MADERA COUNTY - Beginning in November of 2018, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office received several reports of victims being pulled over by an adult male subject driving a white truck in various locations in Madera County, including the areas of Avenue 14 and Road 23, and CA-145 and Avenue 7.
The vehicle was described as a white single cab pickup, possibly a Ford, with front and rear facing red and blue flashing lights, and a blue stripe along the side. On January 3, 2019 and January 4, 2019, MCSO Deputies responded to several calls for service with similar circumstances.
After obtaining victim and witness statements, deputies acquired enough information to identify a potential suspect. Victims and witnesses all singled out the same male subject from a photo lineup. Based on this positive identification, MCSO Detectives acquired a search warrant for the residence of the subject, 50 years-old Alejandro Meza Aguilar of Madera.
During the course of the investigation, Aguilar admitted to pulling vehicles over after installing red and blue lights on his truck. He was subsequently arrested and booked in at the Madera County Department of Corrections for multiple felony counts of false imprisonment, and several counts of misdemeanor impersonating a peace officer.
Friday evening around 10:00PM the Madera County Sheriff’s dispatchers put out a call about a second truck pulling over citizens. That truck was reported to be a black Ford F150 in the area of North Gateway Drive near Casey’s Bar & Grill. The Madera County Sheriff’s Department does not feel these two cases are related.
Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney told a local television reporter, "It's not that he got them to come out of the car and handcuffed them, its that he intimidated them to the point where they couldn't just drive away. He did seem to pick primarily on Hispanic individuals. In one instance, the person who actually called us was someone he passed, then stopped the car in front of our caller and pulled him over to the side."
The Madera County Sheriff’s Department would not release a booking photo of Aguilar because they felt it might jeopardize the ongoing investigation. If you or someone you know believe you may be a victim relating to this case, please contact the Madera County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 675-7770.
