The recovery of stolen purses had been the focus of Ripon Police officers until Paul Staley made a traffic stop for mechanical issues and found a stash of purses in the back of the car.
he officers were driven in their focus because one of the thefts involved a car window being smashed in by a thief with two small children in the back seat.
It was shortly before 8 a.m. on Monday when Officer Staley observed a suspicious vehicle repeatedly driving through the parking lot of the Grace Brethern Church in the 700 block of West Main Street.
In addition to the purses officers also reportedly found marijuana in the vehicle.
Officers had specifically watching the area in their pursuit of vehicle burglaries in the downtown area. A traffic stop was initiated on the Main Street overcrossing. The driver was identified as Juan Miguel Alvarez-Salgado, 25, of Ceres, and was booked into San Joaquin County Jail for possession of stolen property. 
One of the purses was identified by its owner as having been taken from her vehicle back in September, police said.  Detectives from the Special Investigations Unit are working on several parallel investigations as a result of the arrest and property seizure, according to Lt. Steve Merchant.