Santa Clara police have busted two men for burglarizing storage units at a local apartment complex.
The arrest comes after a months-long investigation stretching back to October last year. The Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) announced the arrest Feb. 5 on its public alert system, Nixle.
Capt. Mike Crescini, with the Santa Clara Police Department, said the arrest is the culmination of a lot of diligence.
“When we respond to an incident in the field … we get a workable lead. That takes our detectives on a course of action where they are connecting the dots,” he said. “Start to finish, it looks really great at the end, but there is a lot of work that goes into getting that arrest.”
Security camera footage showed the culprits — a Santa Clara man and a San Jose man — picked or bypassed storage locks and used a stolen fob to access buildings at a Santa Clara apartment complex. Using “sophisticated” methods to break into storage units, the men were able to avoid leaving signs of forced entry.
Thieves made off with thousands of dollars worth of items, including electronics such as laptops, iPads, gaming consoles, drones, and high-end audio equipment. Other items stolen included electric bikes, power tools, kayaks, handbags, suitcases, clothing, books, and coins as well as safes containing passports, birth certificates and credit cards.
Between October and January, residents at the complex reported several burglaries with some victims claiming losses exceeding $10,000.
Surveillance footage allowed police to track stolen property to an area of Santa Clara where they confirmed the men’s involvement. Detectives also discovered credit cards stolen during the burglaries were used at a San Jose gas station.
Camera footage helps “paint a picture of what most likely occurred,” Crescini said.
“Overall, surveillance footage, whether it is interior or exterior, plays a role in just trying to track down suspects,” he said.
On Feb. 4, police raided two Santa Clara apartments and five San Jose storage units, leading to the arrests. During the search, police recovered dozens of stolen items, including high end electronics, laptops, gaming consoles and electric bikes.
SCPD does not disclose suspects’ criminal records, Crescini said.
Despite requests submitted to SCPD, police did not provide the suspects’ identities, the location of the apartment complex or where police executed the warrants. We will update this story if police make that information available.
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
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