Windsor Walmart theft report leads to two arrests

Two men were arrested after a suspected theft from Windsor’s Walmart store triggered a large police response Monday evening.

A Walmart customer called police to report a man had walked out of the store with a basket of unpaid items, Windsor Police Chief Carlos Basurto said Tuesday. The suspect jumped into a waiting car, which the customer then followed to a home just blocks away on Hastings Place, Basurto said.

Windsor law enforcement officials were familiar with the home from prior calls, including for suspected drug issues and arrests of at least one resident, he said.

Five deputies responded to the home, where they found an empty Walmart basket outside during a probation search, Basurto said. No store items were located. However, the two men were arrested on other suspected charges.

Steven Sanez, 28, of Santa Rosa, was taken to Sonoma County Jail, suspected of carrying a concealed knife in a necklace, having burglary tools, giving a false name and violating felony probation, according to jail records. Bail was $10,000.

A 39-year-old Windsor man was arrested for having suspected drug paraphernalia. He was given a citation for the suspected misdemeanor crime and released with an order to appear in court, police said.