Ridgecrest Police Department(RPD) Sgt. Groves–
On January 30, 2023, at approximately 6:40 PM, Ridgecrest Police Officers responded to the 200 block of W. Perdew Ave. regarding a residential burglary. Upon arrival, it was learned that the residence had been broken into at some point during a 7-hour time frame.
Officers were able to locate several shoe tracks and video surveillance of the suspect’s vehicle leaving the area. On January 31, Officers located the suspect vehicle parked in the mobile home park at 535 W. Atkins Ave. Detectives from the Ridgecrest Police Department were notified of the vehicle’s location and ultimately authored a search warrant for the residence parked in front of it. During the search of the home belonging to Kelli Dean, Detectives located several items taken from the victim’s residence.
During the investigation, Detectives learned that two additional suspects were involved, later identified as Matthew Esparza and Eric Russel. Both Officers and Detectives located Esparza and Russell a short time later. During the search of Esparza’s residence, Detectives found the remaining stolen property and were able to return it to the victim.
Officers and Detectives could also tie Dean to an additional Residential Burglary that occurred on October 14, 2022, in the 200 block of N. Cisco St.
Dean, Esparza, and Russell were arrested on the above-listed charges and transported to the Central Receiving Facility in Bakersfield. Dean was also charged and booked for her involvement in the Burglary on October 14, 2022.
