CHPD bait helps nab suspect with lengthy rap sheet; bail set at $121k

Sentinel staff report–
Citrus Heights police on Thursday announced the arrest of a 29-year-old woman with a lengthy criminal history, the latest in a growing list of suspects nabbed by the police department’s bait program.

Police said Jennifer May Dupont, of North Highlands, was arrested after she found bait in the area of Auburn Boulevard and Twin Oaks Avenue. Online inmate records indicate she was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail around 11 p.m. on Aug. 14.

As of Aug. 24, she is being held on $121,000 bail, due to multiple prior arrest warrants in addition to her latest arrest where she is charged with two felonies for grand theft and buying or receiving stolen property.

Her criminal record is also extensive, police said in a Facebook post, noting she has prior arrests for “vehicle theft, grand theft, battery on a peace officer, burglary conspiracy, possession of controlled substances in prison, possession of stolen property, fraud and narcotics-related charges, just to name a few.”

Related: DUI arrests have increased over 50% in Citrus Heights this year. Here’s why.

The department’s bait items are placed around the city and are equipped with tracking capability. According to police, the type of bait and the methods used to deploy the items are regularly changed, with analysis of current crime trends being a key tactic the department uses to determine where to deploy bait.

The department’s bait program was credited with leading to 98 felony arrests last year. Data for the current year was not immediately available on Friday.

Police Lt. Chad Morris, who is credited with launching the bait program in Citrus Heights, previously told The Sentinel that police view the program as a success, with nearly 250 arrests being made since the program was launched in mid-2016 through the end of last year.

“[U]ntil property crimes become non-existent, we will continue to bait the hook and take criminals to jail as many times as it takes,” said Morris. “At the end of the day, we much prefer thieves steal from us than burden one of our citizens.”