Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station captured two burglary suspects with the help of a concerned citizen, an official said this week.
Deputies believe Patrick Howard, 20, of Anaheim, broke into a locked vehicle and began to remove a stereo and Farrah Andrews, 36, also of Anaheim, served as the lookout, according to Deputy Josh Dubin of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
“A witness called and asked for deputies to respond to a vehicle burglary where someone was acting as a lookout,” Dubin said.
“Deputies responded and found a vehicle that was broken into and the witness provided a deputy there with a description of the two people,” he said.
The pair were found by deputies a couple of blocks away from where the car window was smashed, walking in opposite directions, at the 25300 block of The Old Road in Stevenson Ranch.
The arrest was the second felony arrest announced Friday that was made with help of the public, Dubin said.
“An alert citizen called in what looked like a vehicle burglary, and deputies responded to the scene after receiving a description of the suspects,” he added.
After the witness was able to positively identify the suspects, they were both charged with vehicular burglary, he said.
Sheriff’s Station officials also announced the arrest of two suspects who are thought to be involved in a series of break-ins at several local schools over spring break.
Gonzalo Ortiz, 20, of Newhall, was arrested early Friday morning last week, as well as a teenager, Dubin said.
“We will not tolerate criminals victimizing our schools and disrupting the educational process,” said Capt. Paul Becker of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
Otiz is being held in lieu of an $85,000 bail. He is not allowed to make bail because there is an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement hold on his record.
Those arrests were also made with the help of alert citizens who contacted the Sheriff’s Station, Dubin said.
“When the public we serve works as a community partner with local law enforcement, we’re able to send a message to criminals – not in Santa Clarita,” Dubin said.
Alert Witness Leads to Arrest of Car Burglary Suspects
