5 suspects arrested in residential burglary, hours after sheriff’s captain vows ‘there is a plan in place’
Officials from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station have reported that five suspects — three adults and two juveniles — were arrested Tuesday night following a residential burglary on Paulette Place that occurred shortly after 8 o’clock that night.
According to a release issued Wednesday afternoon, a homeowner called the Crescenta Valley Station at 8:19 p.m. after he received a notification that his home security alarm system had activated while he was away from the residence.
A portable video device showed two suspects inside the home, the report stated. When deputies arrived at the 400 block of Paulette Place, they saw two males running from the location. One was quickly detained, but the other fled on food.
A helicopter was called to aid in the search, but the second man could not be immediately found. During the search, a third suspect was located in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked in front of the burglarized home and detained.
Two more suspects were detained after driving into the containment area in a second vehicle, according to the release. They were both found to be from the same South Los Angeles neighborhood as the two detained suspects.
The release indicates all four suspects were arrested for residential burglary and booked at the Crescenta Valley Station.
Then, on Wednesday morning at around 6 a.m., a concerned citizen called the sheriff’s station about a suspicious person he’d seen coming from a trail near the burglarized property, according to the release. Deputies arrived to the scene and identified the person in question as matching the description of the outstanding suspect who’d fled the crime scene the night before.
The fifth suspect was also arrested and booked at the Crescenta Valley Station. The release did not provide further details on the names, ages or descriptions of the suspects apprehended.
The arrests came just hours after Crescenta Valley Capt. Chris Blasnek addressed residents at a regular meeting of the La Cañada Flintridge City Council Tuesday, assuring them he’d established a plan for thwarting burglaries.
“I want to commit to the audience here tonight that there is a plan in place. It’s already in place, it already took effect, (although) you may not see it,” Blasnek said, adding he was working closely with the station’s crime analyst. “I stand by this plan — we’re going to catch these guys.”
The captain’s remarks were made in response to concerns raised by two residents in public comments, including Mary Kilmer, who lives in a house on Palm Drive that was broken into last month.
“The word is out our response times aren’t as great as they can be,” Kilmer told the council. “I’d like to see a little bit more sheriff’s presence.”
Recognizing a noticeable increase in burglaries, La Cañada City Manager Mark Alexander said resources have been allocated in the budget for additional patrols as needed.
“We can have as many units as the captain feels are needed to address particular issues as they arise,” Alexander said, indicating he’s been in meetings with Blasnek and higher officials. “They are very, very interested, very much concerned about what we’re seeing, not only in this community, but in other communities.”
Twitter: @SaraCardine
