Arrests made in rash of recent car break-ins in Sonoma

“We believe these four individual conducted five to ten burglaries a night for months across Sonoma County including in Sonoma Valley,” said Sonoma County Sheriff's spokesperson Spencer Crum.|

Four suspects were arrested in Windsor for a string of auto burglaries – including, police suspect, a rash of recent thefts in Sonoma Valley.

“We believe these four individual conducted five to 10 burglaries a night for months across Sonoma County including in Sonoma Valley,” said Sonoma County Sheriff spokesperson Sgt. Spencer Crum.

The suspects were arrested at about 4:15 a.m. on Jan. 10. Sonoma County Sheriff’s dispatch received a call from a homeowner in Windsor stating he saw three suspects trying to break into his work truck. He reported that the suspects left in a dark-colored sedan. It was later determined that the suspects broke into the truck’s tool box in an attempt to steal tools. The caller had seen a recent Facebook post by Windsor police about numerous tool thefts from work trucks, so had been taking the tools out of the truck every night.

A Windsor Police Department deputy was patrolling nearby and spotted the suspects’ car, a dark grey Toyota Camry, and made a traffic stop. Three suspects were detained and taken into custody without incident: 20-year-old Crystal Manjarrez of San Pablo, 39-year-old Minerva Razo-Venegas of Vernalis and 24-year-old David Coyt Jr. of Richmond.

In their car was a load of power tools, hand tools and miscellaneous property that appeared to have been taken from recent vehicle burglaries. Sheriff’s detectives were called in to assist with the case as there have been 153 reported auto burglaries in Sonoma County since Nov. 1, 2018.

During the course of the investigation detectives learned that the suspects were immediately selling the stolen property in the Richmond and Concord areas.

As part of the follow-up investigation, detectives from the Sheriff’s Property Crimes Unit served a search warrant at a Budget Inn Hotel in Fairfield where they found more stolen property and arrested alleged accomplice 25-year-old Jesus Peralta of San Rafael.

The investigation is ongoing; the only stolen property in Sheriff’s possession at this time is believed to have been stolen on the evening or early morning hours of Jan. 9 and 10.

All four suspects have been booked into the Sonoma County Jail on charges including burglary, conspiracy and possession of stolen property. Detectives were able to get a bail enhancement on all suspects. Coyt Jr, Razo-Vengas and Peralta are being held on $100,000 bail and Manjarrez is being held on $150,000 bail due to a previous theft warrant.

Prior to the arrests, the Sonoma Police Department issued a community warning about an increase in cases of theft from motor vehicles in the City of Sonoma in December 2018. Police officials said they wanted to raise awareness of the crime trend and help people protect their property.

The alert stated that the most significant common factor in the reported thefts is that most vehicles were unlocked and/or not secure. A majority of these thefts would have been prevented if the vehicle was locked when unattended, said police officials.

“Sonoma residents and visitors should lock their car doors and remove valuables from their vehicle(s) every night,” said Sonoma Police Chief Orlando Rodriguez. “Often times, these thefts are committed by criminals who are simply trying door handles, hoping for an unlocked door. Please take a moment to prevent being a victim of theft by locking your vehicle.” Other quick tips include removing valuables from your car, using a vehicle alarm system and storing vehicles in well-lit areas.

The City and Sonoma Police Department asks that residents call the police and report suspicious activity in their neighborhood and to alert neighbors. Take notes of people and vehicles that seem suspicious and let the police know by calling non-emergency dispatch at 996-3601; in case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Email Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.

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