Woman free four days before arrest in Tahoe vehicle theft

Yolanda Frances Benson was arrested in South Lake Tahoe for vehicle theft days after being released from custody in Douglas County.

Yolanda Frances Benson was arrested in South Lake Tahoe for vehicle theft days after being released from custody in Douglas County.

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A Los Angeles woman who had spent five months in Douglas County custody due to questions about her competency was free for four days before being arrested in South Lake Tahoe.

Yolanda Frances Benson, 29, was identified by South Lake police as a suspect in a vehicle theft on Friday that led to a lockdown of a school.

South Lake Tahoe Police were notified of a vehicle theft on Lodi Avenue around 9:30 a.m. Friday.

The vehicle was found by a detective less than 20 minutes later about a mile away in the parking lot of South Lake Tahoe Middle School. The school was placed on lockdown for 10 minutes while officers ensured the vehicle was empty, and that the driver had left school property.

Video surveillance gave officers a description of the driver and she was arrested, uncooperative and under the influence, according to police.

She gave several names and birthdates, prompting police to release her photo. Six minutes later she was identified as Benson, who had been in Douglas County custody until a Monday court appearance to determine her competency, according to jail records.

Benson, a Culver City, Calif., resident, was arrested in Douglas County on Aug. 26, 2024, on charges of residential burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle and drugs.

At the time of her arrest here, she was on probation out of Los Angeles County for vehicle theft. At the time, it was indicated that hold had been lifted. South Lake Tahoe is holding her without bail on a felony warrant for probation violation.

She has similar charges in Douglas, including a count of battery by a prisoner which she picked up while in the jail. She had been scheduled to appear in East Fork Justice Court on Wednesday.