Stolen Property Investigation Turns Physical; Two Arrested In Unincorporated Area Outside Lake Elsinore

Two men who tussled with deputies from the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station were arrested Friday during a stolen property investigation that turned physical.

Lake Elsinore resident David Parnell, 41, and Lee Marels, 29, of England, were both arrested at a residence in the 18000 block of Eucalyptus Road, in an unincorporated area outside Lake Elsinore.

The incident started earlier in the day when deputies assigned to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Lake Elsinore Station, Burglary Suppression Team, conducted a stolen property investigation.

According to a police report, the investigation began after deputies got a call from Colorado-based Ditch Witch Company regarding a tracker that had been stolen from the company.  The company believed its tracker was posted for sale online and was at the Eucalyptus residence.

A tracker is an expensive sonar type device used by construction workers to avoid utility and electrical lines.

During the investigation, deputies contacted a man who was later identified as Parnell. He was the man trying to sell the tracker online, according to the report.

The deputies met Parnell at the Eucalyptus residence and positively identified the tracker as stolen property by its serial number and description, according to the police report.

When the deputies confronted Parnell, he became physically aggressive and a struggle ensued, the police report stated.

During the scuffle, a friend of Parnell’s -- who was later identified as Marels – allegedly attempted to interfere with the deputies as they tried to restrain Parnell.

During the struggle, Parnell and Marels sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital where they received treatment. They were later transported and booked into the Southwest Detention Center for 148(a)(1) of the California Penal Code, resisting, delaying or obstructing a peace officer in the performance of their duties.