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# Man arrested in connection with string of backflow device thefts in Redlands
- URL: https://www.communityforwardredlands.com/man-arrested-in-connection-with-string-of-backflow-device-thefts-in-redlands/
- Published: 2026-10-21T23:41:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-21T23:41:57.000Z
- Description: Police say more than a dozen city-owned devices were stolen, mostly from commercial properties throughout Redlands.
- Author: CFR News Desk
- Tags: Public Safety

REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands Police arrested a 41-year-old man Friday, Oct. 16, in connection with the theft of more than a dozen city-owned backflow prevention devices, most of which were stolen from commercial properties throughout the city.

Enrique Luis Ibarra, described by police as a transient, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft after a City Water Division employee spotted his vehicle and contacted police.

The employee followed the vehicle and directed responding officers to its location. Police conducted a traffic stop and found burglary tools, stolen backflow devices and additional parts inside the vehicle.

City employees used serial numbers to identify several devices stolen from local properties. 

Backflow prevention devices are installed in water lines to prevent contaminated water from flowing backward into the clean drinking water supply when water pressure drops. The devices contain high-grade metals, making them targets for thieves who sell the materials for scrap.

Investigators are checking with police departments in nearby cities to determine whether additional devices were stolen outside Redlands.

Anyone with information about the thefts or other suspicious activity is asked to contact Redlands Police Dispatch at 909-798-7681, ext. 8\. Certain nonemergency crimes can also be reported through the department's [online reporting system](https://www.redlands.gov/report-a-crime/?ref=communityforwardredlands.com).