A Northern California woman’s alleged vehicle burglary ended in an unexpected place Monday: the yard of an off-duty police officer, where she was taken into custody.
Authorities identified the suspect as 37-year-old Lacey Roberts, who is accused of stealing from a vehicle in the 1800 block of Humboldt Road in Chico before being confronted by the homeowner.
According to the Chico Police Department, Roberts fled across a creek and into a nearby residential area after the confrontation. “Unfortunately for her, she picked the wrong neighborhood,” the department wrote in a Facebook post.
Police said Roberts soon encountered an off-duty Chico officer. After climbing onto a parked truck and jumping a fence into a neighboring yard, she was escorted by the homeowner to the front of the property, where the officer tried to detain her.
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Roberts allegedly attempted to run again, but the off-duty officer held her until on-duty officers arrived. Police said the officer suffered minor injuries during the incident.
Roberts was arrested on four misdemeanor warrants and booked on additional allegations, including battery on a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance inside a detention facility, the Chico Police Department said.
The arrest followed another unsettling incident in Chico, where a gunman killed two men and wounded a young girl at the Butte County Library’s Chico Branch on June 22.
Authorities have said the 18-year-old shooter was reportedly influenced by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and participated in online forums focused on mass shooting discussions.
