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Santa Clara County prosecutors have charged a man for 20 commercial burglaries, including a smash-and-grab at a downtown Palo Alto jewelry store where about $50,000 worth of gold and silver were stolen in November.
Charles Edward Hastings, 42, of San Jose, has been charged with committing multiple acts of felony vandalism in connection with the burglaries, which were committed in six different cities across the county, according to a news release issued Tuesday. Hastings and his accomplices allegedly used a saw to break into businesses and cart away entire cash-filled ATMs.
The Palo Alto burglary was at De Novo Fine Contemporary Jewelry, where a private security guard found the front glass door shattered at the University Avenue business just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 18, police said.
With help from video surveillance, the police investigation found that Hastings and another burglar allegedly broke into the business, smashed display cases and took more than $50,000 in jewelry, none of which has been recovered. A third person served as the getaway driver who was seen in a light blue minivan, according to police.
Police determined that Hastings was the main person behind the burglary. Officers have not identified the getaway driver or other burglar. The second burglar was between 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 5 feet, 10 inches tall and seen in dark pants, a dark sweatshirt and a mask.
Investigators believe that earlier this month, Hastings and accomplices forced entry into the American Legion Hall in Santa Clara and cut into an ATM with a cordless saw. They allegedly stole $10,800 from the ATM and a donation box containing eyeglasses for veterans.
The District Attorney’s Office reported that Hastings and his accomplices repeatedly broke into closed establishments between Oct. 31, 2021, and Feb. 3. Hastings has also been charged with burglarizing multiple stores and taking high-end items, such as jewelry, guitars and bicycles.
Authorities estimate the value of items and money taken by Hastings is $189,654 and that the cost to repair the damage inflicted by Hastings is $65,200.
San Jose police led the investigation with help from their counterparts in Sunnyvale, Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Palo Alto and Santa Clara. Investigators connected Hastings to each case based on video surveillance and his alleged use of a vehicle in each case.
Hastings is being held without bail and scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday afternoon at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. He is not believed to be connected to other crimes in Palo Alto, according to police.
Anyone with information about the November burglary is asked to call the department’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.
This is wonderful news. It’s very hard to catch burglars. We had a smash and grab at our shop last year for the first time ever, at about 5am. Burglars wear masks, so it’s very hard even with good cameras to ID them. So a huge thank you to the police and everyone who cooperated. Please keep reporting and on the alert for these — and with luck we can start to discourage burglars from being so brazen.