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A Mountain View man was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of burglarizing homes across multiple cities, according to a statement from the Mountain View Police Department on May 23.
Jesus Tapia, a 25-year-old Mountain View resident, was arrested on May 1, following a monthslong investigation, police said.
Tapia was charged with six counts of first-degree burglary, after police issued a search warrant at the 2000 block of Colony Street. During the search, police discovered a firearm and several items that linked Tapia to burglaries committed in Mountain View, according to the statement.
An investigative report describes the burglaries as part of a larger crime ring that had been targeting homes in Mountain View and other cities since last year. Ten of the burglaries were reportedly committed in the Menlo Park area, according to court records.
The home break-ins tended to follow a similar pattern or “modus operandi,” according to the investigative report. The burglars would apparently target an unoccupied residence in the evenings, typically smash a rear glass sliding door and then go into a bedroom to steal cash, jewelry and designer handbags. They would leave electronics and other valuables in plain sight, the report said.
One of the burglaries that Tapia was allegedly involved in occurred at the 1100 block of Burgoyne Street on March 3. The occupants told police a break-in had occurred at their home while they were away at dinner. When they returned, they saw that a sliding glass door window had been smashed and valuable personal items were missing from their bedroom, according to the report.
The police investigation says that a video recording captured three suspects entering the house empty handed just before 8 p.m. and then leaving a few minutes later carrying pillowcases and luggage as they fled up Burgoyne Street by foot.
The suspects allegedly stole designer handbags, luggage, jewelry and cash, according to the report.
An arrest warrant filed with the Santa Clara County Superior Court on April 29 lists the total loss and damage to property as exceeding $200,000.
Tapia also was charged with five other home burglaries in Mountain View that occurred between February and April. According to the arrest warrant, the burglaries took place at Alice Street, San Luppe Drive, Farley Street, Elsie Avenue and Evandale Avenue.
The police investigation identified Tapia as a suspect from video surveillance and his driving of a black Porsche Cayenne, registered to his mother, that was tracked to several burglarized homes and a pawn shop.
Tapia remains in Santa Clara County jail with no bail allowed. A hearing for Tapia is scheduled for July 7, according to Santa Clara County court records.
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