Friday the 13th especially unlucky for alleged cell phone store burglar
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Police Department
Published: November 18, 2009
An alleged burglar who left money for ice cream and stuffed a backpack full of dummy cell phones tossed onto the roof of the building he found himself trapped in was arrested on Friday the 13th.
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
An alleged burglar who left money for ice cream and stuffed a backpack full of dummy cell phones tossed onto the roof of the building he found himself trapped in was arrested on Friday the 13th. The incident, according to Santa Paula Police Senior Officer Paul Spencer, began Friday, November 13 at approximately 1 a.m. when a SPPD officer was dispatched for a commercial alarm at Luci-Tel, located at 109 N. Mill Street.
“When Officer Joash Rothermel arrived on scene he looked inside the window of the business and saw that the ceiling tiles were in disarray on the floor,” apparently damaged, noted Spencer, from someone falling through the ceiling. Believing a suspect was inside the business, Rothermel immediately set up a perimeter and requested additional units to assist him.
The Santa Paula Fire Department was contacted to assist with providing a ladder for officers to gain access to the roof to check for any additional suspects or a point of entry.
Rothermel saw a vent cover had been pried off, and the suspect left a backpack next to the vent. Spencer said Rothermel could see the suspect through the vent, walking around inside business and at one point removing property from his pockets and putting it back on the store’s shelves.
Sergeant Jimmy Fogata and his partner K-9 Evan were dispatched to the scene to assist with apprehending the suspect. “It was unknown at the time how many suspects were inside the business,” and Spencer said additional officers were needed in order to conduct the search of the building and the apprehension of the suspect or suspects.
“The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department was contacted and we requested their assistance for the search,” and when adequate numbers of officers arrived on scene they made entry into the business. With the assistance of K-9 Evan, officers and deputies were able to arrest the suspect without incident.
Fogata said, “It went pretty smooth” during the approximately one hour the incident lasted, including setting up a “tight perimeter all the way to 10th to North Alley, Main Street to Mill and Mill to North Alley.” The building was then checked for any additional suspects, but none were found.
Deputies also found an additional hole leading to an attached business at 111 N. Mill Street. The business was checked and no additional suspects were located.
“We got up on the roof and confirmed there were no more forced entries and made sure no other business had been entered,” said Fogata. If there is no alarm, he added, “What someone will do is go store-to-store; they’ll work all night long if they can gain access to the buildings.”
SPPD Detective Dan Kiernan was dispatched to the scene in order to process the crime scene for evidence and interview the suspect. While being interviewed by police, Sanchez said he’d eaten two ice cream bars from a store display and left a dollar bill - discovered next to a flashlight - on the display case to help cover the cost of the treats.
Spencer said the suspect, Israel Sanchez, 24, an area transient, admitted to the rooftop burglary and having been in the store prior to the burglary. Sanchez allegedly filled the backpack found by the police with cell phones before he threw it up through the vent and onto the roof.
“He thought he hit the jackpot,” but Fogata said all the cell phones were non-operable display models. Sanchez was taken into custody for suspicion of commercial burglary and possession of burglary tools.
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