Members of the Fresno HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) Task Force have booked 51-year-old Kristin Hibbard of Fresno into the Fresno County Jail.
Hibbard, who is known on the streets as “Blondie,” faces a total of 14 charges, nine of which are felonies. The majority of her crimes are vehicle thefts and burglaries. Hibbard recently made “Fresno’s Most Wanted List” for her involvement in several crimes over the past few years.
During the course of the investigation into Hibbard, HEAT also arrested two other people from Fresno. They are 22-year-old Angel Gutierrez and 29-year-old Salvador Velasquez. Gutierrez was booked into jail on a felony count of possessing a stolen vehicle. Velasquez was a wanted felon on Post Release Community Supervision (AB109).
On Tuesday, June 9th, members of HEAT located a stolen 2004 Buick LeSabre parked under a covered stall at a complex on the 6200 block of N. Fresno Street. They kept an eye on the car to try and catch the person driving it. Shortly before 3:00 am the next day, HEAT Members saw Kristin Hibbard get into the car and drive it to a retail lot at Blackstone and Sierra. Hibbard parked the car and slipped away into the darkness before officers could contact her. Later in the morning, Angel Gutierrez was seen getting into the stolen Buick and driving off in it. Officers contacted Gutierrez near the 6100 block of N. Blackstone Ave. and arrested him.
Investigators learned that Hibbard may be at a trailer park on the 100 block of E. Sierra Ave. When members approached one of the mobile homes, Salvador Velasquez came outside momentarily, then ran back inside. Velasquez refused to come out, so a Fresno Police K-9 was sent in and the dog found him hiding in a crawl space under the home. He was then taken into custody.
On Thursday at around 4:30 pm, officers saw Hibbard leaving a relative’s home near the Fresno St. address where the stolen Buick was originally spotted. Hibbard tried to disguise her appearance by wearing a brown wig. She was found to be in possession of burglary tools and had a total of 11 outstanding arrest warrants. Hibbard is being held in one of the three beds at the jail specifically reserved for HEAT, so she will not be eligible for release.
The stolen Buick LeSabre was returned to its owner.
Anyone with additional information on any of the suspects in this case is asked to please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or call Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867). You may also send an email at http://www.valleycrimestoppers.org/
***HEAT is comprised of members from the California Highway Patrol, Fresno County Sheriff's Office (FCSO), the National Insurance Crime Bureau and Clovis Police Department.
