A woman who is suspected of burglary, and who has been on the run from Sheriff’s deputies for three weeks, was arrested Friday morning. On August 15, deputies were called to the 8700 block of Sage Avenue for a report of a burglary. While the owner was out of town, the owner’s friend hired Leah Aeschliman, 44, to clean the house. When the homeowner returned, she realized several items, including jewelry, had been stolen from her home. Deputies found some of the jewelry had been pawned by Aeschliman at a local pawn shop. Detectives went to Aeschliman’s last known address in the 5500 block of Navajo Trail with a search warrant and discovered additional stolen property in the home, but were unable to locate Aeschliman. At about 10 a.m. Friday, deputies followed a tip that led them to the 1900 block of Sunset Road in Joshua Tree where they contacted Stephanie Johnston, 34, who was living in a bus on the property. Johnston denied that Aeschliman was on the property, but during a search, deputies found Aeschliman hiding under a bed. Leah Aeschliman was arrested for investigation of burglary and booked into the West Valley Detention Center due to medical issues. Stephanie Johnston was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory, and was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail with her bail set at $25,000.
