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Woman Arrested Following Bomb Scare At Marin County Jail, Vehicle Burglaries

SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF) -- A woman was arrested following a vehicle burglary in Marin County and bomb scare at the county jail in San Rafael Wednesday.

The Marin County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to the 500 block of N. San Pedro Road in unincorporated Santa Venetia on a report of a woman dressed in all black rummaging through unlocked vehicles and removing items.

The deputies obtained a vehicle description and began to canvas the area. At about the same time, a woman dressed in all black was reported to have entered the Marin County Jail about a mile-and-a-half away, dropped a duffel bag, pulled a fire alarm, and fled, the sheriff's office said.

Marin County Jail bomb scare
Bomb squad from the University of California at the Marin County Jail, April 28, 2021. (Marin County Sheriff's Office)

"Due to the circumstances surrounding how the duffel bag was dropped and the unknown contents, the UC Berkeley Bomb Squad was requested to the scene out of an abundance of caution," a statement from the sheriff's office said.

As this was happening, a deputy checking the surrounding area was stopped by a California State Parks employee, who said an unknown person had just lit a large pile of clothing on fire near China Camp. The person drove away in a vehicle, which fit the description of the one reported in the earlier theft, the sheriff's office said.

At around 8:45 a.m., a deputy located the vehicle along N. San Pedro Road and conducted a traffic stop. The sheriff's office said the vehicle turned out to have been stolen and the driver, identified as 31-year-old Judith Garcia of Richmond, was arrested

Garcia was booked into the Marin County Jail on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, petty theft, setting a false fire alarm and arson. A bail enhancement of $50,000 was set.

The sheriff's office said the contents of the duffel bag left at the county jail were personal items from the stolen vehicle and a set of tire chains.

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