RIVERSIDEÂ – Felony charges are expected to be filed tomorrow against a 71-year-old convicted sex offender suspected of carjacking a Perris woman, officials said.
Terry Grant Chappell of Washington was arrested and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta Thursday on suspicion of carjacking, possession of a stolen vehicle and failing to register as a sex offender with local law enforcement.
Chappell is being held in lieu of $60,000 bail.
His case was under review Monday by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Tinker, shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, the suspect allegedly confronted a woman getting into her vehicle near the intersection of Nuevo Road and Pico Avenue.
Chappell brandished a handgun at the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, and demanded the keys to her car, which she surrendered, Tinker alleged.
“The suspect drove away in the victim’s vehicle, leaving her at the side of the road,” the sergeant said.
He said that the woman was able to make her way to the sheriff’s Perris station less than five miles away and file a report, after which deputies began looking for the stolen car.
On Thursday afternoon, a patrol unit received a LoJack alert that the car was in the area of Highway 74 and Pico in Nuevo, prompting them to search the location, culminating in a traffic stop in the 23000 block of Pico.
Tinker said Chappell was taken into custody at the scene without incident.
“A records check revealed Chappell was a sex registrant out of Washington, and he was in violation for failing to register with local authorities,” the sergeant said.
Under California Penal Code section 290, documented sex offenders are required to notify law enforcement in local jurisdictions when and exactly where they have established residency. The law also prohibits an offender from having contact with minors, other than relatives, as well as imposing other restrictions.
Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.
CNS-06-26-2023 13:42
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