Niland man arrested for shoplifting at Brawley Walmart

IMPERIAL COUNTY (KYMA, KECY) - Brawley police arrested a man in connection to a shoplifting, where the man will serve a harsher punishment due to a newly passed law.

On December 30, 2024, Brawley police responded to a shoplifting at the Walmart on 250 Wildcat Drive.

The man was later found and identified to be Elijah Perez of Niland.

Perez allegedly stole items worth under $950, which would've counted as a misdemeanor before the passing of Proposition 36.

Perez was initially arrested for shoplifting but he was found to have two previous theft convictions.

This marks the first time the Imperial County District Attorney's Office charged a suspect under the newly passed Proposition 36, which allows for harsher punishment of repeat theft offenders.

The Attorney's Office is working on a program called the Retail Theft Initiative to combat theft crimes and is planned be implemented in the Calexico Walmart in the near future.