Suspected Burglar’s Loot Put on Display

Recovered stolen goods were displayed by Ventura County sheriff’s deputies in Thousand Oaks on Tuesday, a portion of the items believed taken by a Van Nuys man in 62 burglaries throughout the county.

Dennis Wayne Spangler has admitted 10 burglaries thus far, but police in Orange and Los Angeles counties think the number might be as high as 300 across all three counties, said Det. Tom Bennett of the Thousand Oaks office of the Sheriff’s Department.

The display was set up for residents in the Conejo Valley and the surrounding area who have lost items in recent burglaries.

“We don’t even know who all the victims are,” Bennett said.

Deputies arrested Spangler, 52, at noon Friday after a two-day sting by a joint task force of Thousand Oaks and Moorpark deputies.

The goods displayed Tuesday were found in Spangler’s car the day of the arrest, authorities said.

“We were in the right place at the right time,” Bennett said. “Since we have a small, tight-knit group, we were able to pool our resources and catch him quickly.”

Spangler has convictions dating to 1979, Bennett said.

The total dollar figure for stolen goods in the east county--taken during an estimated 62 burglaries--was put at more than $400,000.

According to Bennett, the burglar’s routine was to prowl streets in his gray Jaguar looking for open windows and doors and unoccupied homes.

He would knock on doors, asking for a Gary Sellers, Bennett said. If no one answered, that home would be targeted.

“He was very neat inside. He closed drawers and windows before leaving,” Bennett said. “That may be one of the problems. The victims don’t know they are victims because they haven’t checked their jewelry.”

Deputies also advised residents Tuesday not to rely too heavily on burglar alarms. No arrests were made in any of the 10,000 instances that alarms went off last year, said Ed Tumbleson, information officer for the Sheriff’s Department.

“You can take your house off the market from criminals like this by doing something as simple as putting a pin lock in the door,” Tumbleson said.

Deputies urged anyone who believes they might have fallen victim in this case to call (805) 494-8200.