Two Suspects Arrested For Allegedly Stealing Electricity From Belmont School To Power Homeless Encampment
BELMONT (CBS SF/BCN) -- Two suspects were in custody Friday after they allegedly used extension cords to steal power from a Belmont school to provide electricity to a nearby homeless encampment.
Belmont police said Ryan Tuli, 26, and Edgar Sanchez Arellano, 33, both from San Mateo, were arrested on suspicion of theft of utility services and on outstanding warrants.
On Wednesday, Belmont police officers responded to a local elementary school on a report of theft of electricity from the facility.
They located damage to an air conditioning unit where the suspects accessed the unit with extension cords to steal power. The officers followed the extension cords to an encampment next to the school's property.
Investigators said several items at the encampment were being powered by the school's electricity, and Tuli and Sanchez Arellano were found at the encampment and taken into custody.
Investigators also believe the two may have been responsible for starting a nearby brush fire in July.