Orange County prosecutors have charged 20 people, including five juveniles, in connection with a burglary ring that authorities say was tied to 34 break-ins across the county with an estimated loss of about $500,000 in cash, weapons and valuables.
Nine suspects were rounded up in a sweep on Wednesday, with law enforcement still seeking 11 more people.
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes told reporters at a news conference the arrests were the result of “months of hard work,” starting in September when authorities began working a case involving three residential burglaries, two in unincorporated Santa Ana and one in Yorba Linda. That prompted a team of investigators to work on building a bigger case, Barnes said.
Fullerton police have been investigating 19 burglaries, with the rest being handled by sheriff’s deputies, Barnes said.
The 20 defendants have ties to Los Angeles-based gangs, Barnes and Orange County District attorney Todd Spitzer said.
The thieves are “organized” and use sophisticated methods involving monitoring social media messages to see who is out of town, surveillance of affluent homes to get patterns of comings and goings of residents and even breaking in through a second-floor balcony to avoid security system motion detectors, Barnes said.
Spitzer said the gangs are recruiting juveniles to help with the heists because they tend to face lesser punishment from the system because of their age.
During the sweep this week, law enforcement recovered seven guns, two of which were stolen, multiple high-capacity magazines and $40,000 in cash, jewelry and handbags, Barnes said.
He said he hopes residents “can sleep a little better” knowing the thieves were arrested.
“To the criminals associated with these crews, we will find you, we will arrest you,” Barnes said. “And you will do your time in Orange County … You’re not going to get out next week.”
Spitzer called the burglary ring a “dangerous, prolific crew.”
He said Orange County is “different than other counties in California,” in that law enforcement “cares deeply about victims” and will push for stiffer punishments of defendants.
“‘We still believe that people should go to state prison when appropriate,” Spitzer said.
As he has in the past, Spitzer criticized efforts to reduce jail and prison overcrowding. He said his office understands extending some mercy to first-time offenders, but he wants to crack down on recidivists.
“We believe in some reforms,” Spitzer said. “But when it comes to hardcore crimes, we’re putting our feet down.”
The sheriff reminded residents to make sure they lock all their doors and windows, consider padlocking side gates, which are popular points of entry for thieves, and ensure their homes are well-lit. He added that putting lights on a timer and installing a security system with cameras will also help steer thieves away.
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