Burglary suspect allegedly posing as alarm company employee arrested
Authorities Thursday urged people to contact detectives if they were victimized by a man who has been arrested for allegedly posing as a representative of an alarm company and burglarizing Los Angeles and Orange County homes of elderly victims.
Jacinto Chavez, 37, has been charged with various offenses, including five felony counts of first-degree burglary in connection with crimes he allegedly committed in Anaheim, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said at a Thursday morning news conference at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Carson Station.
The victims in Anaheim were generally between 79 and 88 years of age, Spitzer said.
"This is like stealing from your grandparents," Spitzer said. "That's how despicable this is."
Chavez was held on $500,000 bail, Spitzer said.
"It's awful that people would prey on the elderly," said neighbor Sharon Martinez to KCAL News Thursday.
According to Anaheim police, in August of 2023, victims in Anaheim began reporting that suspects posing as security company employees were burglarizing homes after claiming they were there to install or upgrade equipment.
Then, on Dec. 11, 2023, a similar crime occurred in the Carson area in Los Angeles County, and investigators identified Chavez as a suspect, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported.
In that crime, Chavez allegedly posed as a Brinks Home Security employee, wearing a company business card on a lanyard around his neck. He allegedly targeted victims who displayed Brinks Home Security signs in front of their homes, the sheriff's department reported.
According to the sheriff's department, he falsely claimed to be a Brinks employee, and said he was there to upgrade their alarm equipment. He then allegedly stole items such as jewelry or credit cards.
One woman said her friend was a victim of one of the burglaries.
"They said, 'you have to remove all your jewelry you have to put it on the counter,'" said Miguel Delamora.
On Jan. 4, sheriff's detectives arrested Chavez at his home in Riverside County, and found evidence that he may have committed other burglaries. He was booked at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Carson Station, and was released on $50,000 bail that same day.
Investigators learned that similar crimes had occurred in Anaheim, and authorities focused on Chavez as a suspect involved in five Anaheim crimes.
On Jan. 12, Anaheim police arrested Chavez in Riverside County, and on Jan. 16, the Orange County District Attorney's office filed charges against him. He has not yet been charged in Los Angeles County. Other possible accomplices were being sought.
In addition to Los Angeles and Orange counties, authorities believe Chavez may have also committed similar crimes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Anyone who may have been victimized by the suspect was urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Carson Station at 310-830-1123, or the Anaheim Police Department at 714-328-8153. Tipsters may also call LA Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP- OCCS.
