Dionicio Fierros, a 69-year-old man in California, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft of agricultural products.
The man from Los Angeles was driving a vehicle carrying 800 pounds of freshly picked stolen lemons, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
The arrest was made in Thermal on Friday morning around 9:45 am. During a routine traffic stop at the intersection of Grapefruit Boulevard and Pierce Street, deputies found they very surprising haul.
Authorities believe that the lemons were from a nearby farm and confiscated them. Fierros was booked at the Indio Jail. He was later released after posting $10,000 bail.
Fierros’ arrest was part of a large investigation into agricultural thefts in the southeast of Palm Springs area.
The story has gone viral, and commenters on social media are having fun with it. Some even wondered if the man is not a secret Beyoncé fan.
The music superstar released a critically-acclaimed album called Lemonade in 2016. One conservative jokester also said, “Obviously getting ready to set up an illegal lemonade stand in California. No ICE, please.”
“He confessed after they put the squeeze on and said they would beat him to a pulp,” a second commenter added.
Authorities have been busy in recent weeks investigating similar thefts in cities like Thermal, Mecca, and Oasis and they are asking the public for help to catch other culprits.
Tuesday, Thermal Station deputies arrested Marco Basilio, 24, and Noe Moreno, 34, as they were getting ready to cut and remove Barhi dates from several trees. The suspects were booked in Riverside County Jail in Indio.
California has been dealing with this problem for a long time, and although some progress was made, thefts of that nature remain a big issue for businesses in affected areas.
Texas and Florida have their own issues when it comes to agriculture and people with bad intentions.
