Police Say Charges Mark ‘High-Tech’ Burglars’ Demise

Police say they have broken up two men’s sophisticated burglary operation, which included use of walkie-talkies, police scanners and disguises and may have been responsible for “a whole slew” of residential break-ins in the San Fernando Valley.

The men, Julio Freeman, 42, of Sherman Oaks and Wells Lee Bond, 37, of Woodland Hills were charged this week with 10 counts stemming from five break-ins and their alleged attempts to elude Los Angeles police during a car chase. Lt. Rick Violano called it a “high-tech” burglary ring “straight out of a TV movie.”

Investigation Continuing

Freeman pleaded not guilty Friday in San Fernando Municipal Court to one count of burglary, one count of receiving stolen property and one count of assault on a police officer, Deputy Dist. Atty. John Spillane said. He is free on $3,500 bail.

Bond faces five counts of burglary, one count of attempted burglary and one count of receiving stolen property. He was released on $35,000 bail and will be arraigned next Thursday, Spillane said.

Detective Frank Bachman said police are investigating possible connections between the pair and hundreds of residential burglaries in the Valley in the last year. The charges filed Thursday described burglaries in Chatsworth, Sherman Oaks and Encino.

“We expect to clear a whole slew of burglaries that these guys committed,” Violano said. “We may not be able to convict on many of them, but at least we can clear them from our records.”

Detective Charles McCrillis said that the pair staked out upper-middle-class neighborhoods to learn the daily routines of residents. Then, when the residents were away, the two--using the walkie-talkies to communicate with one another and monitoring police radio scanners to avoid detection--burglarized the homes, McCrillis said.

The men also used disguises, including phony mustaches and wigs, to prevent witnesses from identifying them, police said.

‘They Were Pros’

“They were pros, very good at what they did,” Violano said. “We don’t see these types too often. They took paintings, statues, only stuff that would bring a high price and would appeal to a certain clientele.”

Police caught up with the men Oct. 10 after a tip from a Chatsworth woman who is a Neighborhood Watch leader and has since received an official commendation for her efforts, Violano said. The woman, who was not identified, called investigators to report that a suspicious blue car, which she had seen in the area for many days, was again in the neighborhood, he said.

Detectives followed the tip immediately because about five of the houses in that neighborhood had been burglarized in the previous few days, Violano said.

When police arrived at the scene, the men were speeding away and rammed one of the patrol cars in an attempt to escape, Violano said. Other officers were led on a chase through the streets of Chatsworth, ending about five minutes later when a police car crashed into the men’s Lincoln Continental at the end of a dead-end street, Violano said.

Police found two handguns inside the car, besides the walkie-talkies, scanners and disguises, McCrillis said. However, no stolen goods were found then, he said.

Freeman was arrested at the scene. Bond, however, eluded capture during the chase by jumping out of the car while it was traveling 40 m.p.h. and hiding under a parked camper, Violano said. When Bond emerged from hiding, a curious resident asked him who he was, and Bond said he was an undercover officer on assignment, Violano said.

Bond was arrested last Monday when he returned to his Woodland Hills town house, where police were waiting, McCrillis said. Inside the home, police found several pieces of property that had been reported stolen, including a pair of porcelain statuettes valued at about $5,000 each, McCrillis said.

“These guys lived high on the hog, really in the fast lane,” Violano said. “Expensive clothes, expensive cars, you name it. They had burglary down to a honed skill.”