It was announced at the end of last week that Sheriff's deputies had arrested three men on suspicion of theft, alleged by the Sheriff's Department to be responsible for a string of car burglaries in Santee in the last month.
The crime reports for that period of time show an increased number of car burglaries, especially in the northwest quadrant of the city, around North Magnolia Avenue. The Sheriff's Department told Santee Patch last week that residents should be on alert and extra careful about locking their doors.
The Sheriff's Department assigned extra patrols to the area and early last week they caught two men hiding behind a vehicle and one inside at 3 a.m. on Halberns Street. They were arrested on suspicion of theft and found with backpacks that contained electronics, drug paraphernalia and a stolen gas card, according to a report on the Santee Review.
One suspect was an El Cajon resident, age 30, and two were from Santee, age 23 and 25.
This week's crime report, to be published soon, only reports one burglary from a vehicle, on Mandeville Rd., which happens to be near Halberns Street, where the three were arrested.
Though the Sheriff's Department said the rash of car burglaries is likely over, residents should still be vigilant and lock doors and hide valuables from plain view.
The Department suggests victims who might have had items stolen by the trio should contact Det. Massey at (619) 956-4057.
