MADERA RANCHOS - On March 4, 2019, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office received a call for service for a commercial burglary at the Rice Bowl Restaurant, a local family-owned business in the Madera Ranchos. The owner of the restaurant reported to MCSO Cadet I Brandon Smith that an unknown adult male entered the business earlier that day and took approximately $1,500 cash.

Security footage was obtained, and after a several week investigation by MCSO Detectives, a possible identification of the suspect was made. In cooperation with the Fresno area M.A.G.E.C. Team, Jacob Sonny Lopez, a 34 year old Clovis resident, was taken into custody on an unrelated charge. While in custody in Fresno County, MCSO Detective Luis Padgett interviewed Lopez regarding the burglary at the Rice Bowl.

A comparison of security footage from the theft provided a positive match of Lopez as the suspect in the case. On March 19, 2019, Lopez was booked into the Fresno County Jail on felony charges of grand theft out of Madera County, as well as unrelated felony charges out of Fresno County. He remains in custody without bail.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Madera County Sheriff’s Office at 559-675-7770.