Police Recover Large Quantity of Items Believed Taken in La Jolla Burglaries

San Diego police believe they have cracked a brazen burglary ring that stole items from as many as 200 houses in La Jolla, often while the residents were home.

Many times, the burglars simply slashed an unlocked screen window, reached in and grabbed a purse, kitchen appliance or whatever was handy, police said.

“Some people woke up in the morning, came downstairs and found that what they had left on the kitchen table last night was gone,” Sgt. Robert Peterson said Wednesday in describing the residential and car burglary ring.

Police said they believe the ring, concentrated on upscale La Jolla, has operated for the past six months.

Police stumbled onto the case two weeks ago when they arrested a car prowler. During questioning, the man told detectives about other car prowls and residential burglaries in La Jolla.

That led to several other suspects and to the arrest of two of them. Further questioning resulted in the arrest of a man who police said may be one of the ring’s leaders, Brian G. Headrick of Pacific Beach, also known as Brian Gregory Adams.

Headrick, 21, was arraigned Monday on one charge each of residential burglary, auto theft, possession of methamphetamine and receiving stolen property. Police said he was initially charged in a July 20 burglary at a home on Copa de Oro Drive, a few blocks from the beach.

Court records show that Headrick paid $52,000 in cash to make bail and was released from County Jail downtown.

His arrest came after detectives interviewed his girlfriend at her apartment, then saw Headrick parked outside in his van.

Inside the van, and later in a U-Haul rental truck, detectives found stolen tires, tools, bicycles, snow skis, chain saws, car batteries, stereos, tape decks and speakers.

Property in Every Room

They entered another suspect’s apartment and found stolen briefcases, luggage, battery cables, duffel bags and motorcycle helmets. In an apartment belonging to one of Headrick’s friends, they found stolen tennis rackets, silverware, gloves and shoes.

“We went inside a two-bedroom apartment and there was stolen property in every single room,” said Peterson.

“In fact, one bedroom looked like all the property was just thrown in there. It was full of nothing but tennis shoes and clothes and other things of no value to anybody,” he said.

“We saw a lot of the stolen property in the van,” Peterson said, including a child’s scooter, stereo equipment and individual items of clothing snatched from parked cars.

“We went to (Headrick’s) apartment and it was full,” the sergeant said. “And the U-Haul we found later when it was involved in a hit-and-run. We impounded the truck and found more stolen property.”

Peterson said more arrests are expected. He said three or four accomplices may have been involved in the burglaries and with storing and reselling the stolen property.

Police said they believe some of the property was sold at garage sales held by members of the ring. Some of the property was traded to individuals in the Pacific Beach area in return for drugs and other stolen goods, they said.

Some of the property--particularly a military identification card and $20,000 in Navy computer chips--has attracted the interest of FBI and Navy intelligence investigators.

“The theft of that government property occurred off base, and the case was transferred to us,” said FBI spokesman Jim Bolenbach. “We’re still looking into it.”

Peterson believes police have matched some of the property with items reportedly taken from about 90 homes, most of them in La Jolla, and others in Pacific Beach and North City West.

But piles of goods, including stolen file cabinets, gym sweats and six baseballs, are still being inventoried. Peterson said those items could eventually match up with property taken in another 100 or more burglaries.