California woman arrested in Arley


Ashley Salazar (Courtesy photo)

ARLEY      - A California woman, who told law enforcement she had been heading to the inauguration of President Donald Trump, was recently found in a vehicle she reportedly stole from Jasper, according to the Arley Police Department.
Ashley Nicole Salazar, 39, of Napa, California, was charged with receiving stolen property first degree, which is an automatic first degree if a vehicle is involved, as well as criminal trespassing second degree, according to Arley Police Officer Levi Brown.
Brown was doing a routine patrol on County Road 41 around 9 p.m. January 22, when he noticed a vehicle with headlights on in the bay of a car wash that is closed in the winter months, Brown stated.
Salazar, who was the lone occupant of the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, had apparently gone around a barricade across the entrance, as well as ignored the closed sign, Brown noted.
Brown approached the Chevrolet and asked why she was on the closed property, to which she responded she had tried to find a place to pull off the road, Brown stated.
Brown ran Salazar’s information through dispatch, but when the vehicle information was run, it showed the car had been stolen  around 6 p.m. that day from the parking area of a business in Jasper, police said.
The vehicle owner told police he had cranked his car, then gone back into a business, at which time, Salazar allegedly drove away in the car, Brown pointed out. At the time of the theft, Salazar had been on foot, he noted.
Brown took Salazar into custody on the above charges and transported her to the Winston County Jail in Double Springs, where she faced bonds totaling $5,750, he said.
Jasper Police also had charges pending against Salazar for the vehicle theft, police indicated.
The Chevrolet was returned to its rightful owner, according to Brown.
When asked why Salazar was in the area, since she was listed from California, she told law enforcement she was headed to the inauguration of President Donald Trump when her car broke down, Brown said.


*When a defendant is charged with a crime, the charge is merely an accusation until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 


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