On Friday, March 18, 2011, at 4:32 pm, officers from the Wildomar Police Department were dispatched to the 32800 block of Sheila Lane, Wildomar, in reference to a stolen Honda automobile left at the location. When the first officer arrived, a white male adult who had been sitting in the driver’s seat of the Honda, ran south from the confirmed stolen vehicle. The suspect began jumping fences into nearby residences in an effort to get away from the officer who was in foot pursuit. A perimeter was quickly established around the neighborhood. With the assistance of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department helicopter overhead, a ground search with several assisting units including a K-9 was conducted. At 5:22 pm, the suspect was located hiding in a nearby field and taken into custody. The suspect was identified as William Duffy, 37 years old, from El Monte. Duffy is also a parolee at large.

Duffy was in possession of a cellular telephone at the time of his arrest. A text message was displayed on the screen indicating Duffy was attempting to direct Advertisement

[ Pala Mesa Resort ] an accomplice to the area to pick him up to avoid capture. An officer who was at the scene, continued to send text messages to the accomplice. A short time later, a silver Dodge Caravan arrived being driven by a white female. The van was stopped and two females were taken into custody. They were identified as Mary Bennet, 41 years old, and Michelle Mills, 27 years old, both from Lake Elsinore.

Duffy was booked into the Southwest Detention Center for 496 PC, Possession of Stolen Property, and 3056 PC, Parole Violation. Bennet and Mills were booked for 32 PC, Accessory to a Crime, 182 PC, Conspiracy, 11350 H /S, Possession of a Controlled Substance and two felony warrants.

Anyone with further information about this incident, or any other criminal activity in Wildomar is encouraged to contact the Wildomar Police Department at 951-245-3300 or after hours and on weekends at 951-776-1099.

The Wildomar Police Department would like to remind all citizens to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity, including any vehicles or persons, to law enforcement.