By Shellsea Lomeli
RIVERSIDE, CA – Angel Felipe Aleman has a date in Riverside Superior Court Aug. 24 for a bail review on charges stemming from a July theft of $140,000 from an armored vehicle, but that may be just the start of his problems.
Currently, Aleman is being held in custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center with no bail, after escaping jail and allegedly committing the felony-level theft.
Aleman has a significant history of criminal charges dating back 16 years. While his two charges for taking a vehicle without permission and purchasing a stolen vehicle were dismissed, he was still 
found guilty of evading arrest in 2004.
In 2019, Aleman was charged with multiple criminal offenses including assault and battery, damaging private property, and vehicle theft. That case hasn’t been resolved—he was released in April of this year when his bail was reduced to $0 as a result of new COVID-19 influenced policies that were set in place to reduce jail populations.
But, on July 17, Aleman allegedly committed grand theft by stealing a bank deposit bag with $140,000 from an armored vehicle that was parked at a fast-food restaurant in Indio. The defendant was found by law enforcement and taken into custody a few hours after the theft. The stolen bank deposit bag was also found but not in the possession of the alleged offender.
A day later, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reported that Aleman had escaped John J. Benoit Detention Center, where he was being held. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit and had no shoes.
The escapee was found by law enforcement with community cooperation and placed back into custody hours later.
Aleman attended a court hearing on the following Wednesday, July 22, at the Riverside Superior Court in Indio where he entered a not guilty plea to his most recent charges of grand theft and escaping custody.
To sign up for our new newsletter – Everyday Injustice – https://tinyurl.com/yyultcf9
