GPS Tracking Device Snares Alleged Lake Elsinore Car Thief

A 27-year-old Lake Elsinore man and his female passenger were arrested Sunday afternoon after getting caught in a stolen vehicle equipped with a GPS tracking device.

Temecula police received the report around noon after the vehicle’s owner reportedly tracked his ride to Old Town Temecula via a GPS tracking device he had previously installed.

Police found the unoccupied car in an alleyway near Front Street in Old Town and decided to set up a sting.

“A short time later, officers observed a man and a woman leaving the area in the stolen vehicle,” according to Sgt. Jon Wade of the Temecula Police Department.

Police attempted to stop the driver, but he kept motoring at very slow speeds through Old Town before finally surrendering at the Circle K on Front Street, Wade reported.

Joseph Lavallee was arrested along with his front passenger, Lisa Wehus, 24, of Temecula. Wehus was arrested for allegedly being under the influence of a stimulant drug and child endangerment: The vehicle’s rear passenger was Wehus’s 2-year-old daughter.

The toddler was taken into protective custody and released to Child Protective Services. She was unharmed and later released to her biological father, according to the sergeant.

Wehus has been released from jail and is due to appear in court Oct. 24. Lavallee remains in custody for allegedly taking a vehicle without an owner’s consent, receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance. He is due to appear in court Wednesday.