A taco truck owner called the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office earlier this month to report a robbery of his truck.
Turns out the owner staged the robbery to get an insurance payout.
Driving the news: On Aug. 2, deputies arrived at the scene on W. Caldwell Ave. in Visalia to meet taco truck owner Pablo Serrano.
- Serrano reported that suspects stole his $80,000 truck and robbed him of cash.
- Detectives reviewed surveillance footage and tracked down the stolen truck, only to find it on fire in an orchard near Woodlake.
- The truck was a complete loss, and the fire caused over $10,000 in damage to the orchard.
The big picture: Detectives followed up on the case over the following days and found evidence that Serrano had staged the robbery with his friends to make an insurance claim on the truck.
- Serrano had made an insurance claim on the vehicle on Aug. 3.
- Detectives arrested Serrano on Monday for conspiracy to commit a crime, arson and insurance fraud.
- Detectives also arrested Juan Mendez for conspiracy and arson, while another suspect is still wanted for questioning.
