending felony cases for similar crimes, they were able to add on the enhancement charges.  “Belisle has a very extensive criminal history,” Eberhardt said. “Multiple pending matters. She continues to victimize people and businesses….Victims are wanting to see some justice….She is obviously manipulating the system because she is on release and continuing to commit crimes while out on release.”

Eberhardt noted that law enforcement’s work was made easier by “businesses who work with us to prevent and deter crime. That is definitely helpful.”

He also said that, as of mid-morning,  Belisle is still in custody.

Another woman was also arrested at the Belisle’s home: Kayla Renee Voynton, age 20, was charged with possession of stolen property and an enhancement charge, too.

Other items were located items at the home, such as checks, birth certificates and other paperwork possibly belonging to other victims. “These could potentially lead to other crimes and other victims,” Eberhardt said. Officers will continue to investigate.

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UPDATE 7:40 p.m.:

Fortuna Police Department Press Release:

Fortuna, CA – On February 13, 2014 at approximately 8:07 am Officers with the Fortuna Police Department responded to Dave’s 76 Service Station in the 1600 block of Main Street in Fortuna for a reported auto theft. Officers learned that on February 12, 2014 the owner of a silver 2012 Chrysler 200 dropped off his vehicle at the service station for service. On February 13, 2014 employees found that the vehicle had been stolen sometime during the night.

Officers investigated and viewed the businesses surveillance video, observing a female subject/customer on February 13, 2014 stealing the vehicle keys to the 2012 Chrysler while at the business paying for work on vehicle tires. The business provided the check the woman paid with to the officers. The officers had recognized the woman in the video as Sandra Ann Belisle, age 43. Belisle is known as she has repeatedly victimized local citizens and businesses and has several pending criminal matters related to thefts and forgeries. The officers observed the check Belisle used to pay the business was not in Belisle’s name and she had forged another person’s name. Further investigation into the check revealed it was a false/fictitious check.

Approximately an hour and twenty minutes later at about 9:30 am officers located the stolen vehicle parked and unoccupied in the 2300 block of Acacia Drive in Fortuna. The vehicle was returned to the owner and officers learned that property had been stolen from the vehicle and the vehicle keys were not located.

Officers continued their investigation and at approximately 7:50 pm officers with the assistance of Rio Dell Police Department (ie: additional personnel) obtained and served a search warrant on Belisle’s residence in the 3400 block of School Street in Fortuna. As a result of the investigation and search warrant officers located the stolen property from the 2012 Chrysler, the vehicle keys to the 2012 Chrysler, the checkbook used by Belisle, drug paraphernalia and other checks and paperwork that potentially identifying additional victims.

Sandra Ann Belisle, age 43 was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on the following charges.

• 459 PC, Burglary
• 10851a CVC, Auto Theft
• 496 PC, Possession of Stolen Property
• 470(d) PC, Forgery
• 11364 H&S, Drug Paraphernalia
• 7 counts of 12022.1 PC, an enhancement charges as Belisle has 7 pending criminal matters of the same nature and she has continued to commit the offenses while on release from the courts.

Additionally officers arrested Kayla Renee Boynton, age 20 during the service of the search warrant. Boynton was booked in the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on the following charges.

• 496 PC, Possession of Stolen property 
• 1 count of 12022.1 PC, Enhancement

The investigation is ongoing.

UPDATE 7:45 p.m.: Lt. Eberhardt updated the above information.  He stated that more checkbooks have been found belonging to a victim whose home was burglarized November 14th on the 1500 block of Weber Street. Though Sandra Belisle had already been charged in that burglary, a carbon copy of a check she is suspected of writing on the victim’s account in mid November was found and will be added to the evidence against her.