Parolee Arrested in Computer Parts Thefts
A parolee who received computer training while in prison has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into local businesses and stealing computer parts, police said.
Kurtis Busse, 27, of Tustin had been under surveillance after police found his fingerprints at a crime scene, Police Lt. Tom Hume said. He was arrested after police saw him break into an Irvine business, Hume said.
The thief broke into locked buildings late at night, then opened computers and removed memory chips, central processing units and hard drives, Hume said.
“It’s a widespread problem. The parts often get resold and end up at swap meets. There’s really no way to identify the parts,” he said.
At the time of his arrest, Busse was in possession of several stolen laptop computers, Hume said.
Police are continuing to investigate more than 20 burglaries of Irvine businesses since October with losses totaling more than $300,000.
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