Lincoln Police arrest 3 in construction site heist

The collaboration of an observant citizen and quick response by Lincoln Police officers resulted in the arrest of three men responsible for a construction site heist Saturday morning. At approximately 5:44 a.m. Saturday, a resident spotted three male subjects, wearing construction vests, removing sheets of new plywood from a construction site on Nisenen Valley Drive and loading the materials into a white Ford pickup and a black Ford pickup with an attached trailer, according to Lincoln Police reports on its social media platforms. After the witness made a call to 9-1-1, Lincoln Police responded to the area. According to the report, both suspect vehicles were located at Twelve Bridges Drive and Sierra College Boulevard and a traffic stop was initiated on one of the suspect vehicles. One of the vehicles reportedly stopped for the responding officer, while the other continued to drive away. Shortly thereafter, a second responding officer located the outstanding suspect vehicle and was able to bring the vehicle to a stop near Highway 193 and Sierra College Boulevard. According to police, the suspects were identified as Omar Alejo, 38, of Sacramento, Oscar Guillen, 35, of Sacramento and Jose Loya-Carlon, 35, of Sacramento. Alejo, Guillen and Loya-Carlon were booked at the South Placer Jail for several charges, including grand theft and conspiracy to commit a felony crime. Alejo was additionally charged with providing false identification to a peace officer, possession of controlled substance and an outstanding felony warrant out of Sacramento County. Loya-Carlon was additionally booked for possession of a controlled substance. The trio had stolen a total of 74 sheets of plywood with an estimated value of $2,960. After arresting the suspects, officers located the contractor they belonged to, who was able to recover the stolen materials and return them to his job site. Lincoln Police praised the 9-1-1 caller on social media. "This was an outstanding team effort by officers and the alert citizen," reads the post. In times of rising costs and supply shortages, construction site robberies are becoming more common across the region, prompting many contractors to increase on- site security and surveillance.