Steve Jobs' Palo Alto Home Robbed By Clueless Thief
PALO ALTO, Calif. (CNET) — The Palo Alto home of the late Steve Jobs was robbed on July 17 of more than $60,000 in computers and other items, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office.
CBS-owned CNET reports Kariem McFarlin, a 35-year-old man from Alameda, Calif., was arrested and charged with the burglary and selling the stolen property.
The defendant is being held with bail set at $500,000 pending a court hearing on August 20.
Despite the large haul of personal computers, the alleged thief seemed unaware of the home's famous owner.
"Based on the evidence, it looks like just a random burglary where the guy broke in," Scott Tsui, Santa Clara County supervising deputy district attorney, told CNET News. Santa Clara County prosecutor Tom Flattery also confirmed that the robber likely did not know the significance of the home.
The residence itself is temporarily unoccupied as it undergoes renovation and has been surrounded by a construction barrier since July. That scenario may have proven too tempting for the burglar to pass up.
"The house was under renovation," Tsui told CNET, "so you know how that can be. I didn't see the house myself, but I'm not sure if the conditions of the perimeter were as secure as they would have been with a regular house. I think that may have given the defendant an opportunity to break in."
The D.A.'s office is so far treating this as a regular burglary.
"It's unfortunate," Tsui added. "The fact that Mr. Jobs was a famous person makes it a little bit different. But other than that, we're not seeing too much of a difference from other burglaries."
