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Suspect Identified in Burglaries

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Times Staff Writer

Eager to crack a year-long string of about 200 home break-ins that have been dubbed “the power-off burglaries,” authorities in North County have issued an arrest warrant for a man suspected of participating in at least one of the thefts.

In a press conference Friday, Sheriff’s deputies in Vista announced that they are seeking Hilario Martinez Hernandez, 19, a diminutive illegal alien suspected in the burglary of an Escondido home in September.

Detective Mike Shelby said authorities also want to question Hernandez about three other break-ins that occurred in the same neighborhood in recent months as well as other burglaries across North County.

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He said deputies were able to connect Hernandez to the Escondido burglary through “physical evidence,” but declined to say what that evidence was until the case is resolved.

“We’re asking the public’s help in trying to locate him,” Shelby said, describing Hernandez as 4 feet, 5 inches tall and 95 pounds. The suspected burglar is known to frequent the San Marcos, Vista and Oceanside areas, the detective said.

The power-off burglaries have been a series of daylight break-ins in rural enclaves from Vista to Fallbrook and as far inland as Valley Center. The common tactic employed in the crimes has been to turn off a home’s electricity, thus rendering burglar alarms useless.

Although investigators have issued an arrest warrant for only one man, they believe others may also be involved, Shelby said.

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