Victorville man arrested for leaving "macabre teddy bear" at gas station, authorities say

CBS News

15-07-2025

Authorities have arrested the man who allegedly left a "macabre teddy bear" at a Victorville gas station over the weekend, prompting unnecessary calls for emergency service.
They were called to the AMPM in the 13660 block of Bear Valley Road at around 12 p.m. after receiving a suspicious circumstances call, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
"Callers indicated a teddy bear made of what looked like human flesh was left in front of the business," said SBSD's statement on Monday. "Upon arriving, deputies located the teddy bear and began their investigation."
Investigators took the bear into evidence, determining that it was not actually made of any human remains or skin, but rather manmade material, the statement said.
On Monday, they announced that a man had been arrested in connection with the incident.
Hector Corona Villanueva, 23, of Victorville, was arrested and booked for causing the report of an emergency while knowing it to be false and intentionally and wrongfully planting evidence to falsely present as real.
"Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service," deputies said.