Santa Rosa man arrested with stolen mail, checks, additional evidence of fraud
SANTA ROSA -- Authorities arrested a Santa Rosa man over the weekend who was on probation and found with a variety of items used for fraud and identity theft, including stolen checks and mail.
According to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department Facebook post, on Sunday at about 3:30 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 4300 block of Stony Point Road in Santa Rosa after a resident reported someone passed out in a car on private property. The deputy talked to the person in the car, later identified as 26-year-old Santa Rosa resident Benjamin Brass.
He did not have identification on him and seemed to be under the influence of drugs. A dispatch checked on local records determined Brass was on probation for four different court cases. Some of his probation terms require him to obey all laws and to submit to warrantless search and seizure.
A search by the deputy searched of his car found a laptop, printer, tools to forge checks, stolen mail, stolen checks, 18 debit cards with Brass' name, 8 debit cards in other peoples names, and 7 general un-embossed debit cards. A general debit card is a card that has no identifying information and can be loaded with other account information as well as embossed with someone else's name.
Brass was booked into jail for felony identity theft and two charges of probation violation from his previous cases and is being held without bail. Authorities are investigating the case and reviewing the evidence found. More information will be released as it becomes available.