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Alleged Fire Hydrant Thief Charged With Grand Theft, Other Felonies

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A 25-year-old Norco man has been charged with grand theft after allegedly stealing fire hydrants throughout the city.

Adam Alan Ulrich is being held in lieu of $40,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside and is additionally charged with three counts of receiving stolen property and a sentence-enhancing allegation of committing a felony while out on bail.

Riverside County sheriff's officials began investigating after a total of seven hydrants had been pried from their foundations on sidewalks throughout the area, according to City News Service.

Officials were pursuing leads in the case from January 31 until February 13, when a search warrant was executed at Ulrich's Mountain Avenue home.

Deputies seized alleged evidence connecting him to the thefts.

Ulrich was subsequently put under arrest.

Officials say Ulrich resisted and had to be corralled by a K-9 handler and his dog.

He was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and then transported to jail.

Court records show Ulrich has a prior felony conviction for receiving stolen property and misdemeanor convictions for disturbing the peace and presenting bogus identification in an attempt to deceive a law enforcement official.

He was free on bond at the time of his arrest on unrelated theft charges.

Sheriff's officials say the hydrants stolen in Norco have an estimated value of $21,000.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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