Moraga police have been on the lookout for suspicious behavior because the town has been hit by a large number of home burglaries in recent weeks. Officer Randy Pacheco was on patrol July 11 when he spotted an individual sitting in a car parked on Larch Avenue.
The man told Pacheco he was waiting for his girlfriend after finishing a painting job nearby. The officer inquired as to his identity and found out he was on parole. He asked to search the car and discovered bags full of jewelry; the suspect confessed to having taken it from the home he was painting.
Pacheco returned the jewelry to the homeowner, who told him she hired the painter to refinish a deck and that she left a door open so he could use the bathroom when she had to leave the house. She was unaware of the theft.
"We are also on the trail of a local juvenile who's also a drug user and we believe he may be connected to some of the thefts, entering homes through doors or windows left open," said Moraga Police Chief Bob Priebe, who added that his department is collaborating with other local police departments to close in on another painter-turned-burglar operating in the area.
The man told Pacheco he was waiting for his girlfriend after finishing a painting job nearby. The officer inquired as to his identity and found out he was on parole. He asked to search the car and discovered bags full of jewelry; the suspect confessed to having taken it from the home he was painting.
Pacheco returned the jewelry to the homeowner, who told him she hired the painter to refinish a deck and that she left a door open so he could use the bathroom when she had to leave the house. She was unaware of the theft.
"We are also on the trail of a local juvenile who's also a drug user and we believe he may be connected to some of the thefts, entering homes through doors or windows left open," said Moraga Police Chief Bob Priebe, who added that his department is collaborating with other local police departments to close in on another painter-turned-burglar operating in the area.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA