2 arrested in Monterey County rental construction equipment theft ring bust

Two men were arrested by law enforcement in Monterey County this week as part of an investigation into an organized rental construction equipment theft ring, authorities said.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that the arrests were part of a series of investigations into a group of people who coordinate to rent and steal construction equipment from local businesses.

On Monday, detectives with the Sheriff's agricultural crime unit went undercover to meet up with a suspect believed to be using a false identity and a fraudulent credit card to rent a mini excavator valued at around $37,000.

Detectives met with the suspect, later identified as 50-year-old Jaime Sanchez Valdez, near Corral de Tierra Road and Highway 68 in Salinas. During the meeting, the suspect allegedly used a false identity and was arrested, the Sheriff's Office said. 

On Thursday, investigators searched a property on Blackie Road in Prunedale, where detectives found a skid steer, forklift and four-stall luxury restroom trailer, each reported stolen from a Salinas rental construction business in November 2025, the office said. The recovered equipment is estimated to be worth around $300,000.

A second suspect believed to have been involved in the thefts, 44-year-old Hazael Corona Andrade, was arrested during the search. 

As of Friday afternoon, Valdez and Andrade were both in the Monterey County Jail, the Sheriff's Office said.