Suspected Thief Also Accused Of Vandalizing Nativity Scene In Ripon

RIPON (CBS13) - Officers have arrested two suspected thieves, with one of them also suspected of vandalizing a nativity scene.

The arrests happened early Saturday morning. Ripon police say two suspicious men knocked on the door of a home along the 1000 block of Kelcie Drive around 2:45 a.m. and reportedly asked about drugs.

Officers responded and spotted the suspects riding bicycles on Doak Boulevard.

Police say the bicycles were reported stolen from a Ripon home. One of the suspects also had Christmas lights that were stolen from another Ripon home.

The angel allegedly broken by one of the suspects. (Credit: Ripon Police Department)

Both of the men, 21-year-old Manteca resident Michael Peter Johnson and 35-year-old Tracy resident Stephen Everett Johnson, were arrested and booked at San Joaquin County jail on theft charges.

Investigators believe Michael Peter Johnson was also responsible for an earlier incident on Mohler Road where an angel in a nativity scene was kicked over and broken. He's facing vandalism charges, and also had an outstanding warrant for a traffic violation.