The Laguna Beach Police Department (LBPD) has reportedly arrested two individuals it believes are responsible for having burglarized various cars during June of 2017. A multi-department investigation led officers to one suspect who, once arrested, was able to identify another. Officers with the LBPD first began receiving reports of vehicle burglaries in north Laguna Beach on June 3, 2017. Detectives with the city’s police force were assigned to investigate the crime given that there appeared to be not just one isolated incident, but a serial burglar on the loose.
The investigators assigned to the case were able to identify several suspects within a short period of time. By June 8, those detectives had successfully narrowed in on a few suspects on whom they began surveillance. One of those was a young woman from Inland Empire. While it’s unclear as to what led police to suspect the woman or question her, she ultimately confessed to the burglaries and was arrested that same day. It’s through her that police were able to identify her co-conspirator, a male, also from Inland Empire.
It’s with the help of San Bernadino’s Police Department that LBPD was able to execute a search warrant on a home in the city. The officers were looking for the male suspect and stolen property. While it’s unclear whether they found stolen property in search of the San Bernadino home, they didn’t find the male suspect. Later that day, word had gotten around that police were looking for him. By the following morning, he had reported to LBPD’s headquarters to turn himself in. The suspects were processed by the Orange County Jail. They are both facing a number of theft and drug charges. In this case, both suspects were found to have been in possession of stolen property. If convicted on the theft charges alone, the defendants may be required to pay restitution for the cost of the stolen items or to spend extensive time in jail.
As for the sentence, the two stand to face if they’re convicted of these crimes, it depends heavily on the evidence amassed in their cases. In working with an Orange County, California, theft attorney, they may be able to come up with a plausible defense for their alleged crimes.
Source: Banning Patch, “I.E. duo arrested in O.C. vehicle burglary ring, police say,” Renee Schiavone, accessed July 11, 2017