09/24/2025
Press release copy and pasted
On Sunday, August 31, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., deputies assigned to the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to the report of a grand theft from a business in the 40000 block of Monterey Avenue, Rancho Mirage. Upon arrival, deputies discovered that two e-scooters had been stolen from the front of the business.
Deputies assigned to the Rancho Mirage Special Enforcement Team assumed the investigation, reviewed surveillance footage, and identified the two suspects involved as Christian Bailey Melendrez, a 27-year-old transient out of Beaumont, and Patrick Cody Pettigrew, a 47-year-old resident of Banning. On Monday, September 22, 2025, Officers from the Beaumont Police Department located Melendrez and detained him without incident. On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 12:00 p.m., Deputies from the Rancho Mirage Special Enforcement Team, the Palm Desert Business District Team, and the Cabazon Special Enforcement Team responded to the 5100 block of West Hoffer Street, Banning, to serve a residential search warrant and attempt to locate Pettigrew. Pettigrew was located and arrested at the residence without incident.
Melendrez and Pettigrew were booked into the John Benoit Detention Center on charges of grand theft, theft with priors, and conspiracy.
The investigation’s success underscores the importance of interagency cooperation in ensuring public safety and holding offenders accountable. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Deputy Castaneda at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760–836–1600.
Pictures sent to me anonymously
